By Michael Lindsay
The Upperman Bees (2-1) got back in the win column in style Thursday afternoon as they defeated Farragut (0-3), 42-6.
Upperman’s win over Farragut comes on the heels of their first regular-season loss since 2022 last week at Greeneville.
“It had been a while since we lost a regular-season game,” said Upperman head coach Adam Caine. “You get to push the reset button and fix some things, and that’s what we did this week. The guys responded well and we sured up some areas.”
Senior quarterback Bronzden Chaffin led the way as he went 14-21 for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air while rushing for 111 yards. Running back Carmine Phillips rushed for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns while catching another. Tight end Colton Johnson hauled in 5 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown while Gunner Block tacked on 3 catches for 88 yards and a score.
“Bronzden converted some big-time third downs,” said Caine. “We made big plays, and that’s what was missing last week. It was good for us to settle in and convert some things.”
Upperman struck first with 28 seconds left in the first quarter as Jude Fitzpatrick took a short pass 24 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Bees a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
The scoreboard lit up in the second period as Upperman opened the period with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Chaffin to Phillips to give Upperman a 14-0 lead with 8:58 remaining in the half.
Farragut answered on the ensuing drive with a 4-yard touchdown rush, but the extra point was no good to make the score 14-6 Upperman 5:50 remaining in the second.
Upperman closed out the first half with a pair of touchdowns as Phillips took a 17-yard run to the house followed by a 22-yard Johnson touchdown reception with 1:01 on the clock to make the score 28-6 at halftime.
The Bees put the game away in the third quarter as Block hauled in a 41-yard touchdown strike from Chaffin along with a 6-yard Phillips run to make the score 42-6 after 3 periods. Upperman cruised through the fourth quarter to secure the 42-6 victory.
Up next for the Bees is their Region 4-4A opener at Stone Memorial (3-0).
