ELIZABETHTON – One year ago, the Hampton community saw its world turned upside down when Hurricane Helene swept through Upper East Tennessee and North Carolina. The storm forced the Bulldogs to relocate their home games to Happy Valley.
On Friday night, however, the current Hampton squad carried on a familiar tradition—pounding the ball on the ground, a trademark of longtime coach J.C. Campbell—on their way to a 46-6 win over North Greene.
“We did not play well,” admitted Huskies head coach Eric Tilson. “We ran into a really powerful running team and we were not prepared—and that’s on me.”
Hampton, ranked No. 8 in Class 1A, wasted no time. The Bulldogs marched 73 yards on six plays to open the game, capped by a 19-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Belcher. A successful two-point try made it 8-0 with 9:29 left in the first quarter.
North Greene looked poised to answer after recovering an onside kick. The Huskies drove to the Hampton six-yard line behind the running of Thomas Darnell and Leon Johnson. On second down, Brayden Weems appeared to score, but a holding penalty erased the touchdown. Another flag pushed them back, and two incompletions later, the drive ended on downs.
The Bulldogs responded with another score. Starting at their own 17-yard line, Hampton leaned on its deep stable of backs. Fullback Jayden Kuhn, honored before the game as Hampton’s Scholar-Athlete of the Week, barreled in from six yards out to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter.
North Greene again moved the ball into Hampton territory, but on third-and-12, Darnell’s pass was intercepted by Connor McKinney, the first of his three picks on the night. Belcher wasted no time, breaking free up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown to push the lead to 22-0.
McKinney struck again with another interception, and Hampton’s offense kept rolling. Sage Milhorn capped a 57-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown run, stretching the margin to 30-0 at halftime. The Bulldogs piled up 414 rushing yards in the first half alone and ended the game with 541, accounting for all of their offense. The Huskies, however finished with 303 yards of total offense, 213 in the air and 90 on the ground.
Both teams traded interceptions to start the third quarter before North Greene finally broke through. With the clock running continuously, Darnell (who was North Greene’s Scholar Athlete recipient) connected with Brandon Weems on a 54-yard touchdown strike, cutting the deficit to 30-6.
Tilson was proud of his team’s response. “As adults, we know what it’s like to go through hard times,” he said. “For kids to face adversity and fight back shows growth as they mature into young men.”
Hampton, however, closed the door with two more scores. Belcher notched his third touchdown of the night late in the third quarter, and Kuhn added his second from four yards out with 2:29 left to seal the 46-6 victory.
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-0 Region) now sit atop the standings and will face Cosby next week. The Huskies (3-3, 2-1 Region) travel to Jellico, with Tilson emphasizing the road ahead: “There is still time for us to watch film, learn, and regroup as we move to the next opponent.”
North Greene suffered a 46-6 loss to Hampton in Elizabethton on Friday night in a big-time game of Region 1-1A foes. Hear what Coach Eric Tilson’s thoughts were post game. pic.twitter.com/9tBTg65yvI
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) September 27, 2025
