Friday night’s game was expected to be a hotly contested football game between two solid teams from different classifications and in the end, that was exactly how the contest played out.

Elizabethton busted out to an early 28-6 lead with 5:22 left in the first half and then had to battle tooth and nail down the stretch to earn a tight-fisted affair by a 35-21 score.

Cyclone defender Tyson Vance got the EHS faithful on their feet early as Vance stepped in front of Boone quarterback Noah Shelton’s pass on the game’s first drive and carried the ball to the 2-yard line.

From there, it took Cyclone defensive end Cameron Coleman two touches to plow into the end zone for the first score. Kade Hensley placed the point-after attempt straight down the middle and the Cyclones led 7-0.

‘Betsy added another score in the quarter when quarterback Carter Everett found Evan Perkins on an 18-yard scoring toss to make it 14-0 after Hensley’s PAT.

The Cyclones were back at it to open the second quarter as Everett connected with Ryan Wetzel on a 2-yard pass to quickly make it 21-0 with Hensley’s PAT.

It could have been much worse for Boone had Corey Russell’s 80-yard punt return stood, but a flag called the score back.

Boone finally got on the board on a Charlie Cole 59-yard romp with 6:07 left before the half. The point-after failed leaving the score at 21-6.

Elizabethton responded using only two plays as Everett found Wetzel once again for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Hensley was true and the scoreboard read 28-6.

Boone rolled momentum back to their side just before the half as Shelton found C.J. Carter for an 11-yard scoring pass and converted the 2-point conversion making it 28-14 at the break.

Boone put the pressure on the Cyclones in the third period when Shelton dove over the goal line with 5:02 showing in the third period. Cade Gray booted the PAT making it a seven-point game at 28-21.

It was a defensive struggle from that point until the Cyclones got the breathing room it needed with 33 seconds remaining in the game as Russell took off on a 38-yard run that sealed the deal.

Hensley stayed perfect on the night when he blasted the point-after to give the game it’s final result of 35-21.

Check Tuesday’s Gridiron Weekly for more on the Elizabethton and Daniel Boone contest.