After the two teams combined for 57 total yards in the first half, the Bobcats exploded for exploded for three touchdowns in the third quarter to take the title, winning 38-8 over the Patriots.
“I figured the defense is what would win the game, and we probably worked on defense more this week than we had our offense,” said Bell County coach Scott Chaney.
Bell County (14-0) took the second-half kickoff and used a three-play, 52-yard drive to score. Dominic Carton went in from the 1-yard line at the 7:13 mark. The drive was highlighted by a 47-yard run by Jacob Slusher, who added the two-point conversion.
Bell County's John Dudley Hilton recovered a fumble and the next play found Carton going 83 yards for a touchdown to take control of the game. Matt Raines scored the two-point conversion to make it 16-0.
Penalties and a rock-solid Bobcat defense stopped New Harlan on their next possession.
On the punt, Slusher returned the ball 33 yards into Patriots territory. Carton raced 33 yards for a touchdown with 3:26 left in the third period. Slusher's two-point run extended the advantage to 24-0.
The Bobcats held New Harlan on downs and Bell County needed just five plays to once again find the end zone. Hilton went in from the 1 with 7:16 remaining in the game. Ben Madon connected with Cody Davenport for the two-point conversion pass.
The Patriots' only touchdown came late in the game on a drive that covered 65 yards and took 13 plays. T.J. Green scored on a 4-yard run with 2:08 to play. Green carried the ball nine times in the drive for 54 yards.
“They're a tough team to stop. We worked and worked, and watched film,” said Chaney. “Coach (Freddie) Hunter had a heck of a gameplan. We owe it all to our kids. They carried out the plan.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Carton dashed 55 yards for a touchdown.
Carton, a seventh-grade running back, powered the Bobcats with 164 yards on 12 carries. Josh Knuckles rushed for 26 yards on four carries. Matt Raines completed two of three passes for 29 yards.
“He (Carton) is a superb athlete,” said Chaney. “I challenged him all week long to step it up. He's just a seventh-grader, and I told him they'd be keying on him. He met the challenge, and I'll be glad to have him back next year.”
The Bobcats posted a 22-14 win over New Harlan in the regular season at Bell.
“I knew this game tonight would be a dogfight,” said New Harlan coach Robert Simpson. “It was a really tough ball game in the first half. They got a couple of big plays on us in the third quarter and the momentum swung in their direction.”
New Harlan (7-2) lost seventh-grader Tyler Stewart to an injury in the early in the second quarter and didn't return to the game.
“Losing Tyler really hurt us,” said Simpson. “He's our middle linebacker and one of our leaders. It was tough losing him.”
Green, a eighth-grader tailback, led the Patriots with 64 yards on 18 carries. Chase Niday had 20 yards on five carries. Larry Williamson added 14 yards on six rushes.
Cumberland wins consolation game
Chris Johnson rushed for two touchdowns and the Cumberland Redskins turned in a superb defensive effort in a 20-6 victory over Middlesboro in the consolation game.
Johnson opened the scoring on a 13-yard touchdown run with 4:20 left in the first quarter. Shequille Clark added the two-point conversion to give the Skins an 8-0 lead.
Cumberland (5-4) tried an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and Robbie Halcomb recovered at the Cumberland 48. A few plays later, Johnson scampered 37 yards for his second touchdown and a 14-0 Cumberland lead.
The Yellow Jackets used a big special teams play to set up their lone touchdown. Cody Foister returned a Cumberland punt all the way to the 15 and later added the 2-yard scoring burst to cut the Skins' lead to 14-6 just before halftime.
The teams exchanged turnovers in the third quarter as Johnson fumbled and Cumberland's Tyrek Simmons took the ball back with an interception.
Clark added a 34-yard touchdown run with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter to close the scoring.
The Skins almost added an electrifying touchdown as Joey Lewis picked off a Middlesboro pass at the goal line and returned it 99 yards, only to have it wiped out by a clipping penalty.
Bell sweeps with 5-6 grade win
CUMBERLAND - The New Harlan Patriots scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break open a close game in claiming a 20-6 victory over Bell County in the fifth- and sixth-grade game at the Cumberland Valley Conference championships Saturday at Cumberland High School.
New Harlan (7-1) got 93 yards on eight carries from Marcus McMillian and 66 yards on seven rushes from Cody Taylor.
The Patriots fumbled the ball three times in the first quarter.
“It was pretty ugly. The kids were having trouble with their long sleeves, but we got rid of that at halftime,” said New Harlan coach Scott Caldwell.
Eric Miller scored the Bobcats' lone touchdown with 4:24 remaining in the second quarter. New Harlan's Andrew Dozier stopped Joey Broughton on the two-point conversion run.
As time expired to end the first half, McMillian broke tackles and scored on a 52-yard touchdown run. Taylor added the two-point conversion to make it 8-6.
“Defensively, I was fairly happy in the first half,” said Caldwell. “We made them work with what they got, but we couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
Both teams turned the ball over once in the third quarter.
New Harlan used a six-play, 54-yard drive to score as McMillian capped the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run with 4:25 to play in the game.
Dozier recovered a fumble as New Harlan took over on the Bell 22. Six plays later, Austin Maggard found Jordy Brewer for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining.
Bell County lost Broughton to an injury in the first half. The fullback returned briefly in the third
quarter, but left the game and didn't return.
“We lost our linebacker there before the half and they took advantage of that,” said Bell County coach Bart Marcum. “He's the heart and soul of our defense, and when he went out our defense went out.
“I'm not taking anything away from the New Harlan Patriots. They're a well-coached football team. They got after us hard tonight.”
Ryan Collett led Bell County (15-5) with 52 yards on eight carries. Miller added 13 yards on six rushes. The Bobcats were held to 49 yards of offense.
“They lost a key player,” said Caldwell. “He's a big boy. They do a lot of their offense around him. It made it a little easier on us offensively, and we were able to move the ball.”
Both coaches were pleased with the overall year.
“We had a wonderful team,” Caldwell said. “I want to thank the parents for letting me coach their young boys. They all improved this year.”
“We had a good season,” said Marcum. “We won the league in Tazewell (Tenn.) and came in second here.”
Harlan beats Lynn Camp for third
The Harlan Green Dragons took third place in the fifth- and sixth-grade tournament by defeating Lynn Camp 14-8 in the consolation game.
Harlan (7-5) lit up the scoreboard first as Dustin Hensley bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out on the first play of the second quarter. The touchdown was set up by a 40-yard pass from Ty Saragas to Vince Bianchi.
The Wildcats responded quickly. On the fourth play of their ensuing possession, Lynn Camp’s fullback broke free for a 42-yard run. The Wildcats added the conversion to take an 8-6 lead.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Saragas took the ensuing kickoff 68 yards to put Harlan back on top. Dalton Overbay ran for the conversion to set up the final margin.
Lynn Camp (6-5) threatened to reclaim the lead twice, but the Dragons forced turnovers as Bianchi hauled in an interception in the second quarter and Christian Turbyfill recovered a fumble in the third.
Hensley led the Dragons on the ground with 12 carries for 53 yards. Saragas completed three of nine passed for 61 yards, including two catches by Bianchi for 41 yards.
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