BY BRIAN HAMILTON
JOHNSON CITY – William Blount faced the task of going on the road for four consecutive weeks, a stretch in which the Governors went 1-3 and ended with a 55-27 loss to Science Hill.
In a game where both teams amassed over 900 total yards, William Blount got down early and was never able to catch up.
“We played against a team that was better than us and more athletic than us, but I still didn’t feel that we fought hard enough in the first half,” William Blount head coach Philip Shadowens said after the game. “We’re still looking for kids that want to fight.”
Science Hill’s Jaxon Diamond hit Jack Torbett for a 30-yard touchdown, giving the Hilltoppers a 7-0 lead with 5:36 left in the first. An 8-yard touchdown run by Baylor Brock would increase the lead to 14-0 with 3:49 left in the period.
The Governors would respond on the ensuing drive, however, as Matthew Clemmer found Tyler Owen for a 57-yard touchdown, cutting the William Blount deficit to 14-7 with 3:10 to go in the first quarter.
Brock scored his second rushing touchdown of the night on a 5-yard run with just over a minute left in the first, giving the Hilltoppers a 20-7 advantage after one stanza.
Science Hill pushed its lead to 27-7 early in the second quarter when Jaxon Diamond hit Riley King for a 34-yard touchdown. The Hilltoppers would add another score with 3:39 left in the first half on a 69-yard run by Brock.
A 46-yard touchdown pass from Diamond to Keynan Cutlip with five seconds left in the second quarter would give Science Hill a 41-7 halftime advantage.
William Blount would cut the Hilltoppers’ deficit to 41-14 with 9:08 left in the third quarter when Jovanni Williams ran for an 8-yard touchdown. Science Hill led 55-14 at the end of the third quarter.
The Governors would tack on two scores in the fourth quarter, as Clemmer hit Job Matossian for a 14-yard touchdown, followed by a 5-yard touchdown from Clemmer to Matossian. It would be too little, too late, however, as the Hilltoppers came away with a 55-27 win.
William Blount (1-4, 0-2 Class 6A Region 2) will venture outside of the region this week to host 5A Sevier County (2-3), while Science Hill (3-2, 2-0) will travel to Maryville for a non-region contest.