Tigers no match for Greenback, fall 30-3

Oct. 3, 2014 @ Greenback

Credit Goose Lindsay

Rockwood's hopes of winning the District 3-A championship took a fatal blow Friday night as the Tigers traveled to Greenback and were knocked off by the Cherokees, 30-3.

"We just made too many mistakes tonight to beat a good team," Tiger Head Coach John Webb said. "We've got to start doing things better."

With the loss, Rockwood drops to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in district play. The Tigers would need a lot of help to make a run at the district title as Grace Christian (3-0) and Greenback (2-0) are both still unbeaten in district play.

Although the Tigers eventually lost by 27 points, they did stay within striking distance for the better part of three quarters.

The Tigers even came up with the first big break of the game. After forcing a Greenback punt, Rockwood got great field position when the Cherokees snapped the ball over the punter's head, giving the Tigers the ball at the Cherokee 38-yard line.

Rockwood picked up a first down to the Greenback 25 following an 8-yard run from Jayden Woods, but the drive stalled four plays later when Jordan Anderson picked off a fourth down pass near the goal line. He returned the pick 23 yards to the 24.

Greenback then put together a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive that ended with Devin Devine scoring on a 9-yard run that made the score 7-0 with 1:38 left in the opening quarter.

Things went south for the Tigers on the first play after the kickoff when Greenback picked off a pass at the Tiger 44-yard line, but Rockwood dodged a bullet five plays later when Drake Long intercepted a pass in the end zone.

Rockwood, however, couldn't dodge a bullet on the next drive as Greenback drove 50 yards in 10 plays and scored when Braxton Fox booted home a 34-yard field goal that made the score 10-0 with 6:03 left in the first half.

The game appeared headed to the half with a 10-0 score, but Rockwood found a spark just before halftime to get on the scoreboard.

Starting from the Cherokees 42 with 31.5 seconds left in the half, the Tigers used a 35-yard run from Long to set up a 21-yard field goal from Johnny Turner on the final play of the first half that made the score 10-3.

Whatever momentum Rockwood had entering intermission went away quickly. A short kick led to a 52-yard scoring drive as Greenback to a 16-3 lead following a 7-yard run from Anderson. The PAT was no good.

"We dodged some bullets in the first half and were still in the game, but we gave them great field position to start the second half and then we couldn't come up with a stop," Webb said.

Rockwood tried to mount a comeback on its next possession. Sparked by a 27-yard halfback pass from Long to Austin Cooper, the Tigers reached the Greenback 30 before turning the ball over on downs.

The Cherokees then started to pull away with a 5-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Tanner LeForce scoring from 10 yards out to make the score 23-3 with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

The theme of Rockwood putting together a solid drive only to come up empty continued as the Tigers put together a 70-yard drive that ended on downs inside the Greenback 5. Long had a 50-yard run in the drive.

Rockwood's next drive was also frustrating as Justin Domon broke free for a 35-yard gain inside the Greenback 20, but the ball came free at the end of the play with Greenback recovering.

The Cherokees then put the game away with an 8-play scoring drive that was capped by an 11-yard run from Anderson that made the score 30-3 with 3:48 left to play.

Rockwood used a pair of long runs from Woods to reach the Greenback 8 on the final drive, but the clock struck zero before the Tigers had a chance to score.

The Tigers ran the ball 44 times for 288 yards with Long (15-137) and Woods (5-71) leading the way. Anderson led the way for Greenback with 113 yards rushing on 15 carries with two TDs.

Rockwood will try to bounce back Friday night when they host Tellico Plains (2-4, 0-2). "I don't know a lot about them yet, but we've got to find a way to respond," Webb said.

Scoring

Team Statistics

Individual Statistics

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Click here for the Players of the Week!

Game Video Highlights and Post Game  Interviews

Inside Rockwood Football 10/3/14 Rockwood Vs Greenback

10/3/2014

Inside Rockwood Football 10/3/14 Rockwood Vs Greenback Post Game

10/3/2014

Inside Rockwood Football 10/3/14 Rockwood Vs Greenback Plays of the Week

10/3/2014