MARYVILLE, Tenn. – All week, Maryville’s defense had to hear about how high-powered Bradley Central’s offense was, how many points the Bears scored and how many playmakers they had.
Friday night, the Red Rebels made sure the only team anyone was talking about was them.
Playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, the hosts held No. 4 Bradley Central – which came into the game averaging 48.5 points – to 183 yards of total offense in a 42-7 Region 2-6A victory. The win keeps top-ranked Maryville unbeaten this year and extends a streak of region wins that is closing in on 19 seasons.
“We heard about how good they were all week, and we could see it on film,” said Maryville defensive back Drew Crowder, who had two interceptions. “The No. 1 thing was not to get beat deep. We haven’t seen a quarterback that could throw it as far as (Javin) Burke all year.”
Crowder’s first interception came at a crucial moment for Maryville (7-0, 3-0). After a Burke touchdown got Bradley Central (5-2, 3-1) back into the game at 21-7 midway through the second quarter, the Bears successfully recovered a pooched kickoff to set their offense up on the Rebels’ 33-yard line.