COLLINWOOD, Tenn. — It’s unusual that a battle for the regional top spot feels lackluster, but that’s the storyline of the Moore County Raiders 35-6 victory at Collinwood on Friday night. Both teams seemed a bit flat-footed and sleepy.

The Raiders came into the game fresh off a bye week. Sometimes the extra rest works to your advantage, and sometimes it can lead to a disjointed, out-of-sync game. Moore County seemed to lean towards the later on Friday with a sluggish game on both sides of the ball.

White scores three rushing TDs in the first half

The Raiders jumped out to an early first quarter lead in Collinwood with a rushing touchdown by senior option QB Dawson White. It looked as if the Collinwood defense would hold Moore County to a three and out, but a gutsy fake punt play call by the Raider coaching staff gave the good guys in Columbia blue a fresh set of downs. White then muscled his way in for six points. Freshman kicker Jax Ross’s PAT gave Moore County a 7-0 lead.

The Raider defense made their presence known on Collinwood’s next possession. Senior Eli Brown nearly forced a fumble on the kick off return and then, two plays later, junior Peyton Martin sacked the Trojan QB to forced the punt.

Senior running backs Alex Copeland and Logan Hegwood got their first snaps of the game on the next series. They combined for a first down as time clicked off the first quarter clock. Moore County started the second quarter on a third and four from near the red zone. White then threw a short pass to sophomore Cole Taylor to give Moore County a fresh set of downs. On the next play, White shook off Trojan defenders for his second rushing TD of the game. Ross’s PAT made it Moore County 14, Collinwood 0 with 11:47 to play in the second.

The Collinwood offense couldn’t get much going on the next series. They went a quick three and out to hand Moore County back the ball at around the 10 minute mark. White connected with senior Keller Morey on a long reception to set up the first down. The Trojans brought pressure on the next down – forcing White to get rid of the ball quickly. Refs threw a flag for intentional grounding, which marched the Raiders back 10 yards to make it second and 20. The Trojans then snagged an INT on the next play to get the ball back with 8:24 remaining in the half.

The Trojans manage two plays for a short gain then on third and seven, senior Wes Clifton sniffed out the play and stopped the Trojan running back for short yardage to make it fourth and four. Collinwood could not convert and handed the Raiders the ball back on downs near their own goal line.

The Raiders then pieced together a 17-play drive that ate up the remainder of the first half clock. First downs by Hegwood, Clifton, and Copeland got Moore County into the red zone with just seconds to play. Then, White called his own number and muscled past Trojan defenders for his third rushing TD of the night. Ross’s PAT sent Moore County into the locker room leading Collinwood 21-0.

Trojans avoid the shut out

Moore County usually comes out strong after the break but suffered a sluggish third quarter. They punted on their first series and turned the ball over on downs on their second possession.

The Trojans got on the board on their second possession of the game when Trojan QB Corbin Smith connected with Thayer Brewer on a screen pass. Brewer then broke a Raider tackle to earn the end zone. The Trojan two-point conversion was no good. With 8:44 to play in the third, Moore County led 21-6.

The next Raider series was all Logan Hegwood. He managed a long run from the 20 yard line to the 47 on his first touch, and ran all the way near the goal line on the next play. On first and goal, Hegwood made a man miss and scored six. Ross’s fourth successful PAT of the night made it Raiders 28, Trojans 6.

The third quarter ended with the Trojans driving near the goal line. On the first play of the final stanza, the Trojans could not complete a fourth and goal pass from the nine and turned the goal over on downs.

With 4:44 to play and sophomore Gavin Wise now in at QB, he and Clifton combined for two first downs. Then, Clifton came in at QB. He connected with Hegwood who wriggled free all the way to the goal line. Refs said he stepped out of bounds near the pylon to step up first down. On first and goal, Clifton muscled forward for the final Raider score of the game. Ross’s PAT made it 35-6 with 2:07 to play. That score would hold until the final buzzer.

The win gives Moore County a perfect 7-0 record and the top spot in Region 5A play. The loss drops Collinwood to 5-2 overall and second place in the district standings with a 3-1 record.

Option QB Dawson White led for Moore County with three touchdowns followed by Logan Hegwood and Wes Clifton with a score each. Kicker Jax Ross was a perfect five-of-five on PAT attempts.

{EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ll add defensive stats as soon as they are available.}

Moore County (7-0, 4-0) moves on to a district home game against longtime rivals Huntland (2-5, 1-2) on Friday night. The Hornets may be experiencing a rebuilding year, but that doesn’t mean Moore County should look past them. Anything can and will happen in this game. Kick off will take place at Doug Price Field at 7 p.m.•

{The Lynchburg Times is a nonpartisan, independent community newspaper serving Lynchburg, Tennessee and the surrounding counties. We are dedicated to public service journalism for the greater good of our community. You can support us, by clicking here.}