Cyclones take care of Grainger on senior night

ELIZABETHTON — It was the seniors' night to shine, and Elizabethton was ready to go to work. Tallying 388 yards of total offense and forcing three interceptions, the Cyclones overwhelmed Grainger 38-7 in Region 1-4A play at Citizens Bank Stadium. Senior signal-caller Peyton Lingerfelt completed 10 of 17 passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding 59 yards and two more scores on the ground. Receiver Braylon Britt hauled in four passes for 107 yards and both touchdowns while adding two interceptions defensively. "We worked really hard on our passing game and saw some matchups we liked," Elizabethton coach Shawn Witten said. "As much as we've been running the football, play-action passing has got to work. It was good to see us make that conscious effort to get better." Elizabethton (5-2) made quick work of its opening drive, marching 54 yards in four plays. Lingerfelt connected with Britt on a 31-yard strike before finding the senior again for an 11-yard touchdown. Britt picked off a pass to spoil the Grizzlies' opening drive, but Grainger caught a break when the Cyclones lost a fumble on the opening play of the second quarter. A three-and-out on the following Grainger series set the Cyclones back in motion. Lingerfelt hit Ryan Jones and Britt for first down gains of 11 and 36 yards, respectively, before calling his own number on a 13-yard touchdown scamper to make it 14-0. Grainger's offense found its rhythm on its third possession, moving into Betsy territory. Calyx Daugherty came up big, however, with a strip sack on fourth down to turn possession back over to the Cyclones. Lingerfelt connected on three sideline passes before taking off for a 20-yard run to the Grainger two. Will McDuffie plunged across the goal line with 11 seconds remaining in the half to give the Cyclones a 21-0 advantage following Will Bowers' extra point. Grainger (2-5) opened the third quarter with its most productive drive of the night. Nathan Hobby hauled in a pass from Colton Parrott, evaded a Cyclone defender and raced 58 yards for a touchdown. C.J. Mathes answered with a 30-yard kickoff return for the Cyclones. Will McDuffie pushed the football into Grizzly territory before Lingerfelt improvised his way to an 11-yard touchdown run. Britt's senior night highlight reel continued with his second interception of the game. Three plays later, he evaded a Grainger defender and hauled in a 29-yard touchdown grab to extend the Cyclones' advantage. "We came in this game, and everybody takes credit for everything. You can't be selfish about anything," Britt said. "Everybody executed and did their own job." Bowers added a 30-yard field goal to close the third quarter and force a running clock. Freshman Drake Lytton spoiled any last-ditch effort from Grainger with the Cyclones' third interception on the final play of the game. "It was a big-time effort," added Witten. "Overall, the defense is playing stellar and it's good to see us continue to create turnovers and be opportunistic and make plays." Parrott completed 7 of 18 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions to pace Grainger offensively. On the ground, Elizabethton combined for 195 yards on 22 carries, with seniors Will McDuffie rushing 10 times for 79 yards and a touchdown and C.J. Mathes adding 48 yards on five carries. The Cyclones enter a bye week before returning to action Oct. 16 at Sullivan East in conference play. — Elizabethton 38, Grainger 7 GRAINGER 0 0 7 0 — 7 ELIZABETHTON 7 14 17 0 — 38 First Quarter EHS — Braylon Britt 11 pass from Peyton Lingerfelt (Will Bowers kick), 10:29 Second Quarter EHS — Lingerfelt 13 run (Bowers kick), 8:57 EHS — Will McDuffie 2 run (Bowers kick), :11 Third Quarter GHS — Nathan Hobby 58 pass from Colton Parrott (Axel Vinces kick), 9:44 EHS — Lingerfelt 11 run (Bowers kick), 8:35 EHS — Britt 29 pass from Lingerfelt (Bowers kick), 6:51 EHS — Bowers 30 field goal, 1:46