Seymour dominates Cocke County 49-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Seymour responded to its first loss of the season with a dominant 49-7 win over Cocke County on Friday night. The Eagles rolled up 459 yards of total offense, while holding the Fighting Cocks to just 154 total yards. “Offensively, we played really well,” Seymour head coach Scott Branton said. “We got out of our own way. The kids came out and executed really well early on. We kept our foot on the gas and finished.” Brendon Harris got the Eagles on the board first with a 6-yard touchdown run to make the score 7-0 …

TKA wins thriller over Grace Christian on Homecoming

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – The King’s Academy finally was able to play their first home game of the season on Friday night, which was homecoming, and defeated Grace Christian by a score of 22-20. “We needed some positive momentum,” TKA head coach Jonathan Sellers said. “We start region play next week. We’re excited and I think this is going to carry over to next week and show that these guys’ hard work is paying off.” The Lions were originally supposed to play their first home game on Week 2, but COVID-19 forced Meigs County to forfeit the game. Of …

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 …

Gatlinburg-Pittman

Loudon defeats Gatlinburg-Pittman behind Karig’s 6 touchdown passes

BY BRIAN HAMILTON LOUDON – Gatlinburg-Pittman hung tough with Class 3A No.3-ranked Loudon for most of the game, trailing by just one score late in the third quarter, but ultimately mistakes would cost the Highlanders in a 43-22 loss on Thursday Night Rivals. “The defense played extremely well all night long,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Brad Waggoner said. “We got it into the fourth quarter (almost) at 22-14 and we knew we couldn’t give up big plays at the end. They’ve got explosive players and we knew that coming in.” Gatlinburg-Pittman took an early 7-0 lead on a 7-yard Levi Hill …

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 …

Carter completes third straight comeback behind Wilson’s 5 touchdowns

BY BRIAN HAMILTON CORRYTON – Carter traveled to Corryton Friday night to take on Gibbs for the 43rd time, with the Eagles winning the last seven. The game was the first region matchup for both teams and Carter held a 24-18 lead in the all-time series going into the game. The Hornets drew first blood, as Chandler Wilson hit Kaleb Harper for an 84-yard touchdown with nine minutes left in the first quarter. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, as Carter took a 6-0 lead. Gibbs would answer with a 5-yard touchdown run by Nathan Butler to take a 7-6 lead …

Maryville defense suffocates Farragut in 42-14 win

BY BRIAN HAMILTON FARRAGUT – Maryville held Farragut to just 46 total yards in the first half, taking a 21-0 lead to intermission, en route to a 42-14 win. The Rebels used a 10-play 55-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard D.J. Burks run, to take a 7-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter. Farragut was able to hold Maryville in check for most of the first half, but Carson Jones then found Markel Fortenberry for a 48-yard touchdown with 4:16 left in the first half to take a 14-0 lead. Fortenberry then caught another touchdown pass from Jones …

South-Doyle scores 28 unanswered points to down Scott 42-10

BY BRIAN HAMILTON HUNTSVILLE – South-Doyle traveled to Huntsville Friday night to face the Scott Highlanders in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. The Cherokees would score 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 42-10. South-Doyle would take an early 7-0 lead, but Scott would answer with a 13-yard touchdown run by Brady Strunk. The Cherokees went back in front 14-7 and led 14-10 at halftime, after Scott’s Hugo Henry booted a 42-yard field goal. South-Doyle came out of the locker room and scored in just five plays, as quarterback Nick Martin ran …

Cocke County

Cocke County holds off Heritage 29-27

BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Cocke County picked up its first win of the season on Friday night, as the Fighting Cocks made a goal-line stand on a two-point conversion with just over a minute to go, preserving the 29-27 win. “We had Baylor (Baxter) and all the guys back that we hadn’t had the first couple of weeks we felt a little more comfortable with our game plan,” Cocke County head coach Scotty Dykes said. “Obviously, they’re a very good defensive team and we just felt like we had a couple looks we could take advantage of and the …

Sevier County loses region opener to Knox Central 35-13

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – After a late game collapse last Saturday against Carter, which resulted in the Smoky Bears’ first loss of the season, Sevier County had more of an ‘early game collapse’ Friday night, falling behind 21-0 rather quickly. The Smoky Bears fought back, but ultimately fell by a score of 35-13. “We got behind the eight ball quick with the punt block, which set up a quick score for them,” Sevier County head coach Todd Loveday said. ” Knox Central blocked a punt, setting up their opening drive in the red zone. The Bobcats would score on …