Ollin Dunford (11) set a Smoky Mountain record
by catching 12 passes in Friday's 34-13 loss to Asheville. -
Herald photo by Mark Haskett
Asheville scored on its first five possessions
en route to a 34-0 lead Friday then put it in cruise control
to take a 34-13 victory over Smoky Mountain in the Mountain
Athletic Conference football opener at Asheville Memorial Stadium.
The Mustangs (1-2, 0-1) settled down midway through the second
quarter and held their own the rest of the way with the state's
second ranked 3-A team.
SM's Nathan Medlin and Ollin Dunford both etched their names
into the school record book. Medlin established marks for passing
attempts (36) and completions (17) while throwing for 188 yards.
Dunford's 12 receptions set a record. They went for 121 yards.
The Mustang ground game was limited to 20 net yards.
Johnny White gained 78 yards in 15 carries for the Cougars.
Crezdon Butler picked up 54 yards in 13 attempts and caught
three passes for 62 yards. His rushing numbers looked like they
would be much more impressive until he was moved to quarterback
to start the second period following Michael Byrd's shoulder
injury.
With Byrd sidelined, the Cougars became more conservative on
offense.
Smoky Mountain's David Harper (18) and Patrick
Orth (8) combine to bring down Asheville's Crezdon Butler in
SM's 34-13 loss Friday. - Herald photo by Mark Haskett
Asheville exploded the first time it touched
the ball as Butler returned a punt 61 yards to the 1. He scored
on the next play, and Neville Hayes kicked the first of his
four extra points for a 7-0 lead just 1:05 into the game.
The Cougars got the ball back when Medlin was hit while attempting
to pass causing a fumble that Ben Smith recovered at the SM
45. Butler picked up 25 yards on a screen pass from Byrd, and
a personal foul penalty moved the ball to the 9. White took
it in from there, and Asheville led 13-0 with 5:13 to go in
the first period following a missed extra point.
A fake punt failed on SM's next possession, and the Cougars
took over at their 44. Three plays later, Butler raced 48 yards
to paydirt and a 20-0 lead with 2:08 remaining in the opening
stanza.
Asheville forced a punt and drove 55 yards in seven plays. The
highlight was a 29-yard pass from Byrd to Furman Dean. White
scored from the 3 upping the margin to 27-0 with 9:35 remaining
in the half.
Josh Israel recovered a fumbled handoff putting the Cougars
in business at the SM 38. Butler's 14-yard run sparked the six-play
drive that culminated in his 1-yard run for a 34-0 advantage
at the 5:36 mark.
Asheville got the ball back when Grant Tyrell picked off Medlin's
pass at the SM 44. The Cougars returned the favor on the next
play with Joseph Stapleton recovering Butler's fumble at the
42.
Medlin completed three consecutive 13-yard passes - two to Dunford
and one to Patrick Orth - as the Mustangs marched down field.
A 19-yard pass from Medlin to Zack West put SM on the board
with 1:02 left in the half. Michael Tennant's PAT cut the gap
to 34-7.
Asheville started the second half inside its 20, and a short
punt gave the Mustangs good field position at the Cougar 42.
David Kelley's 10-yard run was the longest gain in the 13-play
drive that was aided by a personal foul penalty. Ben Robinson,
who kept the march going with a 6-yard run on fourth-and-1 from
the 33, scored on a 2-yard run. Tennant's PAT made the score
34-13 with 4:23 to play in the third period.
After an exchange of punts, Robinson recovered Butler's fumble
at the SM 39. Moments later, Elijah Harrison picked off Medlin's
pass at the Mustang 45.
Hayes missed a 48-yard field goal with SM taking over at the
31. Medlin completed a 23-yard pass from Medlin to Dunford,
but the Mustangs yielded possession on downs at the Asheville
39.
West recovered Thaddeus Boyce's fumble at the Mustang 39 ending
the game's last scoring threat.
SM A'ville
12 First Downs 14
27-20 Rushes-Yds. 43-199
17-37-2 Passing 3-6-0
188 Passing Yds. 62
3-34 Punts-Avg. 2-23
3-2 Fumbles-Lost 3-3
8-61 Penalties-Yds. 5-39
SM 0 7 6 0 13
A'ville 20 14 0 0 34
