Golden Bears Dominate, Defeat Maplewood, 44-8
Week two provided a great opportunity for Mt. Juliet to compete, learn and develop younger talent as they hosted and defeated an undermanned Maplewood team, 44-8.
The game was virtually put to rest within the first 5 minutes of the game as the Golden Bears scored two quick touchdowns to take an early 14-0 lead and that was basically it as you could tell the Panthers would not be able to come back.
It was a balanced offense and a swarming defense from the Golden Bears that took control early and never looked back.
Mt. Juliet is spearheaded by a two quarterback attack in senior Stephen Swoner Stephen Swoner 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Mt.Juliet | 2022 TN and athletic junior Griffin Throneberry Griffin Throneberry 6'3" | 190 lbs | ATH Mt. Juliet | 2023 State TN along with a balanced rushing game that overwhelms opponents and that’s exactly what happened against the Panthers on Friday night.
Swoner threw for one touchdown while Throneberry ran for two, one from a handoff on a receiver sweep and one at quarterback. Senior running back Jaylen Holmes III had a pair of rushing touchdowns himself that were daggers to the Panthers chances of winning.
The rushing attack and powerful Mt. Juliet offensive line was too much to handle for a Maplewood defense that is learning a new system under a new staff while being undermanned. It was a tough task for Maplewood but a good learning experience against a well balanced, veteran Golden Bears offense.
It wasn’t just the Mt. Juliet offense that was too much for Maplewood but it was defense that was a problem for the Panthers as well.
From the moment the Maplewood offense snapped the ball, the Mt. Juliet defense swarmed to the ball and would not give an inch. The Panthers did not have a positive gain till about the 3rd drive of the 1st half and by that point, the game was over.
Between senior tackle Jeffrey Pillows Jeffrey Pillows 6'0" | 290 lbs | DL Mt. Juliet | 2022 State TN and the Golden Bears defensive line and junior backer Ethan Crisp Ethan Crisp 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Mt. Juliet | 2023 State TN , the Maplewood offense had a hard time getting past the front seven.
It was an overall beat down from the Golden Bears team that had the score 44-0 at halftime and the game in the bag. The second half was full of backups with a running clock, so the night was over for the starters and it was time to start looking towards next week.
Maplewood is a work in progress and a project under new head coach Erik Davis. The Panthers are a team that is lacking numbers, talent and football knowledge but they have a well liked guy at the helm in Davis and the time to bring this program back into playoff contention.
It was another resounding victory for the Golden Bears as they have now started their 2021 season at 2-0 with Hunters Lane looming next Friday.
Mt. Juliet is a force on the 5A level that has the talent and pieces to not only put together a strong season but even possibly make their way to Chattanooga and compete for a state title.
There is still a long way to go but the Golden Bears are legit and primed for a big 2021 year.