By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
An impressive goal line stand by the Hayesville defense with under a minute remaining clinched a rousing 21-20 Yellow Jackets victory over Enka in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd Friday at Frank R. Long Stadium.
The game-deciding denial came on a two-point conversion try after the Jets knotted the score 20-20 with a touchdown with :43.7 left in Hayesville’s season-opening game.
The Class 1-A Yellow Jackets were ready when 5-A Enka decided to play for a win with a two-point run instead of attempting a point-after-touchdown kick to knot the score and send the game into overtime.
The call — a plunge up the middle — was met by an impenetrable wall of Jackets led by Rayland Martinez, Brendon Collins, Patrick Denton and Tre Graves.
“We survived there at the end,” remarked Hayesville Head Coach Chad McClure.
The dramatic defensive stand made a hero out of Hayesville’s first-year kicker Josue Salas, who’s extra-point after the third Yellow Jacket touchdown proved to the margin of victory.
“I was very pleased with our kicker,” McClure stated. “This was the first real game for him and some of the holds weren’t that great but Josue hit all three extra-points.”
Salas was heroic, but Tre Graves was “Where’s the phone booth? I need to change into my red and blue” super-duper heroic.
‘Tremendous Tre’ was practically unstoppable, averaging 9.8 yards per carry by repeatedly exploding through holes opened by center Jonathan Godinez, guards Will Brown and Patrick Denton, tackles Martinez and Brendon Collins and tight end E.J. Mapasua.
Tre finished with 176 yards and three touchdowns. Kaden Ledford was also impressive, averaging 6.7 per carry, nine carries for 60 yards.
Tre’s third touchdown capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive in which he gained 26 yards and Ledford picked up a first down with a six-yard haul.
The tie-snapping march almost fizzled before midfield.
A holding call put the Jackets in a serious third-and-long hole, but the Jackets stunned the Jets with a combination route in which Rylan Graves slipped behind defense and was wide open 30 yards down field. Rylan grabbed the lob from quarterback Peyton McGaha and turned the pass into a 43-yard gain. Four plays later, Tre busted into the end zone from nine yards out. Salas’ kick put Hayesville up 21-14 with 3:29 on the clock.
Enka answered with a 30-yard return on the ensuing kickoff and used two pass completions to get inside the red zone. Then, on first-and-goal from the three-yardline, Enka scored on a quarterback keeper to make the score Hayesville 21, Enka 20 and set the stage for the Yellow Jackets to make their goal line stand.
The contest shouldn’t have come down to the wire.
“I was pleased with the effort and intensity, but there are a lot of things we have to clean up,” McClure said. “100 yards in penalties is not acceptable — that’s a couple of scores. We need to be more effective in the red zone.”
The Yellow Jackets were flagged for numerous infractions — a chop block, unsportsmanlike conduct (twice), late hit and personal foul.
“We just have to continue to get better,” McClure stated. “I think we’ll win a lot of football games if they buy in.”
Enka drew first blood, taking the opening kickoff 56 yards in seven plays. The Jets looked to add another score late in the first period, but Ben Bethel frustrated the visitors with intercepting a bomb at the 10-yardline.
Hayesville evened the score at 7-all with a commanding drive that featured a 17-yard counter by Ledford and first-down carries by Ledford and the Graves brothers. Tre put Hayesville on the scoreboard with a 23-yard explosion with 6:16 left in the half and Salas’ kick knotted the score.
Hayesville regained possession when a fine defensive stand forced Enka to punt from its own 14. The kick went just 24 yards, giving the Jackets excellent field position. Ledford’s 8-yard blast put Hayesville inside the 10 and Tre carried to pay dirt for a touchdown with just :51.8 left in the half. Salas put the Jackets up 14-7.
Eli Jack was very effective on defense, leading the Jackets with five solo tackles and two assists. Denton had five tackles and a sack. Brown made five tackles. Ben Bethel had four take-downs and intercepted a pass.
Hayesville (1-1) travels to Copper Basin Friday.
Honey from the Hive
• Playing upright definitely agrees with ‘Patty’ Denton, who is excelling at linebacker after spending two years on the line.
• E.J. Mapasua and Johan Webb both left the Enka game with injures in the fourth quarter. Both are questionable for this week. Quarterback Lance Coker, who was banged up against Asheville South and sat out all but one play last week, is expected to play against Copper Basin. Signal-caller Peyton McGaha is also hurting. The Jackets are also awaiting the return of linebacker E.J. Abrams, who had his appendix removed.
• Hayesville PA announcer Stacey Overlin is a master behind the mic. Professional through and through, the HHS Principal doesn’t indulge in the overly dramatic, cheerleader-with-a-microphone histrionics so many announcers succumb to.