Report courtesy of The Jackson County Sentinel

HIGDON – Sand Rock used a third-quarter safety and two second-half touchdowns to snap a five-game losing skid to North Sand Mountain with 16-0 victory at Lloyd Dobbins Field in Higdon on Friday night. It was the Class 2A Region 7 opener for both teams.

The loss was the first for the Bison under Jay Lipscomb, who entered the game trying to become the first NSM head coach to start his tenure with three straight wins.

North Sand Mountain (2-1, 0-1) also entered the game averaging 36 points a game, but the Bison managed just 188 total yards against a Sand Rock team that allowed just eight points the previous week against West End.

The game was nearly scoreless through three quarters before Sand Rock (2-1, 1-0) took a 2-0 lead on a safety late in the third quarter. The Wildcats scored again just before the quarter ended on Ty Traffanstedt’s 12-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Alec Ashley, and kicker Morgan Tucker’s first of two extra points put Sand Rock in front 9-0.

The Wildcats tacked on an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter when Gatlin Cox reached the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown run.

Ashley finished 10 of 18 passing for 132 yards for Sand Rock. Kane Robison ran for 43 yards on 16 carries for the Wildcats. Cox ran for 35 on nine carries while also catching a team-high five passes for 46 yards.

Alex Luna led NSM with 63 rushing yards on 11 carries while quarterback Landon Keller was 7 of 24 passing for 49 yards.

The Bison venture to Cherokee County next week to face new region foe Cedar Bluff while Sand Rock returns to Jackson County again next Friday for another region clash with Section.