Bryson City – Andrews head football coach James Phillips knew his team had a tough task at undefeated Swain County on Friday night.
The Maroon Devils were 5-0 for the first time since 2019, with a versatile offense and stifling defense. Despite entering Smoky Mountain Conference play 4-1, Andrews had been limited in recent weeks due to key injuries on offense.
That pattern continued against Swain County, as the Wildcats never got going in a 20-0 loss.
Swain County (6-0 overall, 1-0 conference) had a balanced attack with 161 rushing yards and 161 passing yards. Though the Maroon Devils only completed nine of 26 passing attempts, they were able to hit on big plays when needed.
One of those came with 4:31 in the first quarter. After recovering an Andrews (4-2, 0-1) fumble at the Wildcats 28-yard line, Reese Winchester found Keyanthae Graham on a bubble screen on third-and-6, and the junior weaved his away around one defender and took advantage of a well-timed block for a 24-yard touchdown.
Andrews gained just 82 yards on offense, and had just one play go for 10 yards or more, an 11-yard run by Eli Aguilar in the third quarter. Starting quarterback Everett Tatham missed his third straight game, and Andrews tried Aguilar, Graham Burch and Samuel Preston at quarterback. Both Aguilar and Preston lined up in shotgun in a wildcat look, while Burch took most of his snaps under center.
It didn’t matter who lined up at quarterback, as Swain County dominated up front.
It didn’t help, either, that the game had no rhythm due to the Maroon Devils being called for 10 penalties and the Wildcats for six, with several more declined by both teams.
Andrews defense did its best to try to keep things close, but Joshua Collins capped a 14-play, 62-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown to put Swain County up 14-0 with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter. The Wildcats’ offense continued to struggle, with just two drives ending in Maroon Devils territory.
A long run by Dalton Rose on Andrews’ second drive of the third quarter looked to bring the Wildcats into the red zone for the first time all game. However, the play was called back due to a holding penalty and the drive ended in a punt.
Swain County started to wear down Andrews in the fourth quarter. Though Antonio Hernandes recovered a James Stroman fumble at the Wildcats’ 25-yard line to end the first drive, the offense went three-and-out.
Winchester hit Graham deep for a 33-yard gain on the first play of the next drive to bring the ball to the Andrews 17. Seven plays later, Collins was in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown with 3:29 remaining.
The Wildcats will try to get back on track this weekend, when they host Cherokee (4-2, 0-1). The Braves were flattened by Robbinsville, 46-6, after a promising start in non-conference play.