SPORTS EDITOR isanders@starhq.com
RTD--three letters that are painted at midfield of Dave Rider Field in the friendly confines of Brown-Childress Stadium. Those three letters have more significance than meets the average Elizabethton Cyclone fan's thought process, especially if you are Coach Shawn Witten or a member of the Cyclone football team and staff. "When my granddad (Coach Dave Rider) started here in 1971, he came from outside the Elizabethton community and a lot of people didn't believe that he could win football games at Elizabethton," stated Witten. "He started from scratch and built a strong program here that resulted in eight conference championships and three state semifinal appearances. "It's been exactly ten years since Elizabethton has been in a state semifinal when they played Knox Central here and we want to take this program back to the dominance that the Cyclones had when he coached here." Elizabethton has been marching toward that return to dominance all season long and tonight against the Austin-East Roadrunners, the Cyclones have the opportunity to reach the same pinnacle that the 1999 Cyclones achieved 10 years ago if they can pull out a win in the TSSAA quarterfinal contest that kicks off at 7 p.m. The Roadrunners are a formidable opponent that have been reaching this level on a regular frequency making it to the quarterfinals in 2007 against Knox Fulton and 2008 against Knox Catholic, losing both contest. As a matter of fact, Austin-East has lost four of the last six times they have made it to the quarterfinals. The last time the Roadrunners visited Carter County, they knocked off Cloudland in the second round of the 2A playoffs in 2000. Elizabethton has had a relatively easy time in the first two rounds of the newly formatted TSSAA playoff system winning 63-12 against Cumberland Gap and 37-0 last week against Sullivan North. This week, the rubber meets the road when the Roadrunners come calling as the Cyclones will be trying to blackout Brown-Childress Stadium by asking their fans and supporters to wear all black as the Cyclones take the field in all black attire. "This is round three of the playoffs and there definitely is a lot at stake," said Witten. "We will be meeting our match because both teams are equally matched, not like the last two weeks where we knew we had the better athletes and better team. "This is why we did what we done in regular season by scheduling Asheville, CAK, and Greeneville to get us prepared for a big game like this. This will be a great game for us and we will need to raise our game to another level and cut down on our mistakes." The Roadrunners bring something that many teams the Cyclones have played this season didn't have--team speed. That aspect of the game hasn't been lost on Witten or his coaching staff this week. "They are super fast to the football and the biggest thing is they play great defense," continued Witten. "They haven't given up many points--they are solid in the secondary and their front-line play is super. "Their defense has been tough all year long and they put a lot of pressure on the offensive. We are going to have to do a good job offensively and keep them off balance if we are going to win the game." Preparation is the key in having an opportunity to keep on playing from week to week when teams reach the second season and it has not been any different this week for the Cyclone players and coaches. "The guys were ready to play early in the week and we have had to do our best to just keep them calm and help get them prepared to play," said Witten. "Practice this time of year is not about lining up and running plays but mentally getting ready to step up and make the big plays. "When you get this far, it's all about making the plays so it has to be all about execution." The Cyclones are happy to see quarterback Ryan Thomas back to his old self after scampering for some big gains last week, including a touchdown, but there still is some concern for Zach Boles who suffered a deep bruise in last week's game and will be a game-time decision based upon how he is feeling. Anything a player like Boles can bring to the table is an added bonus and a team-lifter for EHS both from his leadership on and off the field as well as his play-making capabilities. Witten believes that a win over Austin-East will make a huge impact for both the players and the community. "It's really hard to describe what it would do for our community. It puts us back as one of the elite teams in Northeast Tennessee and helps to separate our program and puts us in the category of the team to beat for the next season," continued Witten. "It also will give us an opportunity to play a semifinal game at home and most of the kids dream about playing high school football all their life in front of a large crowd. There is a lot at stake in a big time setting for this game." Witten has been all about the kids this season, very seldom referring to anything about himself. When asked what a win in tonight's game would mean to him, once again he deferred the attention away from himself. "My assistant coaches and the administration at the school have been very supportive of the decisions and the direction that I wanted to go," stated Witten. "Being young and having to overcome a lot in my third year, including a 4-6 season my first year and 5-5 last season, it's amazing to have a chance to do something like this. "I appreciate all the people believing in me. I love this town, the community, the school, and the kids and I loved playing football here. I also have great assistant coaches that do what I ask and help me make decisions. "It would really make this community proud if we can make the semifinals." The winner of tonight's game will get the winner of the Alcoa and Loudon contest for a day-after Thanksgiving semifinal matchup.
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