Gatlinburg-Pittman Archives

Lady Highlanders finish runner-up in region after South Greene sweep

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Lady Highlanders’ thrilling win in five sets over North Greene was met with a region championship match with defending state champion South Greene later Tuesday night. Gatlinburg-Pittman held strong for most of the first set, but ultimately succumbed to the Lady Rebels’ high-flying kills and fell three sets to none in the match (25-16, 25-13, 25-11). The Lady Highlanders will have one more opportunity to extend the season on Thursday in the substate round. “Well, if you lose, you go home. If you win, you go to the state tournament,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Hagen …

Lady Highlanders edge North Greene in 5th set after leading 2-0

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Lady Highlanders rallied from an 11-9 deficit in the fifth frame to hold off a pesky North Greene team after taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the first two sets. After giving up sets three and four and trailing in the fifth, Steffi Johnson was able to hit the winning shot across, which was unable to be returned, giving Gatlinburg-Pittman the fifth set 15-13 and the match 3-2. “I think my team loves to give the crowd and the coaching staff a heart attack every game that we play, so why make it different …

Gatlinburg-Pittman takes down Happy Valley 70-47 in regional semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Leah Stinnett has been having a district tournament for the ages with the first triple-double in school history against Chuckey-Doak on Friday night. The sophomore guard followed that up by leading Gatlinburg-Pittman in scoring — with 20 points — and helping propel the Lady Highlanders to the district finals with a 70-47 win over Happy Valley. Gatlinburg-Pittman got off to a great start in the fourth quarter and lead after the Lady Warriors pulled to within six early in the second quarter, GP went on a 10-0 run and never looked back. “I thought that …

Gatlinburg-Pittman hoses Coosa Christian from Gadsden, Alabama on homecoming

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Coosa Christian made the five hour trek from Gadsden, Alabama to Gatlinburg on Friday and got sent back south with a 56-7 loss to the Highlanders on homecoming. Gatlinburg-Pittman jumped on the Conquerors early with touchdown runs by Levi Hill and freshman Teagan Avera, whose 41-yard score gave the Highlanders a 14-0 lead. Avera ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries, averaging over 20 yards per carry in the game. The Highlanders led 21-0 after the first quarter and went ahead 28-0 midway through the second quarter on a 43-yard touchdown …

Gatlinburg-Pittman pounds Union County 49-6

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Gatlinburg-Pittman had no trouble with Union County on Friday night, taking down the Patriots 49-6 to improve to 2-1 in region play. Gatlinburg rolled up 409 yards of total offense, averaging over 12 yards per play. “We have gotten better every single week,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Brad Waggoner said. “I thought we took another step in the right direction this week.” The Highlanders scored two early touchdowns to go ahead 14-0 with 8:10 still remaining in the first quarter when quarterback Brady Hammonds tossed a touchdown to Whittman Whaley for the two score lead. Hammonds …

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 …

Gatlinburg-Pittman picks up first win of season at Austin-East

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Gatlinburg-Pittman traveled to Knoxville Friday night and came away with a resounding 44-27 win over Austin-East after tough losses to Seymour and Alcoa to start the season. “I am proud of these kids,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Brad Waggoner said. “They have kept battling. It is hard when you lose an overtime game and a game last week that wasn’t close. I knew on Monday and Tuesday that we would win this game by the way we practiced.” The game was close early on, as the Highlanders led 21-14 late in the second quarter. Gatlinburg-Pittman would …

Alcoa routes Gatlinburg-Pittman 56-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON ALCOA – Gatlinburg-Pittman traveled to Alcoa Friday night to face a dominant Tornadoes team. The Highlanders were missing five starters in the game and the Tornadoes jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, using a 28-0 first quarter lead to defeat Gatlinburg-Pittman 56-7. The win improved Alcoa’s all-time series record against the Highlanders to 14-0. It only took the Tornadoes one play to take the lead, as Jordan Harris broke free for a 56-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Just 15 seconds into the game, the Alcoa student section had already started …

Seymour snaps 11-game losing streak, defeat Highlanders in OT

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Seymour Eagles went winless in 2020, but snapped an 11-game losing streak, dating back to 2019, with a 14-13 overtime win against cross-county rival Gatlinburg-Pittman. It was ultimately a Wesley Zamoni extra-point, pushed back 10 yards due to penalty, that won the game. “Our word all week has been belief,” Seymour head coach Scott Branton said. “Our kids never lost the sight of belief. Last year was a learning experience. It was a tough year for everybody — not just football, but with everything going on in the lives of people with the pandemic. …