Bryson City – Coach Sherman Holt and his Maroon Devils home opener turned out to be a memorable one. For all but three minutes the Maroon Devils were in control of the game and had built a 20-7 lead. But the final 3 minutes and 50 seconds would break the hearts of the Maroon Devils and their fans. Smoky mustered two touchdowns in the closing minutes to snatch the win away from Holt and the Devils by the score of 21-20.
The Maroon Devils scored with 4 minutes and 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter, a touchdown that looked every bit like the knockout blow for the Mustangs. But Smoky responded by returning the kickoff 62 yards for their second score of the night. The extra point left the score 20-14.
Smoky Mountain forced the Maroon Devils to punt the ball, and in doing so set themselves up for one final drive. Two quick completions moved the ball to the Maroon Devil 16 yard line. From there scored with 27 seconds remaining and took the lead on the extra point.
For the Maroon Devils the final three minutes of the game were heartbreaking, as they had put in a solid, if not great, game until that point.
Swain was dominate on the ground, pounding out 273 yards on 50 carries. All three of the Maroon Devils starting backfield rushed for more yardage than the Mustangs. Quarterback Reece Winchester led Swain with 88 yards on 14 carries, while Josh Collins finished with 82 yards on 21 carries and Gabe Lillard had 68 yards on 11 carries. Winchester, Collins and Josiah Glaspie scored rushing touchdowns for Swain.
The Maroon Devils (1-1) will return to the road this week as they travel to Franklin.