CLEVELAND, Ala. – A huge region battle took place inside Blount County on Friday night, as the 4-0 Cleveland Panthers hosted the 3-0 Cold Springs Eagles. It was close for most of the first half, but a huge turnover turned the momentum over to Cold Springs’ side, and they rode that the rest of the game, defeating Cleveland, 36-21, to remain undefeated on the season.
The Panthers got the ball first to start out the game, and as quick as they got the ball, that’s how quick they scored. A 41-yard touchdown pass on just the third play gave them a 7-0 lead a little over a minute into the contest.
The Eagles went three-and-out on their opening possession, but their defense forced one of their own. The trio of Cooper Johnson, Cason Alexander and Ethan Day helped Cold Springs get to the 41. Day connected with Eli Voce on a 18-yard pass on the next play, then on fourth down, Day’s 18-yard run kept their drive alive. Two plays later, Johnson scored from a yard out and added the 2-point conversion to give the Eagles an 8-7 lead.
Just like their first drive, Cleveland quickly marched down the field, and their 44-yard touchdown run gave them the lead right back at 14-8 late in the first. An offsides penalty on the Panthers, followed by back-to-back tough runs by Johnson, gave Cold Springs a first down at the 41. Three plays later, Brandon Chasteen, in for an injured Day, found Voce on a huge 35-yard completion, as that gave them a first down at the 6. Another Johnson run put them at the 3, and Chasteen found the end zone two plays later on a 2-yard quarterback keeper to put the Eagles ahead, 15-14.
Zaxton Tubbs recovered the kickoff at the 38, but a Day interception gave the ball back to the Panthers. Some hard-nosed runs by Cleveland quickly had them within striking distance of retaking the lead, but one of the biggest plays of the game was one of the turning point of the contest.
On a second down from the 8-yard line, Cold Springs forced a fumble, and Brooks Black recovered the ball and took it 90 yards to the house to widen their lead to 23-14. After allowing a first down, the Eagle defense settled down and forced a punt, but they ended up punting on their next series, and Day ended the first half by picking off a pass to keep the score at 23-14 at the break.
Cold Springs got the ball to start out the second half, and after Johnson picked up 4 yards on first down, it was the Cason Alexander show, as he churned out gains of 28 and 29 yards to quickly put the Eagles at the 6-yard line. Three plays later, Alexander finished off the drive with a 1-yard score to give the Eagles a 29-14 lead. Antonio Andrews recovered the ball on the kickoff. On second-and-7 from the 45, Day found Voce for 7 yards, and a Johnson run gave Cold Springs a first down. Blake Phillips broke free for a 22-yard run to put the ball at the 12. After an Alexander run put the ball at the 5, a personal foul on the Panthers moved the ball up to the 3, and Johnson scored on the next play to make it 36-14.
A pass interference penalty on the Eagles kept Cleveland’s series alive, but a sack by Tucker Freeman quickly put the Panthers behind the sticks. A delay of game penalty pushed them back to the 45, but two plays later, a 40-yard completion quickly put them at the 5, and a 5-yard touchdown pass on the next play cut it to 36-21. Johnson broke free for a 30-yard run on the first play of Cold Springs’ next series, as that quickly moved the ball up to the 15, then a personal foul on the Panthers moved the ball up to the 8. They got stuffed for no gain on fourth down, turning the ball over on downs.
A couple of huge plays by Cleveland put them at the 25, and after getting another first down on the ground, Elijah Moore recovered a Cleveland fumble. Behind the trio of Day, Johnson and Alexander, the Eagle offense milked as much time as they could off the clock. Later on that drive, a huge 18-yard pass from Day to Chasteen on third down kept their drive alive, but their run game got stuffed for three straight plays, and they ended up missing a field goal.
A 24-yard pass by the Panthers put them at the 46, but the next pass was picked off by Day for the second time in the game. They kneeled a couple of times, and the Eagles will improve to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the region after their 36-21 win over Cleveland.
Alexander finished with 102 rushing yards and a score for Cold Springs. Johnson added 71 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Chasteen collected a rushing touchdown of his own, and Day ended up with 62 rushing yards. Black (touchdown) and Moore recovered fumbles for the Eagles, Day finished with a pair of interceptions in the game and Freeman collected a sack in the win.
Cold Springs will travel to take on Holly Pond in a nonregion game next Friday night.
