Fields gets the biggest play as Wolves top Pioneers

BLOUNTVILLE — One big play deserved another. Brody Fields and West Ridge got the biggest play when it mattered most. Fields scored on a 51-yard touchdown run with 5:24 left to play, as West Ridge overcame a terrific performance by David Crockett's A.J. Wynn to defeat the Pioneers, 28-21, on Friday night at The Ridge. "We have to make it interesting, don't we? Some of those games you have just got to survive like that," West Ridge head coach Justin Hilton said. "Four (Wynn) is unbelievable. They had an awesome game plan defensively. "Give credit to our guys, we found a way to finish. We were smart at the end, we made plays when we had to make them, but that was a good football game." West Ridge (1-1) took a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter when Orlando Mack recovered a David Crockett fumble in the end zone. The Pioneers (1-1) was far from done, even with having to play a couple of inexperienced linemen having to replace starters in the second half. "I told our kids after the game that I don't know if I have ever been more proud of a team after a loss, just the way we gutted it," David Crockett head coach Hayden Chandley said. "Just a couple of plays away, a couple of dropped balls on the last series didn't help us. "Honestly, I thought we played as good as they did the majority of the game. You go down and we answered the bell, just really proud of the way we battled." Wynn, who is in his third season as a starter for David Crockett, ran for 169 yards, including touchdowns from 99 and 19 yards and also connected with Colton Mullis for a 55-yard pass to tie the score at 21-21 with 8:23 left in the game. He also have a 83-yard touchdown run nullified by penalty. "I don't know if I have ever seen what I seen tonight on a quarterback sneak that goes out on the edge for 99 yards," Chandley said. "I am running out of words to explain what he does for us, and then he goes and makes eight or 10 tackles on defense too. We are extremely blessed to have him, just glad he is on our side." Fields, who ran for 140 yards, had 63 of those on the opening drive of the game that culminated with a 1-yard plunge for a touchdown by Justice Hilton. Warren Belcher followed with one of his four extra point conversion kicks for the 7-0 lead. After both teams traded turnovers — an interception by West Ridge's Peyton Martinez followed on the next play by a fumble recovery by David Crockett's Kaleb Callahan — West Ridge was forced to punt on its first possession of the second quarter and Orlando Mack's kick was downed at the Crockett 1-yard line. Not a problem for Wynn, who took the ball, cut left, bounced off defenders and dashed 99 yards down the sideline. Ruben Ibarra-Flores followed with one of his three extra point conversion kicks to knot the score at 7-7 with 6:54 left until halftime. Science Hill transfer Hunter Belcher also took snaps for the Pioneers. "If I could have played 12 I would have played 12," Hilton said. "We had everybody we could looking at him and he still got some yardage. He is going to hurt some people going on down the road. Hayden does a great job using him. That other one they bring in is pretty good too, but four is the man." So was Fields on this one. He used some shifty moves on the ensuing kickoff to return it 73 yards. Five plays later, Hilton's juniot son, Justice, scored from the 4-yard line to take a 14-7 lead into the halftime break. David Crockett had one more opportunity when Ibarra-Flores attempted a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the half, which was accurate but fell just short of the goal posts. It appeared Wynn had tied the score on the first play of the third quarter after dashing 83 yards to the end zone. Instead a holding call nullified that play, and the Pioneers went backwards from there until a fumble from the 5-yard line bounced into the end zone and Mack picked up to put the Wolves up, 21-7. "We had the long touchdown get called back. Some things didn't go our way that if they did might have flipped it," Chandley said. "We give them the score down there, but just so proud of the way we played. Just a mistake here or there and it could have been different." David Crockett followed with a seven-minute drive that finished with Wynn dashing 19 yards for another touchdown. Ezra Hoss sacked Justice Hilton, who didn't attempt a pass in the game, on a fourth down early in the fourth quarter. Two plays later, Wynn got the ball, faked to run and then threw a short pass to Mullis, who finished the 55-yard play for a touchdown to tie the score at 21. Fields, who has been largely stopped by the David Crockett defense after the opening drive, got loose on West Ridge's next possession, dashing 51 yards to the end zone for what proved to be the winning score, as Fields continues to try to fill the shoes left behind by the graduated Ethan Amyx. "I think they limited his carries by what they were doing defensively, but he can go score," Hilton said. "That was a big run. He is not as big or as physical (as Amyx), but he is just as fast if not faster." David Crockett got the ball back, but a penalty and a couple of dropped passes, including one on 4th-and-5 at their own 47, gave the ball back to the Wolves with 3:34 to play. West Ridge proceeded to run out the clock, with Justice Hilton, who finished with 109 yards on the ground, picked up a couple of first downs as the Wolves improved to 4-1 in five meetings with the Pioneers. "He is going to have to be gutty if we are going to be successful," Hilton said. "He had better learn how to do it." Both teams have home games next week, with West Ridge will playing host to winless Elizabethton on Friday, while the Pioneers will entertain Morristown East. WEST RIDGE 28, DAVID CROCKETT 21 David Crockett 0 7 7 7 — 21 West Ridge 7 7 7 7 — 28 First quarter WR—Justice Hilton 1 run (Warren Belcher kick) 5:25 Second quarter DC—A.J. Wynn 99 run (Ruben Ibarra-Flores kick) 6:54 WR—Hilton 4 run (Belcher kick) 4:02 Third quarter WR—Orlando Mack fumble recovery in end zone (Belcher kick) 10:15 DC—Wynn 19 run (Ibarra-Flores kick) 3:12 Fourth quarter DC—Colton Mullis 55 pass from Wynn (Ibarra-Flores kick) 8:32 WR—Fields 51 run (Belcher kick) 5:24