Yellowjackets fly into hornets' nest
Alto stings 2A playoff powerhouse Hemphill 43-30
ROBIN BEST

The Jacket offensive line prepares to face a tough Hemphill defense. Hemphill gave Alto a scare, taking a 16-7 lead in the second quarter. The Jackets recovered and went on to win 43-30. PHOTO: LEANN JONES

From the opening series, the Alto Yellowjackets knew they were in for a fight Friday night.

But with concrete determination and some championship level competition, the Yellowjackets escaped the victor 43-30 against the 2A powerhouse Hemphill Hornets.

"It really was a playoff atmosphere," said Alto head football Coach Keith Gardner. "I mean, the players were into it, the fans were into it. Both stands were packed and it was really exciting to see how much the fans were into the game. It was a great game. It was a battle, but we won."

Alto held Hemphill on their opening drive.

Even with speed and persistence, Alto narrowly escaped giving the ball up on the home team's first possession.

Alto had a 4th and forever on the Hornet's 25-yard line, having been backed up by three consecutive five-yard illegal procedure penalties.

ROBIN BEST

With 5:38 left in the first quarter, Alto struck paydirt first, when quarterback Tarlandus Mitchell (senior, No. 2) lofted a 25-yard strike to wide receiver Kevin Blakemore.

Dere Mumphrey split the uprights with the PAT and the Jackets lead 7-0.

"They came to play ball," Coach Gardner said. "Hemphill has tremendous talent. Those kids play hard.

"They were prepared, ready to play and well-coached," he added.

Not to be outdone, Hemphill brandished some bruising offense, with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Luke Hall to Adam Wright.

Without a dependable kicker, the Hornets relied on 2- point conversions throughout the night, capitalizing on their initial attempt and with 52 seconds left in the opening quarter, Hemphill led 8-7.

"I have to say it was a great atmosphere on both sides," said Hemphill head football Coach Tommy Hall. "I think turnovers were the big key. You eliminate turnovers and it could be the other side on the scoreboard."

Hemphill was not happy to see their team repeatedly turn over the ball.

"I think it was a good game. I think our teams are pretty equal," Coach Hall said. "If they had had four turnovers and we had had one it would have been a different score."

Hemphill found the end zone again in the second quarter, when Hornet rushing leader Rhett Smith dashed 23 yards for a touchdown.

A second successful 2-point conversion and the Hornets led 16-7 with 7:18 left in the first half.

With 3:35 left in the second quarter, running back Marcuse "PeeWee" Gasaway zipped 18 yards for the first of four touchdowns for the night.

An Alto 2-point conversion failed and Alto trailed 16-13.

Alto fans began to worry when Hemphill drove successfully down deep in Alto territory.

That was before Jacket defensive back Devon Patton snatched the ball right out of the hands of Hall and dashed to the Hornet 49 before he was dragged down by a swarm of angry hornets.

Hemphill held fast, but with 11 seconds left in the second quarter, Gasaway danced into the endzone for the score. Mitchell converted for two points and Alto held their heads up high and the lead, 21-16 at halftime.

"We lost one of our all-state linebackers in the first quarter, Clayton Scott," Coach Gardner said. "But, being able to play a lot of players the first two games, that helped, because when Clayton went out, they were able to come in and play well."

Hemphill took the lead 22- 21 in the third quarter on a 62- yard touchdown by Smith.

Gasaway ran 31 yards for his third score with 54 seconds in the third, and Alto led 29-22.

One minute into the third, Smith ran it in for another TD, this one for 71 yards, and the Hornets led 30-29.

Disenchanted fans booed the officials for a no-call on the 2-point conversion, when a Hemphill player stepped onto the field just before the snap and caught the scoring pass. A flag thrown by the referee was picked up when officials concluded they "hadn't seen it."

"At one point we were down by nine points," Coach Gardner said. "Our kids were still able to maintain focus and pull the game out."

Coach Gardner noted that Gasaway "ignited" the players and the fans on the next play from the Alto 38, when he zipped 62 yards for a touchdown with 10:50 left in the fourth.

Senior defensive back Trevor Hagerty helped to nail the win for the Yellowjackets on the ensuing Hornet drive by recovering a fumble for Alto.

"Trevor Hagerty had a big hit on special teams and caused a fumble on the kickoff and helped us to get a 13 point lead for a cushion," Coach Gardner said.

Minutes later, Alto wide receiver latched onto a 27- yard pass from Mitchell for the final score of the night and Alto led 43-30.

"PeeWee (Gasaway) had four touchdowns," Coach Gardner said. " He had a great effort. His spark ignited the fire.

"All our other kids played hard," he added. "They never lost their composure, fought hard and won the game."

The Jackets have a bye Friday. Next week the Jackets will head south to Huntington to face the 3A Red Devils.

Yellowjacket Notebook

Alto's Offense Alto rushed for 392 yards on 36 carries. Passing: Tarlandus Mitchell, 10 of 18 for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions Total Yards: 580 Penalties: 18 penalties for 118 yards First downs: 22 2 fumbles, 2 recovered, 1 takeaway, intercepted one pass; (one turnover) Star rusher: Gasaway, 15 carries for 165 yards and 4 touchdowns

Hemphill's Offense Hemphill had 37 rushes for 426 yards. Passing: Luke Hall, 3 of 13 for 46 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception Total Yards: 472 Penalties: 5 for 30 yards First Downs: 30 Fumbles: 3, lost 2; threw one interception and had one ball taken away from runner (four turnovers) Star rusher: Rhett Smith, 24 carries for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns;

No. of Offensive Plays
Alto 43
Hemphill 30

Score by quarter:

graphic: Cherokeean Herald