By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Two observations in the second half of Friday night's 54-6 Roane County victory over Calhoun stood out.
First was when Roane County ran in more than a quarter ton of beef when two huge tackles - one weighed 300 and the other 285 - ran onto the field and two other tackles ran off. The Raiders were platooning and they were playing the second unit.
The other was late in the game when Calhoun's second team quarterback Logan Moore teamed up with Dillon Mefford for a 72 yard score. The difference was that Moore had moved over to the quarterback slot after playing the entire game both ways - as a wide receiver and as a defensive back. Mefford too had gone the whole way on both offense and defense.
Roane is a very good Class AA team - ranked eighth in the most recent ratings - with a large squad of players. So many they can rest the starters and play a platoon system with the second string.
Calhoun is not a very good Class A team this year. It has been battered by injuries and inexperience and forced to play most all of its players most all the game.
It showed late in the contest when Roane's reserves were rested and able to more than hold their own with a battered a worn down Calhoun squad.
The battering started early enough but for a quarter of the ball game Calhoun did keep within striking distance of the 7-1 Raiders.
Roane took an early lead when Nathan Reynolds scored on a 16-yard run. It was the first of three first half touchdowns he would score and when John Ash scored on a three-yard run midway through the period the Raiders had a 13-0 lead.
But the then the size and depth of the Raiders began to come to the fore as Calhoun's iron men began to wear down.
Ash scored again, this time on a 13-yard run, making it 19-0.
The Raiders got somewhat of a surprise touchdown a few minutes later when Daniel Humphreys broke through to block a punt, falling on the ball in the end zone. It was 25-0 at that point pretty much ending any question over who was going to win. Two Reynolds' touchdowns later - from 14 and 41 yards out - sealed the deal.
The second half was close with the Raiders holding a 16-6 advantage. Roane's second half touchdowns came on a 55-yard run by Humphreys and a 21-yard run by Luke Scott with 45 seconds remaining.
Bronson Clark led Calhoun's ground game with 75 yards on 22 carries while Mefford led the air attack with 83 yards on a pair of receptions.
Calhoun, 1-7, will take its ironman act on the road to Wirt County Friday night.
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