JASPER, Tenn. - It was a classic hard-fought football matchup at Marion County on Friday night. Sequatchie County held off the host Warriors for a 21-14 win.
The win is the first for new Indians head coach Mark Wattenbarger.
"(That) gets the monkey off our back a little bit, and it helps the kids relax," he said after the game. "They are battling their tails off.
"We told them to keep believing," Wattenbarger continued. "Now we have something to lean on and to believe on."
Sequatchie wore on the Warriors late in the game. The Indians kept handing the ball to their big fullback Brett Hicks, who rushed for 105 yards, but Wattenbarger was pleased with his team's all-around effort.
"When we had to, we threw the ball. If (Marion) is going to play that many people in the box, we have to be able to throw it," he said. "Our passing game was huge for us tonight."
Sequatchie's offense started clicking on its opening possession - a 63-yard drive capped by a Zack Morgan 10-yard rush for the score. Alex Martinez booted the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 7:27 to go in the first quarter.
After holding Marion to a three-and-out on the Warriors' opening drive, Sequatchie increased its lead with a 2-yard touchdown run by Hicks.
The Warriors found their footing on their second drive, picking up two first downs and driving over 60 yards downfield, but penalties ultimately forced them to punt.
Marion County found the end zone with 2:30 remaining in the half. Isaiah Sampson dropped back to pass but was forced out of the pocket and scrambled 10 yards for a touchdown. The Warriors' ensuing extra-point try failed, and Sequatchie maintained a 14-6 lead and quickly answered on itsd next drive. The Indians drove 69 yards in 1:45 to scoree with a 5-yard Morgan touchdown run. The Indians took a 21-6 lead into halftime.
Both teams traded possessions to open the second half.
The Warriors cut into Sequatchie's lead late in the third quarter. Sampson connected with Reece Barton for a 7-yard pass for the score. Sampson then hooked up with Kris Layfield on the ensuing two-point conversion to make the score 21-14, but Sequatchie's defense held strong and denied the Warriors another scoring opportunity.
Contact Brett King at sports@timesfreepress.com.