Upperman’s Defense Shines In 21-0 Victory Over Stone Memorial

By Michael Lindsay

The Upperman Bees (3-1, 1-0) opened Region 4-4A play with a win on Friday as they shut out Stone Memorial (2-2, 0-1), 21-0.

“As big as they (Stone Memorial) are up front, our guys had to play good up there,” said Upperman head coach Adam Caine. “Credit to our O-line and (tight end) Colton Johnson; he’s about to be a millionaire because he blocks so well. We really work our kids hard and put an emphasis on it. Some of those practices aren’t enjoyable, so credit to them for fighting through it.”

Upperman held Stone Memorial to 136 total yards in the shutout victory.

Jude Fitzpatrick led the Bees with 104 rushing yards and a touchdown along with 81 yards and a score from Jack Smith.

After a scoreless first quarter, Smith took a 19-yard run to the end zone for an Upperman touchdown with 5:51 remaining in the second period. The score would stand until the break, with Upperman leading 7-0 at halftime.

“When that monsoon hit, I put the passes in the back pocket and knew we had to figure out how to get our run game going,” said Caine. “Jack Smith made a play when nothing was there.”

Fitzpatrick rushed in an 11-yard touchdown late in the third quarter before Elijah Barlow capped off the win with a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth to seal Upperman’s 21-0 victory.

“I do think Stone is going to be a team to be reckoned with when it’s all said and done,” said Caine. “Coach Derik Samber always has some good wrinkles that cause a lot of problems for us.”

The Bees hit the road next week as they play Beech (3-1) while Stone Memorial hosts Loudon (3-1).