By Andy Diffenderfer
Correspondent
Red Bank turned five turnovers into 26 points and bolstered its playoff resume with a 33-0 whipping of visiting Hixson on Friday.
The opportunistic Lions, who finished the regular season 6-4 overall and 4-3 in District 6-AA with their third straight victory, bolted to a 21-0 halftime edge and cruised.
Deres Benn caught two third-quarter touchdown passes for Red Bank, while Kelvin Clay collected an interception and caught a touchdown pass and Hagen Wilkey threw two scoring passes.
“We felt if we could get to 5-5 or 6-4 we could get to the playoffs,” said Red Bank coach Tim Daniels. “At times we looked pretty good and other times sloppy, but it’s always nice to get a shutout.”
Only one of Red Bank’s scoring drives was longer than 25 yards. In addition to the turnovers, the Lions also stopped Hixson cold on a fourth-down gamble at the Wildcats’ 25-yard line in the second quarter.
The Lions scored just 86 seconds into the game on a 4-yard run by Danzal Owens following an interception by Colby Hale, and Randall Lee bulled in from 4 yards out early in the second period to cap a 67-yard drive.
A Hixson fumble later in the quarter, recovered by Izaiah Rutledge, turned into a 7-yard scoring pass from Wilkey to Clay following a seven-play, 25-yard drive.
Mistakes continued to plague the Wildcats in the second half.
Two of Hixson’s first three plays from scrimmage in the second half resulted in lost fumbles, recovered by Owens and Devonte Colvin, and Red Bank made the visitors pay for both miscues.
Benn snagged scoring passes of 7 yards from Niquia McDuffie and 14 from Wilkey less than 90 seconds later for a 33-0 cushion after three periods.
Thomas Armstrong led the winners with 71 yards rushing on 15 carries, and Lee carried 10 times for 45 yards. Quarterbacks Wilkey and McDuffie combined for 9-of-21 passing for 113 yards and three scores.
Clarencio Holmes was the Wildcats’ most effective offensive weapon, running for 112 yards on 18 carries. Hixson closed its season 2-8.
Contact Andy Diffenderfer at sports@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6273.