Cedar Bluff too tough for Tigers

The Randolph County Tigers finished their season with a disappointing 48-14 loss to 1A power Cedar Bluff Thursday night in Wedowee.

The Tigers had trouble slowing down a prolific offensive attack that saw Cedar Bluff rack up 437 total yards. Randolph County managed only 226 yards on the night.

“We showed our lack of experience in the secondary,” Randolph County head coach Rick Coleman said. “We weren’t able to get a pass rush going either.”

Cedar Bluff was 19-of-23 passing for 282 yards, and they pieced together 155 yards on the ground as well. Randolph County had success rushing with 218 yards on 36 attempts, but with starting quarterback Drew Benefield sidelined due to injury, the passing game suffered a bit.

“Offensively, Drew got injured and that hurt somewhat,” Coleman said. “Casey (Carpenter) came in and ran the ball well and managed the game for us.”

Cedar Bluff’s first score came on a 7-yard run with 3:56 left in the first quarter. The point after gave them a 7-0 advantage.

After getting the ball right back, Cedar Bluff put up another score on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:20 left in the first quarter. The point after made it 14-0.

Randolph County got on the board with 0:42 left in the first quarter when Colton Lovvorn dashed 15 yards for a touchdown. The point after was good, making the score 14-7.

Cedar Bluff continued to move the ball and scored on a 9-yard pass with 5:14 left in the second quarter. The extra point gave them a 21-7 advantage.

Then with 1:46 left in the second quarter, Cedar Bluff crossed the goal line again on a 1-yard run, and with the extra point, led the Tigers 28-7.

Randolph County closed the gap with 0:12 left in the second quarter when Dwayne Childs ran 15-yards for a touchdown. The point after made the halftime score 28-14.

Randolph County was unable to muster much offense in the second half, while Cedar Bluff continued to advance the chains.

Cedar Bluff scored on an 11-yard pass with 9:46 left in the third quarter. The point-after gave them a 35-14 lead.

Then with 9:16 left in the third quarter, Cedar Bluff took advantage of a Randolph County turnover with a 2-yard touchdown run. The point after was no good, but Cedar Bluff held a commanding 41-14 lead.

Cedar Bluff put one more on the board in the fourth quarter to make the final 48-14, but it was merely style points for the 7-3 Cedar Bluff team.

The loss was a heartbreaker to end a disappointing 3-7 campaign for the Randolph County Tigers. The Tigers also missed out on the playoffs for the third straight year.

Coleman said that while there were some bright spots for the Tigers this season, overall, it was not what Randolph County had hoped for.

“It was disappointing because we expected to win a few more,” Coleman said. “We have to get tougher—mentally and physically.”

Coleman said that starts with returning experience and working in the weight room this off-season. The Tigers will lose seven senior players to graduation after this year.

“We’ve got a lot more experience now because of how many of our young kids had to step up and play,” Coleman said. “We’re going to work on getting bigger and stronger.”