The Upperman Bees punched their ticket to the semifinal round of the postseason with a gutsy 42-28 win at Red Bank on Friday night.
Sophomore quarterback Jonathon Rushing took over the reigns of the offense after senior QB Ty Dutchess left the game with an injury in the first quarter and led Upperman to 35 points and over 400 yards rushing as the Bees knocked off the Lions on a frigid night.
“What a coming-of-age situation,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “To see him do it the right way. Took his lumps as the scout team quarterback. Picked himself up by the boot straps every single day. Every week, I say the kid I’m most proud of is Jonathon Rushing. He came in and went above and beyond. That’s why you coach.”
The UHS offense opened the game by marching down the field on a drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown rush by sophomore Jaxson Rollins to take a 7-0 lead.
The Lions immediately responded with a quick touchdown drive to tie the game.
Dutchess was then forced out of the game after walking off the field under his own power with an apparent head injury, prompting Rushing to take over the offense. The UHS rushing attack continued to find success as Rollins capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown rush to regain a 14-7 lead.
Red Bank immediately responded with another quick drive as Joseph Blackmon found Reco Trimble for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14 with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Rushing then orchestrated another scoring drive, largely relying on his, Rollins’ and Terrance Dedmon’s legs as Rollins rushed for his third touchdown of the half to give UHS a 21-14 lead at halftime.
The Lions then appeared poised to defend their home field when they scored two straight touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 28-21 lead after three.
Rushing then began to find success through the air, completing a back-shoulder throw to Jaxson Bush down the sideline on a drive capped by Rollins’ fourth rushing touchdown. Anthony Maccarone’s PAT tied the game at 28.
The UHS defense then forced the only RBHS punt of the night. Rushing found Daniel Metzgar on a screen for a nine-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead. RBHS fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Bees recovered. Rushing then put the game away with a two-yard touchdown rush to propel UHS into the semifinal round.
“They love each other. They genuinely play for each other,” said Caine. “There’s no doubt, we got there. We got to a high level.”
The Bees are a team that has been criticized by some for not having the top facilities or having flaws, but Caine said they use it as motivation as they clinched a berth in the semifinal round for the second time in four years.
“We weren’t going to be denied tonight,” said Caine. “We’ve got the small weight room, we practice in the parking lot. They hear it. We’re not sensitive, but we get motivated and driven by the lack of respect. That’s a powerful thing. That was a special win against a really talented team.”
Rushing went 4-7 through the air for 45 yards and a touchdown. He added 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Rollins rushed for 172 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. Dedmon rushed for 178 yards on 18 carries. Metzgar caught four passes for 21 yards and a touchdown while adding an interception.
The Bees outrushed the Lions 425 yards to 147.
Upperman will turn their attention towards a matchup with two-time defending state champion Elizabethton, who was a 13-7 win over Greeneville. The winner will advance to the state championship game in Chattanooga. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. central. The game will be streamed on the UCR Facebook page with pregame coverage starting at 5:30.
“The biggest thing we do is we respect our opponents,” said Caine. “One thing I know is I’ll have 11 dudes out there at a time trying to do their thing. At this point, let’s shoot our shot and we’ll see what we can do.”
Photos by Kailee Means:
