Huntland pulls away to take first Majors Cup

Moore County stayed within a point of Huntland in the third quarter before the Hornets pulled away for Region 5 win

10:09 p.m. Sept. 18, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

The 69th meeting between Moore County and Huntland – the inaugural Majors Cup – stayed tight, chippy and within arm’s reach for most of three quarters Friday night.

Then Huntland found some room.

Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the Raiders did suffer a key loss. Receiver/safety Caseon Castell was helped from the field after a punt return with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter. He did not return, and his absence was felt on both sides of the ball.

Moore County broke through with 9:26 left in the second. Drew Hardison slipped loose for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the Raiders a 6-0 lead after Jax Ross missed the PAT.

The drive also cost Huntland a player. Caleb Maxwell was ejected after a personal foul with 9:40 left in the quarter.

However, Huntland didn’t stay behind long. Parker Schultz found Brennan Taylor for a 29-yard touchdown, and Micah Tipps’ extra point put the Hornets in front 7-6 with 7:39 remaining.

The Hornets struck again just before halftime. On fourth-and-2, Bryant Mooney punched it in from 9 yards out. The PAT missed, but Huntland carried a 13-6 lead into the locker room.

A one-point game turns

Moore County came out swinging in the third. Tucker Smith barreled into the end zone, pulling the Raiders within a point at 13-12 with 8:31 left. Ross’ PAT was no good.

Then, for a minute, Moore County had Huntland wobbling. Julius Miller fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Raiders recovered at the Huntland 42 with a chance to take control.

Instead, fourth-and-1 went backward. Austin Scherff’s pass to Aidan Moore lost a yard, and Huntland took over.

The Hornets made the stop hurt. Mooney scored again to stretch the lead to 20-12 with 4:09 left in the third. He found the end zone once more early in the fourth, and a one-point game was now 26-12.

After that score, Eli Ragland was ejected for an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, giving Huntland two ejections on the night.

One last chance

Moore County wasn’t done yet.

Ike Holt intercepted Schultz and returned it to the Huntland 29, giving the Raiders one more crack at it. Moore County worked all the way to the 1 before Huntland stuffed fourth-and-goal with 3:40 remaining.

That was the Raiders’ 11th turnovers on downs in five games; 8 of the 11 have come in opponent territory, and three reached the opponent’s 5-yard line or closer.

Huntland didn’t give them another opening. Coby Martin capped the scoring with a slashing, zig-zagging 63-yard touchdown run with 1:20 left.

Huntland improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 5, walking away with the inaugural Majors Cup and its third consecutive win in the series.

Moore County fell to 1-4 and 0-1 in the region, though the Raiders still hold a 43-25-1 advantage in the rivalry.

After fall break, next up is Homecoming, with Moore County hosting Eagleville at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. Eagleville lost to Cornersville this week, 48-27, and is 2-3 (0-1).