EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - It was fitting that the tie-breaking score that lifted Knoxville West past Rhea County came from the Rebels' defense.
Eagles quarterback Zack Pemberton was sacked in his end zone with 5:29 to play, and West held on to defeat the Eagles 15-13 in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs Friday night at Rhea County.
West (7-4) advances to the next round, while the season is over for Rhea (5-6).
The game started out as if it was going to defy the odds and be somewhat of a high-scoring matchup. The Rebels relied this season on a defense that had given up an average of 14.6 points per game coming in, and the Eagles were known for their clock-eating offense, but each team scored a touchdown on its first possession and Rhea added another at the 8:56 mark of the second quarter.
However, things began to change in favor of West at that point, not long after an hour-plus weather delay. Christian Simon ran for both of Rhea's touchdowns and had 111 yards on 12 carries after scoring from the 14, but he was limited to 28 yards on seven carries the rest of the way.
"Our defense has been really good all year," West coach Lamar Brown said. "Rhea County is good on offense. We knew coming in it was going to be our strength versus their strength. We kept fighting and making plays. I've never been more proud of a group of players."
Trariq Hardin's 33 carries for 140 yards was also important to the Rebels' success, as was the kicking game. Logan Bowers made field goals of 29 yards in the second quarter and 25 yards early in the fourth quarter to get the game tied.
Punter Sebastian Latorre was also a factor, averaging 41 yards on his five punts, including a 46-yarder downed on the 4 that led to the safety. He also pinned Rhea on its 5 with 3:06 to play with no timeouts.
"That's who we are and what we do," Brown said. "We want to have the game in our defense's hands. I'll take that opportunity every time."
Pemberton injured a shoulder on a scramble on the first play of the Eagles' last drive and was replaced by Haden Frashier, who drove them to West's 28 before throwing an interception in the end zone with 43 seconds to play.
"They're a good defensive football team overall," Rhea coach Mark Pemberton said. "I'm proud of the way we competed and the way we played. We hung in there and had a chance at the end. We probably should've played for the field goal. But I saw one-on-one coverage on the receiver and thought we'd take a shot."
It was the final Rhea game for 22 seniors.
"They've been to two semifinal games," Coach Pemberton said of the group, which compiled a 37-14 record. "They sure had a lot to do with some big wins around here."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.