EVENSVILLE, Tenn. — East Hamilton senior Jaden Haywood was spectacular Friday night against Rhea County.
Absolutely spectacular, as so often is the case for the East Tennessee State commitment, to the tune of 324 total yards and five touchdowns — and it may have all been for naught, had it not been for an opportune defensive score by one of his teammates that completely shifted the momentum in the Hurricanes’ favor.
For the second straight week, East Hamilton got a defensive touchdown, and this time it was Caden Talley picking off Jaxton Schmitt’s screen pass and returning it 15 yards for a score that put the visitors up by nine points. Haywood added two more touchdowns for East Hamilton, the Golden Eagles didn’t score again, and the ultimate outcome was a 56-33 victory in TSSAA Region 3-5A play and the first 6-0 overall start in Hurricanes history.
On the play before Talley’s touchdown, Haywood had lost a fumble deep in Rhea County territory, but it was one of the few blemishes on a night when the two-way standout rushed for 262 yards on 20 carries and added 48 yards on three catches.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)
East Hamilton vs. Rhea County on Sept. 26, 2025
“His play flipped the whole game around,” Haywood said, crediting Talley. “I wasn’t holding on to the ball tight, but gladly we’ve got a great defensive line and great linebackers, and he was able to come through with the interception.”
It was a dynamic night for the entire East Hamilton offense against what had been a stingy Golden Eagles defense with a knack for forcing turnovers. The Hurricanes gained 656 yards on 50 plays, including 30 rushes for 389 yards while led by Haywood’s big night. He had help, though, with quarterback Wyatt Miller producing 267 yards and three touchdowns passing while adding 69 yards on the ground, Jermaine Heathington totaling 74 yards receiving and 58 rushing, and Grayson Maddox adding 81 yards on five catches.
Rhea County (5-1, 2-1) wasn’t exactly slowed down prior to that play. The game was tied at 7, then 14 as the Golden Eagles — who rushed for 337 yards on 37 carries — found success running the ball until they got too far behind to be able to do so.
The home team’s two-headed rushing monster of Schmitt and running back Mason Ford caused problems for East Hamilton’s defense, with Ford getting 219 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Schmitt finished with 98 yards and a score rushing plus 74 yards passing, though he was intercepted twice.
The Hurricanes, who are ranked seventh in Class 5A, beat Rhea County for the second straight season and improved to 2-0 in region play, but there are likely more tough tests ahead as they seek a second straight region title.
“In this region, it’s a war between the trenches every night between that tackle box, and we had some guys step up tonight,” East Hamilton third-year head coach Aaron Nance said. “We were down some guys in the second half, and we had some guys step up and answer the bell towards the end of the game.”
The Hurricanes host Walker Valley (5-1, 3-0) next week and finish the regular season at McMinn County (5-1, 3-1) — with Ooltewah (1-5, 0-3) and Soddy Daisy (3-3, 0-3) on the schedule in between — and obviously hope for a long postseason run after that. Not that they’re looking that far down the road.
“All tonight means is that we’ve got two more teams ahead of us that we’ve got to knock down,” Haywood said. “We’ve got to make sure that we do our assignments and keep our eyes focused on what’s ahead of us and not what’s behind us. We had a good game tonight, but we’ve got to forget about this game.
“Let’s go party on the way home, but let’s continue to stay focused for the next ones coming up.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.