By: Nick Hall
Crossville grabbed a 31-7 homecoming win against Region 6 rival Douglas Friday night, snapping a 10-game losing skid. After a scoreless first quarter, Lions quarterback Trent Bryant connected with Cam Adkins for a 26-yard touchdown. Kaejuan Hatley added the PAT to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. Later in the second quarter, Bryant found the end zone again on a 6-yard quarterback keeper with 4:10 left in the half. Hatley’s PAT extended the lead to 14-0. The Lions took advantage of an Eagle fumble on the ensuing kickoff return when Bryant scampered 3 yards for his second rushing touchdown. Hatley’s PAT was no good, and the Lions carried a 20-0 halftime lead to the locker room.
With 4:54 left in the third quarter, the Lions defense recorded their first safety of the night when they caught Eagles quarterback Riley Baugh in the end zone to go up 22-0. On their next possession, Lions running back Jay Luther added a 12-yard touchdown run, and Hatley’s PAT extended Crossville’s lead to 29-0. With 10:26 left in the game, the Lions got another safety when an errant punt snap rolled through the end zone, pushing their lead to 31-0. The Eagles finally got on the board with just over a minute to play when running back Kevin James went 55-yards to avoid the shutout.
Bryant finished 12-of-21 passing for 136 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 45 and two touchdowns. Hatley went 3-of-4 on PAT’s and 0-of-1 on field goals after missing on a 32-yard attempt in the third quarter.
While the Lion’s victory over Douglas also marks the first career win for Crossville head coach Dusty Darnell, the first-year coach was more concerned about his team’s 16 penalties and two turnovers. “I’m happy to get the win and I’m happy for our kids, but we’ve got a long way to go before we get where we want to be,” Darnell said. Next week, Crossville (1-3, 1-1) continues 5A Region 6 play at Alexandria (1-2, 0-1).
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