Jefferson County

Sevier County wins defensive battle 7-6 over Jefferson County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEVIERVILLE – If you like a lot of scoring and offensive firepower, then Thursday night’s game between rivals Sevier County and Jefferson County was not for you. It was a defensive slugfest, especially in the second half, as Sevier County scored on its first drive and Jefferson County scored in the second quarter, with the only difference being a blocked extra-point that gave the Smoky Bears a 7-6 season-opening win. “I’ve never heard of an ugly win,” Sevier County head coach Todd Loveday said. “I’ll never apologize to win any kind of game. Jefferson County is a …

Maryville Football

Clemmer shines in first start for Maryville, as Rebels defeat Heritage 45-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Both teams came into the game with some fresh faces, as Heritage head coach and former Vols assistant coach Joe Osovet was coaching in his first game with the Mountaineers and Maryville was showcasing new quarterback Matthew Clemmer for the first time in its offense. Clemmer, a senior transfer from William Blount, finally got his first start for the Rebels and didn’t take him long to throw his first touchdown pass, as he found Noah Vaughn for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The former Governor threw for 259 yards and four touchdowns …

Two-A-Days: Jefferson County looks to build off successes of 2021

BY CHRISTOPHER MALONEY Correspondent Jefferson County only had one scrimmage this summer due to weather and it was against David Crockett last Wednesday. The Patriots won 18-0. Head coach Spencer Riley said that his team still has questions on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Crockett game was approximately one week before the start of their season at Sevier County on Thursday, August 18. “We are going to win with our O- and D-line. I we can continue to improve in those areas, we will be fine,” Riley said. Jefferson County returns junior quarterback Izaiah Hall and …

Alcoa, Maryville Football Top Preseason Top 10

BY DANIEL SPARKMAN As we prepare for Week 1 of High School Football in Tennessee, we have placed the 19 football teams in our coverage area into a Top 10 list. These rankings are based on players that are returning to the team from last year, each team’s performance during the jamboree games, and a team’s previous records. With that said our preseason top 10: Alcoa Maryville Jefferson County Carter Sevier County Gatlinburg-Pittman TKA Pigeon Forge Morristown-West Seymour The Alcoa Tornadoes top the list as they are defending their Class 3A State Championship with a 2021 record of 14-1. Maryville …

Thad Wells

Two-A-Days: New Lakeway Christian Coach Thad Wells views Lions as ‘sleeping giant’

BY BRIAN HAMILTON Lakeway Christian enters its third season as a football program looking to find its footing in Division II Class A. The Lions made big strides in 2021, finishing 4-7 (thanks to a pair of COVID-19 wins) and the school’s first ever playoff berth before losing to Nashville Christian 41-7. While the 2021 campaign doesn’t seem like strides for some teams, it certainly was after Lakeway did not win a game on the field in its inaugural season, as its only win — against Lee (VA) — came in the season opener, which was a COVID-19 forfeit. The …