Glencoe (2-2) at Hokes Bluff (0-4)
Series record: Glencoe 39, Hokes Bluff 28, one tie
Last meeting: 2011 Glencoe 20, Hokes Bluff 0
Last week: Glencoe 21, White Plains 0; Lincoln 62, Hokes Bluff 42
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
The Green Machine is revved up along the Appalachian Highway.
The Yellow Jackets, they are a-buzzing around Lonesome Bend Road.
In the eastern part of Etowah County, you’re either a Hokes Bluff or a Glencoe fan.
Just ask Charlie Robertson.
A 1974 Hokes Bluff gra-duate, Robertson has been coaching at Glencoe for over 20 years.
“Some of the guys here tease me, saying I’m still a Hokes Bluff fan, but I tell them that I bleed Black and Gold now,” he said.
It wasn’t always that way.
When Robertson graduated college, his first job was at Southside. He stayed two years with the Panthers before being hired at Glencoe.
“It felt really strange pu-tting on Southside colors,” he said. “And it was even stranger putting on Glencoe colors. But it got easier and easier.”
Something else that made it easier to wear Glencoe colors was when his children started school. They both attended Glencoe schools their entire 13 years.
The other strange aspect is that Robertson’s brother, Mike, has been head coach at Hokes Bluff since 1996.
“We have a lot of fun with the rivalry,” Charlie Robertson said. “It’s been really fun the last few years because we’ve beat his butt. I hope that continues.”
The Yellow Jackets currently own a four-game winning streak in the series.
Also making the family rivalry fun is their father, Bill. You can always spot Bill standing against the end zone fence during this annual game. He wears a baseball cap that has Glencoe colors on one side and Hokes Bluff colors on the other.
“Mom (Faye) and Dad have been going to games since we were little,” Charlie said. “They haven’t missed a Glencoe-Hokes Bluff game, ever.”
Then there’s the way each of the brothers sees the game.
Charlie is the defensive coordinator and besides being head coach, Mike calls the offensive plays.
“Besides arguing over the rivalry, we always argue the finer points of the game,” Charlie Robertson said. “But when we hit the field, he’s my enemy. There’s no brotherly love wasted when we’re playing.”
Last week against White Plains, Thomas Ozmint ran for 137 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Hunter Nunnally was 14-for-21 in passing for 199 yards, while Daniel Otwell had eight receptions for 123 yards.
Mason Brown had nine tackles, while Blake Christian had seven and Dalton Gowens six.
Against Lincoln last week, Braydon Hawk rushed 16 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, while Chase Beggs had 110 yards on 14 carries. Hawk also caught two passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Brad Robertson completed 13-of-19 passes for a career-high 304 yards and two scores.
He also ran nine times for 30 yards and three touchdowns.
Charlie Reed had six receptions for 126 yards, while Jake Ponder caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Ponder led the Eagles in tackles with 14, followed by Dylan McKee with 12 and Chase Pope with 11.
