UPIKE Athletics

After falling behind twice in the first half, the University of Pikeville scored the final 45 points of the night to beat Bluefield (Va.) University 52-10 on Saturday night at Bob Amos Park.
 
UPike got three touchdowns from junior quarterback Alex Hatton, two in the air and one on the ground and two more from Amon Williams on what proved to be a record-breaking night for the junior running back.
 
The Bears now stand 6-2 overall, 3-0 in the league and have moved into a tie in the AAC standings with Reinhardt (Ga.).
 
The Rams are now 3-5 on the season, 1-2 in the conference.
 
Bluefield started scoring in the first period when senior kicker Isaiah Bandy booted a 26-yard field goal with 7:46 left. The Rams took the opening kick and ran 13 plays covering 53 yards to make it 3-0.
 
The Bears took the lead for the first time when junior tailback Amon Williams scored on a seven-yard carry. It was the 31^st rushing score in Williams' career, breaking the record of UPike Hall of Famer Leonard Moore, a milestone that he set in the first four seasons of varsity football.
 
Sophomore kicker Isaac Smith's PAT put the Bears on top 7-3 with 3:01 to play in the first.
 
Early in the second period, the Rams regained the lead when senior Jordan Edwards hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Brock Stomps. Bandy's kick put the Rams on top 10-7 with 13:42 left in the half.
 
But before the break, the Bears found pay dirt two more times. The first was a 26-yard run by sophomore running back Jayden Pepper, as the Bears covered 67 yards on only six plays.
 
The second saw senior wideout Deajuan McDougle take an end around 31 yards for a touchdown with 2:26 to play.
 
Smith nailed both extra points and the Bears took a 21-10 lead to halftime.
 
The Bears hung three more touchdowns on the third quarter scoreboard. It started when Hatton hit Ty Perkins for the final 44 yards of a 10-play, 90-yard drive with 10:08 on the scoreboard.
 
Williams found the end zone again with 3:40 left, scoring from 11 yards out. Hatton then threw his third scoring pass of the game when he found senior Miguel Hernandez on a 16-yard score.
 
Smith split the uprights after all three scores and the lead was 42-10 after three periods.
 
With 14:18 left in the game, Hatton used his legs for a score on a three-yard scamper to make it 49-10.
 
Finally, with 5:18 to play, Smith split the uprights on a 40-yard field goal. It was his ninth make in as many tries on the season to run the score to 52-10.
 
Hatton finished the evening 23 for 33 for 243 yards in the air. Perkins hauled in six passes covering 94 yards to lead the team in both columns. Williams and Pepper both had big games on the ground. Williams rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries, with Pepper accounting for 80 on nine hauls.
 
Junior linebacker Levi Evans led a balanced defensive attack with six tackles, five of them solos. In addition, he blocked a field goal.  
 
Sophomore safety Nick Butler had five tackles, two solos and a pair of tackles for loss.
 
UPike will be on the road for the next two weeks, beginning next Saturday when they travel to Barbourville to play Union Commonwealth University. The Bulldogs will enter 3-1 in league play for a game set to kickoff at 3 p.m.