ATHENS, Tenn. — Cy Ables scrambled out of the pocket, reversed field, ran to his right and found Desmond McBee for a 20-yard touchdown pass. That summed up the night for McMinn County. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

Ables threw for 110 yards in a 17-7 win over Walker Valley in a nonregion game Thursday night. Not known for his rushing ability, Ables also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.

“I’ve worked hard on my scrambling ability this summer,” Ables said. “I used to not be able to, but I’m getting better now.”

Walker Valley took a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard run by tailback Javon Arnwine, but two possessions later, the Cherokees got on the board when a bad shotgun snap near the goal line led to a safety. Ables later led a 10-play, 76-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard score by the junior quarterback, and Travis Smith added the conversion run.

“I think our guys underestimated Walker Valley,” McMinn County coach Bo Cagle said. “You can harp and preach on it, but we kind of just have that in us. Walker Valley has improved by leaps and bounds over last year.”

Tailback Delano Ellison added 67 yards rushing as the Cherokees amassed 182 yards on the ground. McMinn defensive end Joseph Kimpson had four tackles and two sacks.

Arnwine led the Mustangs with 48 rushing yards.

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