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 …

Maryville

Maryville pulls away from Powell in second half 52-31

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Powell and top-ranked recruit Walter Nolan came into Maryville Stadium and gave the Rebels a scare early, as the teams traded leads throughout the first half, but Maryville outscored the Panthers 21-0 in the third quarter, en route to a 52-31 win. Powell took the opening kick and put together a drive that spanned over nine minutes and 19 plays, fueled by several third-down conversions. The Panthers were only able to get three points out of the drive, however, as a 32-yard Dyland Stooksbury field goal gave Powell a 3-0 lead. On the Rebels’ first …

Carter starts 1-0, opens with home win for first time since 2015

BY BRIAN HAMILTON STRAWBERRY PLAINS – Carter came from behind and stunned Webb 26-21 on Friday. The Hornets opened the season at 1-0 for the first time since a 46-34 win over Knoxville Halls in 2015. It was also the first time Carter has won a home opener since 2015. The Hornets trailed 7-0 after the first quarter and had three touchdowns called back in the period. Early in the second quarter, Webb would have a touchdown called back, before tossing an interception. Carter then proceeded to drive the ball all the way to the Webb 18-yard line, where it …

Maryville shuts out cross-town rival Heritage 49-0

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Maryville kicked off the 2021 season with a bang on Friday night, as the Rebels scored early and often during a 49-0 route of Heritage. The scoring began with 7:58 left in the first quarter when Carson Jones found Jackson Phillips for an 11-yard touchdown, the first of five consecutive possessions the Rebels would score on. Next Maryville drive, Markel Fortenberry hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass from Jones to go ahead 14-0. Noah Vaughn then broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run to put the Rebels up 21-0 with 9:36 to go in the …

Cosby opens season with loss for first time since 2018

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SUNBRIGHT – The Cosby Eagles traveled to Sunbright on Friday night to face the Tigers. Cosby fell into an early deficit and trailed 35-12 at halftime. The Eagles played much better in the second half, but were unable to make up any of the deficit, falling 53-24. Quarterback Tyler Turner led Cosby with 181 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground, while throwing for 70 yards on 7-of-8 completions. The Eagles had won their past two season openers, but will start the season with a loss for the first time since 2018. Cosby (0-1) will try …

Cherokee rolls up 550 yards in win over Cocke County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON ROGERSVILLE – Cocke County traveled to Rogersville on Friday night to face the Cherokee Chiefs in a non-district game. The Cocks gave up 550 yards of total offense in the contest, including 471 on the ground, as the Chiefs rolled to a 41-6 win. Brazen Stewart led the Cocks’ offense, finishing with 90 yards receiving and scoring the team’s only touchdown. Roman Stewart ran for 59 yards, while Tasean Simpson led Cocke County with 10 tackles. Simpson made all of his tackles in the first half, as an injury kept him out of the second half. The …

CAK drills Lions 33-6

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – The King’s Academy Lions found themselves in choppy waters early against the Christian Academy of Knoxville Friday night. Despite having star running back Nakelin McAfee, the Lions offense could never get in a groove, as TKA lost 33-6. CAK successfully recovered an onside kick on the first play of the game and then scored a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to lead 7-0. On TKA’s first possession, the Lions were forced to punt to CAK running back J.D. Dunn, who returned it to the TKA 38-yard line. A punt by the Warriors pinned …

Northview comes up short against Unicoi County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KODAK – Northview Academy ran out of time against Unicoi County Friday night, as the Cougars fell 22-15. “They all played hard and I’m very pleased with them,” Northview head coach Heath Woods said. “We made mistakes and when you make mistakes you lose ballgames.” Quarterback Alex Cruz-Mendoza, a converted running back, put Northview on the board first with an 8-yard touchdown run, giving the Cougars an 8-0 lead. Unicoi then scored 22 unanswered points, taking a 15-8 halftime lead and later a 22-8 lead, as Nehemiah Edwards scored from two yards out midway through the third …