Andrews – The Wildcats’ varsity football team returned home for the second week in a row to face the Anderson Cavaliers from Anderson, S.C.
Despite having the first score of the game, Andrews (0-4) struggled to find the end zone in their 46-14 loss Friday night.
The Cavaliers (1-2) won the coin tossed deferred, giving the Wildcats the ball first.
Andrews took advantage of having the first possession and worked their way down the field on the ground, while also getting yards on Cavalier penalties. Their opening drive resulted in finding the end zone. They missed the extra point, giving the Cats an early 6-0 lead in the game.
On the next drive, Anderson level the game. They also utilized the ground game and hit pay dirt on a one-yard quarterback keeper. The Wildcats blocked the extra point to tie the game 6-6.
The Cats had the ball as time ticked down in the first quarter. After failing to convert a third-down attempt, they punted. On the punt, the Cavaliers fumbled the ball and Andrews recovered.
The Wildcats began working their way down the field as time expired in the first quarter. Andrews had 4th and 12 to start the second quarter. They went to the air to try and get the first down, but the ball was intercepted as the Cats were looking for the end zone.
The Cavaliers’ next drive started out with multiple penalties, but they overcame them and began to head downfield. From the Andrews 8 yard line, the Cavs rushed the ball into the end zone for the touchdown.
They attempted the two-point conversion, but the Cats blocked the pass. With 4:39 remaining in the second quarter, Anderson led 12-6.
Andrews took over and got to work on the ground, gaining extra yards thanks to multiple penalties on the Cavaliers. As time ticked down in the quarter, the Cats attempted to kick a 30-yard field goal, but it was blocked.
The Cavaliers took a knee to head to halftime with a 12-6 lead. The third quarter saw three Cavalier touchdowns and two Wildcat punts.
With 7:08 left in the third quarter, the Cavaliers scored their first touchdown of the quarter on a pass. Andrews blocked their second extra point of the night to keep the score 18-6.
The Cavaliers took over again after Andrews had to punt. They started with good field position and on a short pass, they scored a 52-yard touchdown. After missing the extra point, they led 24-6.
Andrews again had to punt after losing yards as a result of a fumble. With time expiring in the quarter, the Cavaliers hit the ground for a long touchdown. They missed the extra point and led 30-6.
The Wildcats started the fourth quarter with the ball on the 50-yard line, but lost possession after fumbling the ball.
On the Cavaliers next drive, they moved into the red zone after a deep ball. They then found the end zone on the ground. They found the end zone again to successfully complete the two-point conversion to lead 38-6.
The next drive for the Wildcats saw a spark on offense. On a deep ball from quarterback Brady McLelland to Logan Shuler, they found the end zone. McLelland found the end zone to get the two-point conversion to make the game 28-14.
Each team’s next drive ended in a turnover on downs, and the clock ticked down in the game.
With 1:50 left in the game, the Cavaliers found the end zone again and made the two-point conversion to lead 46-14. The game stood at 46-14 when time expired.
Andrews head coach Jason Johnson said he was disappointed after the loss.
“I thought early on we played well moving the ball, but then we got a little lazy. Started reaching for tackles, coming off blocks, not finishing blocks and we played a team that has some size and athletes – can’t do that, gets you in trouble, gets you beat,” he said.
Johnson said Will Phillips, A.J. Johnson and Phisher Baxter stood out.
“Will Phillips stood out, he had a good game. AJ. Johnson played a good game on special teams and did some different things. We put those kids in some tough positions. Phisher Baxter, put him in a tough spot and he stepped in there and played for us, you know, in a spot he’s not normally playing. He’s only been repping a day or so, but had to have him, had some injuries and those guys came in and stepped up for us and made plays,” Johnson said.
To prepare for Swain County, he added, “We gotta get healthy, get better, gotta build some toughness. We’re not as tough as I want us to be right now. We’re not as physical as I want us to be right now, but we gotta work on those things.
“If we’re going to compete in the Smoky Mountain Conference, we have to be able to do those things.”
Up next
The Wildcats will hit the road against their first Smoky Mountain Conference opponent of the season, Swain County (2A, 2-2).
The Maroon Devils started their season with wins over Smoky Mountain and Mountain Heritage. They have since lost to Pisgah and Franklin.
When these two teams met last season – also in the conference play opener – Andrews won 2-0 after scoring the game’s only points on a safety.
This year’s matchup is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. in Bryson City on Friday.