The Upperman Bees advanced to the quarterfinal round of the postseason with a 40-16 win over DeKalb County on Friday night in Baxter.
The Bees raced out to an early 21-0 lead, withstood a DCHS comeback attempt and pulled away late to advance to the third round for the second time in four years.
“I thought it was a complete team effort,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “I think we were at a high level for four quarters. I think we showed what we’re capable of doing. We’ve known all year that it’s a very competitive team and they’ve answered the bell every week.”
The Bees received the opening kickoff and immediately drove down the field on a drive capped by a one-yard TD rush by Terrance Dedmon to take a 7-0 lead.
They then marched down the field on another methodical drive capped by a two-yard touchdown rush by Jaxson Rollins.
The game then appeared to be getting out of hand as senior QB Ty Dutchess broke a tackle enroute to a 31-yard touchdown rush to take a 21-0 lead. The Tigers responded, however, with a touchdown drive of their own ending with a one-yard touchdown rush by Isaac Knowles. A botched PAT attempt left the score at 21-6 at halftime.
The Tigers then cut the deficit to one score on a 24-yard touchdown rush by Knowles midway through the second quarter to make it 21-14, but Rollins regained the momentum for UHS when he returned the ensuing kickoff 70-yards for a touchdown.
The Bees, who have become known for big second halves, then rattled off two more scores to secure the 40-14 victory.
Caine said his team uses outside noise as motivation.
“We hear it,” said Caine. “People talk about them, and talk about how (we’re) a flawed team… but at the end of the day when the ball gets kicked off they show up to play. It’s really cool. I love these kids and I’m happy for them.”
Dutchess led the way, completing 4-7 passes for 73 yards and rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Rollins rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Dedmon rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Knowles completed a legendary career for the Tigers catching nine passes for 88 yards while rushing for 33 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
The Bees (11-1) will now turn their attention towards a showdown with Red Bank (8-3) with a trip to the quarterfinal round on the line. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday. The game will be audio streamed on the UCR Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 5:30.
