Photo by Mark Haskett
Smoky Mountain's Trent Dillard holds the ball high for all to see after recovering a fumble on a kickoff in the fourth quarter of Friday's 21-14 victory over Swain. The recovery set up the tying touchdown. |
The first win for Cameron Brooks as a high school football coach didn't come as he had expected.
Rather than being on the sidelines to celebrate with his team and shake hands with the opposing coach, Brooks watched from the press box. He called the plays out of harms way four days after having surgery for a severe knee injury, including a torn ACL. Regardless of his vantage point, Smoky Mountain's come-from-behind 21-14 victory over Swain Friday at Carr Hooper Stadium/Babe Howell Field was satisfying. The Mustangs struggled for three quarters before scoring three touchdowns in a span of just more than six minutes in the fourth period to overcome a 14-0 deficit. Justin Roper completed 12 of 19 passes for 177 yards to pace the Mustang offense. He completed three passes to convert on fourth downs in the final quarter. Darius Bryson had six receptions for 108 yards. Michael Ritchie, Allen Sutton and Josh Carnes all had two catches. The Mustangs (1-1) needed the aerial attack because their ground game managed just 41 yards. Trent Dillard picked up 35 yards in 11 carries. |
Smoky Mountain will hit road Friday