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Key special teams plays help Pisgah pull away from SM
Pisgah used a pair of special teams plays to break open a close game in the fourth quarter Friday and defeat Smoky Mountain 51-30 at Carr Hooper Stadium/Babe Howell Field in the final Western Athletic Conference football game of the regular season.
Tyler Jaynes completed 18 of 29 passes for 225 yards. He carried 14 times for 81 yards.
Josh Clark and Jarrod Conard both had seven catches for 95 and 79 yards, respectively.
Brad Bermudez added 63 yards in 10 attempts.
Jesse Brooks led SM’s ground game with 64 yards in 14 carries. Andy Potter finished with 44 yards in nine attempts, and Nick Zoda carried 12 times for 42 yards.
Smoky Mountain’s Logan Buchanan gained 18 yards after catching a Colton Hunt pass in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against Pisgah. The play helped set up the last touchdown in Pisgah’s 51-30 victory. The teams will meet again this Friday in the first round of the state 2-AA playoffs in Canton. – Photo by Mark Haskett
Smoky Mountain’s Ryan Moore (78) brings down a Pisgah ball carrier in last week’s 51-30 Pisgah victory. Also pictured is Nick Zoda (42). The Mustangs and Bears will have a rematch Friday in the first round of the state 2-AA playoffs at Canton – Photo by Mark Haskett
Colton Hunt completed eight of 17 passes for 129 yards.
Jared Jones caught three passes for 56 yards.
The teams combined for 20 penalties totaling 228 yards.
The Mustangs (6-5) trailed 30-24 early in the fourth quarter when the special teams plays allowed Pisgah to take control.
Following an SM field goal, Clark returned the kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. Victor Gamez, who was six of seven on extra points, made it 37-24 with 9:31 on the clock.
Jonathan Tannehill fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Blake Pressley recovered at the 15. Jaynes hit Conard for a TD on the next play building the lead to 44-24 at the 9:18 mark.
Another turnover set the stage for the Bears’ final TD as they took over at the SM 41 following Hunt’s fumble. A 22-yard screen pass from Jaynes to Bermudez highlighted the 12-play drive. Bermudez scored from the 6 for a 51-24 margin with 1:57 on the clock.
Hunt’s 9-yard run around the left side put the Mustangs on the board for the final time with 32.8 seconds to play. A conversion pass failed leaving the score 51-30. The drive included Hunt passes of 17 yards to Jones, 11 yards to Potter and 18 yards to Logan Buchanan.
Leading 17-14 at intermission, Pisgah marched 74 yards in nine plays following the second-half kickoff. Jaynes ran for 10 yards and completed passes of 11 yards to Conard and 28 yards to Clark before his 13-yard TD pass to Conard. The extra point was no good leaving the margin 23-14 with 8:16 to go in the third quarter.
SM responded by driving 62 yards in seven plays. Hunt completed a 26-yard screen pass to Jesse Brooks, and Brooks had a 12-yard run. Hunt’s 15-yard pass to Jones cut the gap to 23-21 with 5:59 left in the third period. A 13-yard run by Jaynes keyed the Bears’ 56-yard drive in seven plays for a 30-21 lead with 3:12 remaining in the third stanza.
Potter’s 15-yard run was the big play as the Mustangs moved from their 35 to the Pisgah 12. When the drive stalled, Dougherty kicked a 29-yard field goal bringing his team within 30-24 with 9:44 left in the game.
That’s when the special teams plays occurred as Pisgah broke the game open.
SM took the opening kickoff and marched 79 yards in 16 plays. Sam Allison picked up 9 yards on a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-7. Zoda had a 10-yard run before Potter went over from the 3 on fourth-and-goal for a 7-0 lead with 5:28 to go in the first quarter.
Jaynes had completions of 17 yards to Pressley and 13 yards to Clark and gained 14 yards on the ground leading to a 17-yard field goal by Gamez narrowing the deficit to 7-3 with 2:33 to play in the first period.
The Bears needed just four plays to move 63 yards after forcing a punt. Bermudez ran for 20 yards, and Jaynes found Conard on a 27-yard scoring strike putting Pisgah in front 10-7 with 11:53 remaining in the half.
The Mustangs again had to punt but got the ball back when Hunt recovered a Bermudez fumble at the SM 34.
The Bears got the ball back following a punt and marched 73 yards in 10 plays. Bermudez gained 13 yards, and Jaynes had a pair of 12-yard runs on consecutive plays. Bermudez scored from the 2 extending the lead to 17-7 with 1:50 to go in the half.
Tannehill’s 33-yard kickoff return, along with a penalty, gave the Mustangs good field position at the Pisgah 42. Hunt completed a 24-yard pass to Jones then hit Tannehill on a 16-yard TD pass bringing SM within 17-14 at the 1:19 mark.
Pisgah SM
26 First Downs 21
34-186 Rushes-Yds. 46-164
18-29-0 Passing 7-18-0
225 Passing Yds. 129
1-33.0 Punts-Avg. 3-30.7
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-2
11-111 Penalties-Yds. 9-117
Pisgah 3 14 13 21 51
SM 7 7 7 9 30
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