For much of the first half Thursday night, East Hamilton’s football team looked as if it had begun fall break a day early.
The Hurricanes, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, had just one offensive play in the first quarter and needed two touchdowns in the final minute of the half to put some distance between themselves and stubborn Hixson.
Eventually East Hamilton’s offense got untracked and was unstoppable, scoring touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to pull away for a 48-18 Region 2-4A road win.
“That was a rough start for sure,” said Hurricanes senior quarterback Haynes Eller, who threw two touchdown passes in the second half. “We came in wanting to start strong but that didn’t happen, and we can’t afford do that again against the teams we’ve got coming up.”
READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Thursday night’s Chattanooga-area high school football games
The win sets up East Hamilton (6-1, 4-0) for a showdown with eighth-ranked Anderson County in two weeks for the region championship.
Hixson (1-6, 1-2) opened the game with a 15-play drive that chewed up most of the first-quarter clock before stalling near the goal line and turning the ball over on downs. But on the Hurricanes’ first offensive play, the snap sailed through the back of the end zone for a safety, and the Wildcats drove for a field goal on their ensuing possession for a 5-0 lead.
East Hamilton countered with consecutive scoring drives, each capped by short runs by Jeremiah Flemmons, the second ending a 92-yard series. After the teams had traded touchdowns midway through the second quarter – including a 73-yard scoring strike by Hixson from Corey Saterfield to Bradley Woodall – the Hurricanes got the emotional boost they needed when Foster Chandler scooped up a blocked field-goal attempt just before time expired in the first half and returned it 52 yards to put his team up 28-12.
“That was a really big play for us,” Hurricanes coach Grant Reynolds said. “We had a frustrating start, and even though our offense was starting to get going, that play right before the half gave us a lot of momentum.”
The Hurricanes rode that momentum into the second half with consecutive touchdown drives capped by passes from Eller, the first covering 15 yards to Kaunyae Burgans and the second 21 yards to Blaine Savage.
Aside from allowing a touchdown in the closing seconds, East Hamilton’s defense also put together a scoreless stretch for more than two quarters that allowed the offense to put the game away.
“We’re building each week, and I really thought the defense stepped up when we needed them to,” said Reynolds, who noted the Hurricanes start six sophomores on that side of the ball. “We’ve got some things to correct but we’ve got talent on that side, and when our offense is clicking, they’re pretty tough.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.