LYNCHBURG, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (2-0) ended a four-game losing streak to Moore County (1-1) with extremely stout defense in a 17-10 win on Friday night.

After winning just one game in Year One under Jared Carkuff, the former Champion athlete has his alma mater sitting at 2-0 for the first time since 2021 when they started out 6-0. 2021 was also the last time the Champs defeated the Raiders. 

Known more for his up-tempo offenses, it was actually Carkuff’s defense that was the key catalyst in the win. New defensive coordinator Braxton Waddell’s bunch held Moore County to less than 80 yards rushing and under 150 yards passing for the game.

Sam Bradley was once again the star of the show for the Champions, finishing with nearly 300 total yards on just six offensive possessions. Bradley was efficient through the air, going 10/16 for 191 yards and 2 TDs to go along with 12 carries for 98 yards on the ground. Nate Zimmerman, another transfer, tallied 89 yards rushing on 20 carries.

For Moore County, senior quarterback Gavin Wise finished 13/29 for 132 yards and 1 TD with 1 INT, but went just 3/12 for 30 yards and 1 INT in the second half before exiting the game with a left leg injury halfway through the fourth quarter. Isaac Petty was held to just 60 yards rushing on 16 attempts after rushing for 31 yards on the opening drive of the game.

That opened drive of the game took over eight minutes off of the clock after the Raiders won the toss and elected to receive, getting all the way to the Cascade 1-yard line. Petty lost two yards on second down, but then Moore County looked to have taken the lead with a 3-yard TD pass from Wise to Tristyn Gray on third down. However, the officials deemed the Raiders to have committed offensive pass interference, taking away the touchdown and backing up the hosts to the 18-yard line. Wise threw incomplete on the next two plays, and the Cascade defense forced a turnover on downs.

On the Champs’ first possession, Bradley connected with Braxtyn Burris three times, including a pair of 30+ yard completions with the final one being a 31-yard TD strike over the middle to put Cascade ahead, 7-0, on the first play of the second quarter to punctuate the 82-yard, 3:21 scoring drive.

After a holding penalty wiped out a 98-yard Isaac Petty kickoff return, Nate Zimmerman stormed into the backfield for a 10-yard sack on third down to force a punt and a three-and-out. Cascade would then once again reach the Raiders’ red zone. After a holding penalty wiped out a 10-yard Zimmerman TD run on fourth-and-five, the visitors sent out Gabe Perez-Rubio to connect on a 37-yard field goal to grow the lead to 10-0. Cascade took nearly eight minutes off the clock, driving 41 yards in 7:46, leaving the Raiders with just 2:20 left in the first half.

Moore County was able to create a couple chunk plays – including a pair of 20 yard completions – to reach the Cascade 31-yard line with just six seconds remaining in the second quarter. On the final play of the half, Wise rolled right, set his feet, and launched the ball 40 yards into the back of the end zone where Luke Stephens ran underneath it to make the catch and trim the lead to 10-7 heading into the locker room.

This is a momentum swing that would have rattled previous Cascade teams and perhaps been the start of a second-half collapse. However, that was not to be the case for the 2025 Champions. Bradley once again led his team on a scoring drive, and on third-and-twenty he found Corey Gooch for a 56-yard bomb over the middle of the field that resulted in a touchdown and gave Cascade a 17-7 lead with 9:25 to go in the third quarter.

On the ensuing Moore County possession, Braxtyn Burris ended a promising Raiders’ drive with an opportunistic interception, racing all the way to the hosts’ 17-yard line. Even with the excellent field position, Cascade could not find the end zone and turned the ball over on downs after gaining just five yards.

Moore County took over at its own 12-yard line, driving down all the way to the Champions’ 6-yard line, but the Cascade defense held and forced a field goal. After Jax Ross connected from 23-yards out, the Champs’ lead was just seven points, 17-10, with 2:43 to play in the third quarter. 

Cascade once again went on a time-consuming drive lasting 4:57, but once again they turned the ball over on downs in the red zone. With 9:29 to go, Moore County had a chance to tie the game.

The Raiders picked up a first down on third-and-ten after a roughing-the-passer penalty, and then Wise connected with Aidan Moore for six yards before hitting Cole Taylor for 11 yards to help the Raiders cross midfield. Then, as Wise scrambled left, he tried to plant with his left foot to cut upfield, but he collapsed to the ground. The Raiders’ trainers had to carry him off the field, and two plays later they were forced to punt with 5:43 to go. They would not see the football again.

Cascade went on a drive that champions are made of, methodically using clock and running the football with conviction. Bradley needed to complete just one pass on the 58-yard drive – a 15-yard out route to Burris on third down – as the Champions ran out the final 5:43, ending the game in victory formation at the Raiders’ 12-yard line to secure the win.

Moore County falls to 1-1 and will host Goodpasture on Friday night.

Cascade improves to 2-0 on the year and will travel to Summertown for a non-region contest on Friday night, LIVE on WZNG The Zinger 100.9 and AM 1400 starting at 6:45 p.m.