Signal's Eagles storm past Chargers, 49-14

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

The Signal Mountain football team's defense was a step behind early, but a juggernaut running game gave the Eagles time to catch up.

The Eagles scored on their first four possessions and amassed 430 yards on the ground on their way to a 49-14 District 7-AA win Friday night at Chattanooga Christian.

The Chargers looked to be a pesky opponent early, scoring on Zach Mercer passes covering 53 and 75 yards, but the Eagles had an answer to both and knotted the score at 14 with a 10-yard run from Nathan Johnson.

"We didn't play well early," said Signal Mountain coach Bill Price. "We have a starting safety out, but the defense stepped up after the first quarter."

Once the defense was settled in, Signal kept on marching downfield on a night the U.S. Armed Forces were celebrated. The Eagles scored three times in the second quarter to pull away.

Johnson broke a 50-yard run and quarterback Jack Teter lofted a touchdown pass into the end zone with just 11 seconds to play in the second quarter to give Signal Mountain a 28-7 lead.

The Eagles were without standout running back Skye Wilson, but eight of his teammates stepped in to take the load, including Johnson and Kaleb Menzel, who each topped the 100-yard mark.

"I think we really took control in the second half," Price said. "We have a good offensive line and a lot of good kids. We ran a lot of backs tonight."

The Chargers could not find an answer.

"I think we got a little one-dimensional," first-year CCS coach Rob Spence said. "We weren't able to run the ball and keep a good tempo, which took us out of our rhythm in the passing game."

Mercer still finished with 230 yards through the air, completing 14 of his 28 passes. However, the CCS offense had three turnovers in the second half after a spotless first half. Brandon Mason accounted for the bulk of his team's rushing yards with 61 on 14 carries.

Teter was accurate himself, going 6-for-10 for 96 yards. Christopher Moore and Tadarrius Hodge each ran for a touchdown and Teter threw for another in the second half to cap the Eagles' scoring.

Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.

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