BLUFF CITY – The Chuckey-Doak Black Knights handled business in Bluff City on Friday night and carried out a 38-21 win over Sullivan East to become 2-0 on the year.
It wasn’t a fast start and Black Knights head coach Billy Kaylor would be the first to tell you that. The Patriots drove down and scored on their first possession and Chuckey-Doak stalled in the red zone and turned it over on downs. A fortunate mishap from Sullivan East led to a scoop-and-score for Chuckey-Doak and it was all gas, no breaks from there on out.
“That big defensive play, that strip and return for a touchdown, really got us going and then from there we turned on the gas. Really, really proud with how physical we were up front particularly on the offensive side,” Kaylor expressed.
Dom Atchison was held in check last week against North Greene, but rebounded this week to deliver a touchdown on both offense and defense and sparked life into Chuckey-Doak. His vocal leadership on defense and explosiveness on offense helped lead the Knights to a win.
Chuckey-Doak improved to 2-0 with the win and is hungry for more after stringing together its first set of back-to-back wins since September 2023.
The game’s scoring began with an 18-yard passing touchdown by Sullivan East. The Patriots led 7-0 after the PAT.
Atchison led Chuckey-Doak down the field with a big kickoff return past midfield and a 21-yard catch to set up in the red zone, but they failed to convert when it mattered most and turned the ball over after an unsuccessful 4th-down play.
Braxton Lowe made a leaping 28-yard grab to set up inside the 10-yard line. Marcus Britt rushed into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown on the next play to send Chuckey-Doak in front 13-7.
Chuckey-Doak ended the first half with a long and methodical 79-yard, 15-play, 6-minute & 35-second drive. Brayden Greene provided a nine-yard touchdown run next. The Black Knights led 19-7 at halftime.
The Knights received the second-half kickoff and immediately went to work and capped off a 77-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown from Kiptyn Ball to Skylar Davis. The sophomore receiver high pointed a pass over his defender and snagged it out of the air for six. Chuckey-Doka led 25-7 with 8:33 to go in the third.
“He has grown so much as a player. So much more physical, so much more aggressive, so much more coachable. I’m super proud of that young man. The best part about that one is we’ve got two more years with him,” Coach Kaylor said.
One of the most pivotal possessions ended in a goal line stand for the Black Knights. A 43-yard passing play ended at the 2-yard line with Dominic Hahnlen making the crucial tackle. They bent and certainly did not break with Gustavo Alvarez wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage. His touchdown saving tackles on 1st and 2nd down saved the defense from allowing six. Hahnlen and Braxton Lowe got to the quarterback in the backfield on 4th down and forced a turnover on downs.
“Man, Gus is a great player. The best thing with Gus is we get three more years with him because he’s a freshman and a heck of a player. Super coachable and very respectful. Smart kid, extremely strong, athletic. He’s got all the tools,” Kaylor mentioned.
That pivotal stand led to an explosive touchdown moments later. Kiptyn Ball uncorked a bomb to Dom Atchison that resulted in an 82-yard touchdown once Atchison won the foot race to the end zone. The PAT by Hahnlen made the score 32-7.
The Patriots scored a touchdown on their next possession to trim their deficit to 32-15.
Chuckey-Doak milked the clock and put the game out of reach with a short two-yard touchdown from Brayden Greene. Sullivan East scored one more time on 4th down with 2:38 left.
The Black Knights left Bluff City happy with a 38-21 win over Sullivan East on Friday night to become 2-0. Chuckey-Doak travels to The Range in Mosheim for an in-county class with the West Greene Buffaloes.
The game will be next week’s Bachman Bernard GSZ Game of the Week Presented by Tommie’s Plumbing.
