Wildcats no match for Swain County

    Bryson City – There are better days ahead in the second half of the season for Andrews’ football team, but Friday was not one to remember.
    Swain County kept its undefeated season going by dominating the Wildcats throughout in a 48-15 win that was never in doubt for the home-standing Maroon Devils.
    The loss was the third straight for Andrews (2-4), which will have to wait a little longer for a win over one of the “Big 3” teams in the challenging Smoky Mountain Conference.
    “Swain’s good, they’re good up front. We played two really good teams in a row, and we had our hands full tonight,” Andrews head coach James Phillips said.
    “I think it’s a process and I’m committed to that. There’s good times and bad times, good teams and bad ones. We see what we have to do to be this kind of team, and we are not there yet.”
    Swain quarterback Damian Lossiah ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Devils built a 28-0 halftime lead and ballooned it to 48-0 before letting off the gas. The Devils gained 7.4 yards per play.
    “This game was a teaching moment for us to get more physical and keep on working in the weight room,” Andrews lineman Aaron Derreberry said. “I think this will teach us a lot and we’ll keep on progressing the rest of the season.”
    “Swain was more physical than we were,” Andrews senior lineman Brawley Stillwell added.
    “They were not stronger than us, but they just got in our heads, I guess.”
    Phillips was an assistant coach at Swain County for 16 years and knows the efficiency of their operation.
    “They’re well coached and good on both sides of the ball,” Phillips said.
    “We were fighting fire all night trying to figure things out.”
    The Wildcats gained just 191 yards and did not find the end zone until the fourth quarter when things were well-decided. Tucker Holloway and Gavin Wilson scored on touchdown runs to give the team something to take with them back through the gorge.
    Andrews still has a chance to have its first winning season since 2011, as the next three games are against Cherokee, Hayesville and Copper Basin, all teams Andrews should be well capable of competing with. After taking on currently unbeaten Robbinsville, the Wildcats finish the season with Rosman (1-6).
    “I always like our chances with our kids,” Phillips said.    The players have not lost confidence that this could still be a breakout season for the Wildcats down the stretch.
    “We’ll come back to work Monday and we’ll get ready for Cherokee,” Andrews senior Landon White said. “I think we can make a run right here toward the playoffs.”
    “I want to win the rest of them,” Stillwell said of the final five games.