Defending District 9-A champ Moore County (2-0) handed the Cornersville Bulldogs their first loss of the season on Friday night when they thumped CHS 34-0 in Lynchburg.

The Raiders had narrowly defeated Cornersville 39-36 last year, but Moore County imposed their will on the inexperienced Bulldogs (1-1) on Friday, as they built a 22-0 lead in the first half before tacking on two more touchdowns over the final two quarters to record their third straight win against CHS.

Grinding it out

Using a punishing ground attack, the Raiders methodically wore down Cornersville's defense and racked up 397 yards of total offense overall, which included 348 yards rushing on 63 carries.

Quarterback Dillon Davis led Moore County's offense by rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and completing 3-of-7 passes for 47 yards and a TD.

Raider running back Matt Taggett toted the ball 20 times for 83 yards and two touchdowns as well, and Austin Henshaw added 67 yards rushing on 15 carries. Spencer Reese also rushed for 31 yards on five carries to go along with a 37-yard TD reception, while Dylon Smith tallied 24 yards rushing and a score on four carries.

"Moore County has a good ballclub. They're ranked fourth in the state for a reason. They have a good offensive line. They have good running backs, and they're well coached. We didn't quit tonight, but we need some guys to step up and make some plays," said Cornersville coach John Denton.

Stats

Middle linebacker Chance Dyer recorded 13 tackles to pace the Bulldog defense. Jody Sullivan and Tyler Lowery notched 12 tackles apiece for CHS as well, while Justin Black and Stone Riner both registered eight tackles.

Cornersville, conversely, had trouble moving the ball on the ground and rushed for just 54 yards on 19 carries en route to finishing with 211 yards of total offense. CHS also committed two turnovers and were stopped on downs four times after driving inside the Raiders' 32 yard line.

Bulldog quarterback Jamie Crowell completed 17-of-31 passes for 157 yards, but tossed two interceptions. Lowery and Riner were Crowell's two primary targets, as they both snared eight passes for 88 and 60 yards respectively.

Despite being sacked twice and having to evade Moore County's pass rush for much of the evening, Crowell was Cornersville's leading rusher with 25 yards on 10 carries. Dyer and Devante Spencer also toted the ball four times each for 18 and 15 yards respectively.

Running needed

"When we can't run the ball, our offense gets out of synch. Even though we're a spread team, we have to run the ball effectively to take some pressure off of our quarterback," said Denton.

After the Bulldogs were stopped on downs at the Raider 26 on their opening drive of the game, Moore County marched 76 yards to pay dirt in 11 plays on their ensuing possession, capped by a Taggett seven-yard touchdown run. Taggett then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Raiders an 8-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

On Cornersville's second offensive series, Joe Qualls picked off a pass by Crowell and returned it 10 yards to the CHS 45. Moore County cashed in on the turnover, as Smith scored on a 16-yard touchdown jaunt early in the second quarter before Taggett ran in the two-point conversion to make it 16-0.

The Bulldogs advanced to the Moore County 7 on their next possession with the help of a 21-yard catch by Lowery and a 20-yard reception by Riner, but saw the drive sabotaged by two motion penalties and eventually lost the ball on downs.

Raiders roll

Following an exchange of punts, the Raiders opened up a 22-0 lead with :24 left in the half when Davis hit Reese for a 37-yard touchdown strike to cap a six-play, 85-yard scoring drive.

In the third quarter, Moore County was stopped on downs by the Bulldogs at the CHS 20, but Reese picked off Crowell a few moments later to give the Raiders the ball at the Cornersville 28.

Moore County then extended their lead to 28-0 five plays later when Taggett rumbled into the end zone from five yards out with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

After the two teams exchanged punts, the Bulldogs were stopped on downs at the Raider 32 on their next possession. Moore County then opened up a 34-0 advantage thanks to a 20-yard touchdown run by Davis with 4:45 left in the fourth quarter before stopping Cornersville on downs at the Raider 21 to secure the shutout.