East Hamilton had lost three straight games while being outscored 94-10.
On Friday night, the host Hurricanes wasted no time putting their football frustrations to rest, jumping out to a 24-point lead in the first half on the way to a 31-14 Region 2-4A victory against Sequoyah.
"That was a big win," Hurricanes coach Ted Gatewood said. "Our program needed that and our kids needed that. It's been a tough couple of weeks, but they persevered and hung in there."
A week after a tough 6-3 nonregion loss to Tyner, East Hamilton (3-4, 2-1) ran rampant over the Chiefs (5-2, 1-2) from the start. Devontay Tipton broke off a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to start the scoring, and Mason Lafollete added a 32-yard field goal in the period to make it 10-0.
East Hamilton continued to dominate on the ground in the second quarter, when Adam Caudle capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. After the teams traded punts, East Hamilton's Sam Randolph intercepted a John Douglas Wiggins pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Hurricanes their big lead at the break.
The Chiefs fared slightly better in the second half. Early in the third quarter, wide receiver Trevor Stakley made a big play on special teams, returning a blocked punt to put the Chiefs on the board. Stakley scored Sequoyah's other touchdown on a 26-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
Sequoyah finished the game with 229 total yards, with Wiggins leading the way by completing 10 passes for 171 yards.
The Hurricanes rushed for 172 yards and passed for 47. Tipton had 83 yards on 16 carries, while Caudle added 61 yards. East Hamilton's defense totaled four sacks - two apiece for linebackers Nathan Lee and Blaine Savage - and four takeaways.
The victory was crucial for the Hurricanes' playoff hopes, and they'll close the regular season with region matchups at Hixson, at Anderson County and against Howard.
Contact Dan Kopf at sports@timesfreepress.com.