Don’t Call It An Upset: Hayesville Downs CTK To Advance To Round 3
TeamFYNSports November 13, 2022
Photos courtesy of Brooke Leatherwood
The Yellow Jackets escape Huntersville with the big upset win as they took down the Crusaders 14-13 on Thursday night. A late 4th quarter touchdown propelled the Jackets to the one-point victory. Junior Taylor McClure will eat for free at any local restaurants going forward as he was responsible for the two touchdown’s for the Yellow Jackets and a blocked Field Goal that helped his team secure the upset win.
Game Notes
The Hayesville passing game was not utilized much due to the weather conditions as standout QB Logan Caldwell finished 3-6 for just 10 yards through the air while adding another 17 yards on nine carries in the ground game. As mentioned, it was Taylor McClure who was the big performer as he finished with 118 yards on 20 carriers and had 2 TDs. McClure was responsible for 63.1% of the Hayesville offense. He also led the defense with 12 tackles and two TFLs and blocked a field goal. Avery Leatherwood also managed 2 TFL and finished with six tackles.
This was a program-defining win for the Jackets to be able to go on the road and upset the number five seeded team in the West. Head Coach Chad McClure had his team ready to go, and they got off the bus with no intentions of getting back on unless they had a W. For the first time since 2003, the Yellow Jackets will advance to the third round of the playoffs as they will now face the 11-1 Mount Airy Granite Bears. This will be a tough task at hand for the black and yellow, but they will give the Bears all they want, because one thing is for certain: These Jackets aren’t ready for basketball season just yet.
Jackets Spoil Maroon Devil’s Homecoming Thanks To Stellar Defensive Play
Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 17, 2022
Photo courtesy of Brooke Leatherwood
Bryson City, NC- The Hayesville Yellow Jackets took the bus ride over to Bryson City last Friday knowing that this was a pivotal point in their season. Lose, and you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the Smoky Mountain Conference standings. Win, and with a little luck, you could find yourself at the top of the conference with some favorable playoff seeding. The Maroon Devils were in the same boat, looking to end their 3-game-losing skid on homecoming night- in a game where they were 6-point favorites.
Obviously, the Yellow Jackets don’t pay much attention to the spread as they came into Memorial Stadium and whooped the Devils up and down the field. The Yellow Jackets found paydirt in all four quarters on Friday night, and only allowed the Maroon Devils to cross the goal line once in 48 minutes as they spoiled the Swain County homecoming festivities, 27-7.
Taylor McClure was the motor of the Yellow Jacket offense, as he accumulated over 100 yards and 1 score on the ground, and also found himself on the receiving end of a Logan Caldwell touchdown through the air. Caldwell was nearly perfect as well, going 11-12 for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Defensively the Jackets stonewalled the Maroon Devils, allowing only 166 yards of total offense. McClure, Avery Leatherwood, and Kyle Lunsford were the defensive tackle leaders for the Jackets, and Caldwell and Michael Mauney helped get the Jackets D off of the field with 2 interceptions.
The win helped move Hayesville up to number 8 in the NCHSAA RPI rankings, and will go a long way in helping the Jackets secure a first-round home playoff game.
Hayesville will travel to Cherokee to face the 1-win Braves in a rematch of last year’s overtime thriller in which the Jackets were able to come away with a victory. As for Swain, they’ll go on the road to face the Murphy Bulldogs who are coming off a big upset win on the road against Robbinsville.