By: Adam Freeman
The Tucker County Mt. Lions were finally able to open post-season play after a weeklong delay due to statewide injunctions followed by inclement weather. The contest was slated for a Friday night kickoff once the rulings were finalized, but due to blizzard like conditions in the county, the game was pushed back to Sunday, November 24th at 2:00 p.m. The #2 ranked Mt. Lions played host to their conference rivals, the #15 ranked East Hardy Cougars. The game started at a snail’s pace due to the muddy conditions with Tucker eventually finding the end zone late in first quarter, on a Jared Reall touchdown run, set up by a 56-yard pass from Sam Marks to Reid Kisamore. The two-point play was unsuccessful, and the score was 6-0. The Tucker defense would force a punt on the following possession. Kisamore would make a couple defenders miss and getting key blocks, would spring him for a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. Reall would punch in the two-point conversion and Tucker was on top 14-0 in the second quarter. East Hardy would mount a lengthy drive and get inside the Tucker 5-yard line, but the defense would stand tall, and the Wilfong-Reall combo would make an impressive stop to prevent the score before the break. Tucker would take the lead to the half at 14-0. The Mt. Lions would start the half on offense but would be forced to punt the ball away. The Cougars would fare no better and kick the ball back to Tucker. This time the Mt. Lions would put together a drive that included a 33-yard completion from Marks to Lucas Barb. The drive was capped off with a 4-yard touchdown plunge by Marks and the two-point try was good by Reall, making the score 22-0. Tucker’s defense would continue to keep the Cougars scoreless on the night and their offense would strike with a big play of 71 yards on a touchdown pass from Marks to Kisamore. Garrett Wilfong would trot into the end zone for the two-point conversion putting Tucker ahead 30-0. This is when things would get interesting for East Hardy, as the first of two players were ejected for multiple unsportsmanlike penalties. The Cougars were penalized 11 times for 149 yards on the night. The final remained at 30-0 for the contest. Tucker would put together 329 yards of offense in the game while East Hardy was held to 232 yards of total offense. Tucker’s Sam Marks was 7 of 13 passing for 209 yards and 1 touchdown, and 1 more on the ground. Reall led the Mt. Lions in rushing as he had 28 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. Reid Kisamore had a big game with 3 catches for 136 yards for a touchdown and 1 punt return for a touchdown. Tucker was led on defense by Garrett Wilfong and Jared Reall who both notched 10 tackles each. The Mt. Lions will play host again this weekend to a familiar opponent in the Pendleton County Wildcats who will come to town for a regular season rematch. Tucker defeated Pendleton in week six of the regular season, 38-13. This week’s matchup will be Saturday, November 30, 2024, with a kickoff set for 1:30 p.m.