Portraits of senior Spring Hill football players and cheerleaders attached to the football field fence faced the spectators as the players warmed up for their game against Augusta in the background.
It was the night when the Spring Hill High School Bears community saluted this year’s seniors, with senior football players and cheerleaders being introduced to the spectators, escorted by their respective parents. Then their eight-on-eight varsity team responded to the occasion with a dominating performance over the Augusta Red Devils, winning 39-6.
After the Red Devils got the first possession and ended up punting, Spring Hill began a first quarter scoring drive that only took three minutes. Anchored by sophomore Reese Tarver’s 22-yard reception, then a series of short runs, the drive ended with junior T.J. Tipton running into the endzone from Augusta’s four. The extra point was no good. The score was 6-0 Spring Hill
Following the kickoff, Augusta’s first play of the series from their own 35-yard line was a fumble that was recovered by Spring Hill.
The Bears tried a couple running plays before ending up with a third and ten at the Augusta 33. That was when junior quarterback Levin McGuire found sophomore receiver Blane Tuttle with a short pass which Tuttle ran to the five. The next play was a toss to T.J. Tipton for a run that scored Tipton’s second of four touchdowns. The extra point attempt was good, making the score 13-0 Spring Hill.
Augusta’s next possession was another that stalled without the Red Devils making a first down. Then their punt attempt on fourth and fourteen was blocked. Spring Hill gained possession of the football at Augusta’s eight-yard line. The next play was senior Cade Watson’s reception for a touchdown. The good extra point brought the score to 20-0 as the second quarter had just started.
Another Tipton touchdown run at 9:12 left in the half made it 26-0. A Levin McGuire keeper at about six minutes to go made it 32-0 Spring Hill.
The going would not get much better for Augusta, as the team from Woodruff County that had ridden 190 miles to Spring Hill in a bus seemed unable to gather any speed as Spring Hill’s T.J. Tipton tacked on his fourth score at 11:11 left in the third quarter. He ended the game with 134 yards on 16 carries.
One exception took place near the end of the same quarter when an Augusta running back took advantage of a missed assignment and broke for a 54-yard touchdown run. It kept Spring Hill from accomplishing a shut out, but it only narrowed the gap to 39-6, which would be the game’s final score.
Spring Hill Coach Greg Smith told his team, which, as usual, crouched in their field’s eastern end zone at game's end to hear his remarks and say a prayer, to prepare as though Hermitage would indeed be showing up for next week’s game, though Smith could not be definite, because of Hermitage coach’s report of depleted numbers, that it would take place.
Asked if he felt his team was improving as conference season begins, Smith said, “Absolutely, absolutely. We had a few injuries to deal with, so we had some other guys that stepped in to help that depth factor come along. It got better. Even with those subs that were out there. We kind of kept that same level that we wanted there. So we felt like we got better. We're running the football like we want to. We're executing offensively, better defensively, still playing hard-nosed football.”
