PIKEVILLE, Ky.-- Cumberland played Pikeville close at the start of the game, leading the Bears 13-7 at the end of the first quarter. The wheels fell off from that point on, with Pikeville shutting out the Cumberland offense and scoring 31 unanswered points. The Cumberland Football team (0-5) fell 38-17 to Pikeville (2-2) on the road.

The Phoenix had a rough start to the game, giving up an 88-yard kickoff return by Pikeville's Ben Hinson to the house. The Cumberland Offense had a quick answer for Pikeville, with a 62-yard touchdown drive capped off by a Treylon Sheppard seven-yard scamper. Austin Nunley missed the extra-point, and Cumberland trailed 7-6.

With just over two minutes to play in the first quarter, the Cumberland defense stopped Pikeville on fourth down on their 38-yard line.
Brandon Edmontson took the ball down to the three-yard line on a shifty 30-yard run. Alex Valdez reached paydirt on an eight-yard run for the second Phoenix score of the day. Noah Mason hit the extra point to give the Phoenix a 13-7 lead with one-minute remaining in the first quarter.

Pikeville struck fast on an 80-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 19-yard run by Jayden Neace to give the Bears a 14-13 lead.
The Cumberland offense lost a little momentum at this point and had trouble stringing together drives in the second quarter. The Bears reached the endzone again on a pass from Trevon Wofford to Victor Johnson for 25 yards with a minute left to play. Pikeville took a 21-13 lead into the half.

The Phoenix had another rough start to the second half. Cumberland lost the ball on a botched handoff by Brandon Edmontson and gave Pikeville the ball at the 13-yard line. On the next play, Jayden Neace scored for the second time of the game, giving Pikeville a 28-13 lead. The Bears took a 35-13 lead after a 30-yard pass touchdown from Trevon Wofford to Arties Clark.

Cumberland's next chance to score came on a 42-yard field goal attempt from Austin Nunley that the Bears blocked. A 19-yard field goal by Jacob Headley sealed a 38-13 victory for the Bears.

Offensively, the Phoenix had a solid day running the ball. Led by Treylon Sheppard's 113 yards, Cumberland ran the ball for 235 yards on the ground, their second-best output this season.

Freshman Quarterback Brandon Edmontson went 10-17 with 57 yards in the air. Edmontson also chipped in 57 yards on the ground, including a big 30-yard run. Elijah Petty led the team in receiving, with three catches for 23 yards.

The Cumberland defense had a rough day, giving up 406 yards to Pikeville and their highest scoring output of the season of 38 points. Leading the way for the Phoenix in tackles was Prentiss Summerall. Summerall recorded four solo tackles and one assisted tackle. The Phoenix struggled to get to the QB, recording no sacks for the first time this season.

The Cumberland football team is back in action on the road against Bethel on Thursday, Apr. 1, at 7 p.m.