Blake Wright paces Swain with 107 yards and 2 touchdowns
BRYSON CITY, WNC – Friday’s game with Gatlinburg-Pittman will certainly be one that Maroon Devil fans will not soon forget. The game itself took a mind numbing three hours and 15 minutes to complete. What was sandwiched into those three hours was two entirely different games. In one game the Maroon Devil starters entirely, and completely dominated Gatlinburg-Pittman. In the other Pittman’s starters completely dominated the Maroon Devil reserves. The result was a mind boggling 82 combined points.
Swain walked away with a 48-34 win. The Devils raced out to 42-0 halftime advantage over their visitors from Tennessee. Coach Neil Blankenship and his staff lined up their reserves for the second half, with the starting offense and defense playing the first series of the second half.
Pittman scored 10 points in the third to cut the advantage to 42-10 heading into the final quarter. With Swain’s reserves running out of gas the Highlanders scored two more times to open the fourth quarter. With the score 42-26 and Pittman having their way with the reserves, the Highlanders suddenly found themselves back in a game that most had felt was over.
Blankenship opted to put his starters back in the game. The Devils promptly stopped Pittman’s next drive. Then with just under three minutes to play the Devils first team put up another touchdown on a Blake Wright run to finally put the game out of reach.
Pittman put up 34 points and gained over 300 yards of total offense, most all of which came against Swain reserves.
For Swain Blake Wright rushed for a career high 107 yards on 8 carries. Garrett Lane finished with 91 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Sean Webb added a rushing touchdown as well.
Raymius Smith, in only his third game as a Maroon Devil, threw for the eighth highest passing total in school history. Smith finished by going 6-7 for 254 yards and a touchdown, and all of that in one half plus one series in the second half. Smith also added a rushing touchdown.
Matthew Maennle was on the receiving end of three of those passes. Maennle’s 3 catches went for 153 yards and a touchdown. Greg Tisho had 2 catches for 77 yards.
With the win the Devils turn their attention to another non-conference matchup this Friday as they host Franklin. Last season the Panthers were the only team to defeat the Devils. Since that loss the Devils have reeled off 15 straight wins. The Maroon Devils last home loss came to Robbinsville in 2010, leaving the Devils with an 11 game home winning streak.
Kickoff will be at 7:30, with a large crowd expected.