Volunteer hands Seymour first loss of season

BY BRIAN HAMILTON CHURCH HILL – After an 0-10 season in 2020, Seymour had gotten off to a 2-0 start before traveling to Church Hill to face Volunteer on Friday. The Falcons, however, would hand the Eagles their first loss of the season by a score of 28-14. “I don’t know if we walked off the bus thinking we were going to win because we were 2-0 and they were 0-2,” Seymour head coach Scott Branton said. “The theme of the game for Seymour was self-inflicted mistakes.” The game was tied at 7-7 late in the second quarter when Volunteer …

TKA travels to Georgia, falls to Heritage 34-14

BY BRIAN HAMILTON RINGGOLD, Ga. – The King’s Academy was originally scheduled to travel to the Howard School in Chattanooga on Friday, but for the second consecutive week, the Lions had their game cancelled due to COVID-19. TKA rescheduled Heritage High School in Ringgold, Georgia on Friday night, but lost 34-14. “The positive is that we played so we can see what steps we need to continue taking,” King’s Academy head coach Jonathan Sellers said. “We have to get better with execution and that starts with me.” The game was scheduled less than 48 hours before kickoff, but things did …

Cosby loses hard-fought battle with Jellico

BY BRIAN HAMILTON COSBY – The Eagles took to the field at Virgil Ball Stadium for the first time this season Friday night, as Cosby looked to avenge a 52-6 loss to Jellico in 2020. The game came down to the wire and the Eagles had an opportunity to win the game, but would come away with a 34-26 loss. Jellico led 7-0 after the first quarter, but Tyler Turner and Cosby answered on the first play of the second quarter, as Turner found Hayden Green for a score. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Jellico with a 7-6 lead …

Carter vs Sevier County

Carter wins Saturday night classic over Sevier County 42-35

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEVIERVILLE – Sevier County took on the Carter Hornets on Saturday night in a game that was televised on Rivalry Thursday. The game was played and broadcast on Saturday to make up for Thursday’s lack of a game, since the University of Tennessee plays. The Smoky Bears were missing approximately seven starters for the game, including several key starters on defense, which meant there would be a good chance of a shootout. A shootout it was, as both teams went to the locker room for an hour early in the third quarter due to a lightning delay …

Cosby falls to 0-2 with loss at Unicoi County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON ERWIN – Cosby fell to 0-2 Friday night, as Unicoi County blew out the Eagles 44-0 behind four touchdowns combined from Nehemiah Edwards and Caleb Pelaez. Palaez had an 11-yard touchdown run and also returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown. The route was on early, as Edwards went 59 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The junior also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Edwards finished the night with 80 yards and two scores on six carries, while Palaez ran for 76 yards on six rushes. “They …

Heritage falls at Campbell County 42-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON JACKSBORO- Heritage took an early 7-0 lead and looked to be up for the challenge against Campbell County Friday night, only to watch the Cougars score 42 unanswered for a 42-7 win. “We’re not tough enough to continue success without losing focus,” Heritage head coach Tim Hammontree said. “We have a little success and we’re so excited about that and we forget to do the next thing.” Quarterback Wesley Deck eluded a sack on 4th-and-17 and found Chase Ridings in the end zone for a 7-0 Mountaneers lead with 7:52 left in the first quarter. Campbell County …

William Blount gets thrashed by Karns 40-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – William Blount began the first game of a 4-game road trip on Friday night with a 40-7 loss to Karns. Karns’ DeSean Bishop had a field day against the Governors, rushing for 354 yards and four touchdowns, while adding a receiving touchdown as well. The Beavers ran for 560 yards total on the night. The Governors scored on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Clemmer to Job Matossian to take a first quarter lead. William Blount led 7-6 early on, but as mistakes mounted, the Governors found themselves in a 19-7 hole at halftime. William …

Pigeon Forge downs Sullivan East 48-12 after rain delay

BY BRIAN HAMILTON PIGEON FORGE – A week after a heartbreaking road loss to Hampton, Pigeon Forge came out firing on all cylinders against Sullivan East, winning 48-12 after a 90 minute weather delay. The Tigers intercepted Sullivan East’s Judson Statham on their first possession and put together a 58-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead. Tyson McFall ran for a 15-yard score to capitalize on the turnover. The Patriots, however, would respond with a big play and tied the game at 6-6 after their extra-point was blocked. Pigeon Forge responded with a Brady Maples 11-yard touchdown to give the …

South-Doyle

South-Doyle hangs on to beat Grace behind Gary’s 4 TDs

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – South-Doyle escaped with a 34-27 win against Grace Christian Friday night behind running back Shawn Gary’s 286 yards and four touchdowns. “He’s a player,” South-Doyle head coach Clark Duncan said of Gary. “He does a great job, but we’ve got some great guys up front doing some great things and pushing people around and giving him opportunities to find daylight, then when he finds daylight, he’s just dynamic.” South-Doyle got on the board at the end of the first quarter when Gary ran for a 13-yard touchdown to put the Cherokees ahead 7-0 after one …

Seymour Fans

Eagles soar to 37-14 win over Cherokee

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – If you didn’t already know, the Seymour Eagles went 0-10 in 2020 and many pundits expected little from them in 2021. After a dominant 37-14 win over Cherokee on Friday night, Seymour is right where it wants to be. “We were able to get a little more efficient in the passing game and the running game was good,” Seymour head coach Scott Branton said. “The offensive line played a really good game.” Seymour drove down the field on its first possession and Brendon Harris looked to have given the Eagles a 7-0 lead when his …