BY BRIAN HAMILTONi
PIGEON FORGE – There are forks in the Pigeon River. Some go north, some go south. Pigeon Forge appears to be improving offensively, while Northview seems to be fighting upstream. Against the current, it will be for the Cougars’, as a 17-0 loss to Pigeon Forge drops Northview to 0-3 in the region.
Northview was shut out by Pigeon Forge on Friday, all but ending the Cougars’ playoff hopes.
The Tigers got on the board first with a 39-yard Abe Gonzalez field goal, giving Pigeon Forge a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
Pigeon Forge increased its lead to 10-0 in the second quarter when quarterback Tyson McFall went into the end zone for a short run.
The Tigers would tack on one more touchdown in the third quarter, as Aidan Howard scored to give Pigeon Forge a 17-0 win and keep the Tigers on precarious ground, as far as the playoffs are concerned. Northview Academy is all but eliminated from the postseason at 0-3.
Pigeon Forge (4-3, 2-1 Class 3A Region 1) will take a week off before going to Austin-East on October 15 (2-4, 2-1) for a matchup that the Tigers certainly can’t take lightly.
Northview Academy (2-5, 0-3 Class 3A Region 1) will host Class 4A Grainger (3-4) on Friday night,