Green Hill erased a first-quarter deficit and pulled away in the second half to beat Cookeville 21-7 on homecoming Friday, Sept. 25, earning the Hawks' first Region 4-6A victory of the season.
Sophomore quarterback Seth Frankenfield threw a pair of long touchdown passes to break the game open. His 42-yard strike to Zilon Beard with 6:30 left in the third quarter snapped a 7-7 tie. Then a 47-yard flea-flicker to senior wide receiver Nick Gadbois with 4:57 remaining in the fourth put the game out of reach, Main Street Media reported.
The flea-flicker was a full-blown trick play. Frankenfield handed off to running back Jaylen Montgomery, who lateraled to Marshall commit Will Butler, who lateraled back to Frankenfield. The sophomore then found Gadbois streaking down the middle of the field.
"It was a massive, massive play for us to go up 14 there in the fourth," head coach Josh Crouch said.
The Hawks had tried to extend a 14-7 lead with a 24-yard field goal earlier in the quarter, but Cookeville blocked kicker John Horlacher's attempt. Green Hill's defense forced a turnover on downs on Cookeville's next drive when quarterback Davidson's fourth-down pass fell incomplete, setting up the flea-flicker.
Cookeville had struck first. A muffed pooch punt gave the Cavaliers good field position, and Davidson hit Jackson Jones on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 2:34 left in the first quarter. Green Hill answered just before halftime when Butler, lined up in the Wildcat package, scored on a one-yard run with 48 seconds left in the second quarter.
Defensive back Brady Coleman intercepted Davidson twice in the fourth quarter. His second pick, with just over three minutes left, sealed the win. The unit held Cookeville running back Davin Morton to 26 total yards on the ground with a long run of eight yards.
The win moved Green Hill to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Region 4-6A after the Hawks fell 23-21 to Gallatin in their region opener.
Green Hill hosts Glencliff (0-6) on Thursday, Oct. 1.
