Cleveland routs Signal Mountain behind standout receiver turned fourth-string QB

Football
Football

There were so many reasons for Scott Cummings to be thankful, the Cleveland football coach could be serving up turkey and dressing with all the trimmings this afternoon after Friday's 38-0 victory at Signal Mountain.

Yes, the Blue Raiders moved two games above .500 and will enter next week's game with neighboring and Region 4-5A rival Walker Valley on a winning note. They also made it through a game without losing a quarterback, the defense picked up some slack and the quarterback Cummings and his staff settled on, Skyler Davis, performed admirably.

A senior and standout wide receiver, Davis became Cummings' fourth quarterback this season, and it's probably hard to fathom how many offensive schemes the Raiders have worked through since last spring.

Davis completed five of nine passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, made only one poor pass (at the receiver's shoetops) and made some credible option pitches.

"For us it's truly an accomplishment to come out and be functional with our fourth quarterback and us overhauling our schemes," Cummings said. "Skyler is Skyler. He's a leader and he's going to come out and do his thing. We knew we needed a leader, so why not put him at quarterback."

Davis, a still uncommitted wideout with size and hands, had been the primary target for his three predecessors at quarterback, but he adjusted quickly.

"Nerves? I got over them with the first touchdown pass," he said of a 35-yard, first-quarter toss to Romeo Wykle. "I've been working at (quarterback) for a week now, and I bought into it. Both positions feel great. At either spot, I'm still making plays for Cleveland."

Davis definitely had help. The Blue Raiders used five running backs, and Keegan Jones and Micaleous Elder led the group, combining for 102 yards on limited carries.

Jones also pulled in a screen pass from Davis and took it 78 yards, and Davis had another TD (to Arlington Ferguson) scrubbed on a penalty.

Cleveland's defense did its share to keep the pressure at bay for Davis. Cleveland's first TD was on a fumble return by Chase Oliver, and a fumble recovery by Logan Strickland led to the third TD. The Blue Raiders forced three fumbles and got four interceptions.

Signal Mountain contributed to its own defeat. The Eagles were penalized eight times for 90 yards (75 in the first half), they fielded an end-zone-bound kickoff at the 2-yard line, and they had a high snap on a punt attempt to accompany numerous physical and mental mistakes.

For Signal, a Class 2A school playing up in Class 3A, all the higher-classification opponents are now behind it.

Cummings made a special trip across the midfield stripe to address the Eagles even before talking with his own team.

"Signal doesn't have many kids, and a bunch of them are going both ways and they are battlers. My hat's off to them," he said.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

Upcoming Events