Champion quarterback Sam Bradley scrambles after the ball hits the turf and turns the corner and scores from 35 yards out against Cheatham County in Friday night’s opener. He completed 12-of-17 attempts for 173 yards and pair of touchdowns and added 71 yards on eight carries and a rushing touchdown as well. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
BELL BUCKLE — Cascade coach Jared Carkuff couldn’t hide a smile following Friday night’s 41-6 blowout win against Cheatham County.
Even with a game plagued by penalties and cramps in the humid conditions, Cascade (1-0) imposed its will on both sides of the ball and the Champions notched their biggest margin of victory in two years, giving the second-year head coach a signature win in Week 1 of the 2025 campaign.
While both the Cubs (0-1) and Champions had to shake the rust off and went through the typical Week 1 issues of battling cramps and penalties, Carkuff was plenty pleased with his team’s ability to overcome those issues and execute the game plan to a tee.
“You don’t want all of that to happen, but you kind of expect it [in Week 1]. I’m so proud of these guys. It’s a full 180 from last year,” he said.
Although Cascade’s fi
Nate Zimmerman gets a block from Braxtyn Burris (0) and picks up a handful of yards. He scored on a 13-yard touchdown on Friday. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
rst drive of the night, while promising, marched 10 plays deep into the Cubs’ territory, highlighted by a gutsy fourth-down conversion when junior quarterback Sam Bradley hit Delontae Clay in the flat on a 16-yard pickup, the drive ultimately ended with a 38-yard missed field goal after the drive stalled in the red zone.
Following the missed field goal, the Champion defense held Cheatham County to a three and out.
Three plays later, Bradley dropped a perfectly-placed ball to the corner of the end zone to Corey Gooch to put the Champs up 7-0, following Gabe Perez’ successful extra point.
Gooch struck again early in the second quarter, finding a crease and streaking to the end zone for a 35-yard score, but the extra point failed, leaving the Champs with a 13-0 advantage.
Cheatham County answered with a 10-play scoring drive that milked nearly five minutes off the clock, capped by a four-yard slice into the end zone by backup quarterback Gunner Orange.
But from there, Cascade closed the game scoring 28-unanswered points to notch the first win of the season.
Despite a slew of penalties and cramps, the Champions showcased plenty of versatility, in both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Bradley was dynamic in the pass game, completing 12-of-17 tries for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He tacked on 71 yards on eight carries and a 35-yard touchdown run of his own late in the fourth quarter.
“He’s amazing. He’s such a good kid and such a great leader. Nothing ever gets to him, even when we had some bad snaps. We had a lot of pass rush on us that we’ll get fixed. He never got worried and just did his thing and made a lot of plays,” Carkuff said.
Corey Gooch cradles a perfect ball from quarterback Sam Bradley in the corner of the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. He also scored on a 25-yard catch and run in the third quarter as well. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Nate Zimmerman was the top ball carrier out of the backfield, rushing seven times for 33 yards, highlighted by a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Gooch made six catches for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win as well.
In total, Cascade churned out 308 yards of offense, with 135 coming on the ground.
Defensively, Cascade got it done as well.
Xykaiah Dixon was a ball hawk for the Champs, picking off two passes, including a 36-yard pick six in the third quarter.
“That’s our goal on defense is to hit them in the mouth and create turnovers. Two picks there, a forced fumble from (Trenton) Giel and we had another recover by (Brett) Huenink—that’s awesome,” Carkuff said.
Friday night’s hot start is just what the doctor ordered for the Champs, who look to carry the momentum into a Week 2 rivalry meeting against Moore County.
“We wanted to get off to a hot start and go into a really good Moore County team with some confidence,” Carkuff said.
Cascade will travel to Lynchburg looking for its first win against the Raiders since a 29-14 win to kick off 2021 campaign.
“That’s why we keep that game, no matter what. The community gets into it, especially the alumni that were out here tonight. They care about that game and it matters a lot,” he said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Lynchburg.
Cheatham Co. 0 6 0 0 — 6
Cascade 7 13 14 7 — 41
First Quarter
C— Corey Gooch 25 pass from Sam Bradley (Gabe Perez Kick), 6:27.
Second Quarter
C — Gooch 35 run, (kick failed), 10:07.
CC — Gunner Orange 4 run, (2pt. failed), 5:16.
C — Nate Zimmerman 13 run, (Perez kick), 3:57.
Third Quarter
C — Gooch 25 pass from Bradley (Perez kick), 6:32.
C — Xykiah Dixon 36 interception return (Perez kick), 1:55.
Fourth Quarter
C —Bradley 35 run, (Perez Kick), 1:59.