The safety is considered the last line of defense, the final obstacle for any offense. They mask, or
at least minimize, the mistakes made by the nine other players on defense. When a defense
replaces those crucial players with linebackers, they strengthen their presence at the line of
scrimmage while sacrificing coverage in the back. Sequoyah decided to make this gamble when
they visited Hixson, loading the box in an attempt at stopping Nyikee Logan. As the 43-14 score
showed, Sequoyah’s gamble did not pay off.
While Logan ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown, wide receiver Reginald Hunter was the
star of the show. Playing against one-on-one coverage with no safety help over the top, Hunter
toasted Sequoyah’s defense over and over again. Three catches went for scores, none more
than impressive than his touchdown right before halftime.
After Hixson recovered a fumble deep in Sequoyah territory, quarterback Richard Hunter
deployed his offense in the familiar split-backs formation with three wide receivers on the
outside. Sequoyah crowded the line of scrimmage as they did all game, with four down linemen
and four linebackers behind them.
Hunter took a hard step off the line, and cut across the face of his defender. When the
quarterback tossed a fine ball to his receiver, Hunter snagged the pass in stride. Once he had
control of the ball, Hunter made a whirlwind spin against the grain, whirling past cornerback
Levi Lanter in half-a-second. With no safety to cover for his teammate, Hunter had an unabated
path to the endzone. With the score 23-0, the game felt like it was almost over at halftime.
Sequoyah’s fullback Luke Lay tallied the Chief’s two scores, but senior tailback Evan Swanson
was easily the most impressive player on Sequoyah’s offense. He bobbed and dove for 61 yards
on the ground, and took in five passes for 49 more yards. At times, Sequoyah’s coaching staff
found it preferable to directly snap the ball to Swanson, who would scramble around for decent
gains.
Sequoyah offensive lineman Jaylon Davis received an ovation of sorts late in the fourth quarter.
With the game squarely decided, backups had begun to filter into the game. Lined up at
fullback, the 290 pound blocker took the short handoff and bowled ahead. Davis met, and then
trucked, a much smaller Hixson defender en-route to a bumbling 10 yard gain. His run drew
applause and a few laughs from an amused Hixson crowd, who were doubtlessly pleased with
their team’s convincing win.