By Scott Shasteen
Marvancy Johnson rushed for over 200 yards, and Sam Bobo secured three interceptions to lead the Tullahoma Wildcats to a 39-20 victory over the Cleveland Blue Raiders Friday night at Wilkins Stadium.
For the third straight game, the Wildcats allowed a touchdown drive on the opponent’s first possession, with the Blue Raiders driving 80 yards in six plays, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown pass.
But, as they have done all three games, the Wildcats responded quickly. On second-and-three, quarterback Lucas Reed found Alex Bobo alone downfield and connected for a 41-yard touchdown pass. Patrick Riddle threw to Cayden Poff for the 2-point conversion, giving the Wildcats an 8-7 lead with 8:57 to play in the first quarter.
After forcing a Cleveland punt, the Cats drove 55 yards before the Blue Raiders intercepted Reed. The Wildcat defense held firm, forcing a short Cleveland punt, and Riddle found Bobo in the end zone. Riddle ran for another 2-point conversion, upping the Tullahoma lead to 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Tullahoma’s defense stopped the Blue Raiders on fourth-and-three, and five plays later Johnson scored on a five-yard run. The PAT increased the lead to 23-7. One minute later, Cleveland QB Kasen McGowen hit Kyreece Westfield for a 71-yard TD strike, narrowing the lead to 23-14 with 7:25 left on the first-half clock.
Cleveland recovered a Wildcat fumble, but a 14-yard sack by Will Hyden and a partially blocked punt by Elijah Alexander ended the threat, and the half ended with Tullahoma leading by nine.
The Wildcats took the second-half kickoff and turned it into a 35-yard field goal by Aiden Walker, increasing the lead to 26-14. Cleveland mounted a drive to the Tullahoma 13 before Bobo picked off his first pass.
THS couldn’t convert the turnover into points, and the Blue Raiders marched 51 yards on six plays to close the gap to 26-20. Alexander gathered his first interception of the season on the 2-point try, and the Wildcats put the game away and ended the scoring with two Johnson touchdowns.
The senior, who now has over 600 yards of offense in three games, ran four straight times starting at midfield and scored on a 24-yard run. A 2-point conversion attempt failed, and the Wildcats led 32-20.
Bobo’s second pick ended the next Cleveland threat, and Johnson covered seven yards in two plays for his third TD. Bobo ended the final scoring opportunity for the visitors, intercepting McGowen in the end zone.
Unofficially, Johnson gained 214 yards on 24 carries. He now has 11 touchdowns on the season. Bobo caught four passes for 87 yards and two scores, one from Reed and one from Riddle. Counting the blocked punt, Tullahoma forced Cleveland into five turnovers.
Tullahoma (3-0) will play its fourth consecutive non-region contest when it travels to Sparta to face White Co. (2-1) Friday night. Coverage begins with Friday Night Thunder at 6:00 p.m. with kickoff at 7 p.m. on 93.9 The Duck.
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