Volleyball: Lady Eagles Fall In Tourney
BY RUSSELL LAWS
Newport Plain Talk Sports Writer
After a huge victory over Austin-East, the Cosby Lady Eagles fell to Knox
Gibbs in opening round action at the District 3-A/AA Volleyball Tournament
at Knox Carter Wednesday, bringing their season to a close. The youthful
Lady Eagles needed four sets to dispatch the Lady Roadrunners in the first
match of the first round Wednesday. The Lady Eagles started off taking the
first two sets, 25-22, 25-11. But, the Lady Roadrunners came back to take
set three, 18-25. The Lady Eagles rebounded, however, to take the fourth
set, 25-22, and the match 3-1, advancing to take on Gibbs. It was not to be
for the Lady Eagles, however, as Gibbs swept in three sets, 25-17, 25-8,
25-8. Cosby’s lone senior, Megan Tinker , playing her final match in
a Cosby volleyball uniform, led the Lady Eagles in the opening match with 10
aces, 8 kills and 7 digs, and had 1 block, 3 kills and 3 digs in the final
match. Maddie Hall had 1 kill, 2 digs and 2 assists for the Lady Eagles in
the final match against Gibbs.
Cosby Falls! Turnovers Lead To Grainger County Victory
Newport Plain Talk Sports Editor
RUTLEDGE-The numbers and the effort didn’t show it, but the Cosby Eagles (7-1) suffered their first defeat of the season, 17-5, at the hands of the Grainger County Grizzlies (3-4) Friday night in Rutledge.
Those numbers showed that Cosby had more first downs (C-16, G-9), more passing yards (C-152, G-60), nearly even in rushing (C-170, G-198), total yards (C-322, G-258) and fewer penalty yards (C-60, G-97).
But, there were two areas that the Eagles simply could not master, limiting turnovers (the Eagles lost three fumbles and threw two interceptions), and being unable to convert in the red zone (the Eagles were twice inside the Grainger 10-yard line and twice at the Grainger 15-yard line). Only once were the Eagles able to convert in the red zone, a Robby Whitted 23-yard field goal, with the remaining two points coming on a freak safety late in the fourth quarter.
Despite all of that, the Eagles rose to the occasion, playing their third Class 3A school of the season, playing them on the Grizzlies’ homecoming night, and playing them in front of a huge Grizzlies crowd. The Eagles stood up to the bigger numbers, and to the Grainger attitude that they would push their tiny Class 1A opponents around.
“I am proud of our kids tonight,” said Eagle head coach Tyler Shelton. “They played their hearts out. They dug in, they fought, they scrapped, and they did it right up to the final horn. Five years ago, we could not have competed on this field. Our program has risen to the point where we can compete with bigger schools and win. We’ve proven that. I hate to lose, the kids hate to lose. Tonight, we didn’t get it done, but it wasn’t because we lacked effort. You can live with that.”
The Eagles were able to move the football both on the ground and through the air. Senior tailback Mitch Miller had another great game for the Eagles, pounding out 148 yards on 19 carries. And, senior quarterback Trenten Dunn was finding success through the air, going 13-28 for 152 yards, 76 yards to Robert Herzog, 48 yards to Spencer Grooms and 18 yards to Jordan Cates.
The Cosby defense faced off against the best rushing quarterback they have seen this year in Skylar McBee, who finished the night with 17 carries for 105 yards, one of those carries a 53-yard touchdown run. McBee was also 5-14 for 60 yards through the air. McBee also had a key interception on defense. But it wasn’t McBee’s exploits that concerned coach Shelton.
“We had two or three opportunities deep in their territory,” said coach Shelton. “But, we either turned the ball over, or wasn’t able to connect on a pass to get the points.”
The two teams battered each other relentlessly in the early going, and it wasn’t until the horn sounded to end the first quarter that the first points were scored, a 30-yard field goal by Grainger’s Tony Gill. That after a stellar defensive effort by the Eagles after Grainger had a first down and goal from the Cosby eight yard-line.
The Grizzlies capitalized on a Cosby fumble at the Eagle 16 with 4:32 remaining in the half when tailback Zach Blanken high-kicked his way into the end zone from seven yards out. With Gill’s extra point boot, the Eagles trailed 10-0.
Starting from their own 32-yard line, the Eagles started on a 10-play drive to the Grainger 15-yard line, only to see the drive end on their second fumble, giving the Grizzlies the 10-0 lead at the break.
The Eagles got on the board on their first possession of the second half. On another 10-play drive that started from their own 37-yard line, the Eagles drove the ball to the Grainger six yard-line, and settled for Whitted’s 23-yard field goal, his third field goal of the season, to make it 10-3 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.
Following an out-of-bounds kick on the ensuing kickoff, the Grizzles set up shop on their own 44-yard line. Following a nine-yard pass to Justin Humphrey, McBee caught the Eagles in a blitz, and ran, untouched, 53 yards for the Grizzlies second and final touchdown of the evening. With Gill’s extra point kick, it was 17-3 with 6:07 left in the third.
On their next possession, the Eagles moved the ball to the Grainger three-yard line. But, on a fourth down play, Dunn’s pass to Cates in the back of the end zone was too high.
The Eagles next two possessions ended in turnovers, the first on a fumble, and the second on an interception. In the mean time, the Eagle defense turned it up a notch, and kept the Grizzlies off the board for the remainder of the night.
The Grizzlies threatened with 7:25 remaining in the game, driving to the Cosby three-yard line. But, a tackle for a loss, two Grainger penalties, and a fumble recovered by Wayne Brandon thwarted the Grizzlie’s effort.
Cosby was already in their two-minute drill, and Dunn was working it perfectly, hitting Herzog, Grooms and Cates on beautifully run sideline routes. The Eagles moved the ball to the Grainger 10 yard-line, when a pass play in the end zone resulted in an unusual call. Dunn’s intended pass to Grooms was broken up, and intercepted by a Grizzly defender, who stepped out of bounds in the end zone. The Grizzlies were flagged for blocking in the back on the play, which, the officials ruled, ended in a safety, giving the Eagles two points to make it 17-5. The Grizzlies also had to kick off to the Eagles with 2:13 remaining in the game.
With just 1:30 remaining, Dunn threw a pass to a wide-open Michael Trent at the Grizzlies 10-yard line, only to see it slip off Trent’s fingertips on a fourth down play to end Cosby’s hopes.
The game turned out to be a marathon 21/2-hour affair, thanks to 25 total penalties called, and because of problems with the clock in the second half.
Despite the loss, this kind of game may be good preparation for the Eagles’ two, remaining, and key Region 1-1A games against Hampton next Friday night, and Grace Christian on the final night of the regular season.
“I don’t know if we can take anything from this game into next week against Hampton,” said coach Shelton. “We certainly can’t afford the mistakes against a team like Hampton. But, if we can eliminate those mistakes, and play with the heart and soul we played with tonight, it should make for an interesting game.
REGION 1-1A: Cosby (7-0, 3-0) and Hampton (4-3, 3-0) are tied atop the Region 1-1A standings heading into next Friday night’s showdown at the Eagles’ Nest. Hampton had a bye on Friday night. Grace Christian (6-1, 1-1) had a 33-8 victory over Taft Youth Center on Friday, and will face off against Cosby at the Eagles’ Nest on the final night of the regular season, October 31. Also on Friday, Cloudland (5-2, 1-1) rolled over Jellico (0-7, 0-3) 43-0. And, Unaka (0-8, 0-3) played out-of-state on Friday at Matewan, West Virginia, and lost 42-0.
Cosby survives! Beats Unaka 15-6!
ELIZABETHTON-It’s always tough playing on the road in Region 1-1A, no matter who you’re playing. And Friday night was no different for the Cosby Eagles (7-0, 3-0), who managed to pull out a 15-6 victory over the winless Unaka Rangers (0-7, 0-3).
“Don’t let their record fool you,” said coach Tyler Shelton. “My hat’s off to Unaka. They played some tough football tonight. They stepped it up against us, and we really had to work to get this win. I was particularly impressed by Unaka’s defensive front. They took away our run game and forced us to pass to make first downs. This was just good hard-nosed football tonight.”
Cosby quarterback Trenten Dunn had, perhaps, his best overall game of the season. It was obvious how well he managed the game. Through the air, the senior QB was 18-of-27 for 118 yards and a touchdown, and, he did not throw an interception. Mitch Miller was held under 100 yards rushing on the night. The senior tailback finished with 25 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. But despite a mistake-free offensive effort, the night belonged, once again, to the defense.
“Our defense was stellar tonight,” said coach Shelton. “Our guys really got after them and made some big plays. We were able to keep their running game in check, and, except for that big pass play early in the game, we didn’t give them a lot of time to throw.”
The big pass play came on Unaka’s second offensive series and ended with a 55-yard scoring strike. The extra point was no good, and Unaka stunned the Cosby faithful by taking a 6-0 lead.
“They were playing inspired football,” said coach Shelton. “And, getting on us early like that surprised us a little. But, we gathered our senses and pretty much took care of them the rest of the night.”
Cosby’s offense began finding some success in the second quarter starting from their own 40-yard line. But, on a controversial play, Mitch Miller appeared to fall forward across the goal line for a score. However, the officiating crew ruled that Miller fumbled the football before he got into the end zone, giving Unaka the ball at their own one-yard line. Unfortunate for Unaka!
On the ensuing play, Eagle linebacker Matthew Lane busted the line of scrimmage, and dropped the Rangers’ Josh Peterson in the end zone for a safety to put Cosby on the board with 10:01 remaining in the second quarter.
Lane’s tackle was one of six sacks on the night for the Eagles.
“It was just a great team effort,” said coach Shelton. “Our defense kept us in the game and gave us opportunities on offense.”
In addition to Lane, Spencer Grooms, Danny Raines, Corey Williams, Mitch Miller and Matthew Hester also had sacks on the night. Grooms showed why he was named the Region 1-1A Defensive Player of the Year finishing with 15 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection, in addition to his sack. Grooms’ fumble recover was one of four on the night for the Eagle defense, as Trenten Dunn, Cory Williams and Todd Logan also collected fumble recoveries.
With time winding down in the second quarter, the Cosby offense got the Eagles on the board, thanks to Grooms’ fumble recovery on the Unaka 10 yard line. Dunn threw a crisp strike to wide receiver Jordan Cates in the end zone, and with Robby Whitted’s extra point, the Eagles had their first lead of the night, 9-6, with 2:09 remaining. The Eagle defense then quashed Unaka attempt at another scoring drive before the first half ended when Cory Williams recovered a Ranger fumble.
The Eagles last scoring drive came late in the third quarter when Miller found pay dirt from one yard out. But, the TD was set up on a big fourth down and nine play when Dunn hit Dillon Denton with a pass for the first down at the Unaka two. The extra point was no good, and Cosby led 15-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Cosby’s defense remained stout to protect their lead, but coach Shelton felt the big play of the game might have been what the Eagle offense did with time running out.
“The last thing we wanted to do was give the ball back to them and give them another shot at scoring,” said coach Shelton. “We were facing a third down and eight, and when Trenten (Dunn) hit Jordan (Cates) with a pass to give us a first down, that was huge. That allowed us to run out the clock.”
Despite the hard-fought victory, and the record remaining perfect, coach Shelton was already thinking about making improvements.
“We’ll definitely be working on our running game next week,” said coach Shelton. “We didn’t do a good job running the football tonight. We’ll get it fixed.”
Fixed in time for their next opponent, Grainger County, next Friday night at Rutledge.
REGION 1-1A: Without a doubt, the game everyone was watching Friday night was the Region 1-1A match-up between Hampton and Grace Christian, ranked at No. 7 in the state Class A rankings, in Knoxville. And, when the dust had settled, Hampton (4-3, 3-0) came away with a huge 38-29 victory over Grace (5-1, 1-1). Also on Friday, Kings Academy stung Jellico (0-6, 0-2) 14-13. Cloudland (4-2, 0-1) had the night off.
By PAUL MEADOR
Newport Plain Talk
Cosby Tops Hancock In Middle School Thriller
By PAUL MEADOR
Newport Plain Talk Sports Editor
COSBY-If you’re a football fan, this would have been a game to watch. If you’re a Cosby fan, even better. And for Eagle head coach Levi Cooper, he’s still trying to catch his breath.
The Cosby Eagles held off a determined Hancock County Indians squad 26-24 Thursday night in Middle School action at the Eagles’ Nest. This one was a tale of two halves, with both teams putting up all 50 points in the first half, and the defenses taking over in the second half.
The Eagles got on the board first after holding Hancock County on their first offensive possession. Eagle tailback Zach Smith picked up 20 yards in the first play to set the tone of the drive. Quarterback Drew Schreder then connected with Ky Russell on a seven-yard pass play. Schreder then tucked the ball away for a 16-yard run to the Hancock five-yard line. After a four-yard run by Dakota Wilde, the Eagles faced a fourth down play from the Indians one. Schreder, however, was able to bust through the Indian defensive front into the end zone. The extra point was not good, but the Eagles were on the board with a 6-0 lead.
The Eagles Makayla Nieves kept the momentum going with a booming kick off, leaving the Indians starting their next possession from their own 15-yard line. But, on the first play from scrimmage, the Indians’ quarterback took off on a 78-yard touchdown run to even the score. The two-point conversion failed, and it was 6-6.
Cosby, however, struck right back. Following a 15-yard penalty for a facemask on the Eagles, Cosby began moving again from the Hancock 47. Schreder hooked up with Russell again for a 22-yard pass play, setting up a 25-yard touchdown run by Smith. The extra point attempt was no good, but the Eagles were back in front 12-6 with 2:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Indians regrouped, and struck back on their next possession, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass. Their conversion attempt was no good, and the scored was tied again, this time at 12-12.
Cosby came right back to start the second quarter. Facing a fourth down and six, Schreder hit Russell on a pass play to give the Eagles a first down on the Hancock 15-yard line, and Schreder capped the drive on a 13-yard TD carry on the next play to put the Eagles back in front again. The conversion attempt failed, but the Eagles led 18-12 with 5:11 remaining in the half.
Another booming kickoff by Nieves was all for naught, however, as the Indians ran the kickoff back 72 yards for the touchdown. Another failed conversion, but, again, the Indians had tied the scored at 18-18.
Cosby suffered the first turnover of the game with a fumble on the Hancock 26-yard line with 3:24 remaining in the half. But, the Eagle defense stiffened, and got the ball back after stopping the Indian offense on a fourth-down play.
The Eagles were quick to take advantage of their defensive stand when Shreder connected with Russell on a 70-yard TD pass play. On the conversion attempt, Cosby was flagged for blocking in the back, and the ball was moved back to the Hancock 16. But Schreder showed a lot of heart, determination and grit by breaking several tackles en route to the end zone for the two-point conversion, that would prove to be the difference in the game. The Eagles were back in front 26-18 with 1:01 remaining in the half. But, the scoring wasn’t finished yet.
The Indians took the ensuing kickoff to the Cosby 13-yard line, then hit a 13-yard TD pass to pull within two. But, Hancock’s conversion attempt, after two delay-of-game penalties, was stuffed, and the Eagles went into the break with what would eventually be the winning score, 26-24.
The second half turned into a defensive struggle that also included turnovers and costly penalties for Cosby. But, the Eagle defense got the job done, keeping the Indians out of the end zone to preserve the victory.
“We weren’t happy with how our defense was performing in the first half,” said head coach Levi Cooper. “Coach (Randy) Herzog (defensive coordinator) had a little talk with the boys at half time, and they came out for the second half with a little more inspiration and intensity.”
With the victory, the Eagles improved to 5-2 on the season.
“I can’t thank coach Herzog and coach (Todd) Cureton, my coaching staff,” said coach Cooper. “My hats off to them for helping us to another winning season. Our kids have been playing their hearts out each and every game, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
The Eagles will finish up their season this Thursday, October 9, when they host Edgemont at the Eagles’ Nest starting at 6 p.m. It will also be 8th Grade Night as the Eagles will honor all of their 8th Grade players
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