Soddy-Daisy's Jake Seeger (18) tries to wrap up Cleveland running back Micaleous Elder in Friday's Region 4-5A football game at Robert Talaska Field. Elder scored on runs of 65 and 66 yards and gained 178 yards on six carries in Cleveland's 56-14 rout of the Trojans.
photo by Dennis Norwood
Cleveland’s explosive offense came loaded with some heavy duty bombs – a few resembled the famous Navy bunker-busters – Friday night.
Quarterback Dallas McCrary accounted for four first-half touchdowns – three passing and one rushing – and fifth-ranked Cleveland destroyed Soddy-Daisy, 56-14, in a Region 4-5A blowout of monumental proportions.
The Blue Raiders (3-0, 1-0) had five touchdown plays ranging from 38 to 81 yards and when the home-standing Trojans came out from behind the woodshed at halftime they already trailed, 49-14.
McCrary, who moved to Colorado for the 2015-16 school year before returning to Cleveland in time for the current football season, threw two scoring passes to Skyler Davis covering 2 and 31 yards, connected with Zylan Cooper on an 18-yard touchdown and got the offense started with a 5-yard rushing TD less than two minutes into the game at Robert Talaska Field.
“This was awesome,” said McCrary, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior. “I’m so proud of my offensive linemen and my skill position guys. This was such a good game.”
McCrary’s quick-strike score was set up by Romeo Wykle’s interception -- he added a second pick later in the game -- of Trojans quarterback Gavin Chambers, who was playing for injured starter Justin Cooke. Cooke suffered a meniscus injury on the second play against Red Bank in the season opener and subsequently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He’s expected to be out six-to-eight weeks.
With the lopsided victory – the Blue Raiders have outscored three opponents, 141-40, and average 47 points per game – Cleveland improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the region. The last time the Raiders began a season 3-0 was in 2008 when they won four in a row before losing to Cookeville.
This was a game for about 11 minutes, or just shy of one quarter.
When little scatback Micaleous Elder, who can juke-and-jive and shake-and-bake almost every defender on the field an any given play, bolted 65 yards for a scintillating touchdown the Blue Raiders led 28-0 late in the first quarter.
McCrary’s touchdown pass to Cooper pushed the lead to 35-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter.
“Our plan was to play fast and furious, and then played even faster,” Cleveland coach Scott Cummings said. “The only thing that could neutralize the game for Soddy was if we didn’t play fast and execute.”
Ty Boeck’s 14-yard touchdown run momentarily interrupted the wild Cleveland offensive onslaught for the Trojans (1-2, 0-1), who belted the Blue Raiders, 39-21, in Cleveland last season.
“We came in her with a chip on our shoulders,” McCrary said. “We don’t have it anymore. This was the best we’ve thrown the ball this year for sure and it was the most complete game we’ve had.”
McCrary threw a 31-yard strike to Davis in the end zone and Cleveland’s offense was in high gear again.
Elder scored for the second time, this one a 66-yard gallop with moves that strained adequate description and the Blue Raiders were up 49-7 with 3:27 left in the first half.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 3 and I always wanted to be a running back,” said Elder, who rushed for 178 yards on six carries -- he gained 154 yards on three runs in the first half. “I watched a lot games with my dad and liked the way Reggie Bush played. I also liked the way my brother, C.J. Bryant, played when he was at Cleveland.
“I’m just trying to help my team by doing the best I can. I just want the ball. When I score I’m going to thank my teammates and we’re just going to keep running the ball.”
Cleveland ran wild, actually.
The Blue Raiders rushed for 375 yards, averaging 14.4 yards per carry.
Included in the 26 rushes were Keegan Jones’ 81-yard romp -- he picked up 149 yards on six carries -- and the two 60-plus jaunts from Elder. The two 30-plus yard TD passes to Davis rounded out the Blue Raiders’ long-strike scores against the Trojans.
“Cleveland is by far the fastest team we’ve played this year,” Trojans coach Justin Barnes said. “Their speed makes them dangerous. You have to commit to stop the run and with (Davis) out there they’re also tough in the passing game. It’s hard to contain them.”
McCrary completed 9-of-12 passes for 143 yards and back-up Jackson Moore went 2-for-5 for 22. The 165 passing yards gave Cleveland 540 yards of offense.
“McCrary is a very smart young man,” Cummings said. “He’s a great student and can handle a lot and that helps us open our offense and do multiple things. With the receivers we have I’d be a fool not to throw it up to them sometimes. Then we have those running backs and we need to hand the ball off, too.
“And Dallas is a great athlete in his own right and throws the ball well. Dallas is a blessing coming back from Colorado.
Said Barnes, whose team did not run an offensive play in the third quarter and only five in the second half: “They’re a good team, a year older and more experienced,” Barnes said. “We’re right now where they were last year. We didn’t get anything going offensively and gave them the ball in short-field situations. We put our defense in bad situations right from the start and you can’t be successful doing that.”
The entire second half was played with a running clock, but Soddy-Daisy cheerleaders refused to fold their tent, chanting “I believe we will win! I believe we will win!
Then reality hit them.
Cleveland added a final touchdown on Robert Anderson’s 17-yard run with 0:20 left in the third quarter.
Seconds later, Cleveland’s student cheering section answered: “I believe we just won! I believe we just won!”
The Blue Raiders appeared to have scored on a Jackson Moore-to-Arli Ferguson 13-yard pass play late in the fourth quarter, but a holding penalty negated the play with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
Soddy-Daisy’s second touchdown came on a 38-yard pass from Boeck – he played wide receiver and quarterback – to Landon Reece with 32.2 seconds left in the second quarter.
Friday’s game was a final tune-up for Cleveland’s showdown next week with arch-rival Bradley Central, which posted its third straight victory with a 32-7 win at Science Hill in Johnson City.
Soddy-Daisy has a week off before hosting White County on Sept. 16.
SCORING
Cleveland 28 21 7 0 – 56
Soddy-Daisy 0 14 0 0 – 14
First Quarter
CL – Dallas McCray 5 run (Toren Beck kick), 10:25
CL – Skyler Davis 2 pass from McCrary (Beck kick), 7:51
CL – Keegan Jones 81 run (Beck kick), 5:01
CL – Micaleous Elder 65 run (Beck kick), 1:17
Second Quarter
CL – Zylan Cooper 18 pass from McCrary (Beck kick), 10:14
SD – Ty Boeck 14 run (Cooper Hamilton kick), 6:36
CL – Davis 31 pass from McCrary (Beck kick), 4:07
CL – Elder 66 run (Beck kick), 3:27
SD – Landon Reece 38 pass from Boeck (Hamilton kick), 32.2
Third Quarter
CL – Robert Anderson 1 run (Beck kick), 0:20
YARDSTICK
CL SD
First Downs 16 11
Rushes-Yards 26-375 33-139
Passing Yards 165 83
Comp-Att-Int 11-17-1 8-17-3
Plays-Total Yds 43-540 49-22
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0
Punts-Avg 0-0 2-36.5
Penalties-Yds 7-65 6-55
INDIVIDUALS
RUSHING – Cleveland: Micaleous Elder 6-178, Keegan Jones 6-149, Robert Anderson 5-18, David Dunn 3-11, Dallas McCrary 2-9, Jackson Moore 1-6; Soddy-Daisy: Ty Boeck 9-58, Hayden Maynor 11-34, Brandon Davis 3-21, Cooper Chambers 1-23, Tony Wilson 3-3, Gavin Chambers 5-minus 8.
PASSING – Cleveland: McCrary 9-12-0 143, Moore 2-5-1 22; Soddy-Daisy: Chambers 6-12-3 33, Boeck 2-5-50.
RECEIVING – Cleveland: Skyler Davis 3-71, Zylan Cooper 4-44, Myles Clabough 1-22, Jones 1-11, Darius Howard 1-11Mel Obadiah 1-6; Soddy-Daisy: Landon Reece 4-61, Boeck 2-9, Jaden Holcombe 1-11, Brandon Davis 1-3.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)
Quarterback Dallas McCrary (6) engineered Cleveland's impressive offensive showing Friday night, accounting for four touchdowns, including two passes and Skyler Davis and one Zylan Cooper. McCrary ran 5 yards for a score and passes for 143 yards.
photo by Dennis Norwood