The Bell County Bobcats notched another victory on Friday night in the Short-Redmond Auto Group Pride of the Mountains against another quality opponent in Knox Central. The Bobcats started hot on offense before shifting to a defensive focus in the second half, allowing them to hold the Panthers to only eight points and secure a 22-8 victory in their home opener.

“I thought we played hard,” said Bell County coach Dudley Hilton. “That’s a good football team that we beat. They’re well coached, they’re talented and they play hard. I thought our defense played a really good game. We stubbed our toes on offense a little bit in the second half, but we played well on offense too.”

Brandon Baker got Bell County started on offense for the night with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion by London Stephney to give the Bobcats and 8-0 advantage with 7:16 remaining in the first.

Bell County struck again as time expired at the end of the first quarter on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Stephney. In keeping with what worked on the first attempt, Stephney ran the ball after the touchdown for a successful two-point conversion, extending the Bobcat lead to 16-0.

Baker added his second rushing touchdown on the night with 6:31 remaining in the first half. He also converted the two-point conversion to extend the Bell County lead to 22-0. The score stood at 22-0 at the half.

The Panthers scored their first touchdown of the game with 8:00 remaining in the third quarter. Ethan Mills found pay dirt on a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Knox Central successfully converted the following two-point attempt, bringing the score to 22-8.

Both teams battled defensively throughout the remainder of the second half. Each team had numerous defensive stands and appeared to wear each other out in the second half, allowing Bell County to hold on to their two-possession lead and secure their second victory of the season.

The Bobcats (2-0) will be back in action on Friday night at South Laurel (2-1). Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. The Panthers (0-2) will attempt to defend their home field against Southwestern (1-1), Friday at 7:30 p.m.