By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher

HUNTLAND, Tenn. — For most of three quarters Friday night, Moore County had the Huntland Hornets looking over their shoulders. Then the Raiders let a one-point game slip away, and Huntland ran off 20 straight points to win 33-12 and take home the first-ever Major’s Cup.

The turn came early in the third quarter. Tucker Smith powered into the end zone to pull the Raiders within 13-12, though the extra point was no good. Huntland then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Moore County recovered near midfield with a chance to take the lead.

The Raiders went for it on fourth-and-1. The pass lost a yard, and Huntland took over on downs. The Hornets turned the stop into points, leading 20-12 before the quarter ended and stretching it to 26-12 early in the fourth.

It was a frustrating end to a game that had been tight and chippy from the start. Neither team scored in the first quarter. The Raiders’ defense stopped Huntland at the 5-yard line on the opening possession, and Moore County answered with a 60-yard drive that stalled at the Hornets’ 35. Drew Hardison finally broke loose for a touchdown early in the second quarter, with help from an unsportsmanlike flag against Huntland, and the Raiders led 6-0 after a missed extra point.

Huntland answered quickly with a touchdown pass to go up 7-6, then scored on a fourth-down play just before halftime to lead 13-6 at the break.

Moore County still had chances late. Ike Holt intercepted a Huntland pass and the Raiders drove to the goal line, helped by a spectacular catch from Cody Burton that put the ball at the doorstep. But a quarterback keeper, a handoff to Smith and a third-and-inches keeper by Raider QB Austin Scherff all came up short, and a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Huntland took over, and the tempers that had simmered all night boiled over again with another unsportsmanlike flag on the Hornets.

It was a familiar story. A week earlier against Battle Creek, the Raiders’ opening drive also reached the 2-yard line before ending on downs. Twice in two weeks, Moore County has driven deep and left without points, and against a Huntland team that made the most of its own chances, it proved costly.

Huntland sealed it with a long touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. A young Raiders team, playing with an inexperienced secondary, could not keep the Hornets from finding room once the game opened up. Smith added another 100-yard game to his season and a touchdown to his night.

Huntland improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 5. Moore County fell to 1-4 and 0-1 in the region.

After the game, members of the Majors family, including Bob and Shirley Ann Majors, were on hand to present the first Major’s Cup. It goes to the winner of a rivalry that traces back to Johnny Majors’ days in Lynchburg, and this year it stays to Huntland.

The Raiders return home after fall break for Homecoming against Eagleville on Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m.•

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