EVENSVILLE, Tenn. — Rhea County senior quarterback Jaxton Schmitt could barely stand up at the end of the postgame handshake line Friday night.
Despite the fatigue and cramps, Schmitt had just sealed a hard-nosed 29-27 home win over Red Bank in the season opener for both teams with a powerful run down to the Lions’ 1-yard line.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Schmitt starred as he rushed for a pair of scores, ran for a 2-point conversion after the first one, and added a big-time fourth-down touchdown throw to Laterrius Donegan. Schmitt even fired up the Golden Eagles as he provided a sack on a 2-point conversion stop late to help Rhea County prevail over the Lions for the fourth year in a row.
“To be viewed as a leader is a blessing,” Schmitt said. “I give the glory to God every day. He gives me the power to be here and the drive to keep going. It really is an honor to me to be looked up to by all these kids and be respected by them.
“I think my 2-point conversion stop was one of my most important plays of the night. That kept Red Bank’s hope away a little, and we got the job done on the final drive.”
Schmitt converted on fourth-and-4 with an 8-yard rush down the Red Bank sideline with just more than two minutes left to play. His tough running was matched by classmates Austun Fugate and Eli Kelly as the three combined for 200-plus yards on the ground in the TSSAA nonregion matchup.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)
Fugate also provided the defensive stop of the night for Class 5A’s Rhea County when he made a leaping one-handed interception at midfield to get the ball back near midfield with the hosts clinging to a 22-21 lead with 10 minutes left to play. Fugate eventually turned his takeaway into points with a 1-yard plunge to build an eight-point lead with 6:35 left to play.
Red Bank showcased an explosive offense in the defeat as senior dual-threat quarterback Austin Jones threw for an 80-yard touchdown to Ben Craig, who made a pair of defenders miss with nice cuts after the catch to set up a tying 2-point conversion opportunity with 6:19 remaining.
Class 4A’s Lions were sharp early, too, as Ted Gatewood’s team jumped out to a 13-0 lead after senior Shawn Carter’s second 1-yard touchdown run with 2:31 left in the first quarter. Carter’s first score was set up by a 96-yard kickoff return by senior Marcus Jones to begin the game.
“I told our kids that this game was going to come down to who is tougher and who can hang in there for four quarters and finish,” Rhea County third-year head coach Taylor Harvey said. “We have a ton of respect for Red Bank, and they hung in there and fought. We gave up a bunch of bad plays, but our guys fixed their body language and were tough as nails down the stretch.
“Our offensive line really grew up a bunch tonight. I spent a lot of time with them this offseason, and they proved a lot to me tonight.”
While Schmitt was ready to recover over the weekend by hitting the hyperbaric chamber along with a needed ice bath and IV fluids, he left the field proud and with a smile on his face.
“We knew Red Bank was going to be a good team. They came in and hit us in the mouth,” Schmitt said. “We fought back and cleaned things up and started playing like we know how to.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.