Hayesville Bounces Back With Dominant 55-14 Win Over Andrews

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — After suffering a lopsided loss to Murphy last week, the Hayesville Yellow Jackets came out determined to flip the script Friday night — and they did just that. Behind a punishing ground game, Hayesville cruised to a 55-14 victory over Smoky Mountain Conference rival Andrews at home.

The 41-point margin marked the Yellow Jackets’ largest win of the season, improving their record to 6-4 overall.

Senior running back Tre Graves led the charge with a monster performance, rushing for 334 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 18.6 yards per carry. Hayesville remains undefeated this year in games where Graves finds the end zone twice or more.

Junior Kaden Ledford added 28 yards and two touchdowns, while Daemien Soto and Johan Webb each scored once on the ground. The Yellow Jackets finished the night with 448 rushing yards, their best total of the season.

Quarterback Peyton McGaha was efficient through the air, completing four of six passes for 57 yards, all to senior receiver Ben Bethel.

On defense, EJ Mapasua and Colton Bruggers each recovered fumbles, with Mapasua also tallying five tackles and two tackles for loss. Wyatt James, Patrick Denton, and Carson Finn each added key stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Kicker Josue Salas was steady, going 7-for-8 on extra points.

With the win, Hayesville snapped back into form and will look to carry that momentum into postseason play. Andrews, meanwhile, fell to 1-9 and has now dropped three straight.