BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Martin County (4-2) protected their house Friday night during their homecoming game versus East Ridge (2-4). The Cards had 548 yards on the ground and won 57-22.

Brock Messer stepped out of the locker room into the crisp fall air and decided this game was his.

Messer only needed 10 seconds to put the first score on the board. He received the kickoff and turned on the jets. East Ridge only had time to see turf flying behind the cleats of Messer as he took off for 74 yards.

The Warriors responded with a quick touchdown and conversion to take an 8-6 lead.

The Cards bounced back and made a solid drive downfield. Dawson Mills had a big carry to get Martin County to the 3-yard line. The running back took a big hit from three players and was sidelined for a short time with a knee injury.

Messer took the next handoff and was hit by multiple defenders. Christopher Phillips was there to assist and pulled him into the endzone. Messer’s two-point conversion was good for a 14-8 Cardinal lead.

In a back-and-forth first quarter, East Ridge took the kickoff and returned it for a 46-yard touchdown to regain a 16-14 lead.