Raiders drop to 0-8 with loss to Walton-Verona Bearcats 48-16

     The Trimble County High School Football Raiders traveled north last Friday night to take on the Walton Verona Bearcats. The 0-7 Raiders were looking for their first win of the season and the Bearcats were hoping to improve on their season record of 6-2. The Bearcats suffered a 23-19 loss to Gallatin County the previous week, while the Raiders fell to Owen County 19-6.

     The Raiders offense took the field first with T.J. Payton and Tevin Taylor sharing quarterback responsibilities. Just after last week’s loss to Owen County Coach Franklin said there was not much confidence in the passing game because of injuries. In a dramatic turn around, his game plan for the Bearcats would be to put the ball in the air. The offensive line stood their ground to protect their quarterbacks. Unfortunately, they were only able to complete 23% of their pass attempts, collectively.  One notable catch came late in the first quarter when Payton tossed the ball to Taylor who threw the ball deep to Chaylen Sedam. Sedam took the ball to the eight-yard line, making it a 72-yard completion and run.  Regrettably, the Raiders were unable to finish that drive and turned the ball over on downs to the Bearcats.

     The Bearcats scored 48 points before the Raiders could respond. Near the middle of the third quarter, the Raiders put together a seven-minute drive that would culminate in a touchdown. On third and seven, Taylor completed a pass to Payton for the 20-yard touchdown and later the same pair connected to score the extra points after the touchdown. With 38 seconds left in the third quarter, the Raiders were down 48-8, but showed no signs of retreat.

   On the next Bearcats drive, it was clear that the Raiders offense had inspired their defense to start tackling better, which allowed the offense to get back on the field for one last score. Trimble County’s Bo Hawkes scored the final touchdown and extra points for the Raiders. Despite their valiant second half effort, the Raiders closed out the game losing 48-16.

     The Raiders (0-8) will be playing in Carroll County this week against the Panthers (3-5).  Carroll County is coming into the game following a 48-7 victory over Owen County last Friday. The game between the Raiders and Panthers is set to begin at 7:30PM in Carrollton at the Carroll County High School Football stadium. It looks to be a cold night for football so bring your stadium blankets and extra clothes to come out and support the Raiders as they look for their first win of the season.

   

TCMS Starts Slow Finishes Strong with Win over CCMS

     The Trimble County Middle School Football Raiders took a short trip to Carrollton Thursday August 29 to take on the Carroll County Middle School Football Panthers. The best of each team’s defense was on display for the first quarter of the game by holding each other to minimal gains on offense. It was beginning to look like a punting contest between the teams.

     Just inside the Second Quarter, Raiders’ Quarterback #3 Cole Wright hit #22 Stevie Swanger with a short pass that Swanger turned into a big gain until he was wrestled down at the 6 yard line of the Panthers. But the Raiders drive stalled out and after 4 attempts to get into the end zone, they gave the ball back to the Panthers.  The Raiders defense held strong once again and forced the Panthers to punt after 3 attempts to get a first down. A bad snap from the Panthers gave the Raiders the shot they needed when #45 Nick McCutchen pounced on the Panther punter and the ball at the 5 yard line of the Panthers. The following play, Swanger carried the ball on a sweep to the left to cross the goal line for the first Touchdown of the game. Swanger scored the 2-point conversion making the score the 8-0 with 3:22 left in the second quarter. The Panthers looked like they were going to get something going but the drive stalled out near mid field when they turned the ball over on downs back to the Raiders. A miscue on the offense was all the Panthers needed to cause a Raider fumble and get the ball back with less than 2 minutes left on the clock before halftime. The Panthers took full advantage of the turnover and systematically rushed the ball down the field to score a Touchdown with 5 seconds left on the clock. On their longest run of the drive Panthers Quarterback #38 Jake Robertson twisted his left knee causing him to miss the rest of the game. The Panthers attempt at a 2-point conversion failed leaving the score at 8-6 in favor of the Raiders.

     The Raiders came out after halftime kicking off to the Panthers. Raiders’ kicker #42 Brayden Luckett kicked the ball deep into Panther territory and still made it down the field to stop the Panthers from making any big gains on the return. The Raiders defense drowned out any hope of a Panther come back in the second half by forcing them to go 3 and out before the punt. The Raiders offense could do no better and gave the ball back to the Panthers after 4 tries for a first down. The big momentum change came when 7^th grade Raider Nose Guard #35 Shayman Quire squeezed through the big Panther offensive line to sack the Panthers second string Quarterback for a loss of yards that they could not overcome causing them to punt the ball back to the Raiders.

     After a scoreless third quarter, the Raiders started the 4^th Quarter with a run outside the right tackle for an 80 yard Touchdown run by #22 Stevie Swanger. Swanger was able to score the 2-point conversion with a little push from the Raiders’ offensive line making the score 16-6 with 7:45 left in the game. The Raiders were like sharks with blood in the water against the Panthers offense. Raiders’ Nose Guard #35 Shayman Quire made his second sack of the Panthers Quarterback creating a confusion that would lead to a fumble on the next play to give the Raiders the ball back with 6:16 left in the game. The Raiders took 4 seconds off the clock when they handed the ball off to Swanger who ran for his third Touchdown of the game. The Raiders were not able to convert for extra points after the score leaving the score at 22-6 with 6:12 left in the game. The Panthers started the following drive at the 25 yard line. The Raiders defense was in attack mode when #33 Quinton Gilley tackled a Panther runner behind the line of scrimmage. The following play #24 Joe Pollock sacked the Panther Quarterback for another big loss of yards. The Panthers tried a quick toss outside but the running back was met by Raider defender #49 Chris Perkinson who brought the runner down in his tracks. With nothing else to do, the Panthers dropped back to punt on 4^th down. Raiders Linebacker Joe Pollock made an unbelievable leap in the air to block the punt allowing #93 Tyler Westrick to recover the punt for the Raiders just outside the Panthers 10 yard line. The next play, Raiders Running Back #31 Reese Poe got behind his blockers and found his way into the end zone for a Touchdown. Quarterback Cole Wright connected with Raiders’ Tight End #45 McCutchen for the 2-point conversion that would be the final score of the game with 3:51 left on the game clock.

     The Raiders finished the game beating the Panthers 30-6 for their second win of the season. Their first win came against Switzerland County 46-0 in Vevay, Indiana.  The Raiders only loss of the season came against Walton Verona 18-12 last Tuesday August 15. The next game for the Raiders will be played in Louisville, KY against Kentucky Country Day on Thursday September 5 at 6:00.

Images from the Raiders at Panthers Game.