LOG MOUNTAIN — Bell County got quite the scare from Knox Central on Friday night. Someone said this would be a nail-biter, and somebody hit the nail on the head. There wasn’t a calm nerve left in Bell County Stadium when the horn sounded and the Bobcats were named Regional Champions after a hard fought 19-14 win over the Panthers.
If you didn’t make the short trip up to Bell County High School, then you missed what was one of, if not ‘THE” best game of the year. From the start of this one, it was evident that both defenses came ready to play championship football. Neither offense had anything other than marginal success in the first quarter, gaining 2 or 3 yards here and there.
Bell County finally broke through less than a minute into the second quarter when Monte Merrick nailed a 30 yard field goal down the middle of the up-rights, to take a 3-0 lead over the Panthers. After a quick three and out by Knox Central, it looked as though it would be the same old story for Bell County. Shawnta Zachery floated a long pass right into the hands of a streaking Matt Raines from their own 25 yard line and nobody was going to catch him. Raines hauled in the pass at the 50 and took it 50 more yards for the Bobcat touchdown and a 10-0 lead.
Knox Central quarterback Cory Smith showed great athleticism on the Panthers next drive, forcing missed tackles and connecting on two passes to Greg Phillips and Chris Cecil for 21 and 15 yards respectively. Three quarterback keepers later from inside the Bell County 10 yard line and Smith was celebrating with the rest of his Panther teammates, cutting into Bell’s lead 10-7.
Cody Davenport was the star of Bell County’s next drive, hauling in 2 passes for 14 and 17 yards. The first came from Shawnta Zachery, but shortly after Zachery was injured on a draw play up the middle and didn’t return for the rest of the half. Backup quarterback, Ben Madon stepped in and completed the other pass to Davenport, setting up Merrick for another field goal attempt from 47 yards out with 3 seconds left in the half. The kick was long, straight, and good, and Bell County took a 13-7 lead into the half.
Bell County got the ball first in the second half, and it was old school Bobcat football. Shawnta Zachery returned to lead the Bobcats with a very methodical drive down the field, alternating runs between Spencer Greer, Matt Simpson, and Justin Goodin. The drive stalled after Bell County got to the Knox Central 25 yard line, and after an illegal procedure penalty on 4th down, Monte Merrick attempted his second 47 yard field goal of the night. This time the kick sailed wide right, and the score remained 13-7 Bell County.
After a pass heavy second quarter, the third quarter was all smash mouth football with the exception of a 49 yard pass from Cory Smith to Knox Central’s Josh Brown. But after a holding penalty deep in the backfield, Bell County forced the Panthers to turn it over on downs and end their only scoring threat of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a fight to the finish between these two schools. It was evident that Coach Hilton’s plan was to run the ball, run the ball, and then run it some more as time ticked off the clock and toward the stroke of midnight on Knox Central’s season. Coach Wayne Mills and the Panther defense had other plans. After stalling Bell County’s drive at the 42 yard line and forcing a punt, Knox Central took over on its own 19 yard line with eight and a half minutes left in the game. On the first play from scrimmage, Smith hit Dexter Carnes in the numbers as he streaked across the middle. Carnes took the ball 61 yards to the Bell County 16 yard line. Two short yardage pass plays, a 4 yard Smith touchdown run, and an extra point later, and Knox Central had taken the lead from the Bobcats 14-13.
It was the first time that Bell County had been behind in a game all season.
Enter Shawnta Zachery and all the confidence a senior leader could possess. Two consecutive incomplete passes from his own 26 yard line didn’t phase the young man. Add an illegal forward pass and a third down and thirteen situation with less than five minutes to play and he still wasn’t rattled. With his team down by 1 point at home in the Regional Championship game, the Bobcat quarterback saw Matt Raines at the last moment before being sacked and watched at Raines took the ball 71 yards to the Knox Central 4 yard line. Two Spencer Greer carries later and Bell County had recaptured the lead 19-14.
Trying to ensure that a touchdown and extra point only tied the game, Coach Hilton elected to go for two instead of the extra point try. On a toss play to Greer, the senior tailback slipped as he turned the corner falling short of the goal line. Bell County’s lead remained at five points. Knox Central would need only the six point touchdown to take the lead back and possibly knock off the top ranked Class 4-A team in the state.
Coach Mills decided to test Bell County’s secondary on the next Knox Central drive, and the Bobcats stepped up. Matt Raines intercepted Cory Smith’s pass at the Panther 38 yard line.
The Bobcats had the ball with less than three minutes left in the game, and two first downs would end the game. They got one. Knox Central got the ball back, down by five, with one more chance at victory and fourteen seconds left in the game.
Smith found Carnes 4 yards down field for a Panther first down. Luckily Carnes got out of bounds to stop the clock. With six seconds left Smith was forced to scramble out of the pocket. As time expired on the clock, he hit Chris Cecil for a 17 yard gain. Before the Bobcat defenders could tackle him, he was able to lateral the ball. Just before another Panther could get his fingertips on the ball and scamper down field for what would have been a sure touchdown, Bell County intercepted the lateral and fell to the ground, ending the game and Knox Central’s season.
Bell County takes on Boyle County next week at Bell County Stadium in the State Semi-Final Game. Both teams are undefeated at 13-0. Boyle County defeated Lexington Catholic 23-6 to advance to the semi-final game.
Sports correspondent Jamin Leger can be reached by e-mail at sports@middlesborodailynews.com, or at editor@middlesborodailynews.com
Above: Walking on Air — Bell county’s is walking on air as he leaps Matt Rains intercepts this Knox County pass late in the game which signifies the beginning of the end for the Panthers.
(WAYNE MASON/ Middlesboro Daily News)
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