By Brandon Shanesy

Brandon.Shanesy@TryonDailyBulletin.com

 

The Cardinals are looking to bounce back after a 35-0 loss to four-time 1A state champion Christ Church at Landrum’s first annual Night of Football on Saturday, August 15.

 

The Cardinals were unable to break the red zone against the Cavaliers. Christ Church’s undoubtedly strong secondary took a toll on freshman quarterback Peyton Kemmerlin. However, Kemmerlin was able to complete impressive passes before being forced out of the game due to injury.

 

Along with Kemmerlin, there are some moving parts that are still being broken into the system.  All-region wide receiver Anthony Anderson is currently learning the running back position, and head coach Jason Farmer is in just his second year with Landrum.

 

Anderson, a two-way starter, made his presence known on the offensive side of the ball with multiple catches.  He was also a top performer for the defense, chasing down a Cavalier receiver in the red zone following a 45-yard pass completion.

 

Anderson’s efforts led to one of only three stops for the Cardinal defense. The Cavalier offense managed to find the end zone in seven of their 10 possessions.

 

Feel free to exhale, Cardinal fans. The Christ Church Cavaliers won the majority of their games by a margin of 30 in the 2014-15 season, eventually taking the 1A crown. They’re also on a state record 56-game winning streak, and are a favorite to repeat.

 

Because of this, Cardinal mistakes were multiplied exponentially. This is typically a good thing in pre-season play. Farmer now has a sense of what to focus on for the final two weeks leading up to the season opener against Travelers Rest on August 28.

 

Landrum’s last chance to work out pre-season kinks in game form will come tonight at the Blue Ridge Jamboree battling the Woodmont Wildcats. The game will take place at 7 p.m in Blue Ridge High School’s stadium located at 2151 Fews Chapel Road in Greer.

 

Anderson looks to have a breakout game being matched up with a struggling Wildcat defense which ended the 2014-15 season with a six game losing streak.

 

Sophomore quarterback Dalton Kuykendall is expected to start as Famer will allow Kemmerlin more time to recover from a bruised hip sustained in the week prior.

 

“He’s fine,” said Farmer on Kemmerlin. “If it was a regular season game he probably would be playing.”

 

The event will kick off with Riverside taking on Chapman at 6 p.m.

Blue Ridge and Woodruff will close out the jamboree at 8 p.m. Each game will consist of two quarters of play.

 

 

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