On Tuesday, September 14th the Cranberry Wildcats played host to the Harris Blue Devils. The Wildcats ground game punished the Blue Devils defense and controlled the time of possession for a majority of the contest. A pair of Cranberry touchdowns staked the Wildcats to a 12-0 lead, and the team held off a late rally to defeat Harris by a 12-8 final score.
The Wildcats hit pay dirt early in the second period as running back Caleb Stansbury took a pitch play, and after momentarily losing possession of the football, the runner scooped up the pigskin, raced down the left sideline and scurried 70 yards for the first points of the ballgame. The conversion attempt failed, but the Wildcats held a 6-0 lead, a margin they kept until halftime.
Neither team could get past their opponent’s defense in the third quarter. Early in the fourth stanza, CMS added a key insurance touchdown when Canaan Singleton scored on a fullback dive to put CMS ahead by a 12-0 score.
“That was a big touchdown for Canaan. He was really excited about scoring his first touchdown,” Cranberry Middle School head football coach Kent Hayes said after the game.
Despite trailing, the Blue Devils refused to fold. With two minutes left to play, Harris scored its first points of the game and was successful on its two-point conversion to cut the Cranberry lead to 12-8. Harris tried an onside kick to get possession back for its offense, but the Wildcats covered the bouncing football to retain possession, run out the clock, and seal its second Toe River Conference victory this season.
“We had a lead and pushed Harris up and down the field the entire game. We had some trouble sealing the deal, you could say, as we started slowly,” Coach Hayes said after the win. “Our defense played great. It was really our first game where our defense played up to its potential. I’m proud of the kids.”
The Wildcats can finish as high as in second place in the TRC, and the team continues to work toward achieve its goals for the season.
“We’ll have a tougher challenge the next couple of weeks with East Yancey and Avery, but we want to finish strong,” Coach Hayes added. “We’re getting better every week and we’re trying to get lined up for the tournament coming up.”
For Cranberry the victory was a team effort, as the squad continues to grow closer together and has adapted from the loss of its starting quarterback Tyler Pittman, rallying around one another to play hard and play well.
“It’s a great group of kids. They’re a really good team and there are no individual mentalities. I’ve been impressed at practice with how some of our backs will hop back up and run with our linemen and some of our last players to finish when we run sprints or banks,” Coach Hayes stated. “The players are really committed to each other. It’s more than football a lot of times with this group. These guys are going to be fine young men.”
Shane Carpenter has stepped up at the quarterback position for Cranberry and has evolved into a team leader who displays toughness for the Wildcats on the field.
“Shane has done a fantastic job. He’s a tough kid. He took a lot of hits in the Bowman game and had to get stitches on his arm, but he kept playing. He also took some hard shots against Harris,” Coach Hayes said of his signal-caller. “He’s a smart kid who does what we ask to the best of his abilities. It was tough losing Tyler, but it’s been good having Shane step in and do what he’s done.”
Second Half Rally Rolls Rebels Past Panthers
The Avery Middle School football team had a tough 
task last Tuesday, September 14th at MacDonald Stadium when it tangled with the Rebels from Cane River Middle School. The game was a close contest through the first half, but the Rebels used a 30-point second half to pull away for a 46-16 win.
Avery scored first in the contest with a three-yard quarterback keeper from Austin Phillips. Phillips also ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 Panther lead at the 5:40 mark in the first quarter.
Cane River answered with an eight play, 65-yard drive capped off by a one-yard run from Ben Rice. The two point conversion pass attempt was good, tying the game at 8-8 with 2:37 left in the first period.
AMS was held to three-and-out and punted the ball away. On the first offensive play following the punt, Cane River gave the ball back to its workhorse Rice, who galloped 75 yards for a Rebel touchdown. Another two-point conversion pass play was complete, giving Cane River a 16-8 lead with 22 seconds left in the opening stanza.
On its ensuing offensive series, Avery wasted little time driving downfield. A Phillips scramble netted 15 yards near midfield, and four plays later Pittman found Kobe Pittman on a 38-yard touchdown pass. Phillips ran in the two-point conversion to tie the contest at 16-16 with 6:03 left in the first half.
The Rebels appeared poised to regain the lead, driving inside the Panthers 5-yard line and elapsing over four minutes off the second quarter clock. Avery’s defense rose to the occasion with a goal-line stand, however, leaving the teams knotted at 16 at halftime.
Cane River opened the second half with the first offensive series. Avery held the Rebels to a fourth and short from its own 43-yard line, but a quick pass to Rebels tight end Blake Fox resulted in a 57-yard touchdown play, swinging the momentum of the game in favor of Cane River for good. The two-point conversion failed, but Cane River led 22-16 midway through the third period.
Following an Avery three-and-out, Cane River running back Ben Rice broke out for a 48-yard touchdown run. A penalty called back the score, however. The disappointment did not last long for the Yancey County fans, however, as Rice raced through the Panthers on the next play for a 38-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass was complete to give the Rebels a 30-16 edge with 41 seconds to play in the third period.
The Panthers were again denied on its next series by the Rebels defense and turned the football over on downs. Cane River’s offense continued its assault in the final eight minutes of the game, scoring twice more in the period to provide for the final margin in the 46-16 victory.
Cranberry hosted East Yancey this past Tuesday, while Avery hosted Harris. Avery and Cranberry will square off against one another in the 28th annual Brad King Bowl next Tuesday, September 28th at 6:30 p.m. at MacDonald Stadium. The game serves as a benefit contest to assist a local resident or family in need. This year’s contest will benefit Carolina Sky Odom, daughter of Anthony and Amanda Odom. Avery Middle School won last season’s game by the final score of 22-6.
