CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Both teams looked to get off of a losing streak Friday when Northeast football welcomed in Rossview for a non-region contest.
The Hawks entered Week 4 in search of their first win on the young season while the Eagles were coming off back-to-back losses.
Last year’s meeting between the two schools was a defensive battle that came down to the wire. Then sophomore defensive back Jamel Burney jumped in front of a Jaiden Puig pass attempt on the Eagles final drive of the game to seal a 7-4 win for the Hawks.
— jamel (@jamelburney) May 6, 2021
On Friday, Rossview led by as many as 19 points before extinguishing Northeast’s comeback down the stretch to hang on for a 27-22 road victory.
“I thought we started off fast and that was big for us,” said Rossview football coach Todd Hood. “We made some big plays defensively also. In the third and fourth quarters, we sort of made some critical mistakes where we couldn’t capitalize on some things we should have, but then our defense came through at the very end with a couple good stops for us.”
4th QTR- :44.3
On 4th and 35, the @RossviewFTBL defense turns the Eagles over on downs. pic.twitter.com/kEz4MsIGK6— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Changing of the guard?
The Hawks had just one total touchdown through three games played on the season before Friday’s offensive outburst.
Sophomore Hezekiah Scott got the start at quarterback for Rossview and did not disappoint, recording four total touchdowns in the win.
“We have two really good quarterbacks,” Hood said. “Garrett (Diemel) plays great, he’s a great kid and does a phenomenal job. He led us to a lot of wins last year, but the thing is Heze (Scott) gives us a different dimension, so we just wanted to change it up a little bit tonight.”
According to Hood, Scott is a dynamic athlete who has the ability to not only pass the ball effectively, but also has the mobility to rack up yardage with his legs.
“He started off so fast,” Hood said. “We had a two-platoon system going tonight, but we didn’t really need to get to it. I thought he was a little bit of a change of pace for us.”
Turning points
The Eagle secondary gave up several big plays in the first half which is uncharacteristic, considering the type of defenses Northeast football coach Brandon Clark has put on the field over the past three seasons.
“We lost a lot of guys off defense,” Clark said. “We have some inexperience. We feel like we kind of have to be aggressive to stop some things and when you’re aggressive, you’re kind of weakening yourself in the back end and we know that. We were so honed in on stopping the run because they are such a run-heavy team, I don’t know if our kids just kind of forgot that there was a passing game too or what.”
With just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, it looked as if the Eagles would pull back within a touchdown. However, the scoop and score was wiped off the board after the Rossview ballcarrier was ruled down by contact.
“I’ll be biased here,” Clark said. “I felt like we should have scored there. I was also behind the play, so I’m just having to take the word of our coaches and all that. It would have been a big turning point for sure if we could have done that.”
Game summary
Scott’s first score of the game came with four minutes left to play in the opening quarter.
The dual-threat quarterback took the snap from his center before breaking the plane to give Rossview an early 6-0 lead.
1st QTR- 4:00
Hezekiah Scott breaks the plane on 3rd and goal to give @RossviewFTBL a 6-0 lead. 2-point try no good. pic.twitter.com/MZCqVMZ5rt— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Northeast answered on their very next drive as Khameron Athy ripped off a 17-yard touchdown run. After Ty’Kease Blanton took a touch pass into the end zone for the two-point conversion, the Eagles went out in front 8-6.
1st QTR- 2:24
After @NEEagleFootbal1 answers on a Khameron Athy 17-yard touchdown run, Ty’Kease Blanton puts the Eagles in front 8-6 on this 2-point conversion. pic.twitter.com/dMTGDGOVLE— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Senior playmaker Seneca Bradley put Rossview back on top, recording his first touchdown of the game on a 67-yard screen pass with one minute remaining in the first quarter.
Scott then connected with Matthias Harris on the two-point try to give the Hawks a six-point advantage.
1st QTR- 1:11
Hezekiah Scott finds his man Matthias Harris on the 2-point try to make it 14-8 @RossviewFTBL. pic.twitter.com/lnUSGU7Vb5— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Rossview struck again less than two minutes into the second quarter, as Scott scored from one-yard out on a quarterback keeper.
2nd QTR- 10:17
After a 27-yard completion from Hezekiah Scott to @jamelburney to get the Hawks down to the 1-yard line, Scott keeps it himself for the score. @RossviewFTBL extends its lead to 21-8. pic.twitter.com/w8R8fmHL7Y— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Burney hauled in a 27-yard pass from Scott to get the Hawks down to the goal-line.
The speedster was later forced out for the rest of the contest after sustaining a lower-body injury.
“He (Burney) is a big loss,” Hood said. “He’s a junior and just starting to play at a higher level like we want him to. It seems to be a knee injury. We’re not sure what the severity is of that, but we’ll get back and check that out and see.”
On 3rd-and-long with four minutes left to play in the first half, Bradley made an over-the-shoulder grab, broke a tackle and then outran multiple Eagle defenders to find paydirt.
After the game, Hood spoke of how Bradley’s size and speed makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
“He also plays defense and you saw him make some big hits tonight,” Hood said. “He plays multiple positions on offense, so it’s hard for the defense to figure out where he is. He’s been a focal point for us this year and he’s done a great job excelling in that.”
Northeast cut the deficit to 13 points just before the break on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jaiden Puig to Dez Fort.
2nd QTR- 1:42@JaidenPuig with the much-needed 15-yard touchdown strike to @rockoutdez to pull the Eagles back closer. @NEEagleFootbal1 still trails Rossview 27-14. pic.twitter.com/kzHTsWGRbn
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
After a scoreless third quarter, Eagle backup quarterback Brandon Jackson took over for Puig who exited the game with an apparent injury.
On his first snap under center, Jackson found his wide out deep down the field for a long gainer to convert on 3rd and 16, but before the play was over, the receiver lost possession of the ball momentarily. With no whistle being blown, Blanton recovered the loose ball and ran 60 yards for what would be the final score of the game.
4th QTR- 8:31
On 3rd and 16, Eagle quarterback Brandon Jackson comes into the game and connects for the long gainer before Ty’Kease Blanton scoops up the loose ball and takes it 60 yards for the score. 2-point try is successful. @NEEagleFootbal1 pulls closer, trailing just 27-22. pic.twitter.com/ytlypQiUgz— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
Clark liked what he saw from Jackson in Puig’s absence, but will take a wait-and-see approach before naming his starter for next week.
“It’s definitely a week-to-week thing especially when you potentially have injuries,” Clark said. “Brandon can carry us. I have faith in his arm and in his legs. He has a little bit of experience running the offense. I feel confident with both our quarterbacks and our program is really blessed in that aspect to have two guys we can have go.”
Both defenses got stronger as the game went on and made numerous plays to give their respected team a chance to win.
4th QTR- 7:45
The @NEEagleFootbal1 defense forces a Hawk punt. The Eagles take over inside Rossview territory. pic.twitter.com/H0DqrgdtST— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) September 11, 2021
“We gave up some passes and had to make some adjustments on that,” Clark said. “We really harped on that at halftime. I think we did a good job of coming out, stopping that and putting ourselves in a better position.”
Up next
Rossview (1-3, 0-1) hosts one-win West Creek Friday, Sept. 17, before taking on Springfield in a critical Region 5-6A matchup.
“We approach everybody like their state champions,” Hood said. “We don’t overlook anybody. In any game, anything can happen. We’ll try to get our momentum going, correct some things and we’re just going to go back to work. Scheme it up, play hard and hopefully we can figure out a way to win the game next Friday.”
After dropping three games in row, Northeast (1-3, 0-1) will look to get things turned around in short order when they take on Region 7-5A foe Portland Friday, Sept. 17.
“I was telling the kids after the game that you have to put everything into perspective,” Clark said. “Nobody plays the sport to be 1-3. It’s a lot like life. We’re going to have times where we’re down. I feel like we’re kind of at a crossroads. We’re so close to just clicking and we just have to get their mindsets right. The benefit is, we’re only down one region game. We definitely want to make the playoffs, so we’re going to put all of our energy and focus into Portland.”