Fans at Frank R. Long Stadium got a free stress test Friday, Oct. 18 when the Yellow Jackets hosted Andrews. After the teams swapped scores early, defenses took over late as drama continued to build. With 11 seconds left in the game, the Wildcats had a chance to take the lead but failed which gave Hayesville the 21-20 victory.
Hayesville’s running back Blake McClure broke through for the first score of the game with a touchdown at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter. Kylan Bunch nailed the PAT to put the Jackets up 7-0. Andrews didn’t take long to answer with a touchdown of their own but a bad kick kept the Jackets up 7-6 to end the opening quarter.
With 8:28 left in the second, the Wildcats grabbed their first lead of the game with a touchdown. Once again Andrews failed to tack any extra points but found themselves in front 12-7. The lead was short-lived and with 4:21 left in the half, Jacket quarterback Hayden McClure trotted across the goal line. Bunch’s PAT was good, putting Hayesville up 14-12. On the Jackets’ next possession, Blake McClure powered his way into the end zone for his second score of the game, building Hayesville’s lead to 21-12. Andrews kept fighting and a touchdown with just 7.4 seconds left coupled with a successful 2-point conversion closed the gap. Hayesville went into the locker room with a slim 21-20 lead.
Neither team managed to help their cause in the third quarter and flags slowed the pace. In the fourth, fans slid closer and closer to the edge of their seats with every play and every tick of the clock. With under a minute to play, Andrews started putting together a drive and moved the ball down the field. Hayesville’s defense rose to the challenge of keeping the Wildcats out of the end zone but with 11 seconds left to play, Andrews sent their kicker out for the potential winning field goal. True to the theme of the night, the kick was no good which gave the Jackets the ball with 7 seconds left to play. Hayesville snapped the ball, took a knee and celebrated their fifth win of the season.
Following the game, Hayesville’s head coach Chad McClure broke down the night saying, “If you would have told me at half time that neither team would score in the second half I would have thought you were crazy. I was really proud of the resiliency our defense showed in the second half. Our coaches made some good adjustments at halftime but it basically came down to our players finding a way to win.”
Other Smoky Mountain Conference action saw Robbinsville defeat Cherokee 55-20 and Murphy win in a 15-14 thriller over Swain.
On Friday, Oct. 25th, Hayesville will host Cherokee with a chance to secure a regular season winning record. When asked about the significance of that accomplishment, coach McClure said, “We have talked about having a winning season as our goal and it is starting to become a reality for these guys. Every win is big for our program and we have another opportunity this week. The SMC is tough so we have to stay focused and continue to improve each week.” Kickoff against the Braves is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.