By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher

BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. — The Region 5, Class 1A Raiders travelled to Bell Buckle on Friday to take on the newly reclassified Region 4, Class 3A Cascade Champions and their hotshot QB Sam Bradley, and well, it ended up being a bit of a struggle. Preseason, third-year Cascade head coach Jared Carkuff told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette that they’d need a quality quarterback to compete at this new level, and on Friday, Bradley seemed up to the task. He made smart, deliberate throws downfield behind the protection of his offensive line and used his own feet to gain clutch yards on key downs.

However, there were Raider bright spots too. Drew Hardison played lights-out defense to keep Cascade out of the end zone, and the offense was gritty and determined. Freshman QB Austin Scherff continues to show poise in the pocket and trust both his offensive line and receivers. On defense, Ike Holt, Hunter Travis, Jack Bateman, and Hardison played as if the score were 0-0 on every play. There’s no quit in those boys in Columbia blue. Tucker Smith plays all over the field on offense and defense — including several downs as the wildcat QB. And Caseon Casteel and Kason Ferrara? Well, it’s just a matter of time before the two Raider receivers find a secondary they can pick apart.

A loss to Cascade may not feel great to the rebuilding Raiders team, but the reps and experience will likely pay off on September 18 when they take on the Region 5A portion of their schedule — starting with rivals the Huntland Hornets.

CASCADE JUMPS OUT TO A 14-0 LEAD

The Raiders kicked off and handed Cascade the ball at the 25-yard line. The Champions managed a long first-down play on the first play from scrimmage, then got stopped by Hunter Travis on the next down for a four-yard loss. Third- and fourth-down plays went nowhere, so Cascade punted. Unfortunately, a Raiders defender ran into the kicker — giving them a fresh set of downs.

Cascade QB Bradley connected with senior wide receiver Braxtyn Burris for a first down before the first of many Cascade false-start penalties sent them back five. Bradley completed a long pass to junior wide receiver Lendon Gordon for another Champion first down.

By the third series, the Moore County defense stiffened, and senior Ike Holt defended the pass for no gain. The defensive line followed his lead on the next down to make it third and 10. Undaunted, Bradley called his own number to get into the red zone with 6:53 to play in the first. Senior running back Nate Zimmerman ran 14 yards up the gut to earn the first six of the game. The PAT made it 7-0 with around six minutes to go in the first.

On their first offensive series, Moore County ran to near midfield, then got tackled behind the line for a loss. Freshman quarterback Austen Scherff completed a pass to fellow freshman wide receiver Caseon Casteel to get into Cascade territory. On third down and eight, Scherff couldn’t locate a receiver downfield and took the sack. The Raiders punted with around three minutes to play in the first.

On Cascade’s second drive, they got a holding call, and Travis shut down the run for a mere two-yard gain. After another penalty sent them back five, Bradley tried the keeper and got stuffed to set up third and 20. The Cascade QB connected with Burris to make it fourth and three. On the next down, the Champions attempted to draw the Raiders offside, but the disciplined Moore County line didn’t bite — prompting a Cascade timeout with nine seconds to play in the quarter.

Just when it looked like the Raiders might get out of the first quarter down by a single touchdown, Bradley wiggled free and ran 43 yards for another Champion touchdown. The PAT sailed through the upright, and Moore County trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

HARDISON PREVENTS LATE SCORE IN THE SECOND

Moore County set up first and 30 on the first series of the second quarter. Senior running back Tucker Smith got a small gain, and the Raiders got a false start. Casteel earned those yards back on the next play to set up third down and five. Smith — now in Wildcat-style at QB — called his own number for a short gain, and the Raiders punted.

Cascade began their third possession with another false start, before Bradley connected on a 47-yard pass to Burris for another Champion TD. The PAT made it 21-0 with 8:57 to play in the first half.

Moore County got the football back first and 10 at the 33. Scherff handed off to Smith for a short gain before connecting with Casteel for a first down into Cascade territory. Smith managed another first down off short yardage on the next play to make it second and six. Scherff and Casteel connected again, but only to the line of scrimmage. Cascade’s defense stopped the run on the next play to make it third and eight. Scherff threw another pass, but the receiver dropped it, and the Raiders turned the ball over.

Cascade drew another false-start flag on their first play of the next series, before Bradley faked the handoff and broke free to the 35-yard line — a 20-yard run into Raider territory. They made short yards on the next play, followed by an incompletion to make it third and four. Cascade muscled forward for two first downs to get back into the red zone. Bradley called the keeper to make it inside the five, and tried it again on the next play, but Hardison and Jack Bateman shut him down with 1:35 to play in the half — prompting another Cascade timeout. An unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the Champions back to the 30. Hardison ran down Bradley on the keeper to make it fourth and 19, and Cascade brought in their field goal kicker. The kick went wide right with 1:19 to play in the first half.

Moore County needed points before heading into the locker room. Smith managed a long run and benefited from a horse-collar penalty on the next down to earn a 23-yard play, but time expired before he could get into the end zone. Moore County went into the halftime locker room trailing 21-0.

RAIDERS FAIL TO CONVERT LATE IN THE THIRD

The Raiders sputtered in the first half and looked to turn things around in the second. It didn’t work out. They got the ball first and threw a pick-six. Despite an excessive-celebration flag, the Champions made the PAT to make it 28-0.

The Raiders tried again, starting first and 10 at the 38 thanks to a return from Casteel. Offsetting unsportsmanlike calls made it Cascade’s third of the night. On first and 10, Smith gained four to make it second and six, then found a hole again on the next down for a first down at midfield. They lost five on the next down, before Scherff found Kason Ferrara for a long gain. After an incompletion, the Raiders punted.

Things were chippy on the Champion side of the ball, and Cascade got their fourth unsportsmanlike call on the next play. Three plays later, they punted.

With a fresh set of downs and a head full of determination, Smith managed a big 21-yard gain for a first down. A seven-yard pass to Hardison made it second and three. Scherff threw an incompletion before connecting with Casteel for a huge gain to inside the 30. Another pass to Hardison got Moore County inside the red zone with a fresh set of downs. Determined, Hardison gained four yards for another first down. On third and three, Scherff went to Hardison again, but it wasn’t enough for the first. Moore County went for it on fourth down inside the red zone but failed to convert on fourth and one — turning the ball over on downs. At the end of the third, the Raiders continued to trail 28-0.

Cascade played conservative in the fourth quarter, settling for short pass completions and small rushing gains. Helped by a personal foul on Moore County, they set up shop at the 38-yard line. Short runs by Bradley and a completion by Delontae Clay got them to the five-yard line despite a touchdown-saving play by Casteel. Bradley ran straight up the gut for the final score of the game. The Cascade kicker made his fifth PAT of the night, and the game continued with a running clock.

Around the one-minute mark, Cascade took a knee and handed Moore County their first loss of the 2026 season.

STATS AGAINST CASCADE

Raider QB Austin Scherff went 9-for-15 for 89 yards. He picked up just four yards rushing.

Caseon Castell led in all purpose yards with five on the ground, 55 through the air, and 71 kick return. Tucker Smith nearly notched back-to-back 100 yard games with 59 yards on the ground and a 38 yard kick return. Drew Hardison racked up 58 yards — 29 on the ground and 19 through the air.

Hardison shined on defense as well with eight tackles including three solo tackles. Caseon Castell, Hunter Travis, Kolby Williams, Aidan Moore also had a break out game with six tackles each followed by Deacon Liles with five. The Smith brother — Tucker and Ty— added four tackles each. Caden Searcy also added four.

Moore County will continue the toughest part of their 2026 schedule when they travel to Madison to play the Goodpasture Cougars next Friday. The Cougars are playing lights-out defense this season, beating Glencliff 49-0 in their first game and Maplewood 38-0 this week.

ABOUT THE LYNCHBURG TIMES: The Lynchburg Times is Moore County’s most-read, independent news source and the only local media source owned by a Lynchburg native. We believe small-town newspapers are worth saving, not just here but everywhere they’re disappearing. Readers, small business partners, and underwriters who believe community journalism still matters support our work. If that idea resonates with you, consider becoming a supporter at lynchburgtimes.com.