Inside the Numbers: Huntland

Raiders moving ball with balance, but 11 turnovers on downs – eight in opponent territory – have points hard to come by

8:32 a.m. Sept. 23, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County has an off week before returning at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, against Eagleville for Homecoming. The Raiders reach the break at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Region 5 after Friday’s 33-12 loss to Huntland in the inaugural Majors Cup.

Five games in, the numbers are starting to tell a season story. Moore County has been almost dead-even between the run and pass. Tucker Smith has carried better than 60% of the rushing load. Freshman quarterback Austin Scherff has already thrown nearly 100 varsity passes.

But another number may explain why 219.8 yards of offense per game have produced only 10.4 points a night: 11 turnovers on downs, most of them after Moore County had already crossed midfield.

Here’s where the Raiders stand, by the numbers.

216

Total yards of offense for Moore County against Huntland.

The Raiders finished with 109 yards rushing and 107 passing – about as even as an offense can get. That works out to 50.5% on the ground and 49.5% through the air.

Smith led the rushing attack with 73 yards on 13 carries, while Scherff completed 11 of 24 passes for 107 yards.

Huntland finished with 419 yards – 193 rushing and 226 passing – giving the Hornets a 203-yard edge in total offense.

20

Unanswered points by Huntland after Moore County pulled within one.

Smith’s touchdown with 8:31 left in the third quarter cut Huntland’s lead to 13-12. Moore County then recovered a Huntland fumble on the ensuing kickoff and took over at the Hornets’ 42 with a chance to go in front.

The Raiders came up short on fourth-and-1.

Huntland answered with a touchdown, added another early in the fourth, then put the game away with Coby Martin’s 63-yard scoring run.

From the time Moore County pulled within a point, Huntland closed the night on a 20-0 run.

1,099

Total offensive yards for Moore County through five games.

The split could hardly be tighter. The Raiders have rushed for 551 yards and passed for 548 – a difference of only 3 yards. That means 50.1% of the offense has come on the ground and 49.9% through the air.

Moore County is averaging 219.8 yards per game: 110.2 rushing and 109.6 passing.

The Huntland game followed almost the same script, with only two yards separating the rushing and passing totals.

11

Turnovers on downs for Moore County through five games.

This may be the number that best explains the gap between the Raiders’ yardage and their scoring. Eight of those 11 failed fourth-down conversions have come in opponent territory. Three drives have reached the opponent’s 5-yard line or closer before ending on fourth down.

Put another way, nearly 73% of Moore County’s turnovers on downs have come after the Raiders had already crossed midfield.

Friday brought the problem into sharp focus. After cutting Huntland’s lead to 13-12, Moore County recovered the ensuing kickoff and had the ball at the Huntland 42 with a chance to take the lead. The Raiders were stopped on fourth-and-1.

Later, Moore County drove to the Huntland 1 but again came away empty on fourth down.

For an offense averaging nearly 220 yards but only 10.4 points per game, those unfinished drives have added up.

60.8%

Smith’s share of Moore County’s rushing yards.

The senior has 335 of the Raiders’ 551 yards on the ground, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 67 yards per game.

His 55 carries account for 40.4% of Moore County’s rushing attempts, but he has produced better than 60% of the yardage.

That workload showed again against Huntland. Smith accounted for 73 of Moore County’s 109 rushing yards – 67% – and scored one of the Raiders’ two touchdowns.

82%

The share of Moore County’s rushing yards produced by Smith and Drew Hardison.

Smith has 335 yards. Hardison has 117.

Together, that is 452 of the Raiders’ 551 rushing yards.

Hardison is averaging 4.2 yards on 28 carries, while both he and Smith have scored two rushing touchdowns.

55.7%

Scherff’s completion percentage through five varsity starts.

The freshman is 54-of-97 for 548 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He is averaging 109.6 passing yards per game and 10.1 yards per completion.

Against Huntland, Scherff completed 11 of 24 for 107 yards. He did not throw a pick and spread those 11 completions among six receivers.

43.5%

The share of Moore County’s receiving yards belonging to Ike Holt and Caseon Casteel.

Holt leads the Raiders with 120 yards on nine catches. Casteel is one yard behind him with 119 on a team-high 11 receptions.

Together, they have 239 of Moore County’s 550 receiving yards.

There has not been one dominant target. Eleven Raiders have caught at least one pass, and Hardison leads the group in yards per catch among players with multiple receptions at 16.5.

94.4

All-purpose yards per game for Smith.

His 472 all-purpose yards lead Moore County.

Casteel is next with 337, an average of 67.4 per game, while Hardison has 183.

Smith and Casteel together account for 809 of Moore County’s 1,428 all-purpose yards – 56.7% of the team total.

57.6

Tackles per game for the Moore County defense.

The Raiders have been credited with 288 tackles through five games.

Hardison leads the team with 36 – 20 solo and 16 assists – for an average of 7.2 per game. Hunter Travis has 33 tackles, and his 8.3 per-game average is the highest among Raiders with multiple games played.

Smith has 20 tackles, while Deacon Liles and Caden Searcy have 18 apiece.

16

Tackles for Travis against Huntland.

Seven were solo, nine were assists, and one came behind the line of scrimmage.

Hardison and Searcy added seven tackles apiece as Moore County finished with 66 credited stops.

For Travis, one night accounted for nearly half of his season tackle total.

12.5

Tackles for loss by Moore County through five games.

That works out to 2.5 per game.

The Raiders recorded four against Huntland. Aidan Moore and Kohlby Williams had one apiece, while Ike Holt and Searcy also got into the backfield.

Freshman Mason Sandefur leads the season total with 2.5 tackles for loss despite appearing in only two games. Travis has two, and Searcy has 1.5.

2

Sacks by the Raider defense.

Memphis Foster has one. Sandefur and Williams have a half-sack apiece.

That is an average of 0.4 sacks per game.

Moore County has created four takeaways – three interceptions and a fumble recovery – while the offense has lost four fumbles and thrown three interceptions. That leaves the Raiders at minus-3 in turnover margin through five games.

327

Return yards for Moore County.

The Raiders have 267 yards on 15 kickoff returns, an average of 17.8, and another 60 yards on five punt returns, an average of 12.0.

Casteel has supplied 187 of those yards – 139 on kickoffs and 48 on punts. Smith has another 107.

Together, they account for 89.9% of Moore County’s return yardage.

30.6

Jax Ross’ punting average.

Ross has punted 14 times for 429 yards, with two landing inside the 20.

Against Huntland, he averaged 27 yards on three punts and put one inside the 20.

75%

The share of Moore County’s touchdowns scored on the ground.

Six of the Raiders’ eight touchdowns have been rushing scores.

Smith, Scherff, and Hardison have two apiece. Kason Ferrara has the lone receiving touchdown, while Liles has scored on a fumble recovery.

Moore County has also converted 2 of 4 extra-point attempts, a 50% rate.

Add it all up, and the Raiders have scored 52 points in five games – 10.4 per night.

Five games in, some numbers have settled into place. Smith has become the bell cow on the ground. Scherff has 97 varsity pass attempts under his belt. The offense has landed almost exactly 50-50 between run and pass. Hardison and Travis have emerged atop the tackle chart, while Casteel and Smith have handled most of the return work.

Then there is that 11. Eleven possessions have ended on downs. Eight were already in opponent territory. Three had reached the 5-yard line or closer. Those are yards Moore County has already earned. The next step is turning more of them into points.

The Raiders get an open week to work on it. Then comes Homecoming, with Eagleville headed to Lynchburg for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday, Oct. 2.