If the length of a football field were 80 yards, Sand Rock might very well have a 1-0 record right now.

Last Friday at Russell Jacoway Stadium, the Cedar Bluff defense neither bent nor broke when the hosts ventured inside the Tiger red zone.

Four times the Rockers made it inside the Cedar Bluff 20-yard line, and four times the Bluff defenders sent the ‘Cats away empty-handed.

Mix in a few big plays from the Tiger offense, and Cedar Bluff left Lookout Mountain with a 14-0 win and 365 days worth of bragging rights in and around the county.

Both Tiger scores came in the second half courtesy of Jeremy Bryant, as the junior halfback reeled off touchdown runs of 80 and 38 yards to provide the Tiger faithful a pleasant drive back to the shores of Weiss Lake.

The Wildcat defense put in a good effort by forcing four Tiger punts, holding on two fourth down conversion attempts, recovering a fumble and making an interception, but Bryant’s two scoring runs spoiled said performance.

Cedar Bluff head coach Steve Smith gave special praise to a defensive unit that pitched the Tigers’ first shutout since a 34-0 win over Collinsville in the Tigers’ sixth game last year.

“For all the publicity that our offense gets, this was probably our best defensive performance since the ’97 season.

“The defense played unreal tonight. [Assistant] Coaches [Patrick] Walker, [Jonathan] McWhorter, [Dennis] Welchel, [Shane] McFry and [Mark] Mitchell and everyone who played defense tonight did a great job.

“It was just a wonderful defensive effort, and the offense scratched out a few touchdowns and did enough to win the game. This is one of the toughest places to play at and come out with a win, and I’m very proud of the team for coming in here and getting the job done.”

Smith pointed out that the coaching staff’s decision to install a new goal line defense earlier in the week was a key factor.

“Our kids did a great job of picking it up. We expected some spread [offense], but Sand Rock has a good power backfield in [Josh Pearson] and [Rustin Kruckenberg]. Sand Rock is a good team, and they’ll win some ball games this season.”

“We had a lot of yards offensively, but we just couldn’t [convert] when we had the opportunity,” said Sand Rock head coach Russell Jacoway. “Other than [Bryant’s] two long runs, I thought that we contained them pretty well.

“I also thought that we would be good in the red zone defense, and I really don’t know what happened out there tonight. I think that we’ll be good this year, but it looks as if Josh Stimpson will be out for a while [after suffering a concussion], and that’s a big loss for us.”

Bryant ended up with 138 yards on 10 carries while catching three passes for 35 yards.

Matt Wilson completed 3-of-3 passes for 35 yards and rushed 10 times for 62 yards.

Josh Hampton had 15 tackles, followed by Derrick Chesnut with 11, Rodney Guins with 10, Bryant with nine, Scott Rice and Terry Henderson with eight each, Cruz Butts with seven and Jo Jo Morgan with six.

Wilson and Scott Rice each came up with an interception, while Jonathan Chersnut, Butts, Henderson and Jonathan Kendrick each recorded a sack.

For Sand Rock, Kruckenberg gained 67 yards on 13 rushes, while Stimpson had 42 yards on 16 carries.

Brian Beck completed 11-of-22 passes for 116 yards.

Jordy Fleming had five receptions for 72 yards, while Chris Weaver caught three passes for 19 yards and Stimpson two for six.

Ben Parker totaled seven tackles, followed by Stimpson, Brandon Duncan, Jessie Parker and Coy Griffin with six each.

Neither defense surrendered much red zone territory during the first 24 minutes.

Both Sand Rock’s four-minute, 11-play opening drive and the ‘Cats’ second series each ended with a failed fourth down conversion attempt, while the Tigers’ were forced to punt on their sole possession.

After the Wildcat defense forced another Cedar Bluff punt, the Rockers embarked on a 15-play drive that Wilson ended with his interception at the Tiger five-yard line on third and goal.

The Wildcat defense subsequently forced a third punt, which Stimpson returned 38 yards to the Tiger 3.

Stimpson’s effort went for naught, however, as two plays later Guins recovered a fumble with 20 seconds remaining in the half.

Rather than run out the clock, Cedar Bluff tried a bit of chicanery, as Terry Covington’s halfback option pass to Randy White went 50 yards to the Sand Rock 32.

Dusty Rollins’ interception on the next play ended the Tiger drive and preserved the 0-0 halftime score.

The Rocker defense forced its fifth punt on the second half’s opening possession, but the ensuing Wildcat drive ended with a failed 35-yard field goal.

The visitors erased the double doughnut score on the following play from scrimmage, as Bryant took the handoff at the Tiger 20 and scampered down the right sideline in to the end zone.

Chesnut’s extra point was good, giving Cedar Bluff a 7-0 lead at 5:32 of the third quarter.

The Tigers forced respective punt on the next two Sand Rock possessions, and with 4:32 let on the clock and the hosts driving into Tiger territory, Chesnut Cruz Butts caused a fumble and Abel Bowman recovered the ball at the Sand Rock 38.

Bryant found the end zone on the next play, and Chesnut’s extra point skipped through the up-rights for a 14-0 Bluff advantage with 4:22 left in the game.

Sand Rock’s last opportunity a few minutes later came up short when Scott Rice’s interception at the Tiger 5 all but extinguished the hosts’ comeback bid with 2:23 remaining.

Smith cautioned his team not to surf its victory wave for too long.

“I hope that the kids don’t take this game as our Super Bowl, because Appalachian is a much improved squad, and Coach Willing-ham will have his team ready for us [this Friday].