BY BRIAN HAMILTON
MARYVILLE – Sevier County traveled to Maryville on Friday night and denied William Blount their second win of the season, while the Smoky Bears picked up much needed momentum heading into a regional game with major playoff implications with a 28-21 win.
William Blount’s Matthew Clemmer (15) attempts to hit an open receiver during the Governors’ 28-21 loss to Sevier County. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“Nothing came easy,” Sevier County head coach Todd Loveday said. “Every game has been a four-quarter game and it is good to end the game on offense like we did.”
After a scoreless first quarter, William Blount got on the board early in the second when quarterback Matthew Clemmer ran for a 1-yard touchdown, putting the Governors in front 7-0.
Sevier County quarterback Collin Shannon would knot the game up at 7-7 with 3:11 left in the first half with a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Smoky Bears got the ball back again before halftime and Garrett Hawkins found paydirt on a 10-yard run with just over a minute left until intermission, giving Sevier County a 14-7 halftime advantage on a 6-play drive that spanned 63 yards.
Sevier County’s Garrett Hawkins (43) runs for a long gain late in the second quarter against William Blount. Photo by Brian Hamilton
A 58-yard pass from Shannon to Weston Hurst would increase Sevier County’s lead to 21-7 with 7:35 left in the third quarter.
Clemmer hit Brandon Keeble for a 35-yard touchdown with 1:54 left in the third to pull the Governors to within 21-14. The score remained a one touchdown difference until Shannon found Corbin Overbay for a 32-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in the game.
William Blount would answer immediately on the next drive, as Clemmer tossed a 66-yard touchdown to Job Matossian on the first play of the drive, making the score 28-21.
Sevier County would be able to hang on in the final minutes for a 28-21 non-region win.
“Our kids are resilient,” William Blount head coach Philip Shadowens said. “They came back (in the game) and did some really good things, but at the end of the day, we didn’t do enough to win. We’ve got to do it for 48 minutes.”
William Blount’s Matthew Clemmer threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-26 passing, while Sevier County’s Collin Shannon threw for 218 yards and two scores through the air and ran for 64 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Brandon Keeble and Job Matossian were the recipients of long touchdown passes from Clemmer, while running back Eli Walker nearly eclipsed 100 yards on the ground.
Sevier County (3-3, 0-2 Class 5A Region 2) will host Halls (3-3, 1-1) on Friday in a battle for third place in the region. William Blount (1-5, 0-2 Class 6A Region 1) will host West Ridge (3-2, 0-2) in a region matchup in what is essentially a playoff elimination game.