Hounded

By: Greg Bird

The Raiders suffered their second District loss in as many weeks Thursday night, falling to the Corbin Redhounds, 57-6.

The game was the last home contest for McCreary on the season, and the team honored their graduating seniors in a ceremony before the game, but the heightened emotions weren’t enough to propel the Raiders to victory.

The Raiders managed to gain only 148 yards of total offense against Corbin, while the Redhounds nearly tripled the output with 413-total yards in the game.

McCreary took the opening kickoff, but were forced to punt after three plays where they only gained 1 yard.

The Redhounds returned the punt to their own 30, and ran it in on the first play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead after only 1:09 ran off the clock.

Corbin would add two more scores before the end of the quarter, taking over when the Raiders twice failed to convert on fourth down.

McCreary finished up the first period on a productive drive, crossing mid-field for the first time on the night, but the drive stalled at the Redhound 46 after another failed fourth down conversion.

Corbin would take a 28-0 lead after their next possession, putting McCreary in a deep hole.

Starting their drive at the 36 following the Corbin score, McCreary would finally break through, getting two big pass receptions from Senior James Gregory.

On third and 9, quarterback Ryan Jones connected with Gregory for a 26-yard gain, putting the Raiders in scoring position.

After a no-gain on first down, Jones heaved up a pass near the goal line. Receiver Nate Adkins went up for the ball, along with two Corbin defenders and just managed to tip it. Gregory, who was behind the play, alertly settled under the ball and pulled it in for a touchdown, putting the Raiders on the board, 28-6.

Corbin would answer with their fifth touchdown of the half for a 29-point lead, and looked to add another before the McCreary defense came up with a big play.

McCreary would get one more chance to score when Nathan Goins intercepted a Corbin pass at the Raiders’ 3-yard line with just under a minute left in the half.

Jones would pick up 8-yards on a keeper on the first play from scrimmage, but the half ended on an interception on the next play. A Corbin defender nearly returned the pick for a final score, but he was tackled just before the goal to end the half.

With a running clock throughout the second half, McCreary would only get two possessions, one ending on a turnover on downs and the second on a fumble. Corbin would add three scores, one coming after a successful onside kick, but showed mercy in the closing minutes by opting to kneel down on the snap to run the clock out and finish the game.

Jones finished 7 of 23 in passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He added 18-yards rushing on 4 carries to lead the Raiders in that category. Hunter Bryant gained 16 yards on 8 rushes, followed by Gregory with 7 yards on 2 carries. Gregory led McCreary in receiving yards with 63 on 3 catches, followed by Goins with 56 yards on 3 catches.

The Raiders travel to Wayne County this week to take on the 2-6 Cardinals. Wayne County is coming off a 42-14 win over Casey County last week, giving them an edge for the final District playoff spot.