EVENSVILLE, Tenn. – With the game on the line on its own 40-yard line, Rhea County put the football in the hands of senior quarterback Zack Pemberton, and he delivered.
Pemberton took the snap on fourth down needing 2 yards to extend the drive and allow the Eagles to run out the clock. He saw more than the first-down marker ahead.
“I just followed the kick-out block and turned it on,” Pemberton said. “It felt good to see I was going to be able to get the first down, let alone a touchdown.”
Pemberton collected 60 of his 166 rushing yards on his sprint to the end zone with 1:35 to play Friday night as Rhea County held on for a 27-14 homecoming win over nonregion opponent Marion County.
The Warriors (3-4) were shut out 20-0 in the first half, but the offense started clicking in the second. They trimmed the deficit to 20-14 with 5:11 left to play.
“The way they were going, I didn’t want to give them the ball back, to be honest,” Rhea coach Mark Pemberton said of the decision not to punt. “That’s an improving team that’s young in some spots like we are. They have a lot of talent, and they’re going to be very good in the near future.
“We battled and made plays when we had to. It’s a big win for us after two losses to get some confidence back. We have a big rivalry game, a region game, next week.”
The younger Pemberton helped the Eagles (4-3) to a fast start, accounting for two touchdowns in the first quarter and another in the second. He scored on a 41-yard run, then tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Cowley. He punched in another TD from the 1-yard line to cap the first-half scoring.
Marion kept the ball for 31 straight plays from late in the second quarter to early in the third before breaking through with 5:33 to go in the third quarter when quarterback Isaiah Sampson hit Reece Barton for a 20-yard touchdown. Freshman running back Taye Hutchins made it a one-score game with his 6-yard run in the final period.
Sampson starred for the Warriors, totaling 218 yards – 134 on the ground.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.