Morristown West

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 …

Morristown East

Two-A-Days: Hurricanes look to bounce back after 2-8 campaign in 2021

BY CHRISTOPHER MALONEY Correspondent Smoky Mountain Sports sat down with Morristown East head coach Caleb Slover, and this is what the head coach had to say about his 2022 team, the season they had in 2021 and the potential season ahead. Morristown East went 2-8 in 2021 and one big reason for this was that they had trouble putting together four “consistent” quarters. Though this year’s team has some youth in some skilled positions, there are a good number of returnees from last year, as well, who have a year or more of experience under their belts. Starting senior quarterback …

Alcoa State Champs

Two-A-Days: Alcoa sets sights on 8-peat with Nix at helm

BY BRIAN HAMILTON Alcoa completed its seventh consecutive Class 3A championship run last December, defeating East Nashville 45-14. The Tornadoes now hold the longest streak of TSSAA championships in the common era. Believe it or not, however, Alcoa is only halfway to breaking the nation record of consecutive state titles, as St. Louis from Hawaii won 14 straight from 1986 through 1999. South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Washington has also been credited with 14 straight from 1951 through 1964, but during that day and age, many of those titles were viewed as mythical. Regardless, Alcoa seemingly has a stranglehold on Class …

Maryville Quarterback Carson Jones is corralled by the Oakland defense during the Patriots' 24-14 win.

Rebels’ season ends at the hands of Oakland for second consecutive year

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Oakland was able to hold off Maryville 24-14 to advance to its second consecutive state championship next Saturday. The Patriots used its vaunted running game to move the chains and chew up clock, handing Maryville its first home playoff loss since 1999, when the Rebels fell to Knox Central. The two teams met for the eighth straight time in the Class 6A semifinals, and it was only the first time since 2014 that the road team won in the series. Both teams came into this matchup undefeated in 2020 and Oakland walked away with a …

TKA wins shootout over Grace Franklin 55-36

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – The King’s Academy survived a shootout with Grace Franklin on Friday night, winning 55-36 after seeing its lead trimmed to five points in the fourth quarter. “Our defense has been the backbone of this team all season,” TKA head coach Jonathan Sellers said after the game. “Grace scored a couple more points than we’re used to giving up usually, but those guys are going to get it fixed and they’re going to be ready to go next week.” TKA drew first blood on the first offensive possession when Elijah Williams-Smith found Marshaun Bowers for a …