Station Camp gives Mt. Juliet scare

By JARED FELKINS

Director of Content

MT. JULIET — Mt. Juliet’s defense held off a sustaining attack in the final seconds from Station Camp on Friday night to take a 21-14 win in District 9-AAA play.

Down by a touchdown with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Station Camp (4-4, 2-3) let a Mt. Juliet (6-1, 4-1) punt roll dead at its own 46-yard line. The Bison then put together a nine-play drive that resulted in the visitors facing fourth and goal at the Bears’ 2 with 44 seconds left.

On the next play, Station Camp fumbled, and Mt. Juliet’s Cody Carr jumped on the ball to give the Bears possession and the win.

“Our defense again stepped up,” said Mt. Juliet coach Roger Perry. “We made some bonehead mistakes that kept Station Camp in the game.”

As well as the fourth ended for the Bears, it started on a sour note. Facing fourth and 4, Mt. Juliet tried what appeared to be a fake punt. The play gained three yards, giving the Bison possession on the Mt. Juliet 42.

“The thing that changed the complex of the game was the punter running the ball,” Perry said. “That wasn’t a fake punt. Our defense really had to step up then.”

Six plays later, Station Camp cut the Bears’ lead to 21-14 on a Nick Reiniger 12-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth.

It was Station Camp that took the early lead in the game after the Bison capitalized on a Mt. Juliet fumble on the first play of the game at the Bears’ 21. Four plays later, Jaquel Fitts scored from 5 yards out to give Station Camp an early 7-0 lead.

But it didn’t last long.

Following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, Mt. Juliet’s Contrez McCathern took the drive’s first handoff and raced 80 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

Following a Station Camp three and out late in the first, Mt. Juliet extended its lead to 14-7 on a 25-yard TD run by McCathern.

Midway through the second, Mt. Juliet tried a fake punt, and it worked. Facing fourth and 4 near midfield, a direct snap to upback Caleb Hopkins resulted in a first down at the Bison 25-yard line. Four plays later, Austin Chaplin scored from 3 yards out to extend the Bears’ lead to 21-7.

Despite the win, Perry said his team must improve in some key areas.

“We’ve got to execute better offensively and not have the penalties we’ve had,” he said.

Despite a rather lackluster display of offense from the Bears, McCathern finished the night rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

While the rest of the district takes next week off, Mt. Juliet will host Cookeville in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Friday.