Rhea County overcame a 20-0 first-half deficit with two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the second quarter, then scored two of the final three touchdowns in the fourth to rally for a 35-33 nonregion win over visiting Anderson County on Friday night.
The difference in the game was a missed PAT in the first quarter and a failed 2-point conversion attempt later for Anderson County, while Rhea kicker Cole Ruehling made good on all five of his PATs.
Ethan Davis ran for 180 yards and a score, and Kaleb Martin accounted for 134 yards of offense, four scores and also had an interception on defense. The Eagles ran for 342 yards on 63 carries, more than doubling the Mavericks' rushing total.
After opening the season with a loss to perennial powerhouse Alcoa, Rhea County (2-1) has followed with two impressive wins by scoring five touchdowns in each game.
(READ MORE: Scores from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
East Hamilton 70, Sequoyah 0: In his season debut, Judson Kilpatrick ran for three touchdowns, Juan Bullard and Jeremiah Flemmons each had a pair of rushing touchdowns, and Kaunyae Burgan and Jackson Flemmons had a touchdown catch apiece. Mel McFarland led the defense with seven tackles and two sacks. East Hamilton (4-0), which has averaged 49 points per game, added a Kyresse Willis blocked punt returned for a touchdown.
Baylor 49, Chattanooga Christian 8: The Red Raiders jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and began the second half with the 35-point mercy rule in effect. Caleb Hampton ran for 92 yards and four scores to lead Baylor, which outgained the Chargers 417-92 in total yards.
Cooper Wick threw for 171 yards and a score, and Hugues Picard threw for 103 and a score for the Red Raiders. Trey McDonald finished with four solo tackles and two sacks, and Kyle Songer had five solos and two assists for a Baylor defense that also forced two turnovers.
Bledsoe County 49, Sweetwater 21: The Warriors finished with a balanced 289 yards rushing and 282 passing for the nonregion win. Harmon Keith accounted for all the passing yards, completing 11-of-14 passes with two touchdowns. Gunner Sweat ran for 129 yards and three scores, and Cadillac Siever finished with 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Bledsoe scored a pair of touchdowns each in the first, second and fourth quarters.
Cleveland 56, East Ridge 7: The Blue Raiders (3-1) scored on their first and second snaps in racing to a 28-0 halftime lead. Blue Raiders receiver Destun Thomas, who committed to Memphis this week, had three touchdown catches and Isaiah Davis ran for two scores.
Walker Valley 42, Carter 14: Ryan Lay threw for 300 yards and four scores and also ran for a touchdown to help the Mustangs reach 3-1. Eli Denton led the defense with 20 total tackles.
Central 40, Hixson 0: Ronye Watson connected with Donovan Smith on a 70-yard scoring strike as the Purple Pounders jumped out to a big lead and cruised to their second straight win. Central returned three fumbles for touchdowns, one each by Tyi Mosley, Leundre Hinton and Alijah Heyward.
Grace Academy 48, Christian Community 14: The Golden Eagles scored 40 points in the first quarter to improve to 5-0 in their first season of eight-man football. Senior quarterback Cooper Knecht threw for 270 yards and five scores and also led the team with 41 rushing yards. Caleb Adams had four receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns and Mason Long finished with 97 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns and led the defense with seven tackles and two interceptions.
Other area scores:
Christian Academy of Knoxville 40, Boyd Buchanan 21
Harriman 43, Sale Creek 13
McMinn Central 21, Polk County 3
Sequatchie County 22, Jackson County 0
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.