Andrews – Makhi Smith looked like a man who just won a tough, old-school football game.
Covered in all the dirt, mud and grass that Kenny Chesney can sing about, Smith had a smile from ear to ear. But he was not done getting dirty yet.
The Andrews senior joined his new freshman teammates in a postgame slip-and-slide through the standing water on the sidelines to celebrate the Wildcats’ 20-6 win over Copper Basin, Tenn., on homecoming.
Smith and the Wildcats’ offensive line controlled the ball game through awful weather conditions for the first half, and then on a water-logged, muddy field in the second when the rain subsided. The Wildcats (4-5) rushed for 318 yards to just 70 for the Cougars.
“All week we’ve worked on jamming at the line,” Smith said. “Without our line we can’t do anything. Our coaches have helped us in practice every day and that’s been the main factor.”
Andrews got on the board early when the rain was at its worst, as Landon White started off a big rushing night with a 31-yard touchdown run on a nearly identical play to one he scored on against Hayesville.
“We figured out a way to put four quarters together,” White said. “The line controlled the ball game. We preached it all week that it starts up front.”
White finished with 176 yards and two touchdowns to get him within striking distance of 1,000 yards.
“We had a complete game against a good football team,” Andrews head coach James Phillips said. “I can’t say enough about these kids, after getting their hearts ripped out last week. But I wasn’t worried about these kids bouncing back. I’m proud of our seniors who stuck with it.”
Andrews’ defense stepped up big as well, limiting the Cougars’ passing game with a little help from the rain to take a 6-0 lead to halftime.
“Our defensive backs have worked hard not to let anyone behind us,” Andrews safety Spencer Bateman said. “That gave our linebackers and linemen a chance to get some pressure on the quarterback. I think the rain helped us a lot in the first half and limited their passing game.”
Bateman and Cade Vaughn made some big hits and big plays in the secondary to halt Copper Basin drives throughout the night.
“We tried to lay a couple big hits out there, but after that we just wanted to do our jobs and make sure we don’t get selfish out there,” Bateman said.
Gavin Wilson, who also had a strong rushing night, had a key sack in the final minute of the first half to keep the visitors off the board.
Andrews suffered a big loss late in the half, though, as tackle Aaron Derreberry went down with a leg injury.
Phillips switched to a rare two tight end set for much of the second half, with Harley Crawford at tackle and Gabe Abernethy on the end opposite Samuel Wood. The line kept on churning through the mud, though, and kept the ball moving.
“I’m proud of Brawley (Stillwell) for leading them, he’s becoming an all-conference player and I’ll fight for that,” Phillips said.
“My prayers go out to Aaron,” Smith added. “Harley really stepped up, I’m about to go thank him right now.”
In the third quarter, Smith got a sack on defense as well that helped force a Copper Basin punt, and Abernethy blocked that kick to improve the field position even more.
The Wildcats cashed in that drive on a short run by Gavin Wilson, who also tack on a 2-point run for a 14-0 lead on a night when kicking just was not going to happen.
“I had in my mind it was going to be bad (conditions) for both teams,” Phillips said. “It was important for us to line up and show them what we were about tonight.”
Andrews got the ball back early in the fourth quarter, and White struck again, this time from 63 yards out for the exclamation point.
The Wildcats brought up a lot of their undefeated JV players to bolster their forces for the rest of the season, and several including Isaac Weaver and Austin Martin so extended playing time in their debuts.
“The freshman stepped up in big ways tonight and it showed on the scoreboard,” White said.
Robbinsville next
Andrews catches Robbinsville on a short week, as the Black Knights played a weather-delayed game against Swain County on Friday night.
The Wildcats need to win their next two games to finish with a winning record.