by Rusty Ellis
The Upperman Bees are now 1-0 in region play, as they took down Region 4-4A opponent Macon County 14-7 on Friday night.
Both teams stalled on early drives in the first quarter before Upperman finally broke through with 5:42 to go in the second, as Jaxson Rollins took a hand-off from Bronzden Chaffin around left end for a three-yard touchdown to give the Bees a 7-0 lead.
UHS struck again right before halftime, as Kam Bush caught a 13-yard touchdown from Chaffin following a Macon fumble due to some miscommunication between the center and quarterback.
This gave Upperman a 14-0 lead heading into the halftime break, as the Bees looked as if they might pull away in the second half.
Macon didn’t give up however, as a 36-yard touchdown run from Gabe Borders cut the lead in half. The Tigers just couldn’t muster enough offense against the vaunted Bees defense, and Upperman used their defense to move their record to 3-0 overall with a 14-7 victory.
For head coach Adam Caine, Macon has always been a tough team to pin down just because of the style of football they play, and this week was no exception.
“I told Coach Shoulders before the game that whenever we play them, it’s one of the most frustrating weeks of the season for me,” Caine said. “Their offense is so dynamic and difficult to defend, and I go back-and-forth on different things…they’re a difficult team to prepare for with their Wing-T offense. Hopefully next week, we’re playing a team we’re a little more comfortable with and maybe we can keep progressing and get on a roll.”
Fast starts in the first half have often been followed by slower second halves for the Bees, something Caine knows can’t continue if the team wants to reach their ultimate goal.
“That’s one thing we’ve got to figure out is the second half,” Caine said. “The last two weeks, we haven’t played well then…I think we’re playing hard, we’re just making some mental errors. (Macon’s) a heck of a football team. You know, 14-7, that could’ve gone either way. My hats off to Macon County.”
None of that changes the fact that Upperman did themselves a huge favor by starting out region play 1-0.
“It was a gutsy win, they’ve got a good team,” Caine said. “I’m sure these programs will be near the top when it’s all said and done…everything came down to a two-point play (last year), and I was fully expecting that tonight. We stopped a great player over and over, so I’m proud of us.”
Up next for Upperman is a road date with Livingston Academy, while Macon County will face Smith County at home.
