KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – It may have taken some time for Jody Scruggs to heat up, but once he did, the sophomore was unstoppable.

Scruggs scored five of the Hornets’ six touchdowns and finished the night with 156 rushing yards on 21 carries. Gabriel Dennis scored the opening touchdown for Carter.

Austin-East and Carter were scoreless after the first quarter until Dennis scurried into the end zone early in the second. Then enter Jody Scruggs. He gave the Hornets a 13-0 lead with five minutes until halftime.

With the Roadrunners needing some offense, Head Coach Antonio Mays turned to Shane Cherry to take over at quarterback. The wide receiver led Austin East on back-to-back touchdown drives, running into the end zone himself on both. Down by six in the third quarter, Cherry rushed for his third score of the night to tie the game at 20.

Carter, and more specifically Scruggs, took over from there to secure the Hornets’ first win of the season. Austin-East falls to 0-2 on the year, while Carter improves to 1-1.