#2 Maryville takes down #3 Alcoa 30-27 in 93rd Battle of Pistol Creek

BY BRIAN HAMILTON ALCOA – It was the 93rd edition of the Battle of Pistol Creek and boy, was it a good one. Maryville jumped out to an early 17-0 lead, but had to hang on late, as Alcoa fought back in the second half, only to fall 30-27. “You’ve got to put yourself in positions like this to learn about your team,” Maryville head coach Derek Hunt said. “It’s really hard to get our guys up for big game after big game. When you play a team that is good enough to beat you every week and you’re not …

Gatlinburg-Pittman

Loudon defeats Gatlinburg-Pittman behind Karig’s 6 touchdown passes

BY BRIAN HAMILTON LOUDON – Gatlinburg-Pittman hung tough with Class 3A No.3-ranked Loudon for most of the game, trailing by just one score late in the third quarter, but ultimately mistakes would cost the Highlanders in a 43-22 loss on Thursday Night Rivals. “The defense played extremely well all night long,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Brad Waggoner said. “We got it into the fourth quarter (almost) at 22-14 and we knew we couldn’t give up big plays at the end. They’ve got explosive players and we knew that coming in.” Gatlinburg-Pittman took an early 7-0 lead on a 7-yard Levi Hill …

Jefferson County edges William Blount 17-14

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – In a battle between Class 6A Region 1 foes, Jefferson County upended William Blount by a score of 17-14. The Patriots got on the board first, driving 48 yards in four plays, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Izaiah Hall to Taylor Stoltz for a 7-0 lead with 9:03 remaining in the first quarter. William Blount’s Eli Walker fumbled on the Governors’ first possession, which Jefferson County turned into six, as Omarion Mills ran for a 2-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots in front 14-0 with 7:47 left in the first. The Governors responded on …

Cocke County

Cocke County holds off Heritage 29-27

BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Cocke County picked up its first win of the season on Friday night, as the Fighting Cocks made a goal-line stand on a two-point conversion with just over a minute to go, preserving the 29-27 win. “We had Baylor (Baxter) and all the guys back that we hadn’t had the first couple of weeks we felt a little more comfortable with our game plan,” Cocke County head coach Scotty Dykes said. “Obviously, they’re a very good defensive team and we just felt like we had a couple looks we could take advantage of and the …

Northview

Alcoa continues dominance with 63-8 win over Northview Academy

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KODAK – Alcoa did what it has done each week during the 2021 season on Thursday night, which is jump out to a fast start and play reserves during the second half. The Tornadoes jumped out to a 49-0 halftime lead and came away with a 63-8 Class 3A Region 2 win over Northview Academy. “We were focused and we had them out-matched, but we never quit,” Alcoa head coach Gary Rankin said. “Our coaches get us prepared for the game better than anybody.” Alcoa has won its last 35 area matchups by at least 21 points …