Content by Noah McKay and Kailee Means:
Mt. Juliet 44 – White County 32
The Warriors came back from a 24-0 early deficit by scoring 20 unanswered points in the second quarter. The teams traded scores throughout the second half, with the second-ranked Golden Bears hanging on late for a 12-point win.
“(Mt. Juliet) is good,” said WCHS head coach Mark Frasier. “We couldn’t stop them. We had a few chances, but I will say we spotted them 24 points and we were one stop away from winning that football game. I’m done with moral victories, but if that’s the second best team in the state, we aren’t that far off.”
Junior Malaki Dowell rushed for three touchdowns and caught another as his impressive season continued. Freshman quarterback Tripp Pinion rushed for a touchdown and threw another.
The Warriors (3-2, 0-2) will return to action Friday night when they take on Green Hill. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter 2 Facebook page.
Upperman 27 – Stone Memorial 9
It was a slow start for the Bees as they went into halftime with a 12-9 lead. They then Bees and dominated the second and held Stone scoreless to make the final 27-9.
“I thought my guys played really hard”, said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “I think there was about 100 penalties called against us in the game, and somehow or another we have to fix that. It falls on me, I’ve got to coach better and get us to stop breaking the rules every other play and hopefully we can get that corrected.”
The Bees outrushed the Panthers 255-134 yards on the ground, while senior quarterback Ty Dutchess was 4-10 through the air for 105 yards and had seven carries for 23 yards. Sophomore Jaxson Rollins had 20 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Terrance Dedmon had 16 carries for 84 yards and 4.5 tackles.
The Bees (4-1, 2-0) will return to action Friday against Watertown in the High School Football Game of the Week for their Homecoming. Pregame coverage will start at 6:50 on the Upper Cumberland Reporter Facebook page.
Warren County 21 – Cookeville 14
The Warren County Pioneers won in Cookeville for the first time in the 21st century and the Cavs dropped their third-straight game.
The Pioneers outrushed the Cavs 254-113 and got a fumble return for a touchdown to earn their first region win.
Evan Whited rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Junior quarterback Mace Thomsen went 7-10 through the air for 72 yards while adding 18 yards rushing.
The Cavs (1-4, 0-2) will return to action Friday when they host Gallatin. Pregame coverage is set to begin at 6:50 on the Upper Cumberland Reporter 3 Facebook page.
Monterey 43 – Rockwood 14
The Wildcats never trailed as they cruised to their second Region 2/2A win of the season.
MHS continued to be effective on the ground and through the air, while the defense allowed two scores for the first time this season.
With the win, the Wildcats (4-1, 2-0) maintained a tie for first place atop the region standings alongside Oneida.
The Wildcats will return to action Friday when they host the Tennessee Heat for homecoming. Pregame coverage is set to begin at 6:50 on the UCR 4 Facebook page.
Macon County 37 – Livingston 0
The Wildcats fell to 0-5 in the lopsided loss to the Tigers. It was the third time they have been shutout in 2021, but they allowed the second-fewest points to their opponent of the season.
The Wildcats will return to action next Friday when they travel to take on Jackson County.