Unaka’s season comes to a disappointing end
Published 12:03 am Saturday, November 12, 2022
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Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Isiah White (21) of Unaka makes a tackle on an Oneida player.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Unaka's Marcus Shoemaker (70) goes for a tackle.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Unaka and Oneida meet at midfield for the coin toss.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Takota Freeman (7) makes an open-field tackle.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Landon Ramsey (13) looks outside for an opening for Unaka.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Unaka's line is trying to open up a hole for Landon Ramsey (13).
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Oneida's defense tackles Landon Ramsey (13) of Unaka in the backfield.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Johnny Douglas (8) hauls in a pass on Friday night.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Landon Ramsey (13) is looking for an open receiver for Unaka.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
An Oneida player looks to tackle Landon Ramsey (13) for a loss.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Landon Ramsey (13) of Unaka dodges a tackle while looking for the endzone.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Joe-Z Blamo takes a knee on the sidelines.
Star Photo/Jenny Jones
Unaka quarterback Landon Ramsey (13) goes over the top for a score.
From Staff Reports
Unaka’s first playoff game in school history came to a disappointing end Friday after the Rangers fell 55-12 to Coalfield in the second round of 1A play.
Coalfield (11-1) scored on the opening drive of the game, thanks to a four-yard touchdown run by Colton Henry. With a successful PAT, the Jackets had a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
On the Rangers’ first possession, TJ Thomas took a screen pass by Landon Ramsey 64 yards for a touchdown. The conversion attempt failed.
Coalfield answered with another scoring drive that ended in a three-yard run by Henry and a successful PAT.
With 1:57 remaining in the first quarter, Joe-Z Blamo scored with a one-handed, 34-yard pass reception. Another failed PAT put the score at 14-12 as the second quarter began.
After a couple of forced punts both ways, the Rangers were stopped on downs at the one-yard line. Coalfied took over and quickly scored on a drive that ended with a 50-yard touchdown pass and a successful PAT.
On the next Ranger possession, Coalfield intercepted Ramsey’s pass and ran it back 28 yards for a TD with only 52 seconds left in the half. After a failed conversion, the score would be 27-12 going into the second half.
Coalfield started the scoring in the third quarter with a 70-yard interception return early in the second half, taking a 34-12 lead. After a couple of Ranger fumbles, Coalfield went into the final quarter with a 47-12 lead.
The Rangers were unable to put points on the board in the fourth quarter, leaving the final score 55-12, after a Coalfield 19-yard touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to Brock Jon.
“Coalfield has a lot of good athletes,” Rangers head coach O’Brien Bennett said earlier this week. “They are a traditionally strong program and we respect that. They have always been a 1A roadblock for teams East of them. Cloudland broke through last year against them and we hope to be the next one to do that. We look at them – and we have played some very tough teams this year like Hampton – and we learned a lot from playing teams like that.”
“Our goal all season has been to get better each week,” Bennett said. “We have had a great in-season weightlifting program that the kids have bought into and we are getting better as the season progresses. We are not satisfied to have a one-win playoff and go home. There are bigger goals that we are striving for.”
