CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Damon Floyd wanted more — really expected more — out of his top-ranked TSSAA Class 6A football team Friday night at home.
Experience has taught the Bradley Central coach that ugly wins are still good ones.
The Bears spotted Heritage, a GHSA Class AAAA program, nine points before scoring the next 21 in a 35-16 interstate win, giving Floyd enough ammo to perhaps get his team grounded before the season's second half begins.
"You can't believe all the hype, you know, especially with 16- and 17-year-old kids," said Floyd, whose team returned from an open date to improve to 5-0. "Sometimes you step on the field and expect to win, and that's a good mindset sometimes, but we have a ways to go before we get to that point."
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area prep football games)
Heritage (3-2) and its aggressive defense got the Bears' attention right off the bat with back-to-back tackles for loss — including Spence Greene's 5-yard stuff of a Boo Carter sweep — and a Max Owens interception. However, after Owens returned the ball to the 1-yard line, a penalty and a sack forced a field goal by the Generals.
They then got another interception, this one by Evan Wingrove, on the next Bradley possession, and on the next play, Brady Chandler hooked up with Owens on a 51-yard touchdown pass for a 9-0 lead.
Heritage, after stopping Bradley at the 1 on downs, moved all the way to the Bears' 1 before stalling and missing a field-goal attempt. Bradley responded by going 80 yards in 10 plays, with Kaleb Martin hitting Max Wilson for 26 yards to the 4 and scoring from a yard out two plays later.
"We felt good at halftime because we felt like we should have been down 24-0 with the turnovers and just not playing well," Floyd said.
The momentum carried over to the third quarter with a three-play drive that ended with Martin's 23-yard pass to Jarrius Rogers for a 14-9 lead. A Max Wilson interception later in the quarter led to Carter's 45-yard touchdown on a screen pass in which the Tennessee-committed star displayed his elite speed.
Heritage cut the lead to five on Chandler's 1-yard keeper, then got the ball right back on Owens' interception, but the Bears got it back on downs. Two plays later, Jackson Wilson scored on a 44-yard run to clinch the win.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.