BAXTER, TN- The Upperman Bees battled their way to a 43-41 overtime playoff win over the Signal Mountain Eagles on Friday night in Baxter.
The Bees had to overcome several forms of adversity, a 14-0 deficit, injuries, and a tough opponent to secure the first-round victory and advance in the playoffs.
“The reason we do all the (hard work) is for night’s like tonight,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “Toughness wins in playoff games. We weren’t the most disciplined team, but this group has a resiliency and a toughness about them that I recognize. I’m very proud of them.”
The Eagles started the game firing on all cylinders. After forcing a fumble, Duncan Cannon took a QB keeper 23 yards for a touchdown. SMHS then struck again on a seven-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead.
Upperman responded with a 10-yard touchdown rush by Terrance Dedmon to cut the deficit to seven, and Ty Dutchess then scored a touchdown from seven yards out. Josh Manis’ PAT tied the game at 14 at halftime.
The Eagles continued to show they were not the ordinary fourth seed, taking the opening kickoff of the second half 82-yards for a touchdown to regain the lead.
The teams then traded touchdowns throughout the remainder of the second half. Dutchess took in a two-yard TD rush to give Upperman a 35-28 lead with 6:43 remaining in the game, but the Eagles punched back with a passing touchdown late in the quarter to send the game to overtime.
Ty Dutchess took the first play of overtime in for a touchdown, he then converted a two-point-conversion to give UHS an eight-point lead.
The Eagles scored a touchdown, but Carter Shanks intercepted the two-point attempt in the corner of the end zone to secure the 43-41 UHS win.
Carter Shanks called game tonight for Upperman. pic.twitter.com/96XeX45lp7
— Noah McKay (@NoahMcKayUCR) November 7, 2020
The Bees rushed for 188 yards in the contest. Caine said his offensive line’s play was critical.
“It’s huge. It’s who we are,” said Caine. “I don’t ever feel comfortable as a coach, or as a play caller, until we can run the ball. That being said, we had to throw it around a bunch to stabilize things where we could run it. That’s big. I think when the guys got a little bit of life about them, we figured out what we were doing and had some success.”
Dutchess led the way with 122 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 24 carries. He went 8-15 through the air for 87 yards and an INT.
“He dealt with some adversity,” said Caine on Dutchess. “Couple of turnovers, but he overcame adversity tonight. I saw a side of Ty, maybe he is moving in the direction of being the closer. He never flinched. Not many of them did tonight.”
Dedmon rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Thomas Ensor went 5-12 through the air for 57 yards. Daniel Metzgar caught 12 passes for 138 yards.
The Bees will now turn their attention towards a showdown with Loudon (9-2, 4-1). Kickoff in the second-round matchup is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Baxter. The game will be broadcast live on the UCR Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 6:45.