Yellow Jackets Dominate Swain in Season Finale
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 10, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets traveled to Swain on Friday night to take on the Maroon Devils. It had been 18 years since the last time Hayesville had beaten Swain. The Yellow Jackets looking to end the season on a winning streak did just that. With some big offensive performances and multiple interceptions on defense, Hayesville won 41-26.
1st Quarter:
Hayesville started the game on defense, while not giving up any big plays Hayesville did allow a first-drive touchdown to the Maroon Devils. After getting the ball for the first time on offense the Yellow Jacket offense did not disappoint. Blake McClure got Hayesville right back in it with about a 35-yard touchdown run. Cable Krieger made a huge third-down pass break-up on the next Swain offensive drive. That helped Hayesville get the ball back with the game tied up 7-7 and that’s how the quarter ended.
2nd Quarter:
The Maroon Devils would get the first score of the quarter on a fullback dive taking a 14-7 lead. After a 3 and out Swain got the ball back and responded with a bomb touchdown pass. They did miss the extra point and it brought the score to 20-7 Swain leading. Hayesville responded as best as they could though and started to play some of their best football all season. Hayesville scored two straight touchdowns to tie it up going into halftime 20-20. The first touchdown was a 33-yard touchdown run by Taylor McClure. Followed up by a fumble recovery by Cable Krieger which led to a Kyle Lunsford touchdown reception.
3rd Quarter:
The second half was all Yellow Jackets, as Hayesville played some dominating football. After trading the ball back and forth on the first four drives of the second half Hayesville got a score to take their first lead of the game. Kyle Lunsford with his trademarked tough running punched one in for the Yellow Jackets. A great defensive third quarter that saw only one score by either team, ended with Hayesville Leading 27-20.
4th Quarter:
Swain had the ball to start the fourth quarter but not for long as Taylor McClure intercepted a deep pass. He ran it all way down to the 10 for about a 70 yard return, but some of it was negated by a block in the back. Hayesville just about got stopped having to go for it on fourth down from the Swain 30 yard line. Logan Caldwell threw a great pass to Tyler Anderson who made a great full layout over-the-shoulder catch for the touchdown. This gave Hayesville a two-score lead. On the next Swain drive, it ended once again with a huge Taylor McClure interception giving Hayesville the ball back and all but icing the game. Hayesville cruised to victory at this point winning 41-26.
Postgame Interview with Head Coach Chad McClure:
Q: Coming off a win at Rosman what was your mentality going into this game knowing that playoffs were out of reach but you had one last game this season?
A: Just to finish strong, finish the right way, play for these seniors who its there last game. Finish on a winning streak and beat Swain who we have not beaten in over a decade. We just challenged them to do something a Hayesville team has not done in a long time and they responded.
Q: After rough start to the year what does this momentum of ending on a two-game win streak do going into the offseason?
A: This season we had a lot of young kids get valuable experience, finishing on a win streak is big. I think its going to drive these kids to work hard, to have more moments like tonight in the locker room enjoying wins as a team and being excited having fun.
Q: Especially tonight, whats it mean to you not just as a head coach which I know can be hard to separate but also as a dad who has two sons on the team. A senior Blake McClure who led the way on offense tonight leading the team in rushing, but also Taylor McClure a freshman who led the team on defense tonight with two interceptions?
A: I am just blessed to be a part of it, a lot happened this past year because of Covid, but we were able to have this season and seeing them celebrate together, you know I am super proud. Proud of all my guys but when your a dad your proud too and they both played their best game of the season tonight. I mean what more could you ask for.
Hayesville’s Notable Offensive Stats:
Blake McClure 22 rushes for 161 yards 1 TD
Taylor McClure 6 Rushes for 49 yards 1 TD
Kyle Lunsford 1 rushing TD and 1 Receiving TD
Logan Caldwell 6/9 passing with 2 TDS
Hayesville’s season will end here but FYN Sports looks forward to getting into baseball season this spring and being back for football next fall.
Yellow Jackets Win on Senior Night
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports April 3, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets hosted the Rosman Tigers on senior night Friday night. Hayesville still looking for their first win on the season playing their best game to date. Winning the turnover margin in the game and coming up with some big plays offensively allowed Hayesville to get their first win of the season. The 32-14 victory saw Hayesville finally put together a full four quarters.
1st Quarter:
The Yellow Jackets kicked off and shocked Rosman with a surprise onside recovering it in Tiger territory. On the first play from scrimmage, Senior Blake McClure took a pitch to the left and outran all the defenders for a 48-yard touchdown run. After the exciting start, Hayesville and Rosman swapped the ball back and forth several times. Neither offense could get much going. The first quarter ended with Hayesville holding their 7-0 lead after their early score.
2nd Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hayesville’s offense was a little sloppy with multiple fumbles but each of them were able to be recovered by the Yellow Jackets. The offense was jump-started though, by a big interception by freshman Isaac Chandler. After a good drive into the red zone, Logan Caldwell threw a strike to Tyler Anderson for a 12-yard passing touchdown. Hayesville did miss the extra point though making the lead 13-0. As well that’s the score we had going into halftime.
3rd Quarter:
To start the second half Rosman made a big play forcing and recovering a fumble as they were trying to get back into the game. Yet Hayesville got the ball back quickly after forcing and recovering a fumble just three plays into Rosmans drive. Yet on the ensuing offensive drive, Hayesville turned the ball over on downs giving it back to Rosman. Rosman had their best drive of the night to this point finally getting into the endzone making the game 13-8 Hayesville still leading. Hayesville answered right back though driving down the field getting it inside the five. Ethan Taylor playing fullback in a new wishbone set from Hayesville pounded it into the endzone on a trap play to make the score 19-8. After forcing another turnover the Yellow Jackets quickly drove back down the field. Finishing off the drive with a Logan Caldwell 6 yard touchdown scramble. This made the score 25-8 and that would be the score to end the quarter as well.
4th Quarter:
Rosman got the first score of the Quarter to cut the lead 25-14. Yet once again Hayesville answered quickly with a long touchdown score by Kyle Lunsford after a good scramble and throw by Caldwell. This score put the game out of reach for Rosman with the time waning in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets were able to get several reserves in the game to close the 4th quarter. Rosman came close but never got into the endzone again with game-ending Hayesville winning 32-14.
Postgame interview with Hayesville Head Coach Chad McClure:
Q: Think we can all agree, a little bit of a disappointing season so far but came away with your first win of the year tonight on senior night what are your thoughts?
A: We told the kids this season didn’t start the way we wanted to but that’s in the past. I am just super proud of our kids and the coaches, you know they kept working hard through adversity. Lifes not easy, football is not easy, you know the kids have had a great attitude, worked hard, and found a way to finish tonight.
Q: What does it say about the character of this team, especially this senior class who had some big performances tonight, even though we know playoffs are out of reach for this team?
A: We asked the seniors to give us more and challenged the underclassmen to play hard for these 7 seniors as their games are running out. I think they did that tonight, we have seen them go through so many tough losses and they really relished the moment. You could feel the excitement in the locker room after the win and it’s great to see these seniors win their last game at home.
Q: It seemed like tonight through the effort of your players you came up with a lot of the 50/50 situations and loose balls. Avery Leatherwood recovered multiple onside kicks, as a team you forced and recovered multiple fumbles. Yall have forced and recovered a lot of fumbles this year, is that something you teach or focus on?
A: We haven’t been on the positive side of the turnover margin this year, we were tonight and that was big. Give credit to our defensive coordinator Jonathan Hensley who teaches 11 hats to the ball and finishing plays. We got a few bounces our way tonight and capitalized.
Q: You play at Swain next week, the last game of the season, while you’re not playing for playoffs, you are playing for offseason momentum. What’s the goal and what are yall looking to do going into your last game?
A: We want to finish this season well. We would like to finish on a two-game win streak. It has been awhile since we have won over they have some really good kids and are going to play hard. They want to finish on a win as well. We see these young kids for us growing making a lot of plays. You saw Isaac Chandler have a big interception tonight, at a critical point in the game. If we can go over there and get a win that will propel us into next season.
Postgame Player Interview:
Notable Hayesville Offensive Stats:
Logan Caldwell: 12/15 139 yards passing 2tds 1int and 1 rushing td
Blake McClure: 13 rushes 123 yards 1td
Kyle Lunsford 7 rushes 30 yards, 3 receptions 61 yards, and a td
Tyler Anderson: 2 receptions 39 yards and a td
To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Yellow Jackets Fall on the Road to the Braves
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 27, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets traveled Cherokee Friday night to take on the Braves looking to pick up their first win of the season. Yet some special team miscues and mistakes gave Cherokee a big advantage on the night. Hayesville’s defense was on their heels as well most of the night with Cherokee having a big night passing. Ultimately the Braves won the game 42-17.
1st Quarter:
Cherokee received the opening kickoff and picked up a first down on the opening drive. Their drive ended though on third and long with a sack by Blake McClure. On Hayesville’s opening drive they picked big 3rd and 4th down pass completions to keep the drive going. Logan Caldwell came out playing much better than he did last week. Hayesville could not pick a second 4th down completion turning the ball over on downs. Cherokee took over on their own 35-yard line. Cherokee’s 2nd drive of the game was a good one, partly due to a Hayesville personal foul. The first quarter ended 0-0, with Cherokee inside the red zone.
2nd Quarter:
The Braves got to the 2-yard line on their first play of the quarter on an outside run. Yet with two tackles for loss in a row followed by a sack all by Blake McClure, it made it 4th and long. Cherokees QB though made a spectacular 4th down throw for a touchdown to put Cherokee up 7-0. Hayesville got a huge third-down completion on third and long from Logan Caldwell to Kyle Lunsford. Followed up two plays later by a 46 yard Blake McClure run to tie the game up at 7-7.
On the very first play of the next Cherokee drive, Hayesville forced and recovered a fumble to get the ball back. After Hayesville’s drive stalled inside the 10-yard line we saw the Yellow Jackets hit a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. On Cherokee’s next drive they got a couple of big runs by their QB before hitting a deep ball to take the lead back 14-10. Cherokee surprised Hayesville with an onside kick and got the ball back. They got a big pass on first down to take it down to Hayesville’s 12-yard line, followed up two plays later with a pass to the 1-yard line. They punched it in on the next play but the extra point was blocked to make the score 20-10 taking it into halftime.
3rd Quarter:
Hayesville’s opening drive ended quickly with an interception taken all the way down to Hayesvilles 5-yard line. With the great starting field position Cherokee punched it in quickly and got a 2 point conversion to make the score 28-10. Hayesville went 3 and out on the next drive giving it back to Cherokee. The Yellow Jackets got an important turnover though on Cherokee’s first offensive play getting the ball back. Hayesville could not get much going though giving the ball back to Cherokee after a turnover on downs. Hayesville did finish the quarter off though by getting another score to make it 28-17.
4th Quarter:
Cherokee opened the quarter by scoring a touchdown to take the score to 35-17. Hayesville’s time was running out in the game were need some big plays quickly. Yet a 3 and out was the result of their drive and Cherokee got the ball back. Hayesville did force Cherokee to punt but the punt hit a Hayesville player in the back and Cherokee recovered it to get the ball back. There was not much time left in the game at this point as Cherokee was able to bleed out most of the clock. They got one last score with 50 seconds left in the game making the final score 42-17.
Game Notes:
- Blake McClure was having a big game both offensively and defensively for Hayesville but a third-quarter injury knocked him out of the game. It definitely hurt Hayesville as their top playmaker was unavailable.
- The Yellow Jackets forced multiple turnovers but could turn them into points on offense.
- The Yellow Jackets secondary played better than it appeared. Once McClure went out with injury, Hayesville couldn’t get any pressure on the QB. Cherokee had all day to throw and wide receivers eventually got open.
Notable Hayesville Offensive Stats:
Blake McClure: 7 rushes for 63 yards and 1 TD, 2 receptions for 23 yards
Logan Caldwell: 133 passing yards, 1 TD
Tyler Anderson: 3 receptions for 58 yards
Team FYN Sports will be live broadcasting next week on April 2nd when Hayesville hosts Rosman. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Hayesville Falls to Andrews in Mud Soaked Game
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 20, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets traveled for their first away game of the season last night. They took on the Andrews Wildcats who were pumped for their homecoming game. The story of the night once again for the Yellow Jackets was turnovers. It has been an unfortunate theme this year for Hayesville. Losing the turnover margin 4 to 2 was too much to overcome on this rainy night. The Wildcats won the game handily 40-20.
1st Quarter:
The Yellow Jackets received the opening kick which was a surprise onside but smartly recovered by senior William Wimpey. This gave the Yellow Jackets great starting field position, yet an interception on the third offensive play gave Andrews the ball. They responded quickly finishing their drive with a 50-yard touchdown run. On Hayesville’s second offensive drive they fumbled it away early in the drive once again. After forcing a punt Hayesville had their best offensive drive of the night. Yet the drive ended in Wildcat territory with another turnover, throwing an interception. Andrews took over about their own 25 yards getting one first down before the end of the quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The Yellow quickly forced a punt to open the quarter, trailing 6-0. Wildcats quickly got the ball back from Hayesville taking over in their own territory. Yet the Yellow Jackets immediately forced a fumble taking over in Wildcat territory. Hayesville was moving the ball well until another interception gave it right back to Andrews. The Wildcats responded with a touchdown drive to bring their lead to 14-0. Hayesville was finally able to respond with a touchdown of their own by senior Blake McClure. With under two minutes left to play though, the Wildcats got a great return out to almost the 50-yard line. This allowed them to get a quick score just before the end of the half taking their lead to 20-6.
3rd Quarter:
Hayesville kicked off to start the second half, and Andrews’s first drive went quickly. They killed Hayesville with outside sweeps for big gains resulting in a quick touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion Andrews took their lead to 28-7. Hayesville had a quick three and out offensively punting the ball away. The Yellow Jacket defense came up with a big play though with Ethan Taylor forcing a fumble and Avery Leatherwood recovering it. Hayesville had their best offensive series of the night now having a long drive.
4th Quarter:
Unfortunately, it took lots of time off the clock that the Yellow Jackets needed to get back into the game. They did score on the first play of the fourth quarter taking the score to 14-28 Andrews leading. After getting the ball back Andrews had a long scoring drive of their own bleeding valuable clock time away. It took the score to 34-14 pretty much putting the game out of reach for Hayesville. The final score ended Andrews winning 40-20.
Game Notes:
- The field conditions were rough, the field was soaked, it rained off and on all evening. This favored Andrews who runs the veer and loves to simply run up the middle.
- Freshman Taylor McClure broke a late fourth-quarter touchdown run of 53 yards. After having a big start to the season defensively as Hayesville’s leading tackler. We have seen the younger McClure’s role grow on offense, as it may be a glimpse of the future for this Hayesville team.
- Quarterback Logan Caldwell after having grown each week playing better each game seemingly took a step back this week with 3 interceptions. Caldwell a great athlete has a lot on his shoulders and expect a big game from him next week when Hayesville goes to Cherokee.
- Turnovers were the story of the night has Hayesville lost the turnover battle 4-2.
Postgame Quotes from Hayesville Head Coach Chad McClure:
- “Of course disappointed not the outcome we wanted coming into the game tonight.”
- “We knew coming in we need to stop the run, take care of the ball and we didn’t do either one of those things.”
- “We moved the ball well at times, were a young team first road game just felt like some them were not quite ready at the beginning of the game, that’s my fault so we will keep working and try to get some wins moving forward”.
Notable Offensive Stats:
- Blake McClure 17 rushes for 76 yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 3 receptions for 49 yards.
- Taylor McClure: 9 rushes for 62 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Hayesville will next play on Friday, March 26th at the Cherokee Braves. Team FYN Sports will be live broadcasting next week on April 2nd when Hayesville hosts Rosman. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Hayesville Falls to Rival Bulldogs
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 13, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets hosted the Murphy Bulldogs in a rivalry matchup Friday night. The Bulldogs benefited from a few crucial referee decisions in the first half that led to a blowout game. If the decisions had gone in Hayesville’s favor the game probably would not have been a 54-21 blowout but rather a 10ish point game. Ultimately though the Bulldogs were simply the better team and proved as much throughout four quarters.
1st Quarter:
Hayesville on their first drive got a couple of big plays early but ended up punting away to Murphy. After getting the ball Murphy quickly marched down the field, scoring taking an early 7-0 lead. Hayesville once again found some success picking up a few first downs on their second drive. Yet once again they stalled shortly after getting into Murphy territory and on a bad shotgun snap turned the ball over to Murphy. Murphy capitalized on the turnover with a 45-yard scoring drive, closing the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.
2nd Quarter:
Hayesville started the second quarter on offense yet with some strange penalties by both teams Hayesville went three and out. Murphy like they did in the first quarter, had their offense humming and had another scoring drive to take a 21-0 lead. Hayesville was finally able to finally finish off an offensive drive. Freshman Taylor McClure scored a tough 12-yard run but Hayesvilles extra point was blocked making the score 21-6.
The next series was the one that really hurt Hayesville, with a crucial referee decision changing the game. Murphy quarterback was pushing forward when Hayesville forced a fumble taking it back for a touchdown. Yet after the referees talked it over they ruled the play dead, and Murphy ended up scoring on the drive. So if the correct call had been made it would have gone into half 21-14 instead we went into half Murphy leading 28-6.
3rd quarter:
The Bulldogs received the second-half kick and had a great return giving them good starting field position. A few plays into their drive Hayesville senior William Wimpey forced a huge turnover. Giving Hayesville the break they needed stopping Murphy’s offense for the first time all night. Hayesville could not capitalize though going three and out having to punt. a long touchdown run from Murphy on the ensuing drive increased the score to 34-6. On the first play of the drive, Hayesvilles Blake McClure ripped off a 60-yard run all the way down to Murphy’s 5-yard line.
McClure finished off the drive a few plays later and Hayesville converted a 2-point conversion to make the score 34-14. Murphy’s offense once again scored making the score 42-14 late in the third quarter. The last play of the quarter saw Hayesville throw an interception with Murphy returning it all the way to the 1-yard line.
4th Quarter:
Murphy punched it in to start the quarter extending their leading to 48-14. Hayesville did tack on a fourth-quarter touchdown, and both teams had several of their younger players see the field in the fourth quarter. The game ended with Murphy winning 54-21.
Game Notes:
-Sophomore quarterback Logan Caldwell played his best game yet and continues to grow into his role as QB1. His rapid growth rate will give this Hayesville team a chance to win some games down the stretch.
-Hayesville has come a long way since game one execution-wise. Look for Hayesville to get their first win next week at Andrews.
-Freshman Taylor McClure has been Hayesville’s leader defensively this year also saw some time on offense tonight scoring his first varsity touchdown. It appears Hayesville has found another weapon in the younger McClure, look for his role to continue to grow.
Notable Offensive Stats:
Logan Caldwell: 12/23 passing 137 yards 1TD, 2INT
Blake McClure: 17 rushes for 92 yards 1 TD
Kyle Lunsford: 8 rushes for 44 yards 5 receptions for 40 yards
Taylor McClure: 7 rushes for 38 yards 1 TD
Asher Brown: 2 receptions for 46 yards
Aver Leatherwood: 4 receptions for 52 yards 1 TD
Hayesville will next play on Friday, March 19th at the Andrews Wildcats. Team FYN Sports will be live broadcasting next week at Andrews. So for any Yellow Jacket fans not making the trip tune into fyntv.net to watch live. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Hayesville Falls to Defending State Champions
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 6, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets hosted the defending state champions, the Robbinsville Black Knights last night for their homecoming game. The Yellow Jackets got off to a great start in the game and actually took an early lead. The Black Knights offensive and defensive lines were just too dominating in the game though. They had taken control by the second quarter and wouldn’t look back. Hayesville gave them a much better game than expected, ultimately though Robbinsville won 38-14.
1st Half:
The game got off to a perfect start with Hayesville successfully attempting a surprise onside kick. Starting with the ball on Robbinsville’s 44-yard line Hayesville threw a running back pass for a 30-yard completion. Then after a couple of unsuccessful plays, Hayesville was backed up to a fourth and 24 to go. Quarterback Logan Caldwell threw and a perfect pass to Senior Blake McClure for a touchdown. Hayesville’s extra point was good and had taken an early 7-0 lead.
Robbinsville quickly moved the ball downfield on their opening drive scoring. Then After a Hayesville turnover, Robbinsville once again had a solid drive going. This time Hayesville held the Black Knights to just field goal. After a Hayesville punt, Robbinsville put together another successful drive scoring taking a 17-7 lead into halftime.
Maggie Plemmons crowned homecoming queen.
2nd Half:
The second half was littered with flags and some sloppy play by both teams. The deciding factor in the game though was Robbinsville’s dominant line play on both sides of the ball. Robbinsville had two-star freshmen leading the way for them on offense with big rushing nights for each of them. Robbinsville had three second-half touchdowns to just one for Hayesville. The Yellow Jackets struggled with turnovers with a fumble taken back for a touchdown and several interceptions on the night. The Yellow Jackets ultimately fell on homecoming 38-14.
Hayesville was able to uphold their tradition of having homecoming court members be escorted by there-fathers and have a child attendant.
Game Notes:
- First Fetch Your News would like to apologize for the technical issues during halftime and missing the start of the third quarter. We had an issue with a faulty soundboard, and it will be remedied for this Friday night’s game.
- Hayesville had 10 penalties for 95 yards last night with several waived off. Robbinsville had a similar number. It was a frustrating night for both fan bases with numerous penalties and zero flow to the game because of it. Officiating is getting worse each year and last night was a struggle.
- Hayesville had four interceptions on the night. While play execution was better last night than in the first game, the Yellow Jackets will have to take better care of the ball to have a chance to beat Murphy next week.
Interview with Head Coach Chad McClure:
Q: Got off to a great tonight really surprised Robbinsville tell me how proud of your team’s effort tonight?
A: They played hard, much better tonight. Had some early success tonight got the onside kick, went down, and scored. I told them if you will fight and play hard good things will happen.
Q: You improved a ton from game 1 to game 2, night and day, you have a full week of practice coming up before a big rivalry game against Murphy what do you guys need to focus on this week?
A: We’re going to come in tomorrow to watch the film make sure everyone is healing up. We’re in a tough stretch right now three games in 12 days. We did improve in the short amount of time we had and were going to continue to get better. We need to cut down on the turnovers, I feel like tonight we did a better job of getting some first downs against a really good team.
Q: What do you think you guys need to do if your focusing on one or two areas to come out and give Murphy a good game, maybe surprise some people and even beat them?
A: Murphy is a really good team as well. We need to execute, move the sticks, do a better job of sustaining drives. Our defense has played well at times but we need to limit the big plays. I think tonight we grew up a lot from Monday especially the young kids, you can see the improvement and the confidence.
Notable Hayesville Stats:
Logan Caldwell: 13-21 passing for 128 yards and 2 TD’s
Tyler Anderson: 3 receptions for 56 yards
Blake McClure: 3 receptions for 58 yards
Avery Leatherwood: 4 receptions for 38 yards
Hayesville will next play on Friday, March 12th host their rival the Murphy Bulldogs. Remember all Hayesville home football games this season will be broadcast live on fyntv.net as well as on the fyntv app, available on all major app stores for any of your smart devices. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Early Miscues Result in Season Opening Loss for Hayesville
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 2, 2021
.The Hayesville Yellow Jackets football team played in their first football game of the year last night. They hosted the Franklin Panthers at home to open the season. First off it is great just to be able to play football this year for North Carolina athletes. With that said basketball and football had multiple weeks of overlap. This probably played a big part in Hayesvilles early game miscues, several bad snaps, and fumbles. Hayesville could not overcome the early mistakes as Franklin played solid winning 28-7.
1st Quarter:
In the first quarter, we saw Hayesville win the coin toss and take the aggressive approach choosing to receive. The first drive looked good picking up good yardage in the first few downs. Yet a false start penalty backed the Yellow Jackets up on third down and they were unable to complete their third-down pass. Hayesville looking at a 4th-8 to go chose to punt, a high snap on the punt led to the punter delaying his kick. It got partially deflected and resulted in only about a ten-yard net giving Franklin, great starting field position.
Franklin cashed in on that great field position by scoring quickly. Hayesville on their next drive went three and out once again having to punt. This time the snap went completely over the punter’s head into the endzone, with Franklin recovering it for a touchdown. Before you could even catch your breath the Yellow Jackets found themselves down 14-0.
2nd Quarter
Franklin had a good drive to end the first quarter and were on the Hayesville one-yard line to start the second quarter. They quickly punched it in on a QB sneak but missed the point-after try. Now leading 20-0 Franklin kicked off deep to Hayesville, who got a great return by senior Tyler Anderson out to their own 46-yard line. Blake McClure opened up the drive with a big 26-yard run, getting into Franklin territory. Later in the drive on Hayesvilles first play in the red zone Kyle Lunsford got some great blocking and ran for an 18-yard touchdown. Hayesville’s point-after try was good making the score 21-7 Franklin. The Panthers would tack on one more touchdown in the quarter making their lead 26-7 going into halftime.
3rd Quarter:
The second half opened with a long offensive drive by Franklin, but just as the Panthers were getting into the red zone Hayesville forced a big fumble. Avery Leatherwood recovered it for the Yellow Jackets giving Hayesville a chance to get back in it. After getting one first down Hayesville had to punt. Franklin got the ball back but went three and out. Hayesville muffed the ensuing punt giving it back to Franklin in Yellow Jacket territory. After a few first downs, Hayesville forced a turnover on downs by Franklin on the last play of the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter:
On the second play of the fourth quarter why trying to evade pressure Hayesville quarterback Logan Caldwell was sacked in the endzone for a safety. This brought the score to Franklin 28 Hayesville 7. Forced to punt off after the safety. Senior Blake McClure unleashed a howitzer of a punt and punted the ball 68 yards forcing Franklin to start at their own 12-yard line. Note while the ball did get a good bounce it had 55 yards of carry in the air. The rest of the fourth quarter saw the two teams trade the ball back and forth several times. There was no more scoring in the game though. Franklin finishing off the win 28-7 in both of the team’s first game of the season.
Post Game Interview with Head Hayesville Coach Chad McClure:
Q: Yall played better in the second half after the early miscues any thoughts coach?
A: I think we are as good as they are if we play the way we can.
Q: Thoughts on your son Taylor McClure, I know there was some debate whether as a freshman he would play varsity or not. Yet he played a great game had some big tackles for loss.
A: You know it is a great opportunity for him and those other freshmen, we had a lot of freshmen on the field tonight at times. It’s like I told them were only going to get better from here.
Q: First game of the season other than some bumps and bruises it looks like yall came out of the game healthy?
A: I have not talked to our trainer yet but it looks like we’re pretty good.
Q: Tough having to play Robbinsville as is Friday night, what does this week look like for you with only three days to prep?
A: We will come in tomorrow, make sure everyone is healing, we will stretch, watch the film and get in the weight room. Try to fix some things we need to work on after evaluating the film. We’re blessed to have an opportunity to play. It did not turn out like we wanted but we have to learn from that and move on.
Notable Hayesville Stats:
Blake McClure: 12 carries for 64 yards rushing
Kyle Lunsford: 2 carries for 19 yards rushing and 1 TD
Team: 6 fumbles, 3 lost
Remember all Hayesville home football games this season will be broadcast live on fyntv.net. As well as on the fyntv app, available on all major app stores for any of your smart devices. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports