2007 McMinn Central

Text by Dewey Morgan (Sports Reporter) and Photography by Jammie Graves

Lightning streaked across the sky at halftime, but that was no deterrent for Loudon Friday night as the Redskins cruised to a 36-13 season-opening victory over McMinn Central in Etowah.

Without the services of starting tailback Tyler Campbell due to an ankle injury, the Redskin running game showed no signs of slowing.  Junior D’Andre Miley, helped by touchdown runs of 36 and 85, finished the game with 182 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.  Fellow junior Tyler Barr chipped in 70 yards on 13 carries with one rushing TD and one passing touchdown.

Loudon Head Coach Jeff Harig said he wasn’t surprised to see the running game do so well even in the absence of Campbell.  He said during a scrimmage with Polk County recently, Barr rushed 10 times for 87 yards and Miley rushed 10 times for 106 yards.  “We really saw D’Andre grow up last week,” Harig said of his junior.  He added about Friday night’s performance, “With Tyler out, (Miley) really stepped up for us.”

Campbell has been nursing a sprained ankle since before the jamboree and Harig said he was available Friday night in case of an emergency, but wasn’t sure he’d be able to go Friday against Lenoir City.  “We don’t know, it’s just kind of day-to-day,” Harig explained.

Loudon took the opening kick and began the first drive of the season at its own 32.  The Redskins ran four plays, all runs, to get to the Charger 32, but Miley was stuffed at the line on fourth and two.

The Chargers took the ball at their own 32 and were forced into a quick three and out.  The hosts lined up to punt on fourth, but the snap sailed over punter Ryan Russell’s head and he kicked it through the back of the end zone for a safety before the Redskins could fall on the ball.  The safety gave the visitors an early 2-0 advantage.

After the free kick, the Redskins took over on their own 42, but the Chargers’ Shane Moses fell on a Barr fumble on the first play.

Two plays later, with the ball on the Redskin 28, McMinn Central quarterback Jordan Jackson misfired on a pass and Loudon’s Gregory Vaught came away with a diving interception.

Barr took over from there, making up for his earlier fumble by touching the ball on every down of a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive.  Barr carried the rock nine times for 71 yards and finished off the drive with a touchdown pass on a trick play to Keenan Hawkins on third down and goal from the two.  The PAT was no good and the Redskin lead held at 8-0.

After three failed drives, the Chargers took over the ball on their own 15 with 3:15 remaining in the half.  Jackson rushed the ball two yards up the middle on the first play of the drive to set up second and eight.  Quarterback Mick Gross fired down the left sideline on the second play and the Redskins’ Ben Curtis made a diving interception over his shoulder to set up the next Redskin score.

After an incomplete pass and a loss of one on a failed screen pass followed by a delay of game penalty, the visitors faced third and 16 from their own 45.  Quarterback Blake McNew rolled left and found Vaught streaking down the left sideline for an easy, 55-yard touchdown pass.  The failed extra point kept the score 14-0 heading to halftime.

As the teams headed off the field for halftime, the storms began.  Rain only sprinkled down, but the lightning streaked across the sky.  A Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) mandated 30-minute delay ensued to let the lightning pass, but the game continued.

Harig said the delay likely cooled his team down and played a part in their slow start to the second half.  “(The Chargers) came out with a renewed spirit and they caught us on a big play and scored.”

The score the coach referred to was on the opening drive of the second half.  McMinn Central took the ball on their own 42 and moved to the Loudon 24, thanks primarily to a 35-yard reverse by Ryan Slack.

On second and 12 from the 24, Gross found Jackson in the left corner of the end zone and Jackson pulled in the pass with two Redskin defenders flocking him.  Russell drilled the PAT to cut the Redskin lead in half at 14-7.

The energy flowed even more toward the hosts after a thunderous hit on the kickoff, but the visitors quickly recaptured the momentum.  Starting from his own 15, McNew handed the ball off to Miley up the middle and the junior broke to the outside and raced 85 yards to paydirt.  “That took a little bit of wind out of their sails,” Harig said after the game.  The conversion snap then went to Barr who dodged Charger defenders the three yards needed to make the two-point conversion successful and put the visitors up 22-7.

Two bad snaps by the Chargers on the ensuing possession gave the Redskins possession on the host eight.  On the second play of the drive, Barr took the ball on a stretch play and dove into the end zone for the score.  After the PAT, the Redskin advantage was 29-7.

The final visiting score came with under five minutes remaining in the third.  After a turnover on downs by the hosts, the Redskins began their drive from the opposing 44.  Three plays that gained eight yards set up a fourth and two from the 36.  The Redskins chose to go for it and Miley took the handoff and raced the remainder of the field for his second TD of the game.  A converted extra point put the visitors up 36-7.

The Chargers put up one last score with just over six minutes remaining in the game when Gross found Barrett Barnett at the one and the receiver dove the rest of the way.

After the game, Harig said this win was “a good first win.  They’re a dangerous team with some athletes.”

He added an opening win helped build confidence for the team.  “All the things we’ve been preaching about doing, this just confirms those things.”

McNew finished the game two for five passing for 54 yards and a touchdown.

The dual quarterbacks for McMinn Central ended the contest three for 17 with two interceptions.  They threw for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

The Redskins open their home slate Friday when county rival Lenoir City visits for the annual “Battle of the Bridge.”  Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.