Sevier County

Bearettes jump on Jefferson County early to repeat as District 2 champs

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Sevier County took an early 19-2 lead over Jefferson County and never looked back, as the Bearettes defeated the Lady Patriots 57-34 in the Class 4A District 2 title game Saturday night. The championship was Sevier County’s second straight, one year after replacing all five starters to graduation. “We talked about it today during our pregame; when we start fast, we tend to win,” Sevier County coach Jonathan Schultz said after the game. “On Monday night, when we played here, we didn’t play a great game and I just thought we got outworked, so we …

McMahan

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 …

Jefferson County’s Hall injured in 37-0 loss to Science Hill

BY BRIAN HAMILTON JOHNSON CITY – Jefferson County and Science Hill came into the game tied for first place in Class 6A Region 1 at 3-0 apiece. The Hilltoppers sent the Patriots home with a 37-0 win, however, and knocked them into second place, thanks in part to Jefferson County owning the head-to-head over Dobyns-Bennett. “We played a complete game on both sides of the ball, which we needed,” Science Hill head coach Stacy Carter said. “I’m proud of them.” Science Hill took an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter when Jefferson County threw the ball out of the …

Jefferson County takes down Hardin Valley 42-7 on homecoming

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Jefferson County jumped out to a 14-0 lead and led 21-7 at halftime, as the Patriots would defeat Hardin Valley 42-7 on homecoming. Omarian Mills scored the first two touchdowns of the game and Jefferson County would try an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. The Hawks recovered the punt and returned it to the Patriots’ 1-yard line. A quarterback sneak would make the score 14-7. Jefferson County responded on the next drive, marching down the field and cashing in on a 28-yard touchdown run by Blake Overton. The Patriots led 21-7 at halftime. The …

Jefferson County remains unbeaten in region after win over Morristown-East

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Jefferson County was able to bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss to Halls to defeat Morristown-East and improve to 2-0 in Class 6A Region 1. The Patriots took an early 7-0 lead and rode that to halftime, as both teams’ defense were on display in the first half. Morristown-East would receive the second half kick and went the length of the field for a touchdown by Eli Seals. The point-after attempt was no good, however, as Jefferson County still led by a score of 7-6. The Patriots would respond immediately by scoring to take a …

Jefferson County loses a thriller to Halls 34-33

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Jefferson County lost a heartbreaker at Halls Friday night, as the Patriots allowed a de-facto game winning kick return for a score and missed a potential game-winning field goal in the waning minutes of a 34-33 loss to the Red Devils. Halls got on the board first when Cameron Bates found the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 5:45 left in the first quarter. The Red Devils’ D.J. Hunt broke off several solid runs later in the first, followed by a 54-yard touchdown pass from Connor Cummings to Camden …

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 …

Jefferson County shuts out Cocke County 60-0 for first win since 2019

BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Jefferson County snapped an 18-game losing streak on Friday night by blowing out Cocke County 60-0. The Patriots last win was on September 5, 2019 against Morristown West, when Jefferson County defeated the Trojans to move to 3-0. The Patriots never won another game that season or in 2020. “It’s good for our kids and they feel good about themselves tonight,” Jefferson County head coach Spencer Riley said after the game. Cocke County received the opening kick and went three-and-out on their first drive, with Jefferson County taking over at the Fighting Cocks’ 34-yard line. …

Sevier County

Sevier County earns first win in Dandridge since 2013

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Sevier County traveled to Dandridge on Friday night and came away with a hard-fought 21-13 win over Jefferson County. The Smoky Bears got on the board late in the first quarter when quarterback Collin Shannon ran for a score, making the score 7-0 with 1:33 left in the quarter. Sevier County would then go in front 14-0 when Shannon scrambled on fourth down and found Corbin Overbay for a 29-yard touchdown with just 1:48 left in the half. The Smoky Bears would go to the half with a 14-0 advantage. Jefferson County would cut the …