MARLIN CURNUTT
Grainger County Journal Correspondent
RUTLEDGE – Despite only being out-gained in total offense by 18 yards, the Grainger High School Grizzly football team still suffered a 49-6 setback to seventh-ranked Elizabethton High School Friday, October 3.
The Grizzlies rushed for 154 yards and had a total of 127 through the air. Third down conversions have been something Grainger has struggled with this year but against the Cyclones, they went 7-for-14. Gage Wyatt led the ground game with 40 yards. Quarterback Colton Parrott was 10- of-20 for 127 yards and a touchdown and also added 32 rushing yards on 15 carries. The Elizabethton quarterback threw three touchdowns and finished with 194 yards.
“Offensively, they showed us some things that we hadn’t see on film,” Grainger head coach Michael Manis said. “We felt that if they were doing that, we had done some good things on defense to make them go to their second and third plays.”
The game was the final home game of the season for Grainger and they said goodbye to 15 seniors: Jacoby Akens, Caleb Arnwine, Blake Bishop, Ty Bishop, Preston Brooks, Garrett Brown, William Bull, Aiden Dalton, Luke Davis, Jacob Day, Lucas Linclon, Linx Moore, Eli Morgan, Garrett Patterson and Gage Wyatt.
“This is a good group with great leadership,” Manis said of his senior class. “Our guys show up every day and do the right thing. They are great locker room guys and I love them to death, they are just an awesome group of kids. We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football for us. Luke Davis is a four-year starter, Preston Brooks is a three-year starter, we just have a lot of kids who have taken a lot of snaps for us and played valuable snaps. That’s what will be missed the most.”
The Grizzlies were able to get into the end zone in the second quarter when Gage Wyatt caught a seven-yard pass from Parrott. Elizabethton scored right before halftime to make it 35-6 at the break.
Elizabethton added two more touchdowns to earn the 49-6 victory.
Grainger will travel to Erwin this week for a non-conference game against Unicoi County High School.
