KNOXVILLE — If any doubters remained, Austin-East wasted little time Friday proving that it was much better than its 1-3 record indicated, scoring the game’s first three touchdowns in seven minutes and pulling away for a 70-18 lead over Scott High.

The Roadrunners (2-3, 1-2) entered Friday night’s game without a region win, but its losses included Region 2-3A front-runners Fulton and Knox Catholic. A-E rushed for 295 yards and rolled up a total of 428 yards against the Highlanders (3-2, 0-1), and added touchdowns on defense and special teams.

Ashford Johnson led the Roadrunners with 98 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Jaron Troy added 67 yards on eight carries for the Roadrunners.

Quarterback Jaren Troutman completed four of six passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Highly-touted wideout Anthony Anderson was limited to two catches by the Highlanders’ secondary, but scored on a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Scott, meanwhile, recorded 193 yards of total offense, mostly through the air. The Highlanders’ rushing attack, which had proved successful throughout the season, was limited to 13 yards on 29 attempts. Junior tailback Josh Jeffers recorded 23 yards on 15 carries.

Quarterback Josh Terry completed 18 of 37 passes for 180 yards. Five different players were on the receiving end of Terry’s passes, led by sophomore wideout Jared Sexton, with nine catches for 111 yards. Josey Chambers caught four passes for 53 yards. Jeffers, Bryan Golden and Eric Bowling also caught passes for the Highlanders.

The loss was a disappointing end to the Highlanders’ three-game winning streak, but most region prognosticators agree that the game did little to impact the 2-3A playoff outlook (see “Spotlight on the region,” page B2).

Austin-East took first possession of the game and needed just four plays before James Price broke free for a 26-yard touchdown to put the Roadrunners up 7-0.

Three plays later, Lincoln Anderson intercepted a Terry pass and returned it 42 yards for a score, putting his team up 14-0.

A three-and-out by the Highlanders on the ensuing possession would set up a third touchdown for the Roadrunners, who put together a six-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 17-yard run by Johnson with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter.

The Highlanders would again be forced into a three-and-out, giving A-E possession at its 30-yard-line. But on the ensuing play, Ryan Golden intercepted a Troutman pass at the Roadrunners’ 42-yard-line.

After another three-and-out by the Highlanders, Golden again came up with a big play on defense, recovering a Troy fumble at the Roadrunners’ 38-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Highlanders found the endzone for the first time on the evening, as Jeffers scored on a two-yard run on the first play of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 21-6.

A-E wasted little time responding, however, as the ensuing kickoff was returned to the Highlanders’ 32-yard-line and Johnson scored one play later to put A-E up 28-6.

After a three-and-out by Scott, the Roadrunners would add to their lead on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Troutman to Anderson, putting A-E up 35-6 and essentially putting the game out of reach.

Scott would respond with a lengthy drive that covered 23 yards in 11 plays, but it stalled at the Roadrunners’ 37-yard-line when a fourth down pass fell incomplete.

Three plays later, A-E appeared to be headed for another touchdown, but Anderson fumbled at Scott’s two-yard-line, with Jessie Tussing recovering for the Highlanders at the six-yard-line.

A 17-yard pass from Terry to Chambers moved the ball out of the shadow of the endzone, but the A-E defense stiffened and forced a Sexton punt, which was returned by Anderson 53 yards for a score, putting Austin-East up 42-6 with 56 seconds remaining before the intermission.

Scott took first possession of the second half and quickly marched downfield, covering 66 yards in six plays, primarily on a pair of receptions — one for 24 yards and another for 22 yards — by Sexton. The second reception gave the Highlanders a first-and-goal at A-E’s three-yard-line, and Jeffers covered the remaining distance in two carries, scoring with 9:19 remaining to cut the deficit to 42-12.

Austin-East responded, however, with four more touchdowns. The first came on a two-yard run by Troutman with 7:01 remaining in the quarter. The second came after A-E recovererd a fumble and returned it to the Highlanders’ four-yard-line. Johnson scored on the ensuing play, putting A-E up 56-12.

After a three-and-out by the Highlanders, backup quarterback Mark Montgomery capped a five-play drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, giving the Roadrunners a 63-12 lead.

Following a three-and-out by Scott, the Roadrunners put together their final scoring drive, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Montgomery to Daniel Anderson with 11:03 remaining in the game.

The Highlanders would drive inside Austin-East’s 15-yard-line on the ensuing possession, using 14 plays to move into scoring position. But the drive stalled, and the ball went over on downs after a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

Three plays later, Caleb Sexton intercepted an A-E pass at the 31-yard-line, giving the Highlanders an opportunity to score a final touchdown before time expired.

Following four consecutive carries by Jeffers to move the ball to the A-E two-yard-line, Terry scored on a quarterback keeper on fourth-and-goal with 30 seconds remaining, setting the final score at 70-18.