Mavericks storm past Panthers
Showdown set with Greeneville
-
Anderson County’s Deameion Leavell fends off Stone Memorial’s Cade Radcliffe on the opening kickoff during Friday night’s second-round playoff game in Clinton. The Mavericks rolled to a 44-14 win and will travel to Greeneville on Friday, Nov. 21, for the Class 4A quarterfinals. - Tony Cox
-
Anderson County running back Jayzon Thompson found the endzone multiple times during the Mavericks 44-14 win over Stone Mountain. - Tony Cox
-
Anderson County featured a salute to veterans as part of its pregame entrance on Friday night. Karnel Mills kneels with an American Flag as part of the salute. - Tony Cox
-
Anderson County head coach Davey Gillum watches the officials and team cap- tains gather at midfield for the coin toss before Friday night’s second-round Class 4A playoff game against Stone Memorial in Clinton. - Tony Cox
Anderson County looked every bit like a team hitting its postseason stride Friday night.
One week after a sluggish opening-round performance, the Mavericks delivered a complete effort and cruised past Stone Memorial 44-14 in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs at ACHS. Coach Davey Gillum had said his team needed a sharper outing than it showed in a 37-21 win over Volunteer. He got exactly that.
The Mavericks (9-2) erupted for 23 first-quarter points and never allowed the Panthers to gain traction, punching their ticket to the state quarterfinals.
“It was a good win against a good Stone Memorial team. The defense played lights out all night,” Gillum said. “We kept pressure on their quarterback and had him running for his life from the get-go.
“Lane LaRue, Rocky Brown, Jackson Davis and Yashawn Campbell all had sacks. Reese Russell and Deameion Leavell both had interceptions. The defense got Stone off the field quickly and gave the offense plenty of time to score points.”
The Anderson County defense set the tone early. With 9 minutes, 55 seconds left in the first quarter, the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead when Stone quarterback Kyle Hinch was tackled in his own end zone for a safety.
That defensive strike lit the fuse for a dominant opening frame, one that put the Panthers in a deep hole before they could settle in.
Senior running back Jayzon Thompson extended the lead to 8-0 on a 10-yard touchdown run, and kicker Jackson Payne’s PAT pushed the margin to 9-0 with 7:43 left in the quarter.
Thompson wasn’t done. Moments later, he powered in from 5 yards out to give ACHS a 16-0 advantage. His versatility rounded out the quarter when he hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback J.D. Gillum, stretching the early lead to 23-0.
Anderson County kept attacking through the air in the second quarter. Gillum connected with Gabe St. John on a 46-yard strike, a perfectly placed ball that led to a 30-0 cushion.
Thompson then broke loose on a 51-yard touchdown run with 4:10 left in the half, giving the Mavs a commanding 37-0 advantage. Stone Memorial finally answered just before the break with a touchdown pass from Noah Potter to Dylan Phillips, trimming the margin to 37-6. The Panthers, however, failed on their two-point try and never threatened again.
On the final play of the third quarter, Gillum found Leavell for a short 3-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 44-6.
Stone Memorial capped the scoring midway through the fourth quarter when Potter connected with Matthew Parker on an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Next up for the Mavericks is a true proving-ground matchup. Anderson County will travel to Greeneville for its first road game of the 2025 postseason. The Greene Devils (12-1), champions of Region 1-4A, blanked White County 35-0 in their second-round matchup.
“Greeneville will be a tough test,” Gillum said. “They are ranked No. 1 and are a physical and well-coached team.”
The Mavericks enter the quarterfinals with momentum and confidence—and now, a chance to take another step in their postseason run.