Anderson County battles, but falls to Irish
Anderson County running back Jayzon Thomas lowers his shoulder and battles Knoxville Catholic’s Chaz Smith for extra yards along the sideline during the Mavericks’ home opener Thursday, Aug. 28. Despite Catholic’s 21-7 win, Thomas and the Mavericks showed grit and physicality throughout the matchup. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Mavericks looked sharp in their season opener at Powell the previous week, leading 18-7 before storms suspended play early in the third quarter.
“Overall, I was impressed with our performance (against Powell),” Gillum said. “But we have plenty to improve on. We knew Catholic would be a huge test, and we had to play a lot better to have a chance to win.”
The Mavericks (0-1) fell short Friday, dropping a 28-7 decision to the Irish (2-0).
Catholic started fast, building a 14-0 advantage.
Freshman running back Kruise Buntyn opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter.
The Irish doubled their lead when Tennessee commitment Tyreek King hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Mack Bartholomew with 10:31 left in the first half.
Anderson County answered when Rocky Brown scored on a 2-yard run, capitalizing on one of three Catholic turnovers.
His touchdown with 7:31 left before halftime cut the deficit to 14-7, but it would be the Mavericks’ only score of the night.
Freshman quarterback J.D. Gillum completed 13 of 23 passes for 132 yards before leaving in the third quarter.
Wide receiver and defensive back Deameion Leavell stepped in under center.
The Mavericks mustered just 91 rushing yards.
Jayzon Thompson led the way for the Mavericks with 41 yards on 15 carries.
Catholic sealed the win with two fourth-quarter score/
Mitch Canon ran the ball in from seven yards out for a touchdown, and Isaac Hooper added a 3-yard run for a touchdown.
Anderson County stays home Friday to open Region 2-4A play against Fulton (0-2).
The Falcons lost to rival Knoxville Central 48-13 last week after falling to Macon County in their opener.
