‘Hounds fall hard

Corbin’s tough start to the season got a little rougher last week in its trip to Log Mountain as the Redhounds gave up 450 rushing yards and fell to Bell County 41-13.
Corbin Head Coach Steve Jewell wants to see his team become more comfortable and believe in themselves.
“They’ve got to learn to play not so big eyed and believe in themselves,” said Jewell. “Right now, I often wonder if they actual believe that they can beat a team when they’re in an underdog situation.”
Bell County’s rushing attack proved to be way too strong for Corbin. It was sophomore running back T.R. Christopher leading the way for the Bobcats carrying the ball 20 times for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bobcats opened the scoring on their second possession after stalling a Corbin threat. On the first play of the drive, Christopher broke loose for his first touchdown run of the night going 72 yards for the score. The kick was good and Bell County led 7-0 with 9:02 left in the opening frame.
After the early touchdown both teams’ defenses settled in and kept one another from finding pay dirt for the rest of the quarter. However, Bell County took control of the ball as the second quarter started and went to work again. They relied on their great running game and pounded the ball down the field. It was Christopher and Jeff Howard knocking off big gains. Then, on the seventh play of the series, Howard plunged into the end zone from 3 yards out to extend the Bobcat lead to 14-0 after the kick.
Corbin’s next series ended when Justin Dozier made a diving interception to regain possession for Bell County. With all the momentum on their side and the ball back in their hands,, the Bobcats knew what to do. After missing on a couple of pass attempts and having to use their ground game to move down the field, the Bobcats finally connected on a pass. It was quarterback Ryan Whitaker finding Brent Slusher open for a 24 yard touchdown pass. The pass and kick gave Bell County a commanding 2 1 -0 lead with 4:18 remaining in the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Redhounds received a big play from Eric Blackwood. The senior used his quickness to slice and dice his way to the Bobcat twenty two yard line. Five plays later Clint Cashen found tight end Lucas Henson who leaped into the end zone for a 7 yard touchdown with 2:42 remaining in the half. Chance Hendrickson tacked on the point after and Corbin trailed 21-7, which stood to be their half-time deficit.
The second half turned out to be a nightmare for the Redhounds. After hanging in with the favored Bobcats in the first half, the game quickly got out of hand. Bell County began to pull away as they scored on the first possession of the half. It was Christopher again providing the fireworks for the home fans. He rumbled 55 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the half and extended the lead to 28-7.
Corbin’s troubles continued when they took control of the ball. On the drive’s fourth play, Cashen fumbled when he was hit in the backfield and Jeff Howard quickly played “Johnny on the Spot” for Bell County recovering the fumble.
Bell County then proceeded to put together a solid drive. Keeping the ball on the ground for all seven plays, the Bobcats found pay dirt again. Christopher plowed his way into the end zone for the touchdown from seven yards out to make it 35-7 with 3:36 to go in the third quarter. The long run gave the Bobcats a big enough cushion to ride to victory.
Bell County added one final score midway through the fourth quarter when Spencer Greer went in for the score from one yard out. However, the point after kick was blocked. Corbin countered with a late score of their own when Blake Freeman broke loose for a 70 yard touchdown run. The Redhounds’ kick was also blocked making the score 41-13, which proved to be the final score after Bell County ran out the clock and sent Corbin to its fifth loss of the season.
Corbin Head Coach Steve Jewell wants his team to keep fighting in the midst of their slow start.
“They’ve got to keep plugging away,” said Jewell. “I hope they feel as badly about being 0-5 as myself and the coaching staff does maybe we can use that to fuel us and get a little bit of hunger.”
The Redhounds will return home this week in hopes of notching their first win as they will face the Pulaski County Maroons. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Bell County 41, Corbin 13
Corbin 0 7 0 6-13
Bell Co. 7 14 14 6-41
First Quarter
BC – T.R. Christopher 72 yard run (Justin Dozier kick) 9:03
Second Quarter
BC – Jeff Howard 3 yard run (Dozier kick) 8:13
BC – Brent Slusher 24 yard pass from Ryan Whitaker (kick good) 4:18
C – Lucas Henson, 7 pass from Clint Cashen (Chance Hendrickson kick)
Third Quarter
BC – Christopher, 55 run (Dozier kick)
BC – Christopher, 7 run (Dozier kick)
Fourth Quarter
BC – Spencer Greer, 1 run (kick blocked)
C- Blake Freeman, 70 run (kick blocked)