Watertown 8 – Upperman 16
The Upperman Bees earned their fifth victory of the season in a 16-8 win over Watertown in the High School Football Game of the Week on Friday in Baxter.
A fast offensive start and strong defensive effort propelled the Bees (5-1, 2-0) to the non-region win.
“I’m pleased,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “I’m a defensive-minded coach so I liked the way we played defensively. To hold them to 8, I was proud of the defense.”
The Bees raced out to a 10-0 first quarter lead with a three-yard touchdown rush by Jaxson Rollins and a 33-yard field goal by Anthony Maccarone.
Rollins pushed the lead to 16-0 with a four-yard touchdown rush. The Purple Tigers then made things interesting in the final minutes with an eight-yard touchdown rush and successful two-point conversion, but the UHS offense churned the final minutes away as they secured the win.
“Offensively, I thought it was huge that we started off in a fairly convincing fashion,” said Caine. “We’ve got to find a way to sustain and extend leads if we’re going to be any good this year.”
Senior quarterback Ty Dutchess completed 6-11 passes for 72 yards while rushing for 71 yards on 13 carries. Terrance Dedmon rushed for 96 yards on 14 carries. Rollins rushed for 40 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
The Bees will return to action Friday night when they host Macon County in the High School Football Game of the Week. Pregame coverage is set to begin at 6:50 on the UCR Facebook page.
White County 27 – Green Hill 56
For the second straight week, the White County Warriors had a slow start in a region game.
The Hawks effectively threw the ball as they raced to an early advantage and rolled to the win.
The Hawks improved to 5-1, and 3-0 in Region 5/5A with the victory. The Warriors fell to 0-3 in the region with the loss.
The Warriors will return to action Friday when they host Wilson Central (4-2, 1-2). The Warriors must win the contest to keep their playoff hopes alive. The game will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter 2 Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 6:50.
Gallatin 28 – Cookeville 12
The Cavs’ losing streak moved to four games in the 16-point defeat against the Green Wave.
The Green Wave (2-3) outrushed the Cavs (1-5, 0-2) 336 yards to 53 in the contest.
Junior quarterback Mace Thomsen had a strong night as he went 15-25 through the air for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
Jourdyn Burrus rushed for 33 yards on eight carries. Waylon Whited rushed for 29 yards on five carries. Austin Davenport caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Brock Owen caught three for 32 yards and a touchdown.
The Cavs will return to action Friday when they travel to Alcoa to take on the top-ranked 3A team in the state. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. eastern, 6 central. The game will be livestreamed on the UCR 4 Facebook page.
TN Heat 24 – Monterey 48
The Wildcats (5-1, 2-0) cruised past the Tennessee Heat for their second straight win.
Junior tailback Mason Bowman rushed for three touchdowns as the MHS starters opened a huge lead before the reserves got valuable playing time.
The Wildcats will return to action Friday when they host Waverly (4-1, 2-1). The game will be livestreamed on the UCR 3 Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 6:50 p.m.
Livingston 0 – Jackson County 21
The Wildcats struggled to score as they were shutout for the fourth time in 2021, dropping to 0-5 on the season.
They will return to action Thursday when they take on Dekalb County in a region matchup at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium. The game will be livestreamed on the UCR Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 6:50 p.m.
The Blue Devils (2-3, 0-1) will host Maplewood on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Photos by Lance Little:
