By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
If effort determined winners, Hayesville would be headed to round four of the football playoffs and Mount Airy’s Bears would be in hibernation.
Unfortunately for the winningest Hayesville football team since 2017, attaboys aren’t valued above touchdowns; only points scored matter.
The Yellow Jackets (7-6) gave their all in the third round of postseason play at Mount Airy on Friday, Nov. 18 but the Granite Bears (12-1) were just too big, too fast, and too skilled.
Final score: Mount Airy 49, Hayesville 0.
“I felt like our kids competed,” Hayesville Coach Chad McClure stated. “We tried to execute our game plan, which was to run the ball. We knew they were very good offensively, but they were much better defensively than I thought they would be.”
The outcome was only in doubt for three plays, the third being a 7-yard pass from Logan Caldwell to Taylor McClure that gave Hayesville its first of 5 first downs.
From then on, Mount Airy dominated Hayesville the way it has bullied seven other opponents it defeated 50 points or more since October 7.
Hayesville’s opening drive ended with a pair of one-yard gains, an incomplete pass and a thunderous 51-yard punt by Avery Leatherwood.
Three plays later, Mount Airy speedster Tyler Mason certified his status as the second-leading scorer in all of North Carolina High School Athletic Association by exploding 83 yards up the middle to paydirt.
Mason would also score on an 8-yard pitchout and a 10-yard carry in the second quarter and a 28-yarder in the third stanza. He finished with 159 yards and 4 touchdowns on 10 carries.
Caleb Reid was also a big problem for the Yellow Jackets. Seven of Reid’s 11 carries went for 10 yards or more. He finished with 120 yards and a touchdown.
Hayesville did a better job of defending the pass. Quarterback Ian Gallimore was just 2-of-6 in the first half — until he connected with Mario Revels for a 76-yard touchdown just before the halftime intermission.
Mount Airy led 7-0 after the first quarter, 27-0 at the half and 42-0 after three.
“They’re a very good team. I think they’ll be tough for anybody,” Coach McClure remarked. “I felt like their speed was a big difference.”
Mason and Reid received the cheers and woooooos from the fans and PA announcer, but Mount Airy’s success running the ball was largely due to lineman with bodies large enough to wrestle bears of the animal variety. Six Bear linemen stand over 6-foot-2 and five weighed more than 230 pounds. Hayesville’s starting line averages about 205 pounds per warrior.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets undersized trenchmen did wage war. In fact, the entire Hayesville team put up a fight worthy of praise.
Even though the score was lopsided, the Yellow Jackets had their moments. Highlights included:
• Leatherwood’s soaring punts relegated the Bears to starting at or inside their 20-yardline on two occasions. His prodigious toe produced blasts of 52, 51, 48, 41, and 38 yards – a total of 264 yards and an average of 44 per.
• Leatherwood’s great leaping catch on a third-and-15 pass that covered 26 yards late in the third quarter. Unfortunately, a penalty reduced the gain to 9 yards.
• Asher Brown’s second-quarter interception at the goal line after Mount Airy moved from its 37 to Hayesville’s 20 in just 5 plays saved 6 or 7 points.
• Kyle Lunsford’s third-quarter fumble recovery when Mount Airy was at Hayesville’s 10-yardline and threatening to score.
• Lunsford’s 14-yard carry for a first down on Hayesville’s final series.
• Freshman Tre Graves totaling 90 yards on 5 kickoff returns – an average of 18.1 – with a long-gain of 31 yards.
Graves’ 90 yards led the Yellow Jackets. Lunsford was next with 25 yards on 3 carries and 2 catches.
“We couldn’t get anything going offensively. They loaded the box and manned us on the perimeter. They were good enough to shut us down. Very good football team.”
Taylor McClure led the defense with 9 tackles. Leatherwood had 8. Caldwell had 5, while Brown and Jeremy Graves each had 4 take downs.
“Of course, we’re disappointed that the season ended, but we did a lot of great things this year,” Coach McClure said. “There’s a lot for them to be proud of. It’s very hard to advance in the playoffs at any level. We had a winning season and we haven’t had much of those this century.”
Honey From The Hive
• The Granite Bears weren’t the only foe Hayesville dealt with Friday night. The flu bug tackled the Yellow Jackets biggest body, Zek Furby. A teammate developed symptoms on the bus on the way to the game.
• Hayesville’s biggest “What If?” moment came in the second quarter with Mount Airy leading 21-0 when Caldwell fired a bomb to Taylor McClure sprinting down the sideline. The pass was a tad too long and fell incomplete. If caught, it would have been a touchdown for sure. “You never know how that’s going to change the game,” Coach McClure remarked. “I felt like that was a good shot for us to score and give our kids a little confidence – just overthrew it a little bit but that happens.”
• The Yellow Jackets have good reason to be proud. Hayesville hadn’t advanced past the first round of playoffs since 2016 and hadn’t reached the third round since 2013.
• Hayesville was definitely a Cinderella team. The 12th seeded Yellow Jackets were the highest seeded team to advance to the third round of the Class 1-A West Playoffs. Perquim (No. 23 in the East) was the only other school in 1-A seeded above No. 10 to get beyond round two.
• Mount Airy will travel to Eastern Randolph on Friday in round four. Eastern Randolph eliminated Robbinsville in round three, leaving Andrews as the lone Western North Carolina team still alive. The undefeated Wildcats face Draugh on Friday, Nov. 25.
• Hayesville’s all-time playoff record is 15 wins, 29 losses, 0 ties. Mount Airy has 53 playoff victories, 43 losses and 0 ties.