Tellico earns sixth straight opening-week win at Eagleton

Three-hundred and seventy-one days since Tellico Plains last won a football game, but the 53-week wait came to an end in Eagleton on Friday.

The Bears scored early and late in the 22-14 Week 1 win at Eagleton Academy (0-1). Traveling north to Blount County, the program found a way to win its sixth consecutive Week 1 contest.

“It was awesome,” Tellico Plains coach Bobby White said when seeing his players’ reaction to the win. “First thing I said to them is we are 1-0 and the nine-game streak is behind us.”

Junior quarterback Ike Hollinghead put the guests ahead for the final time Friday night when he tucked to the right on a carry. With Ryan Shaffer to his side, Hollinghead cut up the middle, outrunning and evading tacklers for his first score of the season and the game-winning 12-yard touchdown on the night, pushing Tellico ahead 20-14.

Hollinghead kept the ball himself on the successful two-point conversion.

While two first-quarter touchdowns helped the Bears to command a start, the Tellico defense set the tone.

Forcing a turnover-on-downs, Tellico (1-0) got the ball in the offense’s hands quickly, which saw senior Shaffer cap off a 35-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown rush just 3:19 into the season.

“I think it was big and I think it is a testament to the work our defense has put in and the film study. Our defense only gave up seven points — the offense gave up seven,” White said. “We were proud of how the defense played.”

Shaffer doubled Tellico’s lead later in the quarter, touting a one-yard carry to paydirt on a short 18-yard drive. After a failed point after on the opening score, junior quarterback Hollinghead called his own number to set the score at 14-0.

“We always scripted and rehearsed our plays throughout the week in practice of what we are going to run in the beginning,” White said. “We did a good job of executing and going with what we saw on film. As Eagleton was adjusting, they were sending more (into the box) than what we could block and kind of slowed us down a little bit.”

Shaffer finished the night with 194 yards for two touchdowns on 28 carries with a long of 45. Hollinghead rushed for nine yards on three carries.

Senior Chance Shapiro — another touted ball carrier in the Bears’ backfield — ran for 50 yards on four attempts.

Nathaniel Bivens and Braden Reed combined for 10 of Tellico’s 232 yards.

Reed led receivers with 22 yards on three catches to Omar Miller and Jesse Winger’s 19 yards each. Hollinghead passed for 60 yards on seven attempts.

“Ike did a really good job of commanding the offense and making decisions. We were able to get into the red zone four times without scoring,” White said.

Bradyn Enterline, Reed and Miller nearly scored receiving touchdowns.

“We have to clean that up and get better with that. Those are guys that normally make those catches routine,” White added. “It was a well-thrown ball on all accounts and gave our guys a chance to make a play. I fully expect to make those plays in the future.”

Another Bears’ drive ended short of points when Shaffer’s fourth down run saw him taken down short of the line to gain.

“If we are on their side of the field and it is fourth and short, there is a good chance we are going to go for it,” White said. “Our team knows that and that is me putting belief in them to get the job done. I want to coach aggressive and take chances. That is just a culture thing with our players.”

Tellico held Eagleton to only 177 yards in the win, 54 of those on the ground.

“I think we were pretty physical up front and they had a hard time blocking us. We did a real good job of being able to stop the run and, to me, that is what it starts with,” White said. “We were able to make them one dimensional and that played into our favor.”

Down 14-0, Eagleton created scores.

Quarterback Nathan Clemmer completed two back-to-back passes, ending with a 12-yard pass to Lane Cope just before the end of the first quarter.

Tellico limited chunk plays for Eagleton, which had to work its way down the field with passes underneath and small gains.

Senior Enterline nearly came away with an interception on Eagleton’s scoring play, but Cope fought the ball out of Enterline’s hands in the corner of the end zone.

Eagleton’s Cope tied the game with 4:17 left in the half. Reed hauled in a pass before Eli Campbell knocked the ball loose and Cope returned the fumble for a 20-yard score.

Tellico created turnovers of their own — winning the battle 3-1.

Miller — who finished the game with eight tackles and two for a loss — recovered a fumble after a hard hit was laid on Eagleton’s Cope.

Reed picked off Clemmer’s red zone pass with under 30 seconds remaining in the contest.

Tellico enters county play next week, hosting rivals Sequoyah (0-1).

“We like our matchups. They are a 4A team with a lot of depth and big up front. We have to make sure that we get into our gaps and are quick off the ball,” White said. “The players have to watch a lot of film and know what is coming; I believe they will do that. Offensively, we just have to do what we do and be able to establish the run game and make passes when we need to.”