By Ernie Harris
Correspondent
EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - In a game tied at 7 inside the final seven minutes, Friday's senior night festivities at Rhea County High School almost were dampened by more than the weather, as the feisty Stone Memorial Panthers gave the Eagles a fight no one expected.
Rhea sophomore wingback Cody Bice reached the end zone on a 13-yard run with 6:54 to go and again on a 37-yard scamper with 2:18 left to boost the Eagles to a 21-7 win that wrapped up a 10-0 regular season and a second consecutive District 6-AAA championship.
The Eagles' high-powered ground attack that tallied 545 yards a week earlier at East Hamilton was held below average by the Panthers, as Rhea totaled 280 yards to Stone Memorial's 162.
Bice led the Eagles with 108 yards on 14 carries, followed closely by senior wingback Zach Daoust, who surpassed 1,000 yards on the season with 94 yards on 14 touches. Jake York had 43 yards on eight tries and scored from 19 yards out to open the scoring with 9:33 left in the second quarter.
Stone Memorial answered with an 80-yard ensuing drive featuring Justin Johnson, who led all rushers with 123 yards on 21 carries. The Panthers' Dylan Barnes scored on a 7-yard run to knot the game at 7 with 5:20 left before halftime.
The Eagles' second score was set up by a 46-yard completion from Daniel Dotson to Daoust to the Panthers' 17-yard line. Leading 21-7 with 2:18 remaining, Rhea senior defensive back David Loden helped seal the deal with an interception and a 25-yard return to the Stone Memorial 26-yard line. From there, the Eagles ran out the clock.
"Any time you win it's a good win. We didn't play like we needed to play, but we found a way to win there at the end," Eagles coach Mark Pemberton said. "I credit the Stone Memorial coaching staff and their players. They did a really good job, and that's the best we've been defensed all year.
"It's a big win and to finish 10-0, that's something to be proud of, especially since it's the second time in school history," Pemberton added. "Now we're going to move on. We've got two-thirds of the season done; now we have another one-third to go as we get ready for the postseason next week."
Rhea's other 10-0 regular season took place in 1986, when quarterback Andy Kelly led his team to the state quarterfinals before bowing out to the eventual state champion, Knoxville Halls. Kelly went on to success with the Tennessee Volunteers and then the Arena Football League.