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.
That’s when the Rebels dug in their defensive heels, taking back early momentum when Crowder picked Burke off on an errant pass over the middle. The Maryville offense responded to the defensive stop, scoring just a couple of plays later on a 61-yard bomb from Cade Chambers to Ashton Maples to give the home team a 28-7 halftime lead.
“I thought we had to start with shutting down their run game,” said Rebels coach Derek Hunt, whose team held the Bears to 63 yards on the ground. “Coach (Damon) Floyd and his staff do such a great job, and obviously they’ve got loads of talent. Burke is so scary and can score in an instant, so I was proud of our guys for running to the football and tackling in open space.”
Maryville’s defense clamped down even more in the third quarter, giving up just 17 yards in the period. After forcing the Bears to go three-and-out on the opening drive, Chambers hooked up with Brody Sloan for a 19-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28.
Chambers finished 7-of-12 passing for 187 yards and three touchdowns and added 63 yards on six carries. Parker McGill led the Rebels on the ground with 156 yards on 19 carries.
Despite the tough loss, Bradley Central still controls its own destiny for second place in the region, but Floyd knows the Bears still have a long way to go to beat a team like Maryville.
“We had some bright moments, but anytime you lose 42-7 it means you didn’t do too much well,” he said. “They’re such a machine, and they don’t make many mistakes or implode; we’ve got a lot to improve on to compete with them.”
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.