Story and photos by Noah McKay
The Smith County Owls opened the 2022 high school football season with a 27-7 win over cross-county rival Gordonsville on Saturday night in Carthage.
The Owls got three rushing touchdowns from freshman quarterback Kaden Powell as they emerged victorious from a physical, penalty-riddled contest.
“They were physical all night long,” said SCHS head coach Matt Dyer on his team. “We moved the ball up and down the field, but the thing that hurt us was ourselves. All night we hurt ourselves whether it was a turnover here or there or the penalties. We’ve got to cut down on the penalties. (Gordonsville’s) a good 1A football team. They’re going to go far in the playoffs.”
The two defenses dominated the first quarter. The Owls got some early momentum on an interception by Keylando Harris, but a personal foul and holding penalty brought back the return and ultimately led to a punt. A punt pinned the Tigers on their own two-yard-line, but another personal foul against SCHS pushed GHS down the field as the first quarter ended in a 0-0 tie.
The Tigers entered SCHS territory for the first time on a scramble by quarterback Matthew Albritton. Two penalties stalled the drive as the teams then traded turnover-on-downs.
The Owls struck first late in the half as Powell capped a 53-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown rush. Javier Gaspar’s PAT gave the Owls a 7-0 lead moving into halftime.
The Owls took a 13-0 lead on another touchdown rush by Powell on the opening drive of the second half. They then took hold of the game after recovering a GHS fumble on the ensuing drive. Powell then scored another touchdown rush from 30-yards out as the lead grew to 19-0.
The Tigers answered in head coach Stephen Jackson’s first game with their first touchdown drive of the season, driving 56 yards as Albritton found Brady Gentry for a 35-yard touchdown. Gavin Huddleston’s PAT cut the deficit to 19-7.
The Owls faced a third-and-nine on their next drive when Powell found Peyton Hix down the sideline for a 65-yard gain. Jamison Keeley punched in a touchdown rush to make it 27-7.
“We learned how to face adverse situations last year,” said Dyer. “They’ve got the experience… so they knew they had to come back with a big play, a big statement, a big drive and they did.”
Neither team found the endzone in the final frame as the Owls secured the 20-point win.
Powell had a strong performance in his first high school start, but his coach was quick to credit his quarterback’s teammates as well.
“He did have a good game but Kaden has a lot of pieces around him right now,” said Dyer. “He’s got a great offensive line. Those guys are big, mean and nasty. They can move and they proved that tonight. He’s got good backs. We’ve got a stable of backs and it’s hard enough rotating them to keep them fresh.”
The Tigers (0-1) will return to action Friday night when they host Watertown (0-1). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Owls (1-0) will host DeKalb County (1-0) on Friday night with kickoff at 7 p.m.
“I just hope we don’t get a big head,” said Dyer. “That’s not a region game. It’s a county opponent, but our thing is we’ve got to keep grinding. We can’t be happy with ourselves. We had probably 15 penalties tonight and that’s going to be addressed come Monday. That’s got to be cleaned up… They’re going to keep playing their hearts out and that’s what I love to watch.”
