ADAMS Coming into week two of the high school football season, East Robertson and Jo Byrns seemed to be headed in different directions.
Mikey Chennault splits a pair of defenders Friday night in Jo Byrns 28-11.
Once the rivalry game was over, it seemed the two had traded places as the Red Devils handed the Indians their 14th straight loss in the series after a 28-11 victory.
Mikey Chennault kept up his furious pace on the ground for Jo Byrns (1-1), gaining 104 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown to bring his season total to 310 yards of offense on the ground with a pair of touchdowns in just two weeks.
East Robertson (1-1) was again led by freshman quarterback Cameron Swift, who finished the night with 128 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown and was 10-of-16 for 127 yards through the air.
“Cameron is the man,” East Robertson coach Chad Broadrick said. “To do what he’s doing as a freshman is incredible, but to be as calm and collected as he’s shown two weeks in a row at this level is something that I’m very proud of.”
Here’s five things that stuck out.
1 – To quote East Robertson coach Chad Broadrick, “Cameron is the man.” Two weeks in a row freshman quarterback Cameron Swift has accounted for over 250 yards of offense and has thrown for a pair of touchdowns and has run for another. Swift is the perfect example of a dual quarterback. When East Robertson turned him loose on the ground , the Indians offense immediately responded and followed his lead in the second half. Swift may be a freshman on paper, but he plays liked a seasoned veteran on the field. Needless to say, the Indians have found their quarterback.
2 – Jo Byrns three-headed rushing attack may be one of the best in the state, at any level. Senior Mikey Chennault the leader of this attack, and while his rushing attack gets all the attention, he’s also a fullback for the other two runners and clears the way. For a player that leads the Red Devils in rushing, it’s hard to believe that he’s unselfish enough to take a back seat and go in as a blocking back on other plays. Fellow senior Sammy Earheart and sophomore Eric Herring round out the rushing attack for Jo Byrns. Friday night Earheart finished with 59 yards with a touchdown, and Herring had 76 yards, almost all of those yards coming late helping the Red Devils ice the victory.
3 – The Jo Byrns defense bent, but only broke once. East Robertson was inside the red zone, or the Jo Byrns 20 yard line, five times Friday night and only gave up one touchdown and a field goal. Why is this so remarkable? Largely because most of the Red Devils are forced to play both ways because of depth issues.
4 – Turnovers played a huge part in the outcome. Jo Byrns coach Tom Adkins told his team before the game that the team that was able to execute and not turn the ball over would win Friday night’s game. He was right because East Robertson had two fumbles, both inside the 20, and the Red Devils didn’t have a fumble all night.
5 – The dreaded streak is still alive and well. The last time East Robertson beat Jo Byrns was in 1999, so the Indians haven’t beaten the Red Devils this century. There have been some close games in the 14-game win streaks, but now the streak has taken on a life of its own. Jo Byrns players don’t want to be the one that lost the streak, and East Robertson wants nothing more than to get that monkey off their back. Broadrick has the Indians headed in the right direction, so it may just be a matter of time before that streak falls too.
Other area scores
Gallatin 35, Springfield 28
White House Heritage 22, Nashville Christian 21
Greenbrier 41, Portland 21