JELLICO-The good news is the Cosby Eagles (5-0, 2-0)remained perfect with a 45-0 rout of Jellico (0-4, 0-2) Friday night atJ ellico. The bad news for opponents is that the Eagles just keep getting better in all facets of the game.

The Blue Devils found that out quickly as the Eagle nation made its way up I-75 to the Kentucky state line for their second Region1-1A game of the season. The only question was would the Eagles overlook the Blue Devils with a homecoming showdown with Chuckey-Doak just one week away. No such luck for the Blue Devils.

The Eagles dominated the Blue Devils from the get-go onboth sides of the football, special teams and the kicking game.

Get this. Cosby finished the night with 285 yards of total offense, 153 yards on the ground and 132 through the air. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, managed only 107 yards total offense, 73 of those coming on one drive late in the second quarter that ended when quarterback Nick Creekmore couldn't handle the snap on a fourth down play at the Cosby 3yard-line, and was sacked by the Eagles Danny Raines.

Cosby also dominated field position, spending the majority of the game offensively in Jellico territory.

Again, the Cosby defense was menacing, forcing numerous fumbles, but recovering only one (Nick Baxter), and getting two picks, one by Dillon Denton, and the second by Jordan Cates, who blitzed 25 yards after the interception for a touchdown.

On special teams, Robert Herzog did his thing, returning a punt 47 yards for a score, in addition to another punt return for 35 yards.And kicker Robby Whitted lived up to his Player of the Week honors from last week by booting a 30-yard field goal, and converting four of five extra point attempts.

"We took care of business early," said Eagle head coach Tyler Shelton. "We were well-prepared, and it showed. Our defense was stellar, and our special teams did another outstanding job. We were hustling and making plays."

Cosby was quick on the board. On their opening drive, the Eagles started from the Jellico 22 yard-line, and Matthew Lane was front and center with an 18-yard carry to the Jellico four, a three-yard carry to the Jellico one, and then a one-yard carry to the end zone with 9:26 remaining in the first quarter.

On the Eagles third possession, starting from the Jellico23, the drive stalled at the Jellico 13 yard-line. On comes Whitted, who split the uprights from 30 yards out, his second field goal of the season.

"Robby has pretty much done this on his own,"said coach Shelton. "He'll sneak off with J.R. (Proffitt, the long snapper) and Jordan (Cates, the holder), and work while nobody is really watching. Their work has paid off. They really look good on kicks, and Robby's leg seems to be getting stronger. We're really proud of him."

The Eagles struck again on their fourth possession when quarterback Trenten Dunn connected with Herzog on an eight-yard pass play inthe end zone to make it 17-0 with 11:54 remaining in the half.

It became 23-0 when Herzog fielded a punt at the Jellico47 and outraced the Blue Devils to the end zone.

The Eagles found pay dirt on their fifth possession when Dunn connected with Cates on a 24-yard pass play. Cates then picked up the ball on the extra point attempt, and slid through the orange pylon into the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it 31-0 at the break.

"Our offensive line has come a long way and is doing an incredible job right now," said junior tight end and defensive end Nick Baxter. They're not only making holes for our backs, they're pass defending too. We've really been able to control the line of scrimmage.

The start of the second half saw the Cosby coaching staff making wholesale substitutions. Players on the Eagle 'B' team were going to get plenty of playing time on this night, an entire half as a matter of fact. And,they certainly made their coaches proud.

"I think every kid played tonight," said coach Shelton. "We made a concerted effort to get every one of our guys into the game, and they responded. I'm proud of every one of them for an outstanding effort."

And that started from the opening kick of the second half with Cosby receiving. The Blue Devils tried a short kick, but Cosby was ready.Sophomore Jake Jenkins took the 10-yard boot in the air, and clamped it to his chest to give Cosby great field position.

But, it wasn't until the 8:05 mark of the third quarter that the Eagles struck again, this time on a Cates interception that he returned 25 yards for the score.

The Eagles finished their scoring with 7:30 left in the game. Cates, now playing quarterback, connected with senior Michael Trent in front of the Cosby bench, and the speedy Trent left numerous Blue Devils in his wake before being called out of bounds at the Jellico 21 yard-line. Not to worry,as junior Jeruas Deardorff took the hand off from Cates, and blasted into the end zone on the very next play to give Cosby the 45-0 victory.

One other play deserves mention. Dillon Denton, with an opportunity to carry the ball as a running back, took full advantage, and left both the Cosby and Jellico faithful speechless. Denton took off on a60-yard-plus run that traversed both sides of the field (he had to have ran a hundred yards on the play). Denton crisscrossed the field, pulling away from multiple tacklers, absorbing hits and staying on his feet, refusing to go downbefore four Blue Devils managed to end the run deep in Jellico territory. With the Cosby sideline whooping it up, the run ended all for naught, as the play was called back because of a Cosby penalty.

"We didn't take this game for granted," said Baxter. "These Region games are big games for us. We take it one game at a time, and use each of them as building blocks for our next one. We're pushing for our goal, and that's to be number one."

"We took another step closer to that number one tonight," said coach Shelton. "We're making progress and improving game-by-game, and that's what coaches want to see. These kids have a great work ethic; they work hard in practice each week to get themselves prepared, and they listen to the coaches. I'm liking what I see."

Trenten Dunn, through two quarters, was 3-7 for 75 yards,one touchdown and one interception. Jordan Cates, over the final two quarters,was 2-4 for 57 yards.

On the ground, Mitch Miller was 7-37, Matthew Lane 5-22and a TD, Robby Whitted 3-23 and a TD, Nick Koenig 3-32, Todd Logan 4-9, Jeruas Deardorff 1-21 and a TD, and Robert Herzog 1-9.

Receiving, Herzog was 2-46 and a TD, Cates was 2-29,Michael Trent 1-45 and Tyler James 1-12.

REGION 1-1A: In other Region 1-1A action Friday night,Hampton (3-2, 2-0) cruised past Unaka (0-5, 0-2) 34-3, while Grace Christian(4-0, 1-0) crushed Kings Academy 56-0. And, Cloudland (4-1, 0-1) took care of Tri-Cities Christian School 34-7.

UP NEXT

Cosby returns to the Eagles Nest this Friday, September26, for a homecoming showdown with Chuckey-Doak. Last year, the Eagles and Black Knights battled in a slugfest at Chuckey-Doak that the Black Knights eventually pulled out for the win. The Eagles will definitely be looking for some revenge. The Black Knights have had a tough time of it so far this season with a 1-5 record.