PIKEVILLE, Tenn. — There was no hesitation, either in the decision or the execution of the play.
Recognizing his team was worn out from the back-and-forth battle between state-ranked rivals, Sequatchie County coach Rusty McIntyre decided to put the football in his quarterback’s hands and ride with whatever the outcome.
After converting fourth-and-goal into a 5-yard touchdown run to bring his team within a point of Bledsoe County in overtime, Hunter Minton again opted to keep it on the conversion attempt, battling his way across the goal line to give the Indians a dramatic 43-42 road win in the season opener for both programs.
“We fought for as long as we could against a really good football team,” Minton said. “We had guys come in when others were hurt up front. I’m just real proud of this team.
“As seniors, this is the last time we’ll get to play them, so this is pretty special.”
Each team is ranked 10th in the Tennessee Sports Writers Association poll for its respective classification — Bledsoe in 2A and Sequatchie in 3A.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)
The game was tied five times, and Minton’s 2-point conversion gave Sequatchie its first lead of the night. After Bledsoe scored on its opening possession, the Indians answered, setting a pattern that lasted the remainder of regulation.
Sequatchie’s win marked the first time since 2018 that the road team won in the rivalry series. It was also the first overtime finish between the Indians and the Warriors since a 2010 matchup in the first round of the state playoffs.
“I said right before overtime started that if we had a situation where they scored and then we scored, we were going for two,” McIntyre said. “I just knew that we had to end it right there. We’ve got a lot of guys who play both ways so everybody was struggling.
“When you’ve got 1 (Minton) and 22 (Kason Hicks), you put the ball in one of their hands and see what happens.”
Minton accounted for his team’s final three touchdowns, each one bringing the Indians within a point. After the first two, Sequatchie booted the attempt for the tying extra point, but as soon as he dove across the goal line in overtime, the entire coaching staff for the Indians put up two fingers to signal their intent to go for the win.
The play call from the sideline, a power read, allowed Minton to make the decision whether to give the handoff to Hicks, a 220-pound fullback who finished with 120 yards — including a 50-yard scoring run — or keep it. As he faked the handoff, two Bledsoe defenders came crashing in toward Hicks as Minton darted toward the goal line.
“I had the option to give it, but I saw I could get downhill and score some points,” added Minton, who finished with 19 carries for 101 yards and three touchdowns and also completed 17 of 27 passes for 235 yards and another score. “I just tried to get what we needed to win.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.