By Tabitha Evans Moore
EDITOR & PUBLISHER

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Eleven Moore County seniors walked onto Doug Price Field for the last time Friday night. Two of them made sure their final home game left a mark.

Senior Tucker Smith carried the Raider offense and anchored the defense. Senior Kason Ferrara made the play of the night. And when Moore County finally found the end zone, it was a freshman who carried it in — a glimpse of who picks up the torch once this class is gone.

Unbeaten Cornersville spoiled the celebration 28-6, scoring three first-half touchdowns and avenging last season’s loss to the Raiders. The Bulldogs improved to 9-0. Moore County fell to 1-8.

Smith played both ways in his Senior Night farewell. On offense, he led the Raiders with 80 rushing yards on 17 carries. On defense, he finished with eight tackles, two of them for a loss.

He set the tone early. After the Raider defense forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, Smith ripped off two big runs to push Moore County from its own 20 to midfield. Freshman quarterback Austin Scherff then hit junior Jose Garcia to move the Raiders to the Cornersville 30.

That’s where the drive died. A 15-yard penalty pushed Moore County back, and senior Jax Ross punted.

Cornersville answered with the first of three big plays. Facing second-and-long deep in their own territory, the Bulldog quarterback broke loose on a long scramble to the Raider one and scored on the next snap. The two-point try failed, leaving it 6-0 with 3:07 left in the first quarter.

Moore County moved the ball again on its second possession, with Scherff finding Ferrara for a first down, but a string of penalties left the Raiders facing third-and-24. The Bulldogs went up 14-0 on a 17-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion with 7:36 left in the half.

Sophomore linebacker Hunter Travis gave the Raider defense a moment late in the second quarter, stopping the Bulldog quarterback on first-and-goal from the five. Cornersville scored two plays later on a quarterback keeper, and the extra point made it 21-0 with 23 seconds left before the break.

The Raiders came out of halftime moving. When Cornersville was flagged for an illegal substitution on a Moore County punt, the Raiders got a fourth-and-one, and Smith converted it. Freshman Paxson Embry picked up seven yards, and junior Drew Hardison moved the chains to the Cornersville 26.

Then Smith lost the football. Cornersville recovered with 7:41 left in the third quarter.

The Raider defense refused to let the mistake cost them. Moore County forced a punt, then later stuffed a fourth-down quarterback keeper, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the third quarter. Hardison led the effort and finished the night with a team-high 12 tackles. Travis added seven.

The offense kept knocking on the door. Moore County turned the ball over on downs at the Cornersville 40 late in the third and again near the Bulldog 30 early in the fourth.

Cornersville looked like it had put the game away midway through the fourth when a Bulldog receiver broke a long touchdown run, but a holding penalty wiped it off the board.

Two plays later, Ferrara jumped a third-down pass and returned the interception to the Bulldog 10.

Scherff finished what the senior started, punching it in on a 1-yard quarterback keeper with 5:06 to play. Ross’s extra point missed, leaving it 21-6.

Cornersville recovered Moore County’s onside kick and scored on a long touchdown pass two plays after a third-down conversion, making it 28-6 with 3:17 to go.

The Raiders put together one last push. Scherff hit senior Westin Byrom, and a string of Bulldog personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties carried Moore County to the Cornersville five. But a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 1:17 left, and the Bulldogs ran out the clock.

Ferrara also led the Raiders with three catches for 54 yards. Scherff finished 8-of-26 for 97 yards and accounted for 116 of the Raiders’ 215 total yards. Garcia caught two passes for 25 yards, and Embry added 19 all-purpose yards. Eighth-grader Austin Gunter returned two kicks for 13 yards.

Moore County honored its senior football players before kickoff: Tyler Bateman, Westin Byrom, Jerry Carter, Chris Dingler, Kason Ferrara, Ike Holt, Deacon Liles, Alex Lynch, Aidan Moore, Jax Ross and Tucker Smith. Holt missed his final home game after suffering a season-ending injury against Fayetteville the week before.

The seniors will play their last game in a Raider uniform Thursday, Oct. 29, when Moore County travels to Richland for a 7 p.m. kickoff. •

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