Story and photos by Kailee Means:
The Upperman Bees defeated county rival Cookeville 28-6 at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium on Thursday night.
The Bees outrushed the Cavs 234-63, survived several self-inflicted errors and pulled away late to earn their third win over the Cavs in four years.
“I am really proud because it looked like we were, kind of, the stronger team at the end,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “(Cookeville)’s got good players, (Cade Apple) is going to be one the best players we go against. We were able to pour it on them at the end.”
Former Cavalier sophomore Jaxson Rollins started the scoring with a three-yard touchdown. Cookeville junior Mace Thomsen rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter, but the Bees defense blocked the extra point to keep a 7-6 lead. Rollins then scored two consecutive touchdowns to make the score 21-6. Junior Terrance Dedmon then rushed for a 28-yard touchdown for the Bees to push the final score to 28-6.
Senior Ty Dutchess went 4-5 through the air for 31 yards, while rushing for 53 yards on eight carries. Dedmon rushed for 133 yards and Rollins rushed for 68 yards. Senior Daniel Metzgar caught 3 passes for 25 yards.
Thomsen went 14-24 for 113 yards. Sophomore Jourdyn Burruss rushed for 27 yards and senior Evan Whited rushed for 26 yards. Senior Austin Davenport also rushed for 22 yards. Junior Brock Owen caught 5 passes for 37 yards. Senior Donovan Sullivan also caught 3 passes for 16 yards.
Upperman’s defense allowed Cookeville to score one touchdown. Defensively Rollins had 7 tackles and an interception. Seniors Eli Randolph and Jyron McClellan both had 5.5 tackles.
“We’ve got some kids that can make plays and they made them at the right times and the defense played hard. Our defensive line has some pretty good players, and if they can set the tone for us, which they did, I hope that we can get on a little run,” said Caine. “I like where our defense is at right now. I think we’ve got some kids that can run and some strong kids upfront.”
The Bees will now prepare to travel to Hartsville to take on the Yellow Jackets of Trousdale County at 7 p.m. next Friday. The game will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter’s Facebook Page.
