Seymour season ends at Anderson County 39-21

BY BRIAN HAMILTON CLINTON – Seymour saw its season come to an end on Friday night at Anderson County. The Eagles held a 21-14 lead midway through the third quarter, but was unable to score in the second half, as the Mavericks scored 25 unanswered to win 39-21. Anderson County received the opening kick and drove 65 yards to paydirt, as Cody Miller found Walker Martinez for a 28-yard touchdown with seven minutes left in the first quarter. Seymour finally put together a successful drive late in the first quarter, going 75 yards and capping the drive with an 18-yard …

Gatlinburg-Pittman edges Chuckey-Doak 40-35

BY BRIAN HAMILTON AFTON – Gatlinburg-Pittman built an 28-0 lead early in the game and nearly watched the lead slip through its fingers, as the Highlanders hung on for a 40-35 win. Brady Hammonds found Carlos Orr for an early touchdown to put Gatlinburg-Pittman ahead 7-0 with 9:30 left in the first quarter. Orr then broke free for a 49-yard touchdown on the next drive, giving the Highlanders a 14-0 lead with 7:34 left in the first. Tom Hickman thwarted another possible Highlander scoring drive, as he intercepted Hammonds with 16 seconds left in the quarter. Gatlinburg-Pittman led 14-0 at …

Pigeon Forge hangs on for 21-20 win over West Greene

BY BRIAN HAMILTON PIGEON FORGE – Pigeon Forge built an early lead and was forced to hold on for a 21-20 win against West Greene to advance to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. West Greene got on the board first when Ethan Turner returned a fumble 51 yards for a touchdown, giving the Buffaloes a 7-0 lead after one quarter. A 6-yard touchdown run by Brady Maples tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter, followed by a 13-yard Aiden Howard touchdown run, which put the Tigers ahead 14-7 at halftime. West Greene came out and …

South-Doyle pummels Gibbs in season finale 45-7

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – South-Doyle ended the season with a statement, defeating Gibbs 45-7 after dropping back-to-back games to rivals Central Knox and Carter. “We had a great meeting on Monday and talked about how this game was do or die,” South-Doyle head coach Carter Duncan said.” The Cherokees jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead after one quarter, behind three Shawn Gary touchdown runs of 5, 11, and 2 yards. Martin faked a handoff to Gary and went into the end zone untouched to put South-Doyle in front 28-0 with 5:16 remaining in the first half. South-Doyle held …

Jefferson County’s Hall injured in 37-0 loss to Science Hill

BY BRIAN HAMILTON JOHNSON CITY – Jefferson County and Science Hill came into the game tied for first place in Class 6A Region 1 at 3-0 apiece. The Hilltoppers sent the Patriots home with a 37-0 win, however, and knocked them into second place, thanks in part to Jefferson County owning the head-to-head over Dobyns-Bennett. “We played a complete game on both sides of the ball, which we needed,” Science Hill head coach Stacy Carter said. “I’m proud of them.” Science Hill took an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter when Jefferson County threw the ball out of the …

William Blount’s playoff hopes dashed with 48-21 loss to Dobyns-Bennett

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – William Blount saw its playoff hopes fade on Friday night, as Dobyns-Bennett came to Maryville and handed the Governors a 48-21 defeat. The Indians outgained William Blount 571-253 in total yards. “Losing is contagious and winning is contagious,” William Blount head coach Philip Shadowens said. “It’s a confidence thing and right now, we don’t have the mental attitude to keep fighting when things go bad.” Both teams remained scoreless for the majority of the first quarter, but Dobyns-Bennett would take a 7-0 lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jack Carson to Ben Phillips, capping …

Maryville routes winless Hardin Valley 61-3

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Maryville jumped out on Hardin Valley early, taking a 28-3 lead in the first quarter and a 45-3 lead at halftime. The Rebels would win the game by a score of 61-3, despite a running clock in the second half. Maryville amassed 398 total yards on 50 plays, while holding Hardin Valley to just 76. “Our goal was to play fast and play with purpose and I thought we did that early on,” Maryville head coach Derek Hunt said. “Obviously, Hardin Valley isn’t having the kind of year they’d like to have, but doesn’t need …

Pigeon Forge hangs on against Austin-East 24-14

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Pigeon Forge came away with a 24-14 win at Austin-East on Friday night, as the Tigers overcame a slow start to gain control and seal the game with an interception late in the fourth. Pigeon Forge fumbled on the first drive and them fumbled the snap on their next offensive play. The Tigers were lucky to survive the damage only trailing 6-0 with 8:38 left in the first. Ayden Littles ran for a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put Pigeon Forge in front 7-6, which was the halftime score. “We had so many …

Cosby falls to Unaka 54-12 in region finale

BY BRIAN HAMILTON COSBY – The Eagles’ defense played well early, but Unaka’s high-octane offense was too much to handle in the end, as Cosby lost its final region game by a score of 54-12. Devonte Wigfall intercepted Unaka quarterback Landon Ramsey on the Rangers’ first drive to give Cosby good field position for their first possession. The Eagles drove to the Unaka 5-yard line, but turned the ball over when quarterback Tyler Turner fumbled a handoff, which the Rangers recovered. Unaka capitalized on the turnover when Ramsey hit Caleb Lydick for a 68-yard touchdown to take an 8-0 lead. …

West hangs 76 points on Cocke County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON NEWPORT – Senior night did not quite go as planned for Cocke County on Friday night, as top-ranked West came in and destroyed the Fighting Cocks 76-7. The Rebels amassed 609 yards of total offense, with 490 of those yards coming on the ground. West averaged 19 yards per play. The rout began on West’s first play from scrimmage, as Brayden Latham sliced the Fighting Cock defense for an 89-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead just under two minutes into the game. The Rebels took a 14-0 lead when quarterback Carson Jessie found Jaqurius Wrenn for …