Scramblin,’ ramblin’ Yellow Jackets move to second round

Hayesville
advances
after
37-22
win

  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Yellow Jackets super sophomore Dawson “Freight Train” DeVane busts through a huge hole in the second half of Hayesville’s 37-22 playoff victory over Alleghany.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Yellow Jackets super sophomore Dawson “Freight Train” DeVane busts through a huge hole in the second half of Hayesville’s 37-22 playoff victory over Alleghany.
  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Logan Caldwell angles away from a trio of Trojan defenders.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Logan Caldwell angles away from a trio of Trojan defenders.
  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville’s “Mighty Mite” Michael Mauney, No. 24, explodes past defenders on a 24-yard kickoff return.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville’s “Mighty Mite” Michael Mauney, No. 24, explodes past defenders on a 24-yard kickoff return.
  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville cheerleaders (from left) Jade Price, Chloe Price, Bella Duran and Abby Joyce bask in the glow of the Yellow Jackets first-round playoff victory.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville cheerleaders (from left) Jade Price, Chloe Price, Bella Duran and Abby Joyce bask in the glow of the Yellow Jackets first-round playoff victory.
  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville tight end Avery Leatherwood, No. 10, heads up field after catching a Logan Caldwell pass.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville tight end Avery Leatherwood, No. 10, heads up field after catching a Logan Caldwell pass.
  • Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Bryan Davenport, No. 25, and Isaac Chandler, No. 4, stop Alleghany’s Mac Lemasters short of the goal line.
    Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Bryan Davenport, No. 25, and Isaac Chandler, No. 4, stop Alleghany’s Mac Lemasters short of the goal line.
  • Yellow Jackets Asher Brown, No. 1, Logan Caldwell, No. 6, and Dawson DeVane read an Alleghany pitchout with 20/20 vision during Hayesville’s 37-22 playoff victory Friday. Jackets Avery Leatherwood, No. 10, and Kyle Lunsford, No. 7, pursue from the weak side.
    Yellow Jackets Asher Brown, No. 1, Logan Caldwell, No. 6, and Dawson DeVane read an Alleghany pitchout with 20/20 vision during Hayesville’s 37-22 playoff victory Friday. Jackets Avery Leatherwood, No. 10, and Kyle Lunsford, No. 7, pursue from the weak side.

    By Gary Corsair

    Staff Writer

     

    “Scramblin’ Man” Logan Caldwell displayed more fancy footwork than Kevin Bacon in “Footloose” as Hayesville danced away from visiting Alleghany, 37-22, Friday for the Yellow Jackets’ first football playoff victory since 2016.

    “It was a great win for us,” Coach Chad McClure said. “I thought we started the game really good, kind of leveled off a little bit, but finished the job and survived and advanced.”

    Caldwell scrambled for 137 yards (237 if you count side to side), threw for 64 more yards, ran for two touchdowns and threw another as the fired-up Jackets advanced to the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association post-season tournament this week.

    The Yellow Jackets (6-5 and seeded No. 12) are now focused on winning in the second round at No. 5 Christ the King, a private school of 393 students in Huntersville. Game time is 7 p.m. Friday.

    Containing Caldwell will likely be a top priority for CTK. That was certainly the focus of Alleghany, but the boys from Sparta quickly learned that no one contains the Scramblin’ Man. The Trojans chased the Hayesville quarterback like U.S. Marshalls trying to catch Dr. Richard Kimball in the “Fugitive.” They seldom caught No. 6 before Logan did damage.

    The game was just 3:20 old when Caldwell galloped into the endzone from 14 yards out. Four minutes later, he set up Hayesville’s second TD with an 11-yard fling to Avery Leatherwood.

    And Caldwell continued to excel. He zipped a pass to Leatherwood in the endzone with 7:11 remaining in the first half and put the game on ice with an incredible 63-yard punt return for 6 that pushed Hayesville’s lead to 30-7 late in the third period.

    That return ranks as one of the greatest plays of the season. Caldwell went from sideline to sideline, initially sprinting towards the home grandstand, then reversing field, wiggling, jiggling and juking back across the gridiron, finding a seam and motoring down the visitor’s side, coming within an inch of stepping out of bounds at the 18-yardline before tiptoeing into the endzone.

    Caldwell’s final numbers: 72 yards rushing on 7 carries; 65 yards in returns; 64 yards passing on 6-of-13 marksmanship and 2 tackles.

    And Logan wasn’t the only Jacket with happy feet.

    Taylor “Hit-and-Run” McClure busted moves all night long, repeatedly picking up needed yardage while covered with a yellow-and-white overcoat. Tantalizing Taylor amassed a season-high 133 yards on 17 carries, an average of 7.8 per haul.

    “Anytime you can get a 100-yard rusher, that’s a big deal,” Coach McClure remarked.

    Taylor was in bulldozer mode from the get-go. TMac set up the first touchdown with runs of 9 and 19 yards and gained two first downs to set the table for Kyle Lunsford to score on a 7-yard run with 3:16 on the first-quarter clock.

    In the second half, Taylor had a pair of 20-yard gains to set up Isaac Chandler’s 27-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 23-7. In the final quarter, Taylor turned a Caldwell pass into a 24-yard gain that set up Logan for a 17-yard TD sprint.

    Taylor was money in the bank all night long. In fact, he was a high-interest certificate of deposit. Hit-and-Run was responsible for 9 of Hayesville’s 15 first downs. In addition to breaking the 100-yard rushing mark for the third time, Taylor had a 24-yard reception and team-leading 7 tackles.

    Several Yellow Jackets threw down on the Trojans:

    • Lunsford bullied his way to 56 yards on eight carries, an average of 7.0 per blast;

    • Chandler split the uprights with a field goal and 4-of-5 extra points and kept the ball away from Alleghany’s return men with kicks that would make a Radio City Rockette green with envy;

    • Asher Brown made six tackles and played human glue trap on Trojan receivers;

    • Leatherwood grabbed three passes for 28 yards and his lone punt covered 49 yards;

    • Freshman Tre Graves had four tackles and caught an 8-yard pass;

    • Dawson DeVane picked up 17 yards on three carries, an average of 5.7 per.

    • Freshman EJ Abrams had two tackles on kicks.

    And how about Hayesville trenchmen Cameron Payne, Lane O’Dell, Jeremy Graves, Zek Furby and Seth McCaslin?

    “I thought our offensive line did a very good job. Again, they just keep progressing each week,” Coach McClure said.

    The Yellow Jacket special teams also distinguished themselves. Kickers Chandler and Leatherwood kept the pigskin away from the Trojans. As for returns, Hayesville’s kickoff men Mauney and Bryan Davenport combined for 52 yards and Caldwell’s punt return went for 65-yards and 6 points.

    Hayesville scored on its first two possessions, but Alleghany responded with a touchdown early in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-7.

    The Yellow Jackets immediately punched back with an impressive seven-play drive to paydirt that put Uncle Mo on Hayesville’s sideline for good.

    Bryan Davenport lit the fuse with a 28-yard kickoff return in which he gained the last 13 yards on sheer will and determination. Three plays later, Lunsford exploded around the left end for 30 yards. After two runs, Caldwell fired a strike to Leatherwood to give Hayesville a 20-7 advantage and momentum it would maintain the rest of the way.

    “It was a total team effort,” Coach McClure said. “It was a playoff game and I think we got every kid on the sideline in the game, which was huge. Every kid got a chance to play and some of them it was their first varsity experience.”

    Honey From the Hive

    • Hard to believe, but Logan Caldwell’s 65-yard punt return was Hayesville’s first return for a TD this year. It was also the Yellow Jackets longest return of the season. The previous longest return? Taylor McClure’s 41-yard gainer against North Georgia.

    • Hayesville’s most impressive stand defensively may have come after the Jackets pushed the score to 23-7. On first-and-10 at the 20, the Trojans gained 3 yards, prompting Lunsford to shout, “Let’s go D. Enough!” His mates complied. Taylor McClure promptly stuffed a run after 1 yard. Two plays later, Mauney and Caldwell held Blake Profitt to 2 yards. Next, Tre Graves sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss. Then, on third-and-9, Davenport dropped Proffitt for a 4-yard negatory. D-lightful! Alleghany then punted ... to Caldwell, who went all the way.

    • Lineman Brady Hughes joins Seth Leek and Tate Roberts on the injured list. None of the three will play against Christ the King.

    • Twenty-nine years ago this week, Hayesville earned its third straight playoff appearance by downing Andrews, 29-7. Chad McClure rushed for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns and kicked 3 point-afters. Jason Shook had an 86-yard TD run and 219 yards rushing to put him over 1,000 for the year (in nine games). Daniel Anderson had 11 tackles.

    Box Score

    Hayesville 14-6-10-7 – 33

    Alleghany 0-7-0-15 – 22

    Hayesville Passing

    Logan Caldwell 6-of-13, 64 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int.

    Hayesville Rushing

    Taylor McClure 17/133, Logan Caldwell 7/72, 2 TD, Kyle Lunsford 8/56, Dawson DeVane 3/17, Tre Graves 2/2

    Hayesville Receiving

    Avery Leatherwood 3/28, 1 TD, McClure 1/24, Graves 1/8, Michael Mauney 1/4

    Hayesville Leading Tacklers

    McClure 7, Asher Brown 6, Davenport 4, Jeremy Graves 4, Tre Graves 4, Cameron Payne 4, Mauney 3, Lane O’Dell 3