East Ridge senior quarterback Cameron Sanders had a dominating performance Thursday night as the Pioneers won 28-21 at Central for their first Region 2-4A victory of the season.
Sanders showcased his running ability by tallying 301 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and the East Ridge defense did enough for the Pioneers (4-3, 1-2) to keep their playoff hopes alive. A fourth straight loss for the Purple Pounders (1-6, 1-3) all but eliminated them from postseason contention.
“Cameron had a great night, and it’s lucky for us that he did,” East Ridge coach Tim James said. “Tonight was a typical East Ridge-Central ballgame. We took advantage of opportunities and made up for our mistakes. There are no cake walks on our schedule, so we have to be ready to play every time we come out.”
Central scored on the opening series, with six straight carries by Michael Watson setting up two fullback dives by Perry Armour, the second a 1-yard touchdown run.
READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Thursday night’s Chattanooga-area high school football games
East Ridge went three-and-out on its first possession, and although the second ended with a 43-yard touchdown run from Sanders on a draw, a missed extra-point attempt kept Central on top.
Early in the second quarter, a couple big runs from Central running back Noah Collins put the Pounders in scoring position, setting up Watson to finish the touchdown drive with a 1-yard run. Central’s momentum was short-lived though, as Sanders took the ball on the next possession and ran 50 yards up the middle on another draw, and the Pioneers added two points to make it 14-all.
The Pioneers’ next possession lasted just two plays: a 42-yard draw by Sanders, and another keeper for 34 yards to end zone for a 21-14 lead.
“It’s a blessing having the opportunity to showcase my talent,” Sanders said. “I thank my team for setting me up for some big plays. The second half wasn’t the best for us, but as a leader I kept telling everybody to keep their head up and we held on to the win.”
Sanders scored from 8 yards out on the opening series of the third quarter for a two-touchdown advantage, and when Central’s starting quarterback was sacked and exited with an ankle injury, Watson moved behind center for the Pounders.
He had a 1-yard touchdown run late in the game, but another long draw by Sanders on the other end sealed the visitors’ victory.
East Ridge must go through Sequoyah next week, then Howard and Hixson to keep its bid for postseason football going.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs, but we have three games ahead of us that we need to win to ensure that,” James said. “I prefer not to depend on other people to make that happen.
Contact John Mitchell at sports@timesfreepress.com.