BY DANIEL SPARKMAN As we prepare for Week 1 of High School Football in Tennessee, we have placed the 19 football teams in our coverage area into a Top 10 list. These rankings are based on players that are returning to the team from last year, each team’s performance during the jamboree games, and a team’s previous records. With that said our preseason top 10: Alcoa Maryville Jefferson County Carter Sevier County Gatlinburg-Pittman TKA Pigeon Forge Morristown-West Seymour The Alcoa Tornadoes top the list as they are defending their Class 3A State Championship with a 2021 record of 14-1. Maryville …
Two-A-Days: Morristown West looks to build on momentum from 2021
BY CHRISTOPHER MALONEY Correspondent Last year, Morristown West finished 5-6 overall (5-5 regular season, 0-1 postseason). The Trojans went 4-0 at home but due to some mental mistakes, according to head coach Alvin Sanders, they weren’t able to close out wins on the road. This year, getting the players ready, not just on the field, but mentally, has been the focus. Sanders said the goal is for this year’s team to be better mentally prepared to handle the twists of turns in a game than last year’s squad was. When asked if he feels this team is better than last …
Lady Patriots’ comeback falls short at Morristown-West
BY BRIAN HAMILTON MORRISTOWN – Nina Lovelace set the tone early for Morristown-West, as the senior finished with 23 points in a narrow 54-53 win over Jefferson County. The Lady Trojans held a sizeable lead in the second half, but the Lady Patriots were able to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Morristown-West was able to escape narrowly with a 55-54 win. “I thought we controlled it, I really did,” Morristown-West head coach Johnny Gaylon said after the game. “It seemed like in the fourth quarter, we tried to run the clock out and that probably messed us …
Carter survives scare from Morristown West 24-19
BY BRIAN HAMILTON STRAWBERRY PLAINS – Carter survived by the skin of its teeth again, as Wilson came through in the clutch with a touchdown run to give the Hornets a 24-19 win over Morristown West. The game featured a total of 38 penalties for 375 yards. The Trojans took a 3-0 on its first drive when Caleb Santana connected on a 28-yard field goal with 10:03 remaining in the first quarter. Carter would get on the board with a Chandler Wilson touchdown pass to Kaleb Harper. The two-point conversion attempt failed, however, making the score 6-3 with 4:44 left …
Morristown West shuts out Cocke County 41-0
BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Morristown West came into Newport and handed Cocke County a 41-0 loss in a non-region game Friday night. The Fighting Cocks barely eclipsed 100 total yards in the contest. “We made a million-and-a-half mistakes tonight and they made us pay for them,” Cocke County head coach Scotty Dykes said. “Poor execution on our part. We had plays and just didn’t make them.” Morristown West took a 7-0 lead when Hunter Delaney went into the end zone for a one yard score with three minutes left in the first quarter. The Fighting Cocks’ defense would play …