BY BRIAN HAMILTON
SEYMOUR – The Eagles looked a bit shaky early on, but began to pull away in the second quarter, en route to a 42-7 win over Sullivan-East. Josh Nevins recorded two pick sixes and the Seymour defense held the Patriots to just 116 yards of total offense.
“The defense played fantastic,” Seymour head coach Scott Branton said. “They’re getting more aggressive each week and are playing with more and more confidence.”
Seymour took an early 7-0 lead against Sullivan-East, but the Patriots would answer with a third down touchdown pass from Drake Fisher to Hunter Brown, tying the game at 7-7 after one quarter of play.
The Eagles went ahead 14-7 in the second quarter when Josh Nevins intercepted Fisher on the first play of the quarter and returning it for a 40-yard touchdown.
Nevins intercepted another pass and returned it for a 28-yard score with 8:29 left in the first half, giving Seymour a 21-7 advantage.
“Josh is a competitor and I’m very proud of him,” Branton said of Nevins’ play.
The Eagles would take a 28-7 lead into halftime, thanks in part to four first-half interceptions. Seymour outgained the Patriots 283-77 in the first half, with senior phenom Brendon Harris rushing for 185 yards and two scores.
Brooks Crowder returned the second half kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown, putting the Eagles ahead 35-7. Seymour lead 42-7 after three quarters, which would be the final score, as the teams played with a running clock in the fourth quarter.
Seymour (4-1, 1-1 Class 4A Region 1) will host Heritage (0-5, 0-2), as the Eagles look to improve to 2-1 in the region. Sullivan-East (1-4) will host Unicoi County (5-0).