One final tune-up… Cyclones host Union Bears for final scrimmage of preseason
Published 6:00 am Monday, August 19, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A Union Bear runner tries to elude the pressure of Cyclone linebacker Wesley Shankles.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Dalton Mitchell of Elizabethton is all over the running back from Union during Thursday's scrimmage at Citizens Bank Stadium.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclone quarterback Bryson Rollins elude the defensive end of Union on a rollout.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders LaDarian Avery of Elizabethton can't escape the claws of two Bear defenders in Thursday's scrimmage at Citizens Bank Stadium.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton running back Cameron Trimm is knocked backwards after a massive collision with two Union Bear defenders.
BY NIC MILLER
STAR CORRESPONDENT
After traveling to Clyde A. Erwin High School in Asheville, North Carolina Tuesday night the Elizabethton Cyclones were back at home on Thursday for their second scrimmage of the week.
Looking refreshed from their matchup Tuesday, Elizabethton was ready to get a little bit more action in the form of the Union, Virginia Bears to cap off the week.
Union was given the football first where they weren’t able to get anything going for the first couple of plays thanks to a strong front seven performance by Elizabethton.
Eventually, the Bears were able to break a rush open for a gain of twelve and once again for a gain of eight.
Only a few plays later, the Elizabethton defense began to find their groove following a tackle for a loss of two by Joseph Kechter and a potential TD pass breakup by freshman Cade Russell putting an end to the drive.
Now on offense, the Cyclones came out looking to strike quickly. Things didn’t look too good for ‘Betsy after going backward as a result of penalties but after the first few plays had been stalled, things changed when Cameron Trimm took the football forty yards on a carry that was immediately followed by a Cade Maupin twenty yard touchdown carry.
In a short scrimmage where the main focus was to get one last glimpse of game situations before week one of the 2019 season, things couldn’t have gone better for Elizabethton.
Receivers Parker Hughes, Zach C. Hartley, and Jake Roberts pulled in many spectacular grabs from both quarterbacks– Maupin and Bryson Rollins along with the strong running game displayed by the Cyclones.
On the other hand, things couldn’t have gotten any worse for the team from Union as they couldn’t move the ball thanks to defensive linemen Kechter, Zach A. Hartley and Trenton Taylor along with linebackers Deuce Morton, Jordan Haynes, and Remington Tyree.
With one of the biggest games of the year only a week away, Cyclone head coach Shawn Witten expanded on how his team will prepare for Science Hill.
He said, “Tonight’s pace was much slower than the one we’ll see next week, so we know the tempo is going to be picked up quite a bit. The biggest thing is that we need to get mentally prepared to go and be prepared for that up-tempo offense.”
With the first game drawing close, the Cyclones are looking as sharp as ever.
One thing is for sure– Elizabethton is going to bring the same intensity that the Cyclone faithful has seen so much of these past weeks to Science Hill in week one.
