Rhea County rushes past Hurricanes, 42-14

photo Rhea County's Jacob York (5) picks up yardage around right end as Hurricane tacklers close in.

The last time Rhea County's football team was unbeaten in late October, Cindi Lauper had the No. 1 song in the nation with "True Colors."

On Friday night in a nondistrict road clash with East Hamilton, the Eagles struck all the right notes in a black-and-blue rushing attack that pounded the Hurricanes throughout the second half in a 42-14 victory.

In going 9-0 for the first time since 1986, the seventh-ranked Class AAA Eagles' single-wing running attack was more of a throwback to the classic football of the 1950s. Of Rhea County's 62 offensive plays, 57 were runs for 545 yards.

Rhea County had three players who rushed for more than 100 yards. Jake York registered 124 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, while Cody Bice had 121 yards and one touchdown on another 14 carries.

Eagles senior Zach Daoust topped the performance of both his backfield running mates combined by enjoying the game of his life with 251 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. Daoust might have gone over 300 yards, but a holding penalty in the first quarter called back his first run of the game, which was a power sweep that went for 68 yards.

"They told me when I was on the sideline that I went over 200 yards, and that's pretty amazing," said Daoust, who was quick to give credit to the front line of C.J. Shelton, Jonathan Shoemake, Tyler Brown, Jacob Williams and Jared Edwards. "It (the 251 yards) just kind of happened. They kept giving me the ball and I was just trying to run. Our front line kept giving us the big holes to run through. The credit goes to them."

While Daoust picked up 78 of his record total in the first half and had most of the Eagles' 132 first-half rushing yards, East Hamilton kept the game tied at 7 at halftime. The Hurricanes' Zach Thomas blocked a punt that set the home team's tying score, a David Whiteside 3-yard run.

Following a Rhea County scoring drive in the first series of the second half that was sparked by a Daoust 75-yard run, East Hamilton (2-7) drove the ball to the Eagles' 24. However, a lost fumble stalled the Hurricanes' momentum and was the first of their four turnovers in the second half.

"Turnovers kill you no matter who you are playing, and they are a very good football team," said East Hamilton coach Ted Gatewood. "Against their team, which is very well-coached, they get the ball and take it on those long drives. They do a great job of running that offense. It's just good, old-fashioned football. Woody Hayes would have been proud of that kind of football."

"That's our M.O. That's what we like to do," Rhea coach Mark Pemberton said of his team's rushing attack. "Give credit to East Hamilton. They out-physicaled us in the first half. We made some adjustments in the second half and we were able to come away with the win.

"Daoust is a gamer," Pemberton added. "In our offense, we like to go with the hot hand, and he had the hot hand tonight. To be 9-0 and mentioned with the (19)86 team is an honor."

East Hamilton quarterback Matt Milita accounted for 230 yards of his team's total offense, rushing for 124 and passing for 106. Thomas led East Hamilton with eight tackles and two sacks.

Contact Greg Thompson at sports@timesfreepress.com

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