SATURDAY STAT LINES

Scott High picked up a pair of wins against Gibbs in today’s district home finale, with both teams wrapping up a No. 3 seed in the upcoming District 4-3A Tournament, which begins Feb. 17 at Anderson County.

LADY HIGHLANDERS 58, GIBBS 46

It was another sharp-shooting night at the free throw line, as Scott teamed up to go 20 of 22 at the stripe en route to completing a district sweep of Gibbs.

Addy Rogers: 19p / 6r / 2b / 4s
Myah Sharp: 18p / 2r / 2a
Karlie Branscum: 8p / 2r / 4a
Calli Strunk: 7p / 5r / 3a / 3b / 3s
Sage Riseden: 4p / 4r
Kelly Hughett: 2p / 2r

SCOTT 77, GIBBS 57

Less than 24 hours after scoring 26 points in a win over Loudon, Wyatt Lloyd had a career game against the Eagles, scoring 35 points. The Highlanders played unselfish ball, with 23 assists on 29 made shots.

Wyatt Lloyd: 35p / 7r / 5a / 2s
Landon Washam: 14p / 4r / 5a
Jaigen Morgan: 11p / 7r / 5a / 2s
Landon Goodman: 3p / 3r
Jacob Lowe: 3p
Houston Stanley: 3p
Isaiah Washam: 2p / 4r / 4a / 2s
Devin Prewitt: 2p
Brady Crabtree: 2p / 2s
Brennan Brumett: 2p / 4r / 2a

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

FRIDAY STAT LINES

A pair of overtime games, buzzer-beaters, and big-time individual performances. Friday night featured just about everything. Standout performances by Drayton Wade, who had 19 points including a game-winning 3-point shot, Ben Gilbert with 25 rebounds, Karlie Branscum with 18 points, Addy Rogers with a double-double that included 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Wyatt Lloyd with 26 points.

🟠 ONEIDA 56, WARTBURG 54 (OT)

The Indians won their second district overtime game in as many nights on the strength of a Drayton Wade 3-point shot with 36 seconds remaining.

Drayton Wade: 19p / 2r / 4a
Jesse Zachary: 13p / 9r
Grady Keeton: 13p / 4r / 3a / 2s
Canaan Shoemaker: 5p
Ben Gilbert: 4p / 25r / 2a
Kannon Gazay: 2p / 2a / 3s

🔴 SCOTT 73, LOUDON 63

The Highlanders avenged an earlier loss at Loudon with a stand-out performance at home, shooting a scorching 67% and knocking down 11 three-point shots.

Wyatt Lloyd: 26p / 7r / 6a
Landon Washam: 14p / 4r / 2b
Landon Goodman: 12p / 2r
Jaigen Morgan: 11p / 2r / 4a
Devin Prewitt: 3p
Brady Crabtree: 3p
Jacob Lowe: 2p / 5r
Brennan Brumett: 2p
Isaiah Washam: 2r / 4a

🟠 LADY INDIANS 49, WARTBURG 39

Oneida built an early lead that it would not relinquish to complete a district sweep of the Bulldogs.

Larissa Jones: 13p / 5r
Elli West: 12p / 3r
Kendall Duncan: 8p / 9r / 2a
Lucy Sexton: 6p / 2r / 2a / 2s
Kamryn Stiltner: 4p / 5r
Maddie Pike: 4p / 2r / 2a
Elizabeth Zachary: 2p / 3r / 3s
Tynleigh Jeffers: 4r / 2b

🔴 LOUDON 53, LADY HIGHLANDERS 51 (OT)

Scott fell in heartbreaking fashion after Loudon hit a buzzer-beating putback in overtime.
Karlie Branscum: 18p / 3a / 2s
Addy Rogers: 15p / 11r / 3b
Sage Riseden: 7p / 2r
Myah Sharp: 6p / 2a
Calli Strunk: 2p / 3r
Jacey Goodman: 2p / 2r / 2a
Kelly Hughett: 3a

Danny’s Drugs has been putting patients first since 1966. Kevin, Tess and the friendly staff at Danny’s Drugs stand ready to assist you! Call (423) 569-8652.

THURSDAY STAT LINES

Last night’s top performers: Larissa Jones (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), Addy Rogers (15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks), Elli West (15 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals), and Grady Keeton (23 points).

🔴 LADY HIGHLANDERS 53, MCCREARY CENTRAL 33

After losing to the Raiders by 21 at home back in December, Scott High earned an impressive road win Thursday night in Stearns, steadily pulling away for a 21-point lead through three quarters.

Addy Rogers: 15p / 9r / 5a / 5b
Myah Sharp: 15p
Karlie Branscum: 9p / 4r
Kelly Hughett: 6p / 5r / 2s
Calli Strunk: 3p / 6r / 6a
Sage Riseden: 2p / 5r

🟠 LADY INDIANS 64, OLIVER SPRINGS 54

Oneida used a big third quarter to create some separation against an old nemesis in Oliver Springs, completing a season sweep of the Bobcats.

Larissa Jones: 19p / 7r / 6s
Elli West: 15p / 4r / 7a / 6s
Elizabeth Zachary: 10p / 4r
Kamryn Stiltner: 7p / 4r
Kendall Duncan: 7p / 3r / 3s
Maddie Pike: 2p / 6a
Lucy Sexton: 2p
Tynleigh Jeffers: 2p / 4r

🟠 ONEIDA 60, OLIVER SPRINGS 59 (OT)

Grady Keeton hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds remaining to lift Oneida to an overtime win against the Bobcats.

Grady Keeton: 23p / 2r
Ben Gilbert: 11p / 7r / 2a / s
Drayton Wade: 9p / 5r / 3a
Jesse Zachary: 7p / 11r / 2s
Brock Ryon: 5p
Canaan Shoemaker: 3p / 4a
Kannon Gazay: 2p / 3r

🔴 MCCREARY CENTRAL 71, SCOTT 46

It was a tough night on the road for the Highlanders, as McCreary Central completed a season sweep in this border affair.

Bentley Ellis: 9p
Wyatt Lloyd: 8p / 4r / 2s
Landon Washam: 5p / 3r
Jaigen Morgan: 4p / 3r / 3a
Braxton Potter: 4p
Landon Goodman: 4p
Brennan Brumett: 4p
Isaiah Washam: 3p / 5a
Jacob Lowe: 1p / 2r / 2a
Devin Prewitt: 2r / 3s

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker Monday morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Tired of heel pain? Give Dr. Nate Brennan a call. Seeing a podiatrist doesn’t require a drive to Knoxville. Dr. Brennan offers regular office hours in both Oneida and Jamestown. (800) 930-7435

Oneida gets offensive in win over Oakdale

ONEIDA | When you’re in the final stages of a game and you lead by more points than your opponent has on the board, it’s been a good night.

It was a good night for Oneida on Tuesday, as the Indians opened the season with a 99-47 win over Oakdale, simply overwhelming the Eagles by scoring the most points the team had scored since putting 100 on the board in a December 2020 win over Coalfield.

Coach Jacob King purposely avoided scheduling Hall of Fame games this year to give his football players time to complete their season and return to the court, resulting in a later start for Oneida than most of the teams the Indians will face this season. That hardly seemed to matter on Tuesday, as Oneida shot 51% from the field in the first half to open a commanding 56-24 lead, then just kept scoring the ball in the second half. The Indians scored 33 points in the second quarter alone.

Grady Keeton, a district MVP candidate, had exactly the start to the season that you want your senior leader to have, shooting 11 of 16 and scoring a game-high 24 points. But there was plenty of offense to go around on this night — including sophomore Jaxson Phillips, who came off the bench to knock down five 3-point shots, finishing with 17 points. He was named the IH Sports Network’s First National Bank Player of the Game.

Canaan Shoemaker finished with 12 points, while Drayton Wade added 10. Jacob Marcum pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and was named the IHSN’s Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.

Oakdale didn’t shoot too poorly, finishing 41% in the first half before cooling down slightly in the second half. But the Eagles were harassed by Oneida’s defense, which forced 22 turnovers. James Journigan scored 17 to lead Oakdale.

As bad as things were for Oakdale heading into the fourth quarter, with Oneida having built an 81-41 lead at that point, the Eagles did not score a field goal for the final seven minutes and change of the game.

Hustle Board

Grady Keeton: 24p / 5r / 2a / 2s
Jaxson Phillips: 17p / 2r
Canaan Shoemaker: 12p / 3r / 4a / 3s
Drayton Wade: 10p / 3r / 3a / 2s
Kannon Gazay: 9p / 4a / 3s
Ben Gilbert: 8p / 6r / 2a
Brock Ryon: 5p / 8r / 3a / 2s
Brady Burke: 5p / 3r
Jake Marcum: 4p / 10r / 2s / 2b
Kason Hutcherson: 3p / 4r / 2b
Kenton Lay: 2p / 5r / 3a

Participation Report: Kaden Keeton.

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Lady Highlanders continue hot shooting in dominant win over Halls

HUNTSVILLE | Against Knox Halls on Tuesday, the sophomore Myah Sharp picked up right where she left off in the First National Bank Hall of Fame Classic 72 hours earlier — knocking down a 3-pointer in the corner to jump-start a 20-point effort that led all scorers.

For a third consecutive game, the Lady Highlanders made double-digit 3-point shots, and rode that shooting effort to a 61-36 win over the Red Devils.

Sharp had four of her team’s 10 three-pointers, and was named the IH Sports Network’s First National Bank Player of the Game.

Calli Strunk finished with six assists and six rebounds to earn the IHSN Trophy Masters Hustle Award.

Addy Rogers scored 13 first half points from her post position to pace things early for Scott High. But after opening a 12-point lead, the Lady Highlanders found Halls to be pesky. The Red Devils were down just eight with under a minute to play in the first half. Scott, though, closed on a 5-0 run — including three Sharp free throws after she was fouled on a heave with 1.2 seconds left — and never looked back. The Lady Highlanders led by as much as 31 points in the second half.

Freshman Mia Smith continued her impressive play, after scoring 21 points against Monterey on Saturday. She finished with 14 in Tuesday’s win.

Hustle Board

Myah Sharp: 20p / 4r / 2s
Mia Smith: 14p / 3r
Addy Rogers: 13p / 6r / 2s
Sage Riseden: 5p / 3r / 2a
Jacey Goodman: 5p
Calli Strunk: 2p / 6r / 6a
Kindell Gibson: 2p
Karlie Branscum: 3s / 2r

Participation Report: Shyann Byrd, Aimee Lewallen, Taylyn Swinson.

Danny’s Drugs has been putting patients first since 1966. Kevin, Tess and the friendly staff at Danny’s Drugs stand ready to assist you! Call (423) 569-8652.

Scott High surges in the fourth to defeat Halls

HUNTSVILLE | During the third quarter of Tuesday’s game at Highlander Gymnasium, it looked like Knox Halls’ frustrating man defense was going to be too much for Scott High to figure out, as the Red Devils built an 11-point lead in the waning seconds of that third period.

But then came the fourth quarter, and a complete turnaround for a Highlander team that roared back from a double-digit deficit to claim a 66-63 win and remain unbeaten on the season.

For first-year head coach Brent Ellis and his team, Halls offered the first real test of the season, as the Red Devils used a 23-point second quarter to surge in front and then began to pull away with a 21-point third quarter. Miles Comparato was spectacular in the first half, scoring 18 of his game-high 27 before the intermission to help his team build a 32-27 lead at the break.

The Highlanders had held a lead early, as Landon Goodman knocked down two 3-point shots and scored eight of his 16 points in the second quarter to put his team in front. But behind Comparato, the Red Devils surged back in front.

Jaigen Morgan helped keep things close in the third quarter, scoring eight points. Still, it looked like Halls was going to win a road game going away … until Scott High turned it around late.

First, the Highlanders trimmed the deficit to single digits going into the fourth quarter. Then they battled back to regain the lead, as Goodman knocked down another key 3-point shot, Morgan scored six more points, and Isaiah Washam hit six consecutive free throws. Washam had nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Morgan finished with 16 and was named the IH Sports Network’s First National Bank Player of the Game. Wyatt Lloyd did not score in the fourth, but finished with 13 points and recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Lloyd was key early, scoring seven points in the first quarter as the Highlanders jumped out to a six-point lead in the opening stanza.

Only five players wound up in the scoring column for the Highlanders, but it was enough on a night when the team displayed the sort of resiliency that could prove key if Scott is able to make the district championship run it hopes to make. Landon Washam, the only non-senior in the starting lineup, pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds and was named the IHSN’s Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.

Hustle Board

Jaigen Morgan: 16p / 6r / 3a
Landon Goodman: 16p / 3r
Isaiah Washam: 15p / 5r / 4a
Wyatt Lloyd: 13p / 10r / 3a / 2s
Landon Washam: 6p / 12r
Brennan Brumett: 3r

Participation Report; Devin Prewitt, Jacob Lowe.

Lady Indians roll to win over Oakdale

ONEIDA | Too much Larissa Jones. Too much Kendall Duncan. Too much Elli West.

That, in a nutshell, was Oakdale’s problem at OHS Gymnasium Tuesday evening, as the Lady Indians jumped to a 24-point halftime lead and rolled to a 74-46 win over the Eagles.

Larissa Jones had a team-high 21 points to lead the Lady Indians, while also pulling down six rebounds and recording four steals.

Kendall Duncan added 15 points to go along with four assists, and was named the IH Sports Network’s First National Bank Player of the Game. Jones was named the IHSN Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.

Elli West scored 13 points, while adding five assists and four steals. Tynleigh Jeffers had a nice game off the bench, with a team-high seven rebounds to accompany eight points.

Oneida didn’t trail after the game’s opening stages, and led by nine points going into the second quarter. That’s where the Lady Indians essentially put the game away, going on a 25-10 run to build a 44-20 halftime lead. That lead ballooned to as much as 30 points early in the third quarter.

Oneida shot a sterling 65% from the field in the first half, including a remarkable six of seven from 3-point range. For the game, the Lady Indians were 56% from the field, including 61% from 3-point range and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line — the kind of shooting percentages that can win championships.

Hustle Board

Larissa Jones: 21p / 6r / 4s
Kendall Duncan: 15p / 2r / 4a / 2s
Elli West: 13p / 5a / 4s
Elizabeth Zachary: 8p
Tynleigh Jeffers: 8p / 7r
Zoie Terry: 3p
Lucy Sexton: 3p
Maddie Pike: 3p / 2r / 2a / 2s
Kamryn Stiltner: 8a / 2s
Jayden Gray: 2r

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Threads of Life this evening. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

Subscribe now

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Tired of heel pain? Give Dr. Nate Brennan a call. Seeing a podiatrist doesn’t require a drive to Knoxville. Dr. Brennan offers regular office hours in both Oneida and Jamestown. (800) 930-7435

Shooting the lights out

HUNTSVILLE | Scott High coach Rusty Yaden had one word after his team suffered through a miserable shooting performance in a 53-31 loss at South Doyle on Thursday to open the season: “Horrible.”

But there was nothing horrible about Saturday’s follow-up in the friendly confines of Highlander Gymnasium.

After a 1 of 12 shooting performance from beyond the arch at South Doyle, the Lady Highlanders hit 27 three-pointers in two games Saturday, hitting 45% of their attempts.

That included a school-record 15 threes in a 72-47 win over Harriman to start the First National Bank Hall of Fame Classic. Eight different players knocked down 3-pointers, with Karlie Branscum and Myah Sharp each accounting for four, as the team shattered the old school record of 12 made 3-pointers in a game.

In a 66-21 win over Monterey later in the day, the Highlanders tied that old record — now second-best — with another 12 shots from the perimeter.

Perhaps even more impressive than all the 3-point shots: across the two games played Saturday, Scott High had 38 assists on 53 made shots.

It was quite a day for the Lady Highlanders’ young players. Sharp, a sophomore who saw considerable time off the bench as a freshman during the district championship run a year ago, hit the four 3-pointers against Harriman and finished with a team-high 19 points, a career high for her.

In the second game, against Monterey, freshman Mia Smith had an exceptional game, with 21 points.

SCOTT 72, HARRIMAN 47

Scott High did not necessarily overwhelm Harriman in the opening game of the First National Bank Classic Saturday morning. Rather, they steadily out-performed the Blue Devils across four quarters, jumping out to a seven-point lead in the first quarter and slowly pulling away for the 25-point victory.

But Karlie Branscum did her part to overwhelm Harriman in the opening period, knocking down four 3-point shots in the opening eight minutes to help her team to the early lead.

In fact, all of the Lady Highlanders’ points in the opening period came from behind the 3-point line, as Myah Sharp, Mia Smith and Addy Rogers all got in on the action.

Later, after Scott led 33-22 at the half, Sharp came alive in the third quarter with 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Sharp finished with 19 points to lead the Lady Highlanders, while Branscum had 14. Addy Rogers had a double-double, with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Junior Calli Strunk wasn’t far off a double-double, as well, finishing with eight points and nine assists.

Scott High capped off the game with a 20-point fourth quarter that saw 3-pointers continue to fall, including a couple from newcomers Shyann Byrd and Sage Riseden.

INDIVIDUAL

Myah Sharp 19p

Addy Rogers 15p, 11r, 4s, 4b

Karlie Branscum 14p, 2r

Calli Strunk 8p, 9a, 2s

Sage Riseden 5p, 3r

Mia Smith 3p, 3r, 2a

Aimee Lewallen 3p, 3r

Shyann Byrd 3p, 2r

Hope Duncan 2p

SCOTT 66, MONTEREY 21

In the final game against Monterey, it was freshman Mia Smith who got off to the hot start, knocking down 12 points in the opening quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. She would finish the game with four 3-pointers and a game-high 21 points.

Addy Rogers had eight points in the opening period, as the Lady Highlanders completely dominated out of the gate, putting up 34 points and jumping out to a 34-10 lead before the game had hardly gotten started.

Things settled down after that, as Rusty Yaden cleared his bench in the lopsided win over the Wildcats.

Rogers finished with 12 points. Calli Strunk had five assists and five steals, while Sage Riseden also had five assists.

INDIVIDUAL

Mia Smith 21p, 3r, 2a, 3s

Addy Rogers 12p

Calli Strunk 6p, 5a, 5s

Karlie Branscum 6p, 3a, 2s

Myah Sharp 5p, 2r, 2a

Sage Riseden 5p, 5a, 2s

Kendall Gibson 3p, 3a, 4s

Shyann Byrd 2p

Hope Duncan 1p, 3r

Jacey Goodman 2r

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Scott jumps to 3-0 start to season

HUNTSVILLE | After a season-opening win at South Doyle on Thursday, Scott High hit its home floor at the First National Bank Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday and picked up wins over Claiborne and Monterey for a 3-0 start to the season.

The 52-40 win over Claiborne featured a balanced attack that saw Isaiah Washam knock down 13 points and his younger brother, Landon, tack on 11. In the last game of the day, Scott put up 87 in a lopsided win over Monterey, as Landon Goodman scored 17 points, while Landon Washam added 14, Isaiah Washam and Jaigen Morgan each had 12, and Wyatt Lloyd finished with 10.

SCOTT 52, CLAIBORNE 40

Landon Washam scored seven points in the first quarter to pick up where he left off in a standout game at South Doyle, as the Highlanders jumped out to a 16-2 start against Claiborne. Goodman added five points in the first quarter.

Scott High’s commanding lead early was enough to overcome an ice-cold second period that saw the Highlanders score just three points, and then they were able to get things back in gear in the second half, pulling away for the 12-point win.

Brady Crabtree had six points in the fourth quarter to help ice the game, while Isaiah Washam had a pair of fourth quarter 3-point shots.

INDIVIDUAL

Isaiah Washam 13p, 4r, 8a

Landon Washam 11p, 3r

Jaigen Morgan 8p, 6r, 3a, 2s

Landon Goodman 8p, 3a

Brady Crabtree 6p, 2r

Wyatt Lloyd 6p, 4r, 2a

Brennan Brumett 4r

SCOTT 87, MONTEREY 40

Landon Washam scored 10 points in the first quarter, Isaiah Washam added eight, and the Highlanders scored a lot early, jumping out to a 25-12 lead over Monterey in the opening stanza.

The third quarter was when the Highlanders really blew the game open, however, Landon Goodman came alive, knocking down four 3-pointers and scoring 14 of his game-high 17 in the third period to help his team to a 33-point effort that saw them turn a 37-21 halftime lead into a commanding, 70-33 advantage as the fourth quarter began.

Braxton Potter scored eight points in the final period.

Isaiah Washam had eight assists, while Lloyd had eight rebounds.

INDIVIDUAL

Landon Goodman 17p, 2r

Landon Washam 14p, 5r, 5a, 3s

Jaigen Morgan 12p, 5r, 4a, 2s

Isaiah Washam 12p, 2r, 8a, 2s

Wyatt Lloyd 10p, 8r, 5a, 3s

Braxton Potter 8p, 3r

Brady Crabtree 6p

Devin Prewitt 3p

Brennan Brumett 3p

Houston Stanley 2p, 2a

Jacob Lowe 3r

Danny’s Drugs has been putting patients first since 1966. Kevin, Tess and the friendly staff at Danny’s Drugs stand ready to assist you! Call (423) 569-8652.

Meet The Teams

Scoreboard

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Friday, November 21

Gatlinburg 34, Meigs Co. 30

Greeneville 28, Anderson Co. 21

Eagleton 24, Bledsoe Co. 23

Marion Co. 42, Gordonsville 14

Alcoa 38, Red Bank 13

Coalfield 40, Sale Creek 7

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Tuesday, November 18

Greenback 52, Eagleton 19

Campbell Co. 46, Oliver Springs 43

Midway 58, Jellico 36

Kingston 49, Anderson Co. 24

Sunbright 59, Mt. Pisgah 27

Oakdale 65, Clarkrange 55

Rockwood 55, FBA 22

Wednesday, November 19

Coalfield 48, Baylor 45

Thursday, November 20

South Doyle 53, Scott 31

Unaka 44, Cumberalnd Gap 33

Lenoir City 47, Campbell Co. 18

North Greene 75, Jellico 46

Meigs Co. 57, Harriman 42

Anderson Co. 51, William Blount 37

Union Co. 50, South Greene 41

Friday, November 21

Van Buren Co. 69, Wartburg 31

Saturday, November 22

Oneida 58, LaVergne 47

Scott 72, Harriman 47

Scott 66, Monterey 21

Stone Memorial 69, Oneida 44

Gatlinburg 61, Clinton 52

Coalfield 77, Copper Basin 47

Clay Co. 87, Jellico 51

York Institute 59, McMinn Central 41

Sunbright 75, Gospel Christian 17

Harriman 74, Monterey 61

Clinton 50, Lenoir Ciyt 35

Clarkrange 62, Sunbright 20

Tuesday, November 25

Oakdale at Oneida, 6:30 p.m.

Halls at Scott, 6:30 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Saturday, November 22

Tennessee 31, Florida 11

Texas A&M 48, Samford 0

Georgia 35, Charlotte 3

Oklahoma 17, Missouri 6

Alabama 56, Eastern Illinois 0

Vanderbilt 45, Kentucky 17

Texas 52, Arkansas 37

Auburn 62, Mercer 17

South Carolina 51, Coastal Carolina 7

LSU 13, Western Kentucky 10

Friday, November 28

Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 12 p.m.

Georgia at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m.

Texas A&M at Texas, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 29

Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.

Kentucky at Louisville, 12 p.m.

Clemson at South Carolina, 12 p.m.

LSU at Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m.

Missouri at Arkansas, 3:30 p.m.

Florida State at Florida, 4:30 p.m.

Alabama at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.

THIS WEEK ON TV

Tuesday, November 25

Oakdale at Oneida (IHSN, 6:30 p.m.)

Halls at Scott (IHSN, 6:30 p.m.)

Saturday, November 29

Vanderbilt at Tennessee (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)

Looking for this week’s VARSITY e-edition? Click here!

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

Subscribe now

Tired of heel pain? Give Dr. Nate Brennan a call. Seeing a podiatrist doesn’t require a drive to Knoxville. Dr. Brennan offers regular office hours in both Oneida and Jamestown. (800) 930-7435

Gordonsville pulls away late in otherwise nip-and-tuck game

GORDONSVILLE, Tenn. | At one point midway through the third quarter, Oneida trailed Gordonsville 7-6 and took possession on the cusp of field goal range, inside the Tigers’ 40-yard-line.

In fact, it was still a 7-6 game with eight minutes to play in the game. At that point, the Tigers’ only score had come on a fourth down conversion in the first quarter, and the game appeared very much on track to end in a major upset. In the final period, however, Gordonsville showed why it is undefeated and ranked as one of the top Class 2A teams in Tennessee, using a powerful rushing attack to put two more scores on the board and pull out a 21-6 win.

Even before Gordonsville’s offense kicked in, though, its defense shifted the tone of the game. The Indians had scored just before halftime to nearly even things up, and got the ball to start the second half with an opportunity to take the lead. But the Tigers locked down defensively in the second half, completely shutting down an Oneida run game that had been very efficient in the first half.

Despite that, Oneida finished the game with 300 yards of total offense — more than Gordonsville’s 266.

The Indians had only three possessions in the first half, but moved the ball well on all three of them. On each occasion, Oneida got inside Gordonsville’s 30-yard-line. Finally, on the third possession, the Indians found the end zone on a short pass from Brock Ryon to Grady Keeton. Gordonsville blocked the extra point try that would have tied the game, but it was still a one-point game with Oneida slated to get the ball to start the second half.

However, Gordonsville forced a three-and-out to start the second half with a ferocious defensive effort. The Indians flipped the field with a nice Ben Gilbert punt, then stood tall defensively in their own right, including back-to-back sacks by Jesse Zachary, which resulted in them getting the ball back at Gordonsville’s 31-yard-line. Again, though, the Tigers allowed nothing to Oneida’s offense, and the ball eventually was forced over on downs.

From that point, Gordonsville went to work with its run game. The Tigers put together a 16-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a Turner Bucher touchdown and a 14-6 lead. Oneida turned the ball over on downs again on its ensuing possession, and Gordonsville added an insurance touchdown with a five-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a Lee Scurlock touchdown.

The Indians’ final possession saw them get all the way to Gordonsville’s 13-yard-line before the ball was turned over on downs.

Ben Gilbert finished with 99 yards on 10 carries, including a 54-yard gallop. Brock Ryon completed 22 of 33 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Grady Keeton, who had six catches, including the touchdown reception.

Gilbert also finished with 12 tackles, as did Waylon Hill.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior quarterback Brock Ryon showed poise and decision-making while completing 22 of 33 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Senior defensive end Jesse Zachary had 2.5 sacks and finished with nine tackles.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With six seconds remaining in the first half, Ryon connected with senior wide receiver Grady Keeton on a 6-yard touchdown pass to potentially tie the game.

The Game Was Over When: On a fourth-and-three from Gordonsville’s 42-yard-line, the Tigers forced an incomplete pass, taking over with 4:41 remaining in a 14-6 game. From there, they quickly scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to salt the game away.

Scoring Summary: 1st — J. Foster 25-yard pass to Camrix Scott (Gavin Kemp kick). 2nd — Brock Ryon 5-yard pass to Grady Keeton (kick failed). 4th — Turner Bucher 5-yard run (Kemp kick) … Lee Scurlock 10-yard run (Kemp kick).

Stats That Stood Out: Oneida finished with 300 yards of total offense, to 266 for Gordonsville. However, the Tigers dominated time of possession, 26:59 to 14:20.

Final Ride: Friday’s game was the last for 12 Oneida seniors, including wide receiver Grady Keeton, linebacker Ben Gilbert, quarterback Brock Ryon, defensive end Jesse Zachary, defensive back Samuel Eckstein, linebacker Maddox Hutcherson, lineman Evan Cotton, lineman Colton Sircy, lineman Reece Lamb, lineman Brady Burke and lineman Jaxson Cross.

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Scoreboard

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Friday, November 14
Gordonsville 21, Oneida 6
Bledsoe Co. 21, Happy Valley 20
Anderson Co. 44, stone Memorial 14
Coalfield 39, Jo Byrne 14
Eagleton 17, Grundy Co. 6
Meigs Co. 49, Sequatchie Co. 19
Sale Creek 22, Rockwood 14
South Pittsburg 49, Oliver Springs 0
Giles Co. 41, McMinn Central 6

Friday, November 21
Meigs Co. at Gatlinburg-Pittman, 7 p.m.
Anderson Co. at Greeneville, 7 p.m.
Eagleton at Bledsoe Co., 7 p.m.
Gordonsville at Marion Co., 7 p.m.
Coalfield at Sale Creek, 7 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Saturday, November 15
Tennessee 42, New Mexico St. 9
Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30
Oklahoma 23, Alabama 21
Georgia 35, Texas 10
Ole Miss 34, Florida 24
LSU 23, Arkansas 22
Kentucky 42, Tennessee Tech 10
Missouri 49, Mississippi State 27

Saturday, November 22
Tennessee at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Texas, 3:30 p.m.
Samford at Texas A&M, 12 p.m.
Missouri at Oklahoma, 12 p.m.
Charlotte at Georgia, 12:45 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Alabama, 2 p.m.
Mercer at Auburn, 2 p.m.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina, 4:15 p.m.
Western Kentucky at LSU, 7:45 p.m.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Wednesday, November 12
Tennessee 99, North Florida 66
Truett McConnell 74, Bryan College 63

Monday, November 17
Rice at Tennessee, 8:30 p.m.
Bryan College at Union Commonwealth, 7 p.m.

Thursday, November 20
Tennessee State at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 22
Bryan College at Tennessee Wesleyan, 4 p.m.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Wednesday, November 12
Bryan College 95, Truett McConnell 41

Thursday, November 13
Tennessee 68, Belmont 58

Saturday, November 15
Bryan College 80, Union Commonwealth 60

Wednesday, November 19
Bryan College at Brenau, 7 p.m.

Thursday, November 20
Tennessee at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 22
Bryan College at Tennessee Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

ON THE AIR

Monday, November 17
The Round Table — IHSN, 6 p.m.
Rice at Tennessee — SEC Network, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 20
Tennessee State at Tennessee — SEC Network+, 7 p.m.
Lady Vols at MTSU — ESPN+, 7:30 p.m.

Danny’s Drugs has been putting patients first since 1966. Kevin, Tess and the friendly staff at Danny’s Drugs stand ready to assist you! Call (423) 569-8652.

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Scott’s season ends with nail-biting loss at Sweetwater

SWEETWATER, Tenn. | Sweetwater scored a touchdown with just under four minutes remaining to take the lead, then added a security score on a pick-six to score a 38-25 win over Scott High here Thursday night, punching its ticket to the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs and ending the Highlanders’ season.

The final score, 38-25, did not tell the story of the game, however. Up 17-7 late in the second quarter, Sweetwater had two opportunities to score what might have been a back-breaking touchdown — once at the end of the first half, and once at the start of the second half. Both times, the Highlander defense got stops, which sparked a sterling comeback that saw Scott High eventually grab a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter.

But the last hurrah belonged to Sweetwater, which was able to answer Scott’s final touchdown with a seven-play, 66-yard scoring drive to regain the lead, then turned in the biggest defensive play of the night on a desperation fourth down by the Highlanders with a pick-six from midfield.

Scott High finished with 466 yards of total offense — a season high — and Sweetwater had 357. Scott ground out 351 rushing yards and had two players top 100 yards — a first in recent program history.

On a night when the Highlanders would see 15 seniors play their last game, all of them contributing in major roles this season, several of them stepped up individually at critical times in the game.

In the first half, when Sweetwater’s stout defense was able to bottle up Scott High’s preferred approach to running the football with Michael Bond, it was senior Micah Boles who came through big to keep his team in the game. Normally a free safety, but having played quarterback earlier in his career, Boles entered the game on offense in the wildcat formation, and finished with 133 yards on nine carries, a career high. He had a 72-yard touchdown run for Scott’s only score of the first half.

In the second half, momentum began to swing when senior linebacker Braden Burchfield made a series of big plays. He finished as the Highlanders’ leading tackler. Other seniors who came up big on defense included strong safety Brett Hall.

Then Bond, another of the seniors, found a rhythm. He had more than 100 rushing yards in the second half, finishing with 112 yards on 21 carries, and topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season — becoming the first Highlander to surpass that benchmark in more than a decade.

Along the way, the Highlanders were able to overcome a series of clearly missed calls by the officials. On Sweetwater’s final possession of the first half, when it appeared the Wildcats might be able to end the competitive phase of the game, senior cornerback Keegan Bowling made a big hit on a receiver that was incorrectly flagged as a personal foul, despite being a legal hit. Moments later, Sweetwater quarterback Nolan Dacus threw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack by defensive end Braxton Potter, leaving the Highlander sideline pleading for an intentional grounding penalty that would not come.

In the second half, after Scott had trimmed Sweetwater’s lead, the Wildcats scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Dacus to Jeremiah Paris after Dacus was clearly past the line of scrimmage, but was not flagged for an illegal forward pass.

Still later, senior linebacker Desmond Bowling made a stop at the line of scrimmage, but the ball was inexplicably placed two yards further up the field.

Nevertheless, the resurgent Highlanders battled back to take the lead. Lucas Newport scored on an 18-yard run to make it 17-13. Then, after the illegal forward pass that was counted as a score to give Sweetwater a 24-13 lead, the Highlanders scored on a 17-yard run by Bond to make it 24-19. Later, quarterback Gage Privett scored on a 10-yard run to give the Highlanders their first lead of the night, 25-24.

But Sweetwater was able to respond with a touchdown drive that saw Dacus score on a 15-yard run to give his team the lead back.

Facing a second-and-seven at midfield, the Highlanders wound up behind the sticks with a procedural penalty that made it second-and-12, forcing them to go to the air. On fourth down, Gus Campbell stepped in front of a short pass and returned it for a touchdown to cement the win.

Scott High’s season ended with a record of 6-4, marking the school’s first winning season since 2016. It came on the heels of a three-year stretch that saw the Highlanders win only three games combined in 2022, 2023 and 2024. It was a season that also saw the Highlanders take state-ranked and eventual region champion Meigs County to the wire at Highlander Stadium before losing 23-17.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior linebacker Braden Burchfield and senior runningback Michael Bond were named co-players of the game after their efforts on either side of the ball to flip the momentum in the second half. Burchfield was the Highlanders’ leading tackler, while Bond finished with more than 100 yards in the second half, and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Sophomore right tackle Jayden Parra had a strong game run-blocking, helping pave the way for more than 350 yards by Scott High’s runningbacks.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: In the second quarter, senior Micah Boles broke free around the left side of the line and raced 72 yards for a touchdown, trimming a 10-0 Sweetwater lead to 10-7. Boles had more than 100 rushing yards in the first half, a career best.

The Game Was Over When: Sweetwater stepped in front of a fourth down pass with just under two minutes remaining, returning it 50 yards for a touchdown.

Stats That Stood Out: Scott High finished with a season-high 466 yards of total offense, including 351 rushing yards.

Scoring Summary: First quarter — Cy Prince 26-yard field goal … Nolan Dacus 9-yardd run (Prince kick). Second quarter — Micah Boles 72-yard run (Justyn Lynch kick) … Dacus 12-yard pass to Gus Campbell (Prince kick). Third quarter — Lucas Newport 18-yard run (kick failed) … Dacus 30-yard pass to Jeremiah Paris (Prince kick) … Michael Bond 17-yard run (pass failed). Fourth Quarter — Gage Privett 10-yard run (pass failed) … Dacus 15-yard run (Prince kick) … Campbell 50-yard interception return (Prince kick).

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Eagleton is surprisingly dominant in region title win against Oneida

MARYVILLE, Tenn. | Whatever anyone envisioned about Thursday’s regular season finale at Eagleton Academy, it probably wasn’t what actually happened.

Eagleton, facing the possibility of being bumped to the No. 3 seed in Region 2-2A, which would mean a difficult-to-win first round road game in the playoffs, came through with strong performances on either side of the football to claim a 40-7 win over the Indians and earn their first-ever region championship.

Despite the loss, Oneida will still host a first round playoff game, which will be against a West Greene team that has struggled this season. The biggest loser in Friday’s game was Polk County, which saw itself drop to third place and that unenviable first round road trip despite a dominant win against Eagleton just two weeks earlier.

Eagleton used the passing game effectively in Thursday’s game. Mason Mitchell completed 13 of 18 attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns, helping his team roll up 419 yardds of total offense.

Oneida’s offense wasn’t bad in its own right. Brock Ryon completed 15 of 27 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

But turnovers were key. Eagleton had two fumbles, but wound up in the plus side in turnover margin, taking the ball away from Oneida four times.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the way the Royals were able to carve up an Oneida defense that has been strong all season and especially dominant the past two weeks. Mitchell led scoring drives of 60 and 74 yards in the first half to get his team out to a 13-0 lead, then keyed touchdown drives of 58 and 53 yards to make it a 26-7 game at halftime.

The Royals drove the ball into Oneida territory to start the game, but that ended when William Hill stepped in front of a deep pass for an interception to thwart the scoring opportunity.

Oneida then flipped the field by driving to midfield before being forced to punt, and the Indians’ defense forced a three-and-out by Eagleton to get the ball back.

But after a 41-yard gain on a pass from Ryon to Grady Keeton, Oneida’s opportunity to take an early lead ended when Noel Meza-Flores intercepted a pass in the red zone and returned it to near midfield. One play later, Mitchell and Lane Cope connected for a 60-yard touchdown and the game’s first score.

A three-and-out by Oneida set up Eagleton’s second touchdown, which came on a 17-yard run by Colton Relation to make the score 13-0 after the PAT failed.

Needing to answer, Oneida did just that. The Indians put together a 76-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Ryon to Drayton Wade on third down, cutting Eagleton’s lead to 13-7.

But the Royals needed only three plays to answer. A long pass from Mitchell to Meza-Flores set up an 8-yard run by Jackson Caylor, and it was 20-7.

The Eagleton defense forced a punt by Oneida, but the Royals fumbled it away, and Waylon Hill recovered to give Oneida possession in Eagleton territory. However, Lane Cope intercepted a pass on third-and-long to give his team possession at midfield, then scored on a 19-yard pass from Mason Mitchell to make it 26-7 after Brady Burke blocked the extra point kick.

Already facing difficult odds, the Indians were hit with disaster on the first play of the second half, when Wyott Matossian forced and recovered a fumble near midfield after a completed pass. That set up a 38-yard touchdown run by Meza-Flores, which came on fourth down, making the score 33-7.

Waylon Hill came up with another turnover a few minutes later, recovering a fumble at Oneida’s 15-yard-line to prevent the score from getting worse.

From there, Oneida marched the ball into Eagleton territory before Parker Lewis came up with an interception at the 13-yard-line to set up the Royals’ final touchdown drive of the night. The final score came on a 37-yard pass from Mitchell to Cope late in the third quarter.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Freshman Tate Shepard recorded a team-high (and career-high) 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss, to lead the Indian defense.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Senior Colton Sircy played well on the offensive line, helping protect quarterback Brock Ryon.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Midway through the second quarter, Brock Ryon completed a 10-yard pass to Drayton Wade to trim Eagleton’s lead to 13-7.

The Game Was Over When: Lane Cope intercepted a pass at his team’s 35-yard-line, then three plays later scored on a 19-yard pass from Mason Mitchell to make the score 26-7 just before halftime, a lead that began to feel insurmountable.

Stats That Stood Out: The game featured seven turnovers between the two teams, and both teams were penalized for more than 100 yards … Oneida dominated time of possession, 31:25 to 16:25, and ran 54 plays to Eagleton’s 39.

Scoring Summary: First quarter — Mason Mitchell 60-yard pass to Lane Cope (Braylon Stephens kick). Second quarter — Colton Relation 17-yard run (kick failed) … Brock Ryon 10-yard pass to Drayton Wade (Amauren Kidd kick) … Jackson Caylor 8-yard run (Stephens kick) … Mitchell 19-yard pass to Cope (kick failed). Third quarter — Mitchell 38-yard pass to Nola Meza-Flores (Stephens kick). Mitchell 37-yard pass to Lane Cope (Stephens kick).

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Playoff Schedule

Friday, November 7

West Greene at Oneida, 7 p.m.
Kingston at Gatlinburg-Pittman, 7 p.m.
Rockwood at Hampton, 7 p.m.
Tellico Plains at Happy Valley, 7 p.m.
Oliver Springs at North Greene, 7 p.m.
Polk Co. at South Greene, 7 p.m.
Sweetwater at Unicoi Co., 7 p.m.
Volunteer at Anderson Co., 7 p.m.
Cloudland at Coalfield, 7 p.m.
Cumberland Gap at Eagleton, 7 p.m.
Pigeon Forge at McMinn Central, 7 p.m.
Johnson Co. at Meigs Co., 7 p.m.
Science Hill at Oak Ridge, 7 p.m.
York Institute at Gordonsville, 8 p.m.

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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Oneida and Scott High will head across S.R. 63 and down Interstate 75 Thursday afternoon for the regular season finales — the Indians at Eagleton and the Highlanders at Sweetwater — and there is plenty at stake.

Thursday’s regular season finale is more important for Scott High than Oneida — only because the Indians already know they’re going to be playing football in November. Oneida actually knew that at the very beginning of the season; its region has only four teams. But by taking care of their business to this point, the Indians have also already secured a first round playoff game at Jim May Stadium. For both Scott and Sweetwater, this week’s game is effectively a first round playoff game. With one playoff spot up for grabs in Region 2-3A, it’s “win or go home” for both the Highlanders and the Wildcats.

Oneida appears to be sitting in a good place, fresh off a 21-0 win over a Polk County team that jumped out to a 23-0 lead over Eagleton en route to a 23-13 upset win just a couple of weeks ago. But any hard-core fan of high school sports knows that comparing scores against common opponents is an exercise in futility. Eagleton, which had won six consecutive games before dropping that 23-13 decision to Polk County on Oct. 17, is on its home turf, with plenty to play for in its own right.

The Indians are gunning for their first region championship in 11 years. The Royals are looking for their first region championship ever, in just their third season of varsity football. They can have that if they defeat Oneida.

With a win, Oneida would be the Region 2-2A champion outright, finishing the season with a 6-4 record that includes a perfect 3-0 mark in region play.

Eagleton can create a three-way tie atop the region standings if it beats Oneida and Polk County defeats Tellico Plains. That would make all three teams 2-1 in region play, and would render the head-to-head tiebreaker useless (since Oneida defeated Polk County, Polk County defeated Eagleton, and Eagleton would have defeated Oneida). In such a scenario, the next tiebreaker – total number of wins — would be used, and that tiebreaker would go to Eagleton, which would have seven wins to just five for both Oneida and Polk County. That would leave the Indians and Polk County tied for second, with Oneida earning the No. 2 seed and home playoff game by virtue of their win last week.

Although home field advantage is usually considered to be worth a few points, Oneida has played well on the road this season. The Indians are 3-1 away from home, including “upset wins,” as they were considered at the time, at both Tellico Plains and against an Oliver Springs team that handed Eagleton a loss in the season opener. Oneida’s only road loss was at Sweetwater, and the Indians led that game 12-0 going into the fourth quarter, losing only after a series of unfortunate events in the final period.

Oneida has not lost to Eagleton, winning 13-0 last year at Jim May Stadium, and winning 14-3 at Eagleton in 2023.

For Scott High and Sweetwater, the stakes are higher because this week’s game is effectively an elimination game. Three of the four playoff berths in Region 2-3A have already been decided. The winner of the Highlanders and the Wildcats will claim the last one.

It’s been an excellent season for Scott High already. The Highlanders will enter this week’s game with a mark of 6-3, and nearly upset state-ranked Meigs County in Huntsville two weeks ago.

However, the Highlanders have struggled in two other region games, falling 41-14 at McMinn Central and 28-3 against Kingston. That is what has made this week’s game a must-win for the Highlanders.

Sweetwater defeated Kingston 21-19 in a major upset earlier this season. But the Wildcats fell to McMinn Central 20-13 on Saturday (after leading 13-6 at halftime), and that’s what has left them in a must-win predicament.

That useless common opponent score differential may look good for the Wildcats, but it’s also double-sided. Against league-leading Meigs County, which Scott High took to the wire before losing by a touchdown, Sweetwater lost by 30, 44-14. And against Austin-East, a region opponent the Highlanders routed early in the season (42-6), Sweetwater needed the fourth quarter to pull out a two-score win, 47-33.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Sweetwater, which started the season 2-3 before three straight wins, a streak that ended with Saturday’s loss to McMinn Central. Against Oneida, the Wildcats stormed back from a 12-0 fourth quarter deficit to score a 22-19 win. But a couple of unfortunate turnovers for the Indians late in that game aided Sweetwater’s comeback, and earlier losses to both Tellico Plains and Polk County — two teams Oneida defeated — suggest that the Indians’ fourth quarter lead was not a fluke.

So, for the 25 seniors that play starting roles on these two football teams, the stakes are clear.

For Oneida, it’s an opportunity to win a region championship — the school’s first since Grady Keeton, Ben Gilbert, Brock Ryon, Jesse Zachary, Maddox Hutcherson, Evan Cotton, Colton Sircy, Reece Lamb, Brady Burke and Jaxson Cross were in first grade.

For Scott High, it’s an opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time since its 15 seniors — Caleb Bell, Micah Boles, Michael Bond, Desmond Bowling, Keegan Bowling, Braden Burchfield, Brett Hall, Eli Kidd, Gus King, Mason Lewallen, Wyatt Lloyd, Justyn Lynch, Hayden Mason, Jaigen Morgan and Lucas Newport — were in third grade … which is especially incredible considering that the four-year seniors had won just three games in three years coming into this season.

The Highlanders’ playoff drought is the second-longest in school history, trailing 2000-2009 by just one year. Oneida’s region championship drought is not the longest in school history, but is the longest in well over a generation.

Streaks were made to be broken, and Thursday night will be an opportunity for each team to do just that.

Kickoffs at both locations are at 7 p.m. The IH Sports Network’s broadcast will begin with the Rogers Group Pregame Show at 6 p.m.

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Highlanders drop a close one to state-ranked Meigs County

HUNTSVILLE | Scott High played state-ranked Meigs County to the wire here Friday, although the Tigers were ultimately able to escape with a 23-17 win.

Meigs County, which would have been considered a prohibitive favorite by most observers, started the game looking every bit as strong as it was supposed to, forcing a three-and-out and swiftly marching the length of the field for a touchdown and an 8-0 lead.

From there, though, the Highlanders put back-to-back scores on the board to take a 14-8 lead, and had an opportunity to retake the lead at the end of the first half.

It was a 15-14 Meigs County lead at halftime, and the Tigers made it 23-14 with a score on the first possession of the second half.

After stopping the Highlanders, the Tigers had an opportunity to salt the game away, but the Scott defense got its first stop of the night, and Meigs County turned the ball over on downs. The Highlanders then tacked on a field goal to make it 23-17, and had Meigs County backed up inside its five-yard-line with five minutes to play. However, the Tigers converted a third-and-20 with a long pass play and was able to run out the clock.

For as close as the game was, the Highlanders had trouble getting Meigs County off the field. The only times the Tigers failed to score was on a pair of end-of-half possessions, and the lone drive that saw them fail to convert on fourth down. The Highlanders were repeatedly able to get the Tigers into third downs, but Meigs County converted over and over, finishing the game seven of eight on third down.

The most crucial third down that Meigs was able to convert was the third-and-20 from its own five-yard-line midway through the fourth quarter, when it looked like the Highlanders were on the verge of getting the ball back on the plus side of the 50 with an opportunity to win the game.

Meigs County only attempted five passes in the game, completing three, but the 34-yard deep ball was a back-breaker.

The stat sheet looked like a game that was lopsided. Thanks to 270 rushing yards, Meigs County finished with 332 yards of total offense to Scott High’s 180.

But the actual game was a tooth-and-nail battle that could have gone either way. After giving up a three-play, 65-yard drive to start the game, the Highlanders dug in and found success on offense, then made Meigs work for its ensuing scoring possessions.

One advantage the Tigers had was dominating the time of possession. The Tigers’ final drive started with 10:01 remaining on the fourth quarter clock, after Justyn Lynch’s 32-yard field goal made it 23-17. The Highlanders would not get the ball back.

Ultimately, three plays made a tremendous difference in the game. Scott had a dropped swing pass on fourth-and-two late in the second quarter that would have at least set up a chance at a go-ahead field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, the Highlanders had a second-and-goal at the Meigs one-yard-line but were unable to punch the ball into the end zone, settling for Lynch’s field goal after a mishandled snap resulted in a big loss on third down. Finally, Meigs’ 37-yard pass on third-and-20 proved to be the game’s pivotal moment.

The Highlanders’ touchdowns both came on the ground. Quarterback Gage Privett scored on a one-yard run to cap a lengthy drive. Then, after a perfectly-executed onside kick that was recovered by Lynch — the kicker — the Highlanders drove for a go-ahead touchdown that came on a 22-yard run by Michael Bond. Bond finished with 73 yards on 19 carries. Privett completed 12 of 18 passes for 88 yards in what his coach, Billy Hall, called one of his best performances even though the yardage wasn’t eye-popping. Jaigen Morgan had seven catches for 57 yards.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior kicker Justyn Lynch had a touchback, kicked and recovered an onside kick, and had a 32-yard field goal.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Normally excelling as a defensive end, junior Houston Stanley was called upon to slide into the offensive guard position and had an outstanding performance blocking.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: After Gage Privett’s one-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, Scott High caught Meigs County off-guard with a well-executed onside kick that was recovered by Justyn Lynch just across the 50-yard-line. That set up a go-ahead touchdown by Michael Bond.

The Game Was Over When: The Highlanders’ best chance to get the ball back for a potential game-winning touchdown try was when Meigs County faced a third-and-2o from its five-yard-line. But after the Tigers converted the first down with a 37-yard pass play, they had to convert two more third downs — one of them a third-and-six and the other a third-and-two — to finally run out the clock.

Scoring Summary: Daniel Mow 47-yard run (Tuff Ricker run) … Gage Privett 1-yard run (Justyn Lynch kick) … Michael Bond 22-yard run (Lynch kick) … Ricker 5-yard run (Colt Howard kick) … Ricker 21-yard run (Ricker run) … Lynch 32-yard kick.

Stats That Stood Out: Scott was penalized 6 times for 35 yards — a season low … Meigs County was 7 of 8 on third down, though the Highlanders were pretty good in their own right, finishing 9 of 15 on third down.

What The Coach Said: “We told them, boys, if we play good football and stop hurting ourselves, we’ll be in the game with anybody we play … They’re really good up front. They get in there foot-to-foot and try to just blow you off the football … We talked about not looking ahead to anybody else. We need to take care of our stuff. And wherever the cards fall, we’ll have to live with it … The growth (the seniors) have had from freshman year to this year is crazy. Even the growth from last year to this year is insane. I cannot be prouder of them. And the thing is, we’re still getting better. We’re still having to learn how to do things we haven’t faced before. We’re having to learn how to win. We’re having to learn how to play in tight games. And these kids, they stand up and go right at it.” — Billy Hall.

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Fourth quarter dooms Oneida at Sweetwater

SWEETWATER | For three quarters, the game belonged to Oneida. But two turnovers in the final period tilted things in Sweetwater’s direction, and the Wildcats took advantage to escape with a 22-19 win in a game that was every bit as closely contested as the classic battles when these two programs were region opponents in the 1990s.

In a defensive classic, Oneida used an Amauren Kidd field goal to hold a 3-0 lead at halftime, then expanded it to 10-0 on the strength of a 42-yard run by Ben Gilbert near the end of the third quarter.

From there, though, Sweetwater used a pair of turnovers to surge in front, and ultimately held on for the win.

The stat sheet showed that Oneida was the better team. The Indians finished with 217 yards of offense to only 118 for the Wildcats, and limited Sweetwater to only 31 yards on the ground. But the turnovers proved costly, directly leading to two of Sweetwater’s three touchdowns. One of those was scored by the Wildcats’ defense.

Oneida also forced a Sweetwater turnover, a fumble that was caused by Waylon Hill and recovered by A.J. Harper.

Gilbert was Oneida’s leading rusher, finishing with 97 yards and a score on 11 carries. Brock Ryon was 14 of 20 through the air for 101 yards and a score.

The two teams traded punts to start the game, before Oneida turned in the game’s first big play on the forced fumble by Hill, which Harper pounced on at Sweetwater’s seven-yard-line.

What could have been disastrous for Sweetwater proved less painful when the Wildcats were able to make a goal line stand and force the Indians to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Kidd.

Nevertheless, the Indians held the lead for the rest of the first half and the third quarter on the strength of Kidd’s kick, as their defense shut down everything Sweetwater tried through the first three quarters.

Oneida had an opportunity to add to its lead early in the second quarter, but on a fourth down play at Sweetwater’s 15-yard-line, a pass was broken up by the Wildcats to force the ball over on downs.

From there, the two teams exchanged punts for the remainder of the first half.

The second half started with Oneida turning in a lengthy drive that chewed up almost all of the third quarter clock. But a pair of penalties turned a first-and-10 at Sweetwater’s 23-yard-line into a first-and-29, effectively killing the drive. But Gilbert made one of the biggest plays for the night with a 49-yard punt to Sweetwater’s one-yard-line, which set up yet another big play by the Indians’ defense.

On the first down play, Jeremiah Paris was dropped in the end zone for a safety, giving Oneida a 5-0 lead.

One play after that, a kick that was returned 31 yards by Grady Keeton set up a 42-yard touchdown run by Gilbert. The Indians led 12-0, and appeared to be on their way to victory.

But Sweetwater was not finished. The Tigers finally got something going offensively, marching steadily down the field with a mix of runs and passes to score on a one-yard run by Nolan Dacus, which cut Oneida’s lead to 12-7.

Oneida got itself into trouble on the ensuing kickoff, and was forced to start its next possession at the 10-yard-line. One play later, Sweetwater turned an Oneida fumble into a scoop-and-score by Bryson Bonnough, as the Wildcats took their first lead of the game.

On the play after that, another fumble gave Sweetwater possession at Oneida’s 26-yardd-line, as Jeremiah Paris recovered. That led to a 15-yard touchdown run by Lance Mizer on third-and-long, and Sweetwater led 22-12 with 4:36 remaining on a stunning turn of events.

Oneida was able to battle back with a series of passes from Ryon to William Hill, which set up a 15-yard touchdown from Ryon to Drayton Wade. That made the score 22-19 with still 3:10 remaining.

But Sweetwater was able to run out the clock after picking up a first down via a penalty on a third-and-10 play, after which the Wildcats simply took a knee at the Indians’ 24-yard-line.

As a non-region battle, the outcome of Friday’s game did not impact the Indians’ playoff outlook. Oneida can still earn a home game in the postseason with wins over Polk County and Eagleton the next two weeks.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior wide receiver Grady Keeton was Oneida’s leading receiver, with six catches, and had a team-high 129 all-purpose yards.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Reece Lamb anchored an Oneida defensive front that limited Sweetwater to just over 100 yards of offense, and had a tackle for loss.

Scott-Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With 39 seconds left in the third quarter and Oneida facing fourth-and-37 from midfield, senior Ben Gilbert turned in a 49-yard punt that was downed at Sweetwater’s one-yard-line, setting up a safety that gave the Indians a 5-0 lead.

The Game Was Over When: A penalty on third-and-10 gave Sweetwater a first down, and the Wildcats were able to take a knee and run out the clock on a 22-19 win.

Scoring Summary: Amauren Kidd 23-yard kick … Safety … Ben Gilbert 42-yard run (Kidd kick) … Nolan Dacus 1-yard run (Johnathan Prince kick) … Bryson Bonnough 10-yard fumble return (Dacus run) … Lance Mizer 15-yard run (Prince kick) … Brock Ryon 15-yard pass to Drayton Wade (Kidd kick).

Stats That Stood Out: Sweetwater won with only 118 yards of total offense … Oneida had 144 return yards, with 88 of those belonging to Grady Keeton.

What The Coach Said: “We had some mistakes, but we had plenty of chances in the first half. We should’ve had, I thought, a couple more touchdowns. We had the ball at the 10 and couldn’t punch it in. The penalties killed us … It was first and 30 one time. It’s hard to overcome first and 30 … We played hard. The kids played their tails off. We’ve played a very difficult schedule. Every team is going to be in the playoffs except one. All of them will have winning records, or at least .500. We fought and I’m proud of them for that. Hopefully it’ll pay off down the road.”

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Playoff Update: Big games loom this week

Each week brings a bit more clarity to the race for postseason seeding, yet much remains undecided with only two weeks remaining in the regular season. Here’s the way it breaks down:

Oneida

In Region 2-2A, the math remains a bit simpler because there are only four teams. Thus, everyone will make the playoffs and no one will be left out. For Oneida, the remaining two games of the regular season aren’t about qualifying for the postseason, but about determining where the Indians will play the first Friday night of November.

As the season enters the next-to-last week, one thing no one saw coming at the start of the season: Oneida and Polk County are the last two teams that are unbeaten in the region standings.

Polk County, 3-4 entering last week, stunned Eagleton Academy, 23-13, in its first region game of the season to move into a tie with Oneida atop the region standings. It was Tellico Plains that was the region favorite coming into the season, but now the Bears are 0-2 and staring at a potential trip to face the Region 1-2A champion in the first round.

Oneida and Polk County will meet this week at Jim May Stadium, for what now promises to be an even bigger game than it was once expected to be. In a nutshell: with a win, Polk County can guarantee itself a postseason home game and a regular season Region 2-2A championship.

The Indians cannot lock down either of those things with a win over the Wildcats this week, because a win this week, followed by a loss to Eagleton next week, could create a three-way tie atop the region standings if Polk County defeats Tellico Plains next week.

Meanwhile, the only way for Tellico Plains to get out of the fourth spot is for Oneida to beat Polk County this week, and the Bears to beat Polk County next week. Even still, there could be a three-way tie created if both of those things happen and Oneida defeats Eagleton next week.

In other words, with only two weeks remaining, almost nothing has been decided in Region 2-2A.

What is a little more clear is the possible playoff opponents, depending on how it all shakes out. The two teams that host playoff games in Region 2-2A will face either Cumberland Gap or West Greene in the first round. The two teams that travel will go to either Happy Valley or South Greene. There’s a very clear difference between the two tandems. Happy Valley (9-0) and South Greene (6-2) are both 2-0 in region play, and will face each other on Oct. 30. On the other end, Cumberland Gap (3-5) and West Greene (0-8) are both 0-2 in region play, and will also face each other on Oct. 30. So far, every game in Region 1-2A has been decided with a running clock in the fourth quarter, with the exception of South Greene’s 42-20 win at West Greene.

So for Oneida: With a win against Polk County this week, the Indians will be very close to locking down a home playoff game. Even with a loss this week, however, the Indians could still lock down a home playoff game with a win at Eagleton next week.

Scott

The bottom line for Scott High heading into the final two weeks of the regular season: after last week’s 23-17 loss to Meigs County, the Highlanders no longer control their own destiny.

At 3-0, Meigs County has now secured a playoff berth, though the Tigers have not yet guaranteed themselves a home game. At 3-1, Kingston is also guaranteed a playoff berth. Those two teams will face off on Oct. 30 with the regular season region championship on the line. Beyond that, little is determined.

Behind Meigs and Kingston are Sweetwater (2-1), McMinn Central (1-2), Scott (1-3) and Austin-East (0-3). Two of those teams will get into the playoffs; two will not.

For Scott to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Highlanders need McMinn Central to beat Sweetwater on the road this week. If that happens, both of those teams are 2-2 in the region standings, and the Highlanders will have an opportunity to snag the No. 4 seed with a win at Sweetwater next week.

On the other hand, if Sweetwater defeats McMinn Central, the Highlanders will need a lot of help. In that scenario, Sweetwater will move to 3-1 and secure a playoff berth, while McMinn Central would drop to 1-3. The Highlanders would then need Austin-East to pull off a fairly significant upset at McMinn Central on Halloween night, coupled with Scott defeating Sweetwater.

So, in other words, a win by McMinn Central this week puts Scott back in control of its own destiny, while a win by Sweetwater leaves Scott’s playoff fate at the mercy of an Austin-East team that is really struggling this season.

Meanwhile, Austin-East isn’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but needs a lot of things to go its way.

On the other side of the bracket will be the playoff qualifiers from Region 1-3A. Currently, Gatlinburg-Pittman is 3-0 (8-0 overall), while Unicoi County is 3-1 (6-2 overall), Johnson County is 2-1 (3-5), Pigeon Forge is 1-2 (2-6), and Chuckey-Doak is 1-2 (4-4). Claiborne, at 0-4, has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Having already defeated Unicoi County, Gatlinburg-Pittman has a big leg up in the hunt for a regular season region championship and No. 1 seed. Unicoi County and Johnson County will meet on Halloween night in a game that could determine the other team from that region that gets a home playoff game.

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Kingston clamps down

HUNTSVILLE | What looked to be shaping up as a memorable clash between two old rivals in the first half turned into one to forget in the second half, as Kingston keyed on its dominant defense and Scott High miscues to turn a 3-3 halftime tie into a 28-3 win at Highlander Stadium.

The Highlanders led for most of the first half, until Kingston hit a field goal in the waning seconds of the second quarter. But that was just the start of 28 unanswered points by the Yellow Jackets, who tacked on three touchdowns and two safeties in the second half to score an important region win and keep themselves in the hunt for a league championship.

The second half was an unmitigated disaster for the Highlander offense: six possessions netted three interceptions and two safeties, and -24 yards of total offense.

That was mostly due to a high-flying, hard-hitting Kingston defense that had been almost as good in the first half. After driving 56 yards for a 26-yard Justyn Lynch field goal on the game’s opening possession, Scott had only 73 yards of offense the rest of the first half, and only 59 yards the rest of the game.

The Highlander defense was good in its own right. Although Kingston finished with 220 yards of total offense, the Highlanders forced four fumbles, recovered three of them, and kept the game winnable most of the way. Continuing to play determined even after the deficit began to become too much to overcome late, the Highlanders forced Kingston into four punts in addition to the three turnovers. Braxton Potter, Carter Slaven and Jesse Jeffers each had a fumble recovery for the Highlanders. Micah Boles forced two of the fumbles, while one was an unforced error by Kingston.

Scott High started the game with a Lynch field goal to take a 3-0 lead, then forced a three-and-out by Kingston that included three tackles by Brett Hall, and the Highlanders had possession near midfield with an opportunity to go up two scores early.

But Kingston’s defense stopped the Highlanders two yards short of the sticks on a fourth-and-eight play to regain possession inside its 30-yard-line.

Later in the first half, disaster appeared to strike when a Kingston punt was muffed at the 12-yard-line, giving the Yellow Jackets possession inside the red zone. But the Highlander defense responded with a big play, and Jeffers recovered a fumble to thwart the scoring threat.

The Highlanders were again plagued by penalties — a theme that has repeated itself in every game this season. After getting to Kingston’s 10-yard-line with another opportunity to extend the lead, the Highlanders were hit with a dead ball unsportsman like conduct that backed them up and ultimately forced a punt.

From there, Kingston drove the length of the field and connected on a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, tying the game.

The second half saw Kingston take first possession and march to the Highlander nine-yard-line. But the defense again made a big play, with Potter recovering a fumble.

But the second half would be played almost exclusively on the wrong side of the field for the Highlanders, a theme that started with Kingston intercepting a third-and-long pass at the 27-yard-line.

From there, the Yellow Jackets scored the game’s first touchdown, a 5-yard run by Keaton Swicegood to give Kingston its first lead of the game.

Scott picked up a first down on the ensuing possession, but yet another penalty put the Highlanders into a passing situation, and Kingston took advantage with a 42-yard pick-six by Joel Peterson for a 17-3 lead.

The Highlander defense forced a punt on Kingston’s next possession, after the Yellow Jackets had gotten a stop at the line of scrimmage on a third-and-short play. But Kingston’s punt rolled all the way to the four-yard-line, and Scott High was stopped in the end zone for a safety on the ensuing play.

Another Kingston punt was forced by the Highlanders, but the Yellow Jackets picked off their third pass of the second half to set up a 10-yard touchdown run and a 26-3 lead.

Finally, a bad snap on a punt attempt resulted in another safety, giving Kingston a 28-3 lead.

The Yellow Jackets’ final possession resulted in a Slaven fumble recovery after Boles forced the ball free.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Micah Boles played well from his free safety position, forcing a fumble and leading his team in tackles.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Eli Kidd was called upon to play on the defensive side of the ball and played well on the defensive line.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Micah Boles planted his helmet on the football, popping it free and into the arms of a waiting Carter Slaven as Kingston attempted to pad the stats and its lead late in the game.

The Game Was Over When: Kingston punted to Scott High’s four-yard-line to start the fourth quarter, then recorded a stop in the end zone for a safety on the very next play, building its lead to 19-3 and getting the ball back.

Scoring Summary: Justyn Lynch 26-yard field goal ... Ryne Knies 34-yard field goal ... Keaton Swicegood 5-yard run (Knies kick) ... Joel Peterson 42-yard interception return (Knies kick) ... Safety ... Luke Chadwick 10-yard run (Knies kick) ... Safety.

Stats That Stood Out: Scott High had -26 yards of offense in the second half ... The Highlanders were penalized 11 times for 110 yards.

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Postseason update: Playoffs continue to shape up

Friday night’s loss to Kingston all but ended Scott High’s hopes of hosting a playoff game, while Oneida — which was off last week, along with most of its Region 2-2A counterparts, remains in the running to host a November game as we head into the final three weeks of the regular season.

ONEIDA, CLASS 2A

Nothing really changed in Region 2-2A last week, with only one team (Tellico Plains) in action. The Bears defeated Harriman, 39-14, to snap a three-game losing skid.

With only four teams in the region, there is no real playoff race in Region 2; the only drama revolves around which two teams will earn the right to host a first round game.

Oneida and Eagleton remain in the driver’s seat in that regard, each at 1-0 in the region with wins over Tellico Plains. The Indians defeated the Bears 24-14 on Sept. 19, while Eagleton defeated Tellico Plains 33-7 on Oct. 3.

Polk County, at 3-4 overall, has yet to play a region game.

For Oneida, big games include both the remaining region games: a visit from Polk County on Oct. 24, followed by a trip to Eagleton six days later to conclude the regular season.

A win over Polk County would lock down a first round playoff game at home for Oneida, and set up the game against Eagleton as a region championship contest.

With the exception of Tellico Plains, which is 0-2 and can finish no higher than third in the region, every team in Region 2-2A controls its own destiny at this point. Eagleton and Polk County will play this week.

The playoff jockeying is important because there is a decided difference in the top and the bottom of Region 1-2A. Happy Valley and South Greene are the two teams at the top, with records of 8-0 and 6-1, respectively. At the bottom are Cumberland Gap and West Greene, at 3-5 and 0-7.

SCOTT, CLASS 3A

The playoff picture continues to be much more complicated in Region 2-3A, which has six teams vying for four playoff spots.

The Highlanders continue to be haunted by a loss at McMinn Central, and their position is now complicated by Friday’s loss to Kingston as a visit from state-ranked Meigs County looms.

Meigs is the team that most pointed to as the region favorite coming into the season, and it hasn’t disappointed, off to a 6-1 start with wins over McMinn Central and Sweetwater.

Kingston, at 5-2, has already locked down a playoff berth, as well, with a 3-1 start in region play that includes wins over Austin-East, McMinn Central and Scott.

The one head-scratcher in the region thus far is Kingston’s 21-19 home loss to Sweetwater on Sept. 19. Nevertheless, the Yellow Jackets remain in position to face Meigs County in a region championship game on Oct. 30 — if Meigs wins one of the next two against Scott this week and Austin-East next week.

At 2-1 with the wins over Austin-East and Kingston, Sweetwater is currently in third place and controls its own destiny for a playoff berth. Scott and McMinn Central are both 1-2.

The Highlanders need a win over Meigs County this week. Otherwise, they’ll be traveling to Sweetwater on Oct. 30 for a must-win game as far as its playoff hopes are concerned.

However, the Highlanders may no longer control their own destiny if that scenario shapes up. In a nutshell, the Highlanders need McMinn Central to defeat Sweetwater on Oct. 24. Or, they would need Austin-East to defeat McMinn Central on Halloween night, which would be a considerable upset. Otherwise, things could get more complicated with a three-way tie for the third and fourth places in the standings.

Of course, if the Highlanders defeat Meigs County this week, none of that may matter.

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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
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◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Another road upset

OLIVER SPRINGS, Tenn. | If you’re “expected” to beat Oneida and are hosting the Indians as they’re coming off a loss, be afraid.

For the second time this season, Oneida responded to a loss at home by springing an upset on the road Friday night. This time, the Indians did it to a state-ranked Oliver Springs team, knocking off the Bobcats 21-14 in a defensive classic in Roane County.

Maddox Hutcherson forced a fumble in the end zone that Brady Burke recovered with 4:25 to play in Friday’s game, breaking a tie and lifting the Indians to a 21-14 win over the Bobcats.

Oliver Springs (5-2) had come up with a big defensive play of its own just one snap earlier, preventing the Indians from taking the lead with a Cooper Jones fumble recovery at the 1-yard-line to keep the game tied.

But Oneida (4-3) saw its defense come through time and again throughout the game, and this instance was no exception. The Bobcats had recovered a big fumble, but were pinned on their own goal line, setting up Hutcherson’s second sack of the night and the third of three forced fumbles by the Indian defense.

Oneida recovered all three of the forced fumbles — Waylon Hill recovered two of them — to help its cause against a Bobcat team that was ranked in the top five in the state entering the game.

After that final turnover, the Indians still needed two more stops to preserve the win. They got the first when three straight passes by Liam Boeke fell incomplete — Waylon Hill broke up two of them — then they got the second one when Jesse Zachary broke up a fourth down pass near midfield with less than a minute remaining.

Offensively, Ben Gilbert had another 100-yard rushing performance, finishing with 104 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Brock Ryon completed 10 of 15 passes for 129 yards and a score to William Hill. Grady Keeton caught five passes for 73 yards.

Oliver Springs wasn’t far off on the stat sheet, finishing with 258 yards of total offense to Oneida’s 296. But the turnovers were key. The Indians were +2 in that category, none bigger than the one that came late in the fourth quarter.

Oneida also dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 31 minutes, while limiting Oliver Springs to less than 17 minutes.

The win was Oneida’s seventh straight against the Bobcats, a streak that dates to a quarterfinal playoff game in 2011.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Waylon Hill had two fumble recoveries and broke up four passes. He also had a 42-yard reception on offense.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Brady Burke recovered a fumble in the end zone to score what proved to be the winning touchdown.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With 4:25 remaining, Maddox Hutcherson got a sack-fumble, Brady Burke recovered, and Oneida took a 21-14 lead that it would hold until the final horn.

The Game Was Over When: Jesse Zachary broke up a pass on fourth and four from the Oneida 48-yard-line with 45 seconds remaining to force the ball over on downs with the Indians up 21-14.

Scoring Summary: Jaxon Jett 13-yard run (Bryson Goodman kick) … Brock Ryon 6-yard pass to William Hill (Amauren Kidd kick) … Liam Boeke 67-yard pass to Jett (Goodman kick) … Ben Gilbert 3-yard run (Kidd kick) … Brady Burke fumble recovery (Kidd kick).

Stats That Stood Out: Waylon Hill’s four passes broken up were a single-game career high … At 31:01 to 16:57, Oneida nearly doubled Oliver Springs’ time of possession.

What the Analysts Said: “Our defense was lights out in the second half. What more can you say other than a tremendous game by Oneida. Great response after the loss last week.” — John L. Strunk.

What the Coach Said: “We were hanging around in the game. We had some things happen. We seem to like adversity a lot sometimes, but we stayed together tonight. We kept fighting. We’re getting better. I told them, the key is, we just gotta get better every week. The wins and losses will take care of themselves … we gave a great effort, the kids played hard, and we were able to get the win there at the end.” — Jimmy May.

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

Highlanders down Union County, 28-6, to run record to 5-1

MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. | When a team has beaten you in back-to-back years in the most excruciating fashion possible, a win over that team isn’t going to feel disappointing, no matter how you get it. And for Scott High, a 28-6 win over Union County on Friday was not one to apologize for, although most would’ve likely expected the game to be a bit more lopsided against a Patriots team that had already been mercy-ruled four times this season.

The Highlanders were not nearly as crisp on either side of the ball as they were a week earlier when they exploded to a 50-0 halftime lead over Cumberland Gap. Still, the game was never at all in doubt, and Scott led 28-0 before Union County broke through for a touchdown in the second half.

With the win, Scott High (5-1) is guaranteed at least a .500 finish to the season for the first time since 2016, which ended at 8-4. That 2016 season also marked the last time the Highlanders made the playoffs, a task they will turn their attention to next, with back-to-back games at home against Kingston and Meigs County that will go a long way toward determining their postseason fate.

Neither of those games will be easy — Kingston is coming off a win over a McMinn Central team that the Highlanders fell to last month, and Meigs County is one of the top Class 3A teams in the state. Nevertheless, Scott is in a place it has not been in a long time. The 2016 team won six straight games after a 2-3 start to the season. The last time a Highlander team started a season 5-1, was 2014 — when, ironically, they also started the season with a win over McCreary Central and then defeated Union County for their fifth win.

Friday’s game was a bit of an anomaly in this year’s 5-1 start in that, for the first time all season, the Highlander passing game was basically halted by Union County’s defense. On the flip side, however, the Patriots (1-6) were unable to stop Scott High’s running game. Michael Bond had nearly 100 yards by halftime (finishing with 98 and a touchdown) before setting out the second half as a precaution after being slightly banged up. The Highlanders then turned to Desmond Bowling, who had 96 yards and two scores. Lucas Newport finished with 53 yards despite having a 78-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty.

The Highlanders finished with 395 yards of offense, of which 284 came on the ground.

Gage Privett finished 9 of 16 through the air for 111 yards.

The Highlanders were up 21-0 at the half, after touchdown runs by Privett, Bond and Bowling. Union County opened the second half by putting together their best drive of the game. But the drive ended when Brett Hall intercepted a pass on the goal line, setting up a 99-yard scoring drive by the Highlander offense that coach Billy Hall would later call one of the team’s best of the season. It finished with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Bowling to cap the scoring.

Union County responded to Scott’s 99-yard drive with an excellent kickoff return, setting up a fourth down touchdown pass from Braden Beasley to Brandon Reed.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Desmond Bowling finished with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries on offense, and was also among the team leaders on defense.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Mason Lewallen had an excellent game on both sides of the ball, and delivered several punishing blows on defense.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: In the third quarter, Lucas Newport broke multiple tackles on a run to the 1-yard-line. He was ruled down just short of the goal line, but the run set up a touchdown by Desmond Bowling.

The Game Was Over When: Brett Hall intercepted a Union County pass at the 1-yard-line in the third quarter, ending a scoring threat by the Patriots and giving the ball to the Highlander offense, which drove 99 yards for a score to put the game away.

Scoring Summary: Gage Privett 2-yard run (Justyn Lynch kick) … Michael Bond 18-yard run (Lynch kick) … Desmond Bowling 7-yard run (Lynch kick) … Bowling 1-yard run (Lynch kick) … Braden Beasley 8-yard pass to Brandon Reed (kick failed).

Stats That Stood Out: Scott High finished with a season-high 284 yards on the ground, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

What the Coach Said: “We challenged them all week, let’s have a game where we just dominate up front from start to finish. I think they accepted the challenge and they just went out and stepped up and played … We tried to just take what they gave us underneath, manage the game and keep the clock rolling, and get out of here as healthy as we could with the win … It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.” — Billy Hall.

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Playoff Outlook: The postseason begins to take shape

More than halfway through the Tennessee high school football season, the postseason outlook is starting to take shape as a pecking order becomes clear among the state’s football programs.

At 4-3 and 5-1, Oneida and Scott High are firmly in the race for the postseason, though there’s still much to be sorted out. The Indians are off this week, while Scott High will begin a crucial stretch of region games with a visit from rival Kingston.

ONEIDA, CLASS 2A

For Oneida, the postseason heading into the bye week is the same as it was entering the season back in August: with only four teams in their region, the Indians know they’re in the playoffs; the battle is for the right to host a playoff game in the first round.

Oneida has taken a big step in that direction with a 24-14 win at Tellico Plains back on Sept. 14. Many viewed the Bears as the team to beat in Region 2-2A coming into the season, but they’ve taken a beating after a 3-0 start, losing three consecutive games.

The most recent loss by Tellico Plains was a 33-7 loss to Eagleton on Friday — a loss that comes awfully close to ending their hopes of hosting a postseason game. The Royals, certainly not overlooked by most as the season began, would now be considered by many as the Region 2 favorite, and a Thursday night, regular season finale against Oneida in Maryville looms especially large.

However, while that Oct. 30 game could very well be for the regular season region championship, it might not matter much in the race for a home playoff game. The Indians can lock that down with a win against visiting Polk County on Oct. 24. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Wildcats, who defeated the Indians last season and will be hoping to spoil Oneida’s hopes of a home playoff game this year. They started the season 0-2 but have rebounded to 3-4 with wins over Sequoyah, Sweetwater and Pigeon Forge.

SCOTT, CLASS 3A

Things are decidedly more complicated in Region 2-3A, in part because there are six teams jockying for four playoff spots with not a lot of noticeable separation between them.

Meigs County appears to be the clear-cut frontrunner in the region, after jumping out to a 2-0 start in league plays with wins over McMinn Central (29-8) and Sweetwater (44-14). That’s exactly the way most folks would’ve pegged it coming into the season.

Behind Meigs County, though, things get complicated quickly. Kingston, Sweetwater and Scott each have one region loss, as things stand now, with McMinn Central and Austin-East behind them.

Sweetwater has a leg up among those three teams, owning a 21-19 win over Kingston on Sept. 19. But McMinn Central, which would be on the outside looking in if the regular season ended today, has a win over Scott High (41-14) that could wind up acting as a spoiler, depending on how everything shakes out.

This week’s rivalry game at Highlander Stadium will go a long way toward helping decide the pecking order in Region 2, as Scott hosts Kingston. Both the Highlanders and the Yellow Jackets are still in the running to not only host a postseason game but to win the region championship.

It’s a bit ironic that Scott lost Alcoa as a region foe and saw its league get tougher, but that is exactly what happened, when the new Region 2-3A is examined top to bottom. Last year, wins over Union County and Austin-East would have gotten the Highlanders into the playoffs. This year, Scott has beaten those teams by combined scores of 70-12 and has nothing guaranteed. That’s partly because Union County is no longer in the region, of course, but it just goes to show that things are more competitive in Region 2 this year.

For Scott High, the simplest math is to win out and be region champions. On the other hand, if the Highlanders drop games to Kingston and Meigs County the next two weeks, they could find themselves facing an Oct. 30 trip to Sweetwater with a playoff berth hanging in the balance.

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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Scott explodes offensively in win over Cumberland Gap

HUNTSVILLE | Scott High got back to its winning ways on Friday with a 50-16 win over Cumberland Gap that was even more one-sided than the scoreboard indicated at the end of the game.

The Highlanders (4-1) scored on every first half possession — seven touchdowns and a Justyn Lynch field goal — and led 50-0 at halftime before the Panthers (3-3) scored two touchdowns against Scott’s younger players in the second half.

It was a 30-0 game by the end of the first quarter, after Scott High moved the football almost at will against the Panthers in the opening frame. Michael Bond ran for two touchdowns and Jaigen Morgan caught two touchdowns in the opening period, while Lynch banged home a 42-yard field goal.

By halftime, Gage Privett had completed 10 of 17 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another touchdown and amassing 58 yards on the ground. He finished with 249 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

Bond had another 100-yard game, finishing with 106 yards and two scores.

Lucas Newport and Wyatt Lloyd each had touchdowns for the Highlanders.

Collectively, the Highlanders amassed more than 400 yards of total offense in the first half.

The defense had three take-aways in the first half, with Micah Boles intercepting two passes and Carter Slaven also intercepting a pass.

On the flip side, Cumberland Gap quarterback Kole Carter had almost no time to throw. He was constantly scrambling and throwing the ball away, as the Highlanders were able to get significant pressure on him, often without blitzing. Carter finished 6 of 28 for 117 yards and a touchdown. Almost all of his yardage came in the second half. In fact, 160 of the Panthers’ 212 yards of total offense came after the intermission. They were only 1 of 10 on third down and 1 of 4 on fourth down.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Having emerged as a leading target at receiver in his first year on the field, Jaigen Morgan had touchdown receptions of 26 and 46 yards in the first quarter, and finished with four catches for 88 yards to lead the way.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Senior Hayden Mason anchored an offensive line that completely dominated Cumberland Gap.

Scott Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Late in the first half, Gage Privett flipped the ball to Lucas Newport, who went 26 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with Wyatt Lloyd throwing a crucial lead block.

The Game Was Over When: By the time the Highlanders went 74 yards in five plays on their second possession of the game — after a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive the first time they touched the ball — it was obvious that they were going to be able to name their score.

Scoring Summary: Gage Privett 26-yard pass to Jaigen Morgan (Justyn Lynch kick) … Michael Bond 3-yard run (Lynch kick) … Privett 46-yard pass to Morgan (pass failed) … Bond 14-yard run (Lynch kick) … Lynch 42-yard field goal … Privett 17-yard pass to Wyatt Lloyd (kick failed) … Privett 6-yard run (Lynch kick) … Lucas Newport 26-yard run (Lynch kick) … Eric McCorkel 14-yard run (Kole Carter pass to Benson Hensley) … Carter 27-yard pass to Hensley (Carter pass to Hunter Ellison).

Stats That Stood Out: Scott High was penalized 17 times for 180 yards … In third down efficiency, Scott was 6 of 9 while Cumberland Gap was just 1 of 10.

What The Coach Said: “I thought it was really good. Everything we put in to run this week, I think they executed it well. We had a couple of hiccups here and there. Penalties hurt us early. It was just stupid stuff that we can control … some of them, it just is what it is. But some of them, it’s just us finishing a block after the whistle blows or stuff we gotta let up on. It’s not them not playing hard. A lot of the penalties come from us playing hard and playing through the whistle, but we’re playing a little after the whistle — which is an edge I like, but we gotta let up and not get something stupid.”

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Coalfield is tough offensively and defensively in win at Oneida

ONEIDA | It was a close game for much of the first half, but Coalfield was able to pull away in the second half for a 33-0 win here Friday night, the Yellow Jackets’ sixth straight win over the Indians in the premier non-region rivalry.

For Coalfield (4-2), the recipe for success was a steady dose of Jaiden Bunch. He did the lion’s share of the work for the Yellow Jacket offense, finishing with 164 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

But it was only a 7-0 game until the final two minutes of the first half, when Coalfield tacked on Bunch’s second touchdown of the night to make it 13-0 at the break. In fact, Oneida had the ball deep in Coalfield territory midway through the second quarter, before the Yellow Jackets broke up a pass on fourth down to force the ball over on downs at the 24-yard-line. From there, Coalfield put together a 76-yard scoring drive to make it 13-0 at the intermission.

The Coalfield defense came up with another big play to start the second half, getting a stop behind the line on fourth-and-one at its 43-yard-line. That set up Bunch’s third and final touchdown of the night to make it 20-0.

Oneida was again in Coalfield territory on the ensuing possession, but the Yellow Jackets again got a stop on fourth down, and that again led to a touchdown, with Jack Treece and Cruze Shannon connecting on a 41-yard play to make it a four-touchdown margin.

The Indians had an excellent scoring opportunity early in the fourth quarter, moving the ball into the red zone after a short punt by the Jackets. But Lane Adcock came up with an interception in the end zone to end the scoring threat. From there, Coalfield went the length of the field for a quick score, making it 33-0.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior Grady Keeton had four catches for 13 yards, and a season-high nine tackles on defense.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Brylan Strunk continued to play well, receiving the honor for a second consecutive week.

Scott Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With 7:58 to play in the fourth quarter, Brock Ryon connected with Ben Gilbert on a 19-yard pass from Coalfield’s 38 to the 19, moving the Indians inside the red zone for the first time in the game.

The Game Was Over When: A two-touchdown halftime deficit wasn’t something the Indians hadn’t faced multiple times this season. But when Coalfield started the second half by getting a stop on fourth-and-short and then marching to the end zone for a touchdown, the lead seemed insurmountable.

Stats That Stood Out: Coalfield limited Oneida to 111 yards of offense, while racking up 342 yards when it had the ball.

Scoring Summary: Jaiden Bunch 11-yard run (Jack Treece kick) … Bunch 5-yard run (pass failed) … Bunch 6-yard run (Treece kick) … Treece 41-yard pass to Cruze Shannon (kick failed) … Hadyn Hedrick 10-yard run (Treece kick).

What The Analysts Said: “They just outplayed us. Early on, you thought it was going to be a defensive battle back and forth. In the second quarter they really came to life … This is a heck of a football team. We’ve got a ways to go. We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on, but I know this bunch will get back after it.” — Mark Matthews, IHSN.

What The Coach Said: “We have times in the game where we kinda shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit. We get behind the chains and kinda turn it over, try to force it down the field. We’ve got a lot of stuff we’re going to clean up and get ready for Oliver Springs next week.” — Jimmy May.

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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
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◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Upsetting the apple cart

TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. | If Tellico Plains was, indeed, the Region 2-2A team to beat, as many said, then Region there’s a new driver in the cockpit.

Oneida (3-2) opened region play Friday by making the long road trip to the foothills and springing a 24-14 upset of the Bears (3-2) on their home field.

The Indians jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, withstood a Tellico Plains surge in the second quarter, then scored 10 unanswered points to secure the win.

Oneida did it with both offense and defense. Ben Gilbert continued to shine in his new role as RB1, amassing 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Maddox Hutcherson added 58 yards, while Brock Ryon completed 7 of 12 passes for 116 yards — one of them a 53-yard connection with Grady Keeton, who finished with three catches.

Oneida’s defense, meanwhile, was its usual stingy self, limiting Tellico Plains to 217 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers. Brothers William and Waylon Hill were a big part of the defense. Waylon led the team in tackles, with 11, and forced a fumble. Both brothers recovered a fumble, as did Drayton Wade.

Oneida set the tone on its opening possession, with Ryon and Keeton hooking up for the 53-yard pass to Tellico Plains’ 1-yard-line to set up a touchdown run by Ryon with less than two minutes off the clock.

Disaster struck again for Tellico Plains on its first offensive possession, as Waylon Hill forced and recovered a fumble near midfield to set up the Indians’ offense again.

But just as Oneida was moving into position to score, inside Tellico Plains’ 10-yard-line, the Bears’ defense came up with a big play, recovering a fumble to kill the Indians’ possession.

In the end, though, the fumble only delayed the inevitable. After a three-and-out by Tellico Plains, the Indians were on the move again, and Gilbert scored on a 7-yard run early i nthe second quarter to make it 14-0.

Tellico Plains finally found its sea legs after that. The Bears answered with a 64-yard drive for a touchdown, which came on a third down pass from Isaac Hollinghead to Trevor Kibler from three yards out.

With penalties becoming an increasing problem for Oneida — the Indians finished with 10 of them for 109 yards — the Bears got the ball back and found the end zone again, this time on an 8-yard run by Hollinghead, tying the game with 3:09 left on the first half clock.

But the Indians had time for one more successful possession, using a few runs by Gilbert and then a few passes by Ryon to put the ball into position for a 31-yard field goal by Amauren Kidd as the first half ended.

The Indians added an insurance touchdown in the second half after William Hill recovered a fumble at the Bears’ 24-yard-line. Three plays later, Gilbert scored from three yards out, and it was a 24-14 lead with 2:15 to play in the third quarter.

Tellico got into Oneida territory on the ensuing possession, but Jesse Zachary forced a fumble at the 22-yard-line, Wade recovered, and the Indians were on their way to victory.

Tellico Plains’ last-gasp effort saw a Hollinghead pass fall incomplete on fourth down at the Indians’ 23-yard-line with just seconds remaining.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Ben Gilbert had 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Brylan Strunk helped anchor an Oneida offensive line that paved the way for 190 rushing yards by the Indians — an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With 10:30 to play in the game and Tellico Plains threatening at Oneida’s 22-yard-line, Jesse Zachary forced a fumble and Waylon Hill recovered, sealing the victory for the Indians.

The Game Was Over When: Tellico Plains could’ve cut the deficit to 24-21 with still 10 minutes to play, but the Zachary-Hill turnover at the 22-yard-line ended the scoring threat, and the proverbial fat lady started to warm her vocal cords at that point.

Stats That Stood Out: Oneida had 10 penalties for 109 yards, but was able to overcome that for the road win.

What the Analysts Said: “We went into halftime up 17-14 and didn’t give up a point in the second half. Oneida’s defense adjusted ... second half adjustments are probably the key in this one. Offensively, we put up 24 points and that was enough. And we started off fast on offense ... I thought that was the most impressive thing. You get it handed to you last week, how do you respond? And they responded well.” — John L. Strunk.

What the Coach Said: “It was a big challenge for us, and we had our best preparation all season. We played hard tonight. I told them, if we want to win the region we have to have this one. We played hard. We survived. We didn’t play smart all the time, but we did what we needed to do to win the game. I was proud of the kids and their great effort tonight.” — Jimmy May.

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A night to forget

ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. | Dings and bruises, stomach sickness, and self-inflicted mistakes all added up to create a perfect storm here Friday, as McMinn Central pulled away late for a 41-14 win over Scott High to pick up a much-needed region win.

The game started exactly the way the Highlanders would’ve hoped: the defense forced a three-and-out, and Scott found itself with the ball at midfield and a chance to take an early lead.

But William Mayfield stepped in front of a third-and-short pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, the first of four turnovers created by the Chargers’ defense, and the Highlanders found themselves facing adversity early.

Scott High responded well to the initial challenge, with Gage Privett finding a wide-open Jaigen Morgan behind the defense on a third-and-five play for a 27-yard touchdown strike to tie the game. Then the Highlander defense got a stop, giving the offense an opportunity to take the lead, and the early miscue seemed to be forgotten.

But after a fourth down conversion from Privett to Wyatt Lloyd moved the ball inside McMinn Central’s 30-yard-line, the Chargers’ defense created another turnover, and it was downhill from there.

Despite self-inflicted mistakes — the Highlanders had critical penalties on a fourth down play and a would-be fourth down play to keep the Chargers’ go-ahead drive alive — it was still very much a game until late in the third quarter.

In fact, the Highlanders scored on a 14-yard run by Michael Bond with 6:16 to play in the third, cutting McMinn Central’s lead to 20-14 and leaving the Highlanders just one stop and one successful offensive play away from taking the lead.

But McMinn answered by converting a third-and-long and then scoring a 29-yard touchdown on fourth down to make it a 27-14 lead, and the Highlanders weren’t able to threaten again.

Once the Chargers had the game in hand, they seemed intent on making the score as lopsided as possible. They came out throwing on first down with a 33-14 lead and less than seven minutes left on the clock, then went for two for the first time in the game after scoring on a fourth down play to make it 39-14 with less than four minutes left.

Scott High coach Billy Hall didn’t make many excuses after the game, but did point to a number of nagging issues. Quarterback Privett had been sick the week before the game, and was also battling a shoulder injury, Hall said. There was also a mysterious stomach ailment circulating through the team on game night. Multiple players were seen leaving the field vomiting, and Hall said at one point there were seven different players on the sideline throwing up.

The loss, Scott High’s first of the season, could prove critical in the playoff race; however, the Highlanders still control their own destiny in the hunt for a postseason bid.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Braden Burchfield led the team in tackles from his linebacker position, getting to the football early and often in his best game as a Highlander.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Tight end Gus King was one of those battling a stomach ailment, leaving the game multiple times with sickness only to return later. He also battled an ankle injury during the game, but refused to stay on the sideline.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: After McMinn Central’s pick-six to start the game, Gage Privett and Jaigen Morgan teamed up for a 27-yard touchdown strike on third down to tie the game midway through the first quarter.

The Game Was Over When: With Scott down 27-14, McMinn Central intercepted a pass in the end zone with 10:33 remaining. From there, the Chargers quickly drove the length of the field and scored to ice the game.

Statistics That Stood Out: McMinn Central was only 6 of 15 on third down, but was 3 of 3 on fourth down — twice scoring touchdowns on those fourth down plays ... the Highlanders were penalized 13 times for 105 yards.

Scoring Summary: William Mayfield 47-yard INT return (Aaron Brock kick) ... Gage Privett 27-yard pass to Jaigen Morgan (Justyn Lynch kick) ... Bryce Mullins 21-yard pass to Jake Goodin (Brock kick) ... Jesse Holden 4-yard run (kick failed) ... Michael Bond 14-yard run (Lynch kick) ... Mullins 29-yard pass to Landon Landon (Brock kick) ... Hunter Rayburn 4-yard run (kickfailed) ... Mullins 6-yard pass to Samuel Miller (Mullins pass to Goodin).

What the Coach Said: “When we were on the sideline, I was like, ‘My gosh, what happened?’ I’ll take all the blame for it, 100%. I didnt have them ready. But I think we played hard, we just seemed confused a lot. They got some breaks on us. I felt like we moved the ball on them, we just couldn’t capitalize and just couldn’t finish drives. Defensively, we’d get them to fourth down and we’d play great until one play, and we’d jump offsides or give them a cheap one.” — Billy Hall.

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Scott soccer picks up district win

CLINTON | Scott High picked up a 2-1 win here Tuesday, and in the process earned the right to host a first round tournament game against the Dragons.

Gracie James and Aleeyah Jeffers, both juniors, each scored their first goal of the season to provide the offense the Lady Highlanders needed to complete a season sweep of the Dragons. The two teams will meet for a third time in the district tournament next month.

The Lady Highlanders had an opportunity to avoid the first round game and earn a bye when they played at Union County on Thursday. However, the Patriots picked up a 3-1 win in that one, after defeating Scott on a golden goal earlier in the season.

Scott High has one district game remaining, at Gibbs.

Oneida last week fell to Eagleton, 1-0, and to Cumberland County, 2-0.

This week’s games will find Oneida hosting Greenback on Tuesday and Oliver Springs on Thursday, while Scott High will host Cumberland Gap on Monday and travel to Gibbs on Thursday.

This week’s VARSITY e-edition!

This weekend’s edition of VARSITY, the sports magazine of the Independent Herald is available!

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

Subscribe now

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Highlanders roll to 42-6 win over Austin-East in region opener

HUNTSVILLE | A Friday night that saw Scott High start things off by honoring two childhood cancer warriors — Jolee Manis and Emma Hughett — ended as a night to remember for the Highlanders, as they rolled to a 42-6 win over Austin-East.

It was a night of big individual performances both offensively and defensively for Scott High. Junior quarterback Gage Privett tied a school record for single-game touchdown passes with five, a mark held by his coach, Billy Hall, and former Austin Peay quarterback Jake Sexton. Hall was the last to do it, with five touchdowns against Northview Academy in a 2016 playoff game. Senior wideout Wyatt Lloyd had three touchdown receptions — which is also believed to tie a single-game school record.

On the defensive side of the ball, senior safety Micah Boles had a career game, with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two passes broken up.

The first forced fumble was inside the one-yard-line, when it appeared that Austin-East was on the verge of scoring in the first half. In addition to his two picks, Boles broke up a fourth down pass to force the ball over on downs, and also had a pass break-up in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to help keep Austin-East from adding a score.

Throw in an interception by Jesse Jeffers early in the game, and Scott High turned Austin-East over five times. It’s been a stingy start to the season for the Highlander defense, and that did not change against the Roadrunners. A-E was able to break a streak of eight consecutive quarters without a touchdown allowed when it went on an 81-yard drive to score in the third quarter, but otherwise the night belonged to the Highlanders.

The win was Scott High’s first against Austin-East since a 35-20, come-from-behind win in 1998, snapping a 16-game losing streak to the Roadrunners.

The Highlanders have now won three games in a row for the first time since the aforementioned 2016 season, when Billy Hall and his teammates won six straight, including the final five games of the regular season and a first-round playoff game at Northview Academy.

The game appeared to start disastrously for Scott High, as Austin-East returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for an apparent touchdown. But the score was wiped off the board by a blindside block, and Jeffers stepped in front of a pass on a slant route a couple of plays later to give the Highlanders possession.

On a night when Austin-East had few answers for Scott High’s offense, the Highlanders marched crisply the length of the field to score, with Privett finding Lloyd tight-roping the right sideline in the end zone for a 12-yard scoring strike. To jump-start what would be a record-setting evening.

After the Highlander defense forced a stop, the offense again marched to paydirt, with Privett and Jaigen Morgan connecting for a 21-yard strike and a 14-0 lead.

Austin-East forced a fumble and had a chance to get back into the game, but the Highlanders answered by forcing a fumble the other way at the goal line. As Spencer Moore attempted to dive into the end zone, he was met forcefully by Boles, forcing the ball free. Desmond Bowling recovered at the 1-yard-line.

After an exchange of punts, Scott High took possession at its 14-yard-line and marched 86 yards to the end zone to put a final first half score on the board. Privett found Wyatt Lloyd — again in the right corner of the end zone — for the second time, and it was 21-0 at halftime.

The Highlanders were not able to score on the opening possession of the second half, missing a 41-yard field goal attempt. But they got the ball back quickly when Boles forced his second fumble of the night and Jesse Jeffers recovered. From there, it was 28-0 after a 23-yard pass from Privett to Morgan.

Again, the Highlanders forced a turnover. Austin-East forced another field goal attempt, which was off the upright, and from there the Roadrunners put together their only touchdown drive of the evening, covering 80 yards for a Dikyeis Towns score.

After a 3-and-out by Scott High, the Roadrunners had a chance to make a game of it, but yet another turnover — another interception by Boles — gave the Highlanders the ball back. Two plays later, Privett and Lloyd hooked up for the third time, and the game was essentially over at that point.

Austin-East had a turnover on downs on the next possession, with Boles breaking up the fourth-and-12 pass attempt. The Highlanders then put their final touchdown on the board, a four-yard run by Lucas Newport.

Austin-East’s final possession saw the Roadrunners turn to third-string quarterback Landon Lightfoot and move the ball quickly down the field, but time expired with the Roadrunners inside the Highlanders’ 5-yard-line.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Micah Boles had two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two passes broken up. One of his forced fumbles occurred at the goal line to prevent an Austin-East score, and three of the four turnovers directly led to Scott High scores.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: On a night when the Highlander offensive front allowed quarterback Gage Privett to be pressured only a couple of times, sophomore Jayden Parra had a pancake block to spring a scrambling Privett for a first down run in the first half, which helped aid a touchdown drive by the Highlanders.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: On the Highlanders’ first offensive possession, Gage Privett connected with Wyatt Lloyd on a back-shoulder throw from 12 yards out. Lloyd tight-roped the sideline to haul it in for the first of three touchdown receptions.

The Game Was Over When: After Austin-East marched 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, the Roadrunners forced the Highlanders into a three-and-out and had a chance to eat further into the lead. But Micah Boles intercepted his second pass of the night, and the Highlanders scored two plays later to put the game out of reach.

Stats That Stood Out: Gage Privett tied a single-game school record for touchdown passes (five) and Wyatt Lloyd is believed to have tied a single-game school record for touchdown receptions (three).

What the Analysts Said: “The kids weren’t overly emotional (in practice) but they all had that look. The right words were said by the right players. It’s a good group of kids and they mesh together so well. Offense, yeah, putting up 42 points, that’s great. But, man, that defense. We’ve got two really good inside linebackers. I’d compare them against any linebackers in our league, at least. And the secondary, they just keep making plays.” — H.L. Keeton.

What the Coach Said: “I’m just going to say how much I love this group of kids, how fun they are to coach, and I’m so glad I get to be a part of it. This defense, I’m telling you, they accept every challenge we throw their way. They attack everything. They go get it. They complement themselves really well. Every one of them have a killer instinct and they go get it.” — Billy Hall.

Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.

CAK’s defense is smothering in 40-0 win at Oneida

ONEIDA | CAK’s defense turned in a smothering and withering performance here Friday night, seeming to have an answer for everything Oneida tried offensively in a 40-0 win over the Indians.

The game started exceptionally well for Oneida. Kannon Gazay recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, giving the Indians possession from CAK’s 31-ard-line. A 19-yard carry by Maddox Hutcherson pushed the ball deep into the red zone, and the Indians appeared to be in business.

After that, though, CAK stiffened its back and proved relentless the rest of the way. The Warriors forced Oneida into a 31-year-old field goal attempt, which they blocked.

Oneida got its turn to clap back on defense by denying a CAK scoring opportunity. After the Warriors marched into plus territory, the Indians forced the ball over on downs when a fourth down pass fell incomplete.

But on a night that started with game-changing plays on special teams for both teams, the ball bounced against Oneida after a three-and-out. As the Indians attempted to punt, the snap sailed high, and CAK smothered punter Ben Gilbert at the 14-yard-line.

From there, CAK converted a third down and found the end zone on a one-yard run by Sawyer Anderson with 2:12 remaining on the first quarter clock.

Oneida picked up a first down on a pass from Brock Ryon to William Hill on the ensuing possession, but then was forced to punt after a 64-yard touchdown by Gilbert on a screen pass was wiped off by a holding penalty.

The Indians’ defense continued to play well enough, forcing CAK into a third-and-long at midfield. But, needing 13 yards for a first down, Sawyer Anderson found Gabriel Linkous for a 50-yard strike, and the Warriors led 14-0.

One of the biggest plays of the night for Oneida came on the ensuing kickoff, which Grady Keeton returned 42 yards to CAK’s 48-yard-line. Then a 15-yard penalty against the Warriors allowed the Indians to snap the ball inside the 25-yard-line.

From there, though, the Warriors again stiffened on defense, and a fourth down sack forced the ball over on downs.

CAK responded with a 73-yard drive that ended with a Ryan Gibson touchdown and a 20-0 lead near the end of the first half.

Oneida picked up one first down on the initial possession of the second half, then was forced to punt, which led to a 54-yard scoring drive for CAK, giving the Warriors a 27-0 lead.

From there, CAK added insult to injury with a pick-six from 27-yards out on a tipped ball to make it 33-0 late in the third quarter.

Oneida’s defense got a stop in the fourth quarter, when Kason Hutcherson, A.J. Harper and Gage Duncan teamed up for a fourth down stop at the Indians’ 26-yard-line. But another bad snap on a punt attempt gave CAK possession at the 8-yard-line, and the Warriors tacked on one final score with under a minute remaining.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: William Hill had 10 tackles on defense, and also caught two passes.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Jesse Zachary played well from his defensive end position, finishing with three tackles, including one for loss.

Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: After CAK scored to take a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, Brady Keeton returned a kickoff 42 yards to the Warriors’ 48-yard-line.

The Game Was Over When: Keeton’s kick return, coupled with a 15-yard penalty against CAK, breathed a bit of hope into the game. But CAK forced the ball over on downs, then scored to take a 20-0 lead.

Statistics That Stood Out: The two special teams miscues, coupled with six sacks by CAK’s defense, caused Oneida to net -73 yards rushing, and the Indians’ offensive output for the entire game was -43 yards.

Scoring Summary: Sawyer Anderson 1-yard run (Bennett Jelks kick) … Anderson 50-yard pass to Gabriel Linkous (Jelks kick) … Ryan Gibson 1-yard run (kick failed) … Linkous 6-yard run (Jelks kick) … Jelks 27-yard interception return (kick failed) … Ethan Flowers 4 yard run (Wyatt Howard kick).

What the Analysts Said: “We just didn’t play well tonight. We made a lot of mistakes on special teams, which is something we’ve done pretty well all year. Some bad snaps, some dropped balls here and there; just didn’t play a fundamentally sound football game tonight and you can’t do that against a quality opponent like CAK.” — Mark Matthews, IHSN.

What the Coach Said: “They’re a very good team. They’re the best team we’ve played. They have a lot of good skill. The offensive line is very good; the defense is excellent. We were okay for a while in the first half … we just gotta come together and, as coaches, try to put them in a better situation and give them better success. We got exposed tonight a few times, so we’re going to do that and try to get better for next week at Tellico Plains.” — Jimmy May.

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Lady Indians defeat Rockwood

ONEIDA | The Lady Indians scored two goals in the first half, then tacked on three more in the second half for a 5-0 district win over Rockwood here Tuesday.

Jayden Harness scored twice, while Julie Chambers, RaeLynne Blevins and Adysan Douglas also added goals.

Harness got the scoring started seven minutes into the game. Chambers added a goal late in the first half to make it 2-0.

It was nearly 20 minutes into the second half before Oneida scored again ,but then the Lady Indians put three balls in the net in rapid succession, adding insurance goals to put the game away.

Oneida coach David Blevins said his team was offensively dominant, with over 40 shot attempts, including 20 on frame. Kamryn Stiltner had two saves.

The Lady Indians were in action at the Smokey Mountain Cup this weekend, where they tied Franklin Christian, 1-1, on Friday, and fell to White House Heritage, 4-0, and Carter, 3-0, on Saturday.

Scott High soccer this week fell to Loudon on Tuesday, 5-0, and to Anderson County on Thursday, 9-0.

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Scott High is impressive on both sides of ball in 34-0 win

MONTEREY | Scott High fell to Cumberland County to open each of the last two seasons. Monterey was coming off a 12-10 win over Cumberland County a week ago. But if that was supposed to mean trouble for the Highlanders, someone forgot to tell the visitors.

Scott rolled to a 34-0 win over the Wildcats in a weather-shortened game here Friday night, and looked impressive on both sides of the football. Gage Privett threw for two scores and ran for another, and Michael Bond ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run, while the defense shut out an opponent for the first time since a 46-0 win over Pickett County in October 2023.

As lopsided as the final score was, it could’ve been worse. Scott High had a long touchdown called back due to a penalty in the first quarter, and had a pass to Monterey’s one-yard-line waved off due to a flag in the second quarter. Both possessions resulted in zero points. Also, the game was called with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, as lightning strikes lit up the night sky nearby.

To that end, Friday’s game was eerily similar to Scott’s 31-7 win over Eagleton two years ago. That game was also called late in the third quarter due to weather.

For a program that had lost 35 of its last 38 games entering this season, Friday’s win was significant for multiple reasons. It marked the first time since 2019 that the Highlanders have won back-to-back games, and the first time since 2014 that the team started 2-0.

Technically, the 2020 team started 2-0 with back-to-back wins to open the season. However, one of those was a covid win over Whitley County (Ky.).

Scott High started a bit slow, with a long touchdown pass from Privett to Jaigen Morgan wiped off by a personal foul penalty. But the Highlanders got going late in the third quarter, mixing the run and the pass to set up a seven-yard touchdown toss from Privett to Lucas Newport, who made an acrobatic catch in the end zone to get his team on the board.

The pace picked up considerably in the second quarter. Although a pass to Monterey’s one-yard-line was taken away by an ineligible receiver penalty, the Highlanders put three more scores on the board. First was an 80-yard touchdown run by Bond, followed by a three-yard touchdown run by Privett and a 21-yard pass from Privett to Morgan to make it a 27-0 game at halftime.

Privett finished eight of 16 for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Bond finished with 128 yards on the ground.

The Highlanders added a touchdown in the third quarter when Hunter Humfleet stepped in front of a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.

Later in the third quarter, Humfleet recovered a fumble to give the Highlanders possession in Monterey territory. That drive ended in a 47-yard missed field goal.

The Highlanders had just gotten a stop on fourth down inside Monterey’s 30-yard-line when lightning forced the field to be evacuated and, ultimately, the game to be called.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior quarterback Gage Privett completed eight of 16 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a third touchdown. His statistics would’ve been loftier if not for two long passes — one of them a touchdown — that were called back due to penalties.

Scott-Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Lucas Newport had to adjust in mid-air to catch a pass that was behind him in the end zone, but the senior pulled it off late in the first quarter, giving the Highlanders their first score of the evening and springboarding them to a 34-0 win over Monterey.

The game was over when: Michael Bond broke free on a counter play for an 80-yard touchdown run to give Scott a 13-0 lead. With the Highlanders’ defense allowing almost nothing by Monterey’s offense, the game was essentially out of reach at that point.

Scoring recap: Gage Privett pass to Lucas Newport for 7 yards (Justyn Lynch kick) in the first quarter. Michael Bond run for 80 yards (kick failed) in the second quarter. Privett run for three yards (Lynch kick) in the second quarter. Privett pass to Jaigen Morgan for 21 yards (Lynch kick) in the second quarter. Hunter Humfleet 56-yard interception return (Lynch kick) in the third quarter.

Statcheck: Scott High’s defense limited Monterey to just 103 yards of total offense, and the Wildcats were 0 of 8 on third down (and 0 of 3 on fourth down).

What the coach said: “It was ugly early, because it seemed like everytime we would get going we’d have a big flag and lose a bunch. I told the kids, ‘they haven’t stopped us yet; we’re stopping ourselves. If we just get it going, we’ll be fine.’ The kids responded great to it … I can’t even express how proud I am of them. They’re a great group. I’m glad I get to be their coach. They make it fun and it’s a good time.” — Billy Hall

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Oneida’s comeback bid falls short against Bledsoe County

ONEIDA | The last two seasons, Bledsoe County shut out the Indians. For a while on Friday night, it looked like the Warriors might do it again — and spoil homecoming, to boot.

Bledsoe County was able to spoil homecoming, holding on for a 20-14 win over the Indians, but didn’t get a third consecutive shutout, and didn’t get the win without a fight to the wire, after Oneida’s offense kicked it into gear late.

Down 14-0 after the first quarter, and down 20-7 after the third quarter, Oneida battled back to make it 20-14 but was unable to give its offense one final chance to win the game.

As was the case in a Week 1 win over Rockwood, it was Ben Gilbert who sparked the Indians’ offense. After surpassing 90 yards on the ground in that season-opening win, Gilbert had the first 100-yard game of his career against Bledsoe County, finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown. Maddox Hutcherson added 52 yards and a score.

Oneida’s passing game was superb in a Week 2 win at Harriman, but Bledsoe managed to take away the air attack with two interceptions that forced the Indians to turn to their ground game in an attempt to steal a third consecutive win.

The first interception was returned to Oneida’s 21-yard-line to set up an early Bledsoe touchdown, giving the Warriors an early 7-0 lead.

Bledsoe’s second touchdown was set up by a short field after an Oneida punt. The Warriors took possession at the 39-yard-line after a penalty negated a better return, and scored another touchdown to make it 14-0.

From there, Oneida battled back. The Indians put together a scoring drive that saw Gilbert and Hutcherson trade carries to march their team down the field, before Hutcherson scored on a third-down play from five yards out midway through the second quarter.

Bledsoe County responded by driving deep into Oneida territory, but Hutcherson broke up a fourth down pass at the 29-yard-line to force the ball over on downs just before the end of the half.

Oneida then got the ball inside Bledsoe County’s 40-yard-line to start the second half before the Warriors came up with their second interception of the night, this one by Noel Smith at the 20-yard-line.

An INT return to midfield and a subsequent penalty against Oneida set up Bledsoe County’s third and final touchdown of the night, giving the Warriors a 20-7 lead late in the third quarter.

Oneida again battled back, with Gilbert breaking multiple tackles to score on a 12-yard run with just under 11 minutes to play, and it was 20-14.

But Bledsoe County put together its best drive of the night, chewing up the remaining 10:36 to end the game. The Warriors drove all the way to Oneida’s one-yard-line before choosing to take a knee on the final play to run out the clock.

The stat sheet told a tale of an evenly-contested game. Each team had 183 yards of offense, with all of Bledsoe County’s coming on the ground. The Warriors attempted only four passes all night, completing none of them.

Oneida didn’t attempt many passes — only six — and picked up 142 yards on the ground.

Neither team had many penalties, and each team punted just once. First downs were also nearly even.

Game Capsule

First National Bank Player of the Game: Ben Gilbert was the spark Oneida needed on both sides of the ball. The senior rushed 19 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, and led his team in tackles with 12 stops.

Scott-Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Gilbert broke multiple tackles to score from 13 yards out with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game, making it 20-14 and giving the Indians a chance to steal a win.

The game was over when: On fourth and two at Oneida’s 26-yard-line late in the game, Dallas Bridges picked up four yards and a first down. Oneida had just one time out remaining at that point. From there, the Warriors were able to convert a third down and run out the clock.

Scoring recap: Justin Melton run for four yards (Yandel Mejia kick), first quarter. Dallas Bridges run for 12 yards (Mejia kick), first quarter. Maddox Hutcherson run for five yards (Amauren Kidd kick), second quarter. Marcos Ramirez run for two yards (Mejia kick), third quarter. Ben Gilbert run for 12 yards (Kidd kick), fourth quarter.

Statcheck: It was a defensive slug-fest, with each team finishing with exactly 183 yards of offense … Oneida freshman Tate Shepard finished with eight tackles.

What the coach said: “It was one of those hard-fought games. We were down 14-0 before we ever got our footing. We were able to move the ball and find something running the outside zone to the right and the left. I thought we were able to run the ball well tonight. We were able to push them back and get some running lanes. I was just proud of the effort tonight. We fought back and gave ourselves a chance to hang in there in the fourth quarter. I thought we were hard-nosed tonight and that’ll take us a long way later in the season if we continue to play like that. We never gave up and we fought to the bigger end.” — Jimmy May.

Briley Duncan is homecoming queen at Oneida

Briley Duncan was crowned football homecoming queen at Oneida High School prior to the start of Friday’s game against Bledsoe County. She was one of two candidates representing the senior class, and one of eight candidates overall. She was escorted by sophomore Jake Marcum.

Handing off the crown was last year’s queen, Lauren Thompson. She was escorted by Ryder Carson.

Other candidates included senior Laicee Lewallen, juniors Allison Webb and Hayden Ferneyhough, sophomores Zoey Kennedy and Kamryn Lee, and freshmen Lucy Sexton and Tynleigh Jeffers.

For more photos, see this week’s edition of Varsity: the Magazine.

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This week’s Varsity E-Edition is available!

View it here!

This week’s schedule

Monday, 6 p.m.: The Round Table, live on the IH Sports Network from the C. Michael Lay Technology Center in Helenwood. Special guests include Kamryn Stiltner, Larissa Jones, Ben Gilbert, Jaxson Cross, Gage Privett, Caleb Bell, Brock Ryon, Drayton Wade, Olivia Vanhook, Shayleigh Gray and Darci Watson.

Monday, 6:30 p.m.: Scott soccer vs. Cumberland Gap at Highlander Stadium.

Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.: Oneida soccer vs. Rockwood at Jane Terry Hoffman Field.

Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Scott soccer vs. Anderson County at Highlander Stadium (senior night).

Friday, 4:50 p.m.: Oneida soccer vs. Franklin Christian at Gatlinburg.

Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Oneida football vs. CAK at Jim May Stadium (live on the IHSN, beginning at 6:30 p.m.).

Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Scott football vs. Austin-East at Highlander Stadium (live on the IHSN, beginning at 6:30 p.m.).

Saturday, 12:40 p.m.: Oneida soccer vs. Carter at Gatlinburg.

Saturday, 6:10 p.m.: Oneida soccer vs. White House Heritage at Gatlinburg.

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.: Tennessee football vs. Georgia at Neyland Stadium (live on ABC).

Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!

◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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Defense transitions to offense as Oneida shuts out Harriman

HARRIMAN | Every time it looked like Harriman had something cooking, Oneida’s defense put the hammer down.

The first time came in the first quarter, when the Blue Devils marched deep into Oneida territory and looked like they were about to answer an early touchdown by the Indians to tie the game. Harriman had gotten inside the Indians’ 10-yard-line on a pass completion, then fumbled the ball. The loose ball was scooped up by A.J. Harper, who returned it 48 yards to Harriman’s 47-yard-line, setting up the Indians’ second touchdown of the game and a 14-0 lead.

Later, in the third quarter, Harriman had marched to the Indians’ 5-yard-line and looked like it was ready to cut a 14-0 deficit in half. But William Hill stepped in front of an Aiden Oliver pass on the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown — a school record for longest interception return — to make it a 21-0 game, essentially slamming the door on any hope the Blue Devils had of winning.

Harriman had just ripped off a 28-yard run by Devin Bertram — its leading rusher with 52 yards on 8 carries — to inside the 10-yard-line. But Bertram was injured on the play, and Harriman — which had lost its starting quarterback on the earlier fumble — went to the air.

The running game was a non-factor for Oneida. The Indians finished with negative yardage on the ground and fumbled the ball five times, losing four.

But senior quarterback Brock Ryon, who has been battling injuries and biding his time, had a breakthrough game in his second start, completing 17 of 29 passes for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The first of those touchdowns came on a 21-yard pass to Grady Keeton to make it 14-0 after the Harriman fumble that was returned to midfield by Harper. The second was a 35-yard pass to Jesse Zachary early in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Keeton was Ryon’s favorite target, with five catches for 104 yards, including a 45-yard bomb that found him wide open in the middle of the field to help set up the first touchdown early in the game. Drayton Wade had four catches, while the Hill brothers — William and Waylon — each had three receptions.

Meanwhile, Oneida’s defense was its usual self. The Indians limited Harriman to 111 yards and forced a pair of turnovers in the red zone to earn the shut out.

Ben Gilbert was the leading tackler, with eight stops. Waylon Hill and Zachary each had six tackles.

Oneida limited Harriman to 4 of 15 on third down tries, and the Blue Devils were 0 of 3 in the red zone.

GAME CAPSULE

Scott Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With just over seven minutes to play in the third, Harriman was attempting to cut a two-touchdown Oneida lead in half. Talented young back Devin Bertram had just ripped off a 28-yard run to the 4-yard-line but was hurt on the play. After being stuffed in the backfield on first and goal, Harriman went to the air on second down, and William Hill stepped in front of the pass at the goal line, returning it 100 yards for a touchdown.

First National Bank Player of the Game: Brock Ryon, senior quarterback, completed 17 of 29 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, none prettier than a 35-yard pass to Jesse Zachary to close out the scoring early in the fourth quarter.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: In addition to his effort on the defensive line, Drayton Wade had four receptions from his tight end position.

The game was over when: Oneida dominated the game, but hadn’t been able to put Harriman away until William Hill’s touchdown that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown, making it 21-0 and completely deflating any hopes Harriman had of a comeback.

Stingy: Through two games Oneida’s defense has given up fewer than 150 yards twice.

What the coach said: “I thought we improved. We didn’t have nearly as many penalties tonight. We still had some turnovers and things we had to clean up. We’d have a drive and then we’d stall a little bit ... but I thought it was a good win. The defense played exceptional, keeping them out of the end zone ... it was a good effort against what I think is a talented team. It was a good test for us.”

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Scott, Oneida play to scoreless draw

HUNTSVILLE | Both teams had their chances, but neither was able to cash in on a defensive night at Highlander Stadium, as Oneida and Scott High played to a scoreless draw here Thursday.

Oneida held advantages in both possession and shot attempts, but was unable to make its wins in the middle of the field transition into goals against Scott High’s back line.

The Lady Indians’ best opportunity to score came on a first half penalty kick. But the kick sailed just above the crossbar.

Thursday’s game marked the second consecutive season that Scott and Oneida have finished in a draw.

For Oneida, the game marked the second shutout of the season for its defense, following an 8-0 win at York Institute a week earlier.

For Scott High, the game marked 200 consecutive minutes of regulation soccer without a goal allowed. That total would stretch to 240 minutes the next evening, before York sneaked the ball into the left side of the net in the second half of a 1-1 decision. Earlier in the week, the Lady Highlanders had allowed a golden goal late in a second overtime period of a 1-0 district loss to Union County.

Scott’s goal in Friday’s game against York was scored by freshman Chloe Menear, her first of the season.

Oneida entered Thursday’s game coming off a 6-0 loss to Sevier County.

Scott will travel to Claiborne on Monday, while Oneida will host Rockwood on Tuesday.

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Oneida’s Free wins half-meet

ONEIDA | The cross country season started with Oneida’s Andrew Free winning a half-meet at Oneida City Park with a time of 8:55 on Tuesday.

Free came in three seconds ahead of York Institute’s Tucker Beaty, while his teammate, Ryder Watson, finished third with a time of 9:10. Fourth place went to Thomas Mixson of York and fifth place to Eli Alsip of Jellico.

Scott High’s Matthew Phillips and Landon Phillips finished 13th and 14th, respectively, while Oneida’s Brody Chambers (18th) and Brayden Thompson (20th) also finished in the Top 20.

On the girls’ side, Addison Perkins of Jellico won with a time of 11:03, nearly half a minute ahead of her teammate, Sophia Lay, who finished in 11:32.

A pair of Scott High runners had Top 5 finishes. Myah Sharp finished third (11:47) and Taylor Swinson fourth (11:55). York Institute’s Sienna Ellsworth was fifth with a time of 12:14.

This week’s Varsity E-Edition is available!

View it here.

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◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)

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A magical fourth quarter for Scott High

HUNTSVILLE | For a few perilous seconds with 1:22 showing on the fourth quarter clock, everyone inside Highlander Stadium held their breath.

Scott High quarterback Gage Privett — the junior from McCreary County who once seemed destined to wear the Raiders’ maroon and gold colors before his father was unceremoniously dismissed as their head coach — had just bolted for the goal line, stretching the ball towards the plane as he was being tackled.

The line judge trailing the play hesitated as he rushed to catch up, then signaled touchback. The ball had popped loose from Privett’s hands as he hit the turf, bouncing out of bounds in the end zone.

McCreary Central players celebrated. Scott High players waited. The officials conferred.

And then they changed the call.

Highlander Stadium erupted, and the only things standing between that pivotal moment and postgame light-flashes and fireworks were a Justyn Lynch extra point, a Carter Slaven interception, and a Privett kneel-down, as the Highlanders won their season opener for the first time in five seasons.

The end-of-game dramatics culminated a fourth quarter reversal of fortunes for Scott High, which entered the final period trailing 14-3. But back-to-back sacks by sophomore Braxton Potter — one to end the third quarter, one to start the fourth quarter — had flipped the script and the momentum. The second of the two sacks off the left edge resulted in a safety, sparking the comeback.

Despite being down 14-3 to begin the fourth, the Highlanders had played well. The offense had moved the ball with success — Scott finished the night with 306 yards of offense — but had been bitten by inopportune plays at inopportune times.

The first half had been all about ball control for the Raiders, and they did it well. After Scott took a 3-0 lead on a 36-yard Lynch field goal early in the second quarter, McCreary Central used all but 40 seconds of the remaining 10:47 in the first half to eventually score the go-ahead touchdown.

When the Raiders opened the second half with an explosive, 97-yard kickoff return by Darius Ridener to give themselves a 14-3 lead, things began to look a little dark for the home team — especially when Scott was forced to punt on its ensuing possession. Another 10-plus-minute drive by McCreary Central might’ve been enough to ice the game.

But the Highlander defense rose to the occasion. Scott head coach Billy Hall would say after the game that his team did nothing different schematically in the second half; they simply started playing downhill.

McCreary Central finished the night with only the one offensive touchdown, and only 162 yards of total offense. Fewer than 50 of those came in the second half, as the Highlanders clamped down defensively under the direction of defensive coordinator Eric Privett, who was facing his former team for the first time since coming to Huntsville three years ago.

The Highlanders’ 14-3 deficit as the fourth quarter began was a bit misleading because it wasn’t as if McCreary Central had dominated the game to that point. It was just that Scott had been bitten by a few inopportune developments. On third and less than a yard to start the second quarter, Privett bumped into one of his teammates in the backfield and was tripped up, forcing Scott to settle for the Lynch field goal. After McCreary’s touchdown with 40 seconds left in the half, Wyatt Lloyd found himself wide open behind the defensive back on a vertical route, but the pass reception carried him out of bounds just short of the goal line. On the next play, McCreary Central made a stop at the line of scrimmage and the Highlanders were powerless to stop the clock.

Once the script flipped, though, the game continued to be about individual plays — this time going the Highlanders’ way. A 51-yard punt by Houston Stanley backed McCreary Central up, leading to the back-to-back sacks by Potter that forced a safety and gave the Highlanders the ball back. Lynch banged home his second field goal of the night on a 22-yard try to make it 14-8. Jaigen Morgan snagged a 50-yard catch-and-run to set up the game-winning touchdown.

And, finally, Privett scrambled to the end zone to cap the best night of his career. He finished 11 of 20 through the air for 187 yards and looked confident and poised as he bounced back from an early interception to lead his team to victory against his father’s former school.

GAME CAPSULE

Scott Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: Gage Privett’s 8-yard scramble to the end zone with 1:22 to play in the game, for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

First National Bank Player of the Game: Michael Bond, back into the lineup after suffering an ankle injury last season, accumulated nearly 100 yards of offense, including 56 yards on the ground and a 37-yard pass reception.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Defensive end Braxton Potter, a sophomore, had back-to-back sacks to end the third quarter and start the fourth quarter. The second resulted in a safety, cutting the deficit to 14-5 and giving the Highlanders possession.

The game was over when: Carter Slaven intercepted a McCreary Central deep pass and returned it into Raider territory, setting up the victory formation for the Highlander offense.

Talk about redemption: Jaigen Morgan couldn’t come up with the last two passes that had been thrown his way, one of which would’ve been a touchdown. But he came up big when it mattered most, snagging a 50-yard reception to set up the game-winning score.

Break-out game: Senior Lucas Newport was Privett’s favorite target, with four catches for 33 yards.

What the coach said: “I couldn’t be more proud of this group. They attack everything, every single day. They never argue back and forth, they never complain; they’re always together. It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.”

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Rough start? No sweat. Oneida storms back.

ONEIDA | When Jayden Davidson stepped in front of a pass to Grady Keeton and returned it 32 yards to Oneida’s 36-yard-line early in the second half, things seemed quite bleak for the Indians.

Already down 14-0 after two big plays by the Tigers in the first half, Oneida was in danger of going down 21-0, and was still looking for a spark offensively.

But just as quickly as Rockwood had snuffed out the Indians’ opening drive of the second half with the second turnover of the night, momentum shifted right back to Oneida ­— and stayed there.

Brady Burke got a stop at the line of scrimmage on first down, Oneida’s defense forced a three-and-out, and then the offense clicked, marching 83 yards for the first of three second half scores that would lift the Indians to their third consecutive win over the Tigers.

The game had started well enough for Oneida. The Indians’ defense forced a three-and-out to start, and the offense marched to the Tigers’ 26-yard-line.

But Rockwood’s defense stood tall there, and it was the Tigers who drew first blood later in the first quarter when Aiden Amonett found Davidson for an 86-yard touchdown strike and a 7-0 lead.

Waylon Hill intercepted a pass later in the second quarter and returned it to Rockwood’s 17-yard-line, and the Indians appeared to be in business. But Rockwood struck back in improbable fashion, recovering a fumble near the goal line and returning it 97 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead that would stand until halftime.

If things looked bleak at halftime — just 36 yards and two first downs for the Indians’ offense — they looked even darker after the first possession of the third quarter, when Rockwood intercepted the deep ball and returned it inside Oneida’s 40-yard-line.

From there, however, the game was all Oneida.

With only 34 yards of offense all game up to that point, Oneida marched 83 yards for a score, starting with three consecutive completions from Brock Ryon to the Hill brothers to get the ball into Rockwood territory, followed by seven straight carries by Ben Gilbert to find the end zone on a six-yard run with 2:45 to play in the third period.

After Oneida was unable to capitalize on a three-and-out that was forced by its defense on Rockwood’s next possession, Ruger West turned in one of the biggest plays of the night. He forced a fumble near midfield, which was recovered by Brayden Lewallen. From there, Oneida marched 52 yards to tie the game with less than five minutes remaining.

Ryon scored the game-tying touchdown from a yard out.

The Indians’ defense forced yet another three-and-out on Rockwood’s next possession, giving the ball back to the offense at the 46-yard-line with 2:34 remaining.

From there, the Indians kept the ball on the ground to get to the Rockwood 22-yard-line, before a completion to William Hill to set up Amauren Kidd’s 29-yard field goal as time expired.

If the young sophomore felt any angst in being thrust into the role of placekicker for the first time, he didn’t show it. He made both of his PATs, and nailed the 29-yard field goal to win the game.

Oneida finished with 210 yards of offense while limiting Rockwood to just 161 yards. That total for the Tigers was somewhat deceiving because of the long pass in the first half. Rockwood had just four first downs the entire game.

GAME CAPSULE

Scott Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With time running out, Oneida used a time out to set up an Amauren Kidd 29-yard field goal attempt, which the sophomore kicker nailed to give his team the 17-14 win over Rockwood.

First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior Ben Gilbert had 94 yards rushing and a touchdown, while punting three times for a 38-yard average and finishing with a team-high five tackles.

Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Senior Evan Cotton helped anchor an offensive line that saw the Indians use their rushing attack to come back from the 14-point deficit in the second half.

The game was over when: Amauren Kidd’s 29-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired, sparking a celebration at Jim May Stadium as the Indians completed the comeback against their non-region rival.

Flipping the ‘mo: It was a small moment in the grand scheme of things, but Brady Burke’s stop at the line of scrimmage after Rockwood had intercepted a pass and returned it to Oneida’s 36-yard-line seemed to begin the turning of the tide. Rockwood was forced to punt two plays later, and Oneida’s offense finally clicked, marching 83 yards for the first touchdown of the season.

Break-out performance: Besidses the obvious mention of sophomore kicker Amauren Kidd, senior Maddox Hutcherson recorded a team-high five tackles.

Plays that mattered: Every game hinges on a few big plays. For Oneida, a forced fumble by Ruger West and a 63-yard interception and return by Waylon Hill were two of them.

What the coach said: “It was a game we had to survive...things weren’t looking good but we kept fighting and trying to overturn stuff. The kids didn’t quit and that’s what I’m proud of. It’s all them. We pushed them, I got onto them at halftime. Sometimes you have to win games ugly when you aren’t your best, and I thought we hung in there and gave ourselves a chance to win.”

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Lady Indians get first win at York Institute

JAMESTOWN | Addison Cross scored two goals, six other players added goals of their own, and Oneida rolled to an 8-0 win at York Institute on Friday.

After battling Karns to a 1-0 loss in Knoxville to open the season 72 hours earlier, the Lady Indians took care of their business quickly and efficiently against the Dragons, picking up the win on the road at the same time the school’s football team was completing a sterling second half comeback against Rockwood.

It was a bit of a slow start for Oneida, perhaps; the Lady Indians didn’t find the back of the net until the game was 21 minutes old. But once the scoring started, it happened quickly. The Lady Indians scored five goals in the final 19 minutes of the first half, then tacked on three more in the second half.

Ava Kate Billingsley got the scoring started in the 21st minute, and Cross scored her first goal two minutes later.

Larissa Jones added a goal, followed by an Adysan Douglas goal, and Cross’s second goal before the first half ended.

The second half saw Oneida add goals by Kamryn Lee, Jayden Harness and Braleigh Douglas.

Oneida coach Dave Blevins said his team dominated possession, with York having fewer than five attacks on the Lady Indians’ goal.

The Lady Indians will have their first home game of the season against Sevier County on Tuesday, and will travel to Scott High on Thursday.

Scott picks up district dub at home

HUNTSVILLE | Scott High coach Caleb Ball said prior to the start of Thursday’s game against Clinton that he was making a change, moving junior Liriel Blevins from midfield to forward, playing her in the striker position.

It was a change that paid off in a big way, as Blevins scored two goals during the Lady Highlanders’ 3-1 win over district rival Clinton at Highlander Stadium Thursday evening.

Forty-eight hours earlier, the Lady Highlanders had been dominated by Campbell County, falling 6-1 with Ashley Guzman scoring the only goal.

But Thursday was completely different. Clinton’s only goal came on a penalty kick, and the Lady Highlanders answered that with a PK of their own that was scored by Emily Fladie.

Scott never trailed in the game, and led 2-1 at halftime after Blevins scored her second goal with just under a minute remaining — less than two minutes after Clinton had tied the game on the PK.

The only scoring of the second half was Fladie’s PK, which followed a hand ball in the box by Clinton.

Scott will be back in action Tuesday against Union County, and will host Oneida Thursday and York Institute Friday.

This week’s Varsity E-Edition is available!

View it here.

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Scott falls to Gibbs after avenging loss to Anderson County

CORRYTON, Tenn. | It has been a topsy-turvy postseason.

Scott High on Monday avenged a 1-0 regular season loss to Anderson County in a big way, jumping out to a 5-0 halftime lead en route to a 6-2 win in the District 4-AA semifinals.

But in Wednesday’s championship game, Gibbs — which Scott had defeated in the regular season — got its revenge in a similarly big way, leading 5-0 before a late goal by Aidan Roberts set the final score at 5-1.

All of Gibbs’ damage in Wednesday’s championship game came after a red card that left the Eagles short-handed. The referee assessed a red card after Roberts was tackled from behind as he approached the box in a one-on-one situation with the keeper less than eight minutes into the match. The ejection forced the Eagles to play 10-on-11 the rest of the way.

It mattered little, though, as Gibbs consistently won balls in the middle of the field and turned possession into scoring opportunities.

Finally, late in the game, the script began to shift. Scott High earned a penalty kick — which Gibbs stopped — and then Roberts found back-to-back scoring opportunities by breaking away from the Eagles’ back line. He cashed in on one of them, getting the Highlanders on the board.

In Monday’s game against Anderson County, Rodrigo Orellana picked up a hat trick, scoring three goals. Roberts got the scoring started off an assist by Orellana, then Orellana scored off an assist by Domynik Lewis. Houston Stanley scored off an assist by Roberts, then Isaiah Washam scored off an assist by Stanley to make it 4-0. Orellana scored the final goal of the first half off an assist by Justyn Lynch, then tacked on another goal in the second half off an assist by Washam.

Scott High will be in regional semifinal action Tuesday at Fulton. After a tough start to the season that saw the Falcons amass a record of 0-3-2, they have turned it around with an undefeated district campaign. Fulton has not lost since March 11. The game will kick off at 6 p.m.

Indians fall to Kingston on PKs in district title game

KINGSTON, Tenn. | Oneida and Kingston battled through 80 minutes of soccer and two overtime periods before settling things with a penalty kick shootout that ultimately went to sudden death PKs here Friday evening.

In a game that had been delayed 24 hours by inclement weather, Oneida and Kingston played toe-to-toe throughout the night. The Yellow Jackets scored early, before a goal by Miles Laxton tied things up. It was a 1-1 game at halftime.

The second half was scoreless, sending the two teams to OT at 1-1. Kingston scored in the first overtime period to make it 2-1, then Levi James evened things with a goal in the second OT period.

On PKs, the first five shooters for each team left things tied, 5-5. On the sixth attempt, Kingston was able to cash in and then get a save, ending the game with a 6-5 win.

Earlier in the week, Oneida won twice to get to the district championship game, including avenging a regular season loss to Eagleton.

In the semifinal game, Eagleton jumped out to a 2-1 halftime lead, but Oneida dominated the second half, out-scoring the Royals 4-0 for a 5-2 win. James had a hat trick, scoring twice on PKs and adding a third goal from the field. Hayden Dunlap and Laxton also scored goals for Oneida.

One day earlier against Oliver Springs, the Indians won 9-0 by mercy rule. Laxton scored four goals, including three in the game’s first 16 minutes. James and Dunlap each scored two, and Riley Shoemaker also scored a goal.

It was Laxton’s second hat trick of the season. He became the second local player to score a haul this season, along with Scott High’s Aidan Roberts.

Oneida will begin region tournament play at Gatlinburg-Pittman on Tuesday. The Highlanders lost four games in a one-week stretch in late March, but haven’t lost since. They’ve won three games by mercy rule. Tuesday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m.

Season wraps up for baseball, softball teams

Oneida baseball concluded its season Monday with a 3-2 loss to Gatlinburg-Pittman in the District 2-2A tournament at Alcoa.

The Indians, which had fallen to the losers’ bracket with a narrow, 5-4 loss to Gatlinburg four days earlier, scored two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. But then the Highlanders scored three in the bottom half of the third to take a 3-2 lead, and that was all the scoring for the night.

Carter Daugherty had his first home run of the season and drove in both of Oneida’s runs. A.J. Harper also scored. Daugherty also had a double.

Oneida softball also ended its season against Gatlinburg-Pittman, falling 9-3 at Alcoa on Tuesday. G-P jumped out to a 7-0 lead through two innings and led 9-1 going into the sixth, when Oneida was able to put a couple of runs on the board.

Lillian Hailey and Kennedy Shoemaker had RBIs for Oneida. Hailey also scored a run, as did Melanie Lee and Shiloh Shoemaker. Kennedy Shoemaker had two doubles. Shiloh Shoemaker also had a double.

Scott High softball ended its season with a 10-0 loss at Clinton on Monday. Kynlie Frogge, Morgan Hooks and Autumn Bowling recorded hits for Oneida, with Frogge’s being a double.

▶️ Programming Note: There will be no Varsity E-Edition this weekend, due to limited sports action this past week. Our next Varsity E-Edition will be in August as we get set for the start of the 2025 football season.

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Soccer: Oneida defeats Rockwood, Oliver Springs to finish third in the district

ONEIDA | Levi James scored a pair of goals, one in each half, and Oneida closed out the regular season with a 5-0 win over Rockwood on Friday at Jane Terry Hoffman Field.

James scored in the game’s 22nd minute, then scored on a penalty kick in the 66th minute to pace his team to the shutout win.

Miles Laxton got the scoring started for Oneida, and Riley Shoemaker also scored in the first half, as Oneida turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 advantage in just over two minutes of play.

That’s the way the score stood at halftime. James’ goal midway through the second half made it 4-0, and Kaiden Krahn tacked on a goal in the 77th minute to set the final score.

Oneida outshot Rockwood 29-4.

The win was Oneida’s second of the week, both in district play. Earlier in the week, the Indians defeated Oliver Springs 8-0 after a big second half.

In that game, Shoemaker and Miles Laxton each scored two goals.

Shoemaker scored his first goal less than a minute into the game, followed by Laxton’s first goal just over three minutes into the game.

That’s the way things stood for nearly 30 minutes, until Laxton scored his second goal in the 30th minute to make it 3-0.

The Indians scored five goals in the second half, beginning with a Krahn goal, followed by a goal by Alex Torres. Shoemaker then scored his second goal, followed by a Sam Eckstein goal and then a PK by James to close things out with seven minutes remaining.

Oneida will host Oliver Springs again Monday in the district tournament.

Soccer: Highlanders’ loss to AC hurts in district standings

HUNTSVILLE | Scott High dominated possession and shot attempts in the first half of Monday’s regular season finale against rival Anderson County.

In fact, the Highlanders had no fewer than half a dozen point-blank looks at the goal, often in one-on-one situations with the AC keeper and a couple of times with the keeper out of position on a rebound. But they were not able to cash in.

Then AC took control in the second half after it appeared the heat — or maybe the energy expended in the first half — began to have an effect on the Highlanders. The Mavericks got a goal in midway through the second half to make it 1-0, and the Highlanders were unable to recreate the quality looks they had in the second half.

The game ended with that 1-0 score, as Anderson County sprung the upset to capture second place in the district standings and knock the Highlanders from first to third.

Gibbs, who Scott High defeated early in the season but who knocked off AC 6-0, jumped to first place in the standings with the Mavericks’ win.

The outcome of Monday’s game means the Highlanders will be on the road for the first round of the district tournament, playing at Anderson County on Monday. The winner of that game will advance to face either Gibbs or Clinton in the championship game on Wednesday.

Softball: Oneida defeats Scott despite Swenson’s grand slam

HUNTSVILLE | For Emmerson Swenson, it was an unforgettable moment — a grand slam late in the game against an inner-county rival.

But, in the end, it was Oneida that walked away victorious, as the Lady Indians survived Swenson’s fifth inning home run for a 6-5 win over the Lady Highlanders.

It was a 6-1 Oneida lead when Swenson stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Having already driven home a run earlier, Swenson cranked one over the fence to score four more.

The inning had started with a base hit by Kynlie Frogge, followed by a walk by Morgan Hooks and a Brittany Morrow single to load the bases with one out.

After a strikeout, the Highlanders were down to their last out of the inning when Swenson hit one over the fence.

Although it was a 6-5 game, the Lady Highlanders could not complete the comeback. They got the tying run into scoring position in the sixth inning on a one-out base hit by Frogge, but Oneida ended the inning on a double play.

Then, in the seventh inning, Scott High got a runner aboard when Hooks drew a lead-off walk, but Oneida recorded three straight outs to end the game.

The Lady Indians spotted Scott a 1-0 lead in the first inning before going to work, putting up two runs in the second to take the lead. It had been a big fifth inning for Oneida before Swenson got to the plate, as the Lady Indians scored four to turn the 2-1 lead into a 6-1 lead in the top half of the inning.

Kennedy Shoemaker and Shiloh Shoemaker each had two RBIs for Oneida, while Shayla Shoemaker and Melanie Lee drove in runs, as well.

Lee, Shiloh and Shayla Shoemaker, Jolie Duncan, Kamryn Lee and Kaidence Lewallen each scored a run for the Lady Indians.

Duncan struck out seven batters across seven innings to pick up the win.

Oneida started the fifth inning with back-to-back base hits by Shayla Shoemaker and Lee, then scored two on a double by Shayla Shoemaker. Later, Kennedy Shoemaker hit a two-out, two-run triple to make it 6-1.

The Lady Indians, who ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, picked up wins in a double-header at Jellico on Wednesday, winning 14-2 and 29-13.

In the first game against the Blue Devils, Melanie Lee had three RBIs and scored a run, while Kamryn Lee had two RBIs and scored two, and Lillian Hailey had two RBIs and scored one. Also batting in runs against Jellico were Ashlyn Cotton and Shayla Shoemaker. Also scoring runs were Shayla Shoemaker, Kennedy Shoemaker and Cotton, with two each, while Lewallen, Katie Mae Sexton, Shiloh Shoemaker and Josie Reed scored runs, as well.

In game two, Oneida used a 14-run first inning to seize control and never looked back. Sexton had four RBIs and scored four runs, while Shayla Shoemaker had four RBIs and scored three runs. Melanie Lee had three RBIs and scored three runs, while Jolie Duncan had three RBIs and scored four runs. Shiloh Shoemaker had three RBIs and scored one run. Reed had a pair of RBIs and scored three runs, while Hailey had a pair and scored two runs. Cotton had an RBI, as well, and scored three.

The Lady Indians had five extra base hits in the second game: Triples by Duncan and Sexton, and doubles by Shayla Shoemaker, Shiloh Shoemaker and Taylor Smith. Kamryn Lee had a double in the first game.

Oneida entered district tournament play on Friday, and led 5-0 in the first inning when the game was suspended due to inclement weather. Jolie Duncan had a three-run double, while Kennedy Shoemaker had a two-run single to give the Lady Indians the big lead early.

Noteworthy…

Oneida baseball dropped a narrow, 5-4 decision in the District 2-2A tournament at Alcoa on Thursday, falling to Gatlinburg-Pittman. Statistics have not yet been reported. The tournament is double-elimination...

Scott High baseball ended its season in the District 4-3A tournament on Wednesday, falling to Clinton 19-3 one night after a 16-0 loss to Gibbs. Micah Boles and Jackson Byrd drove in runs for Scott High in the game against Clinton. Runs were scored by Josh Byrge, Jayden Parra and Levi West...

Scott High softball fell to Cumberland Gap 16-0 on Thursday, and was to have faced Clinton on Friday. After making the drive to Anderson County, however, the game was postponed due to rain. It will be played on Monday...

Oneida soccer will host Oliver Springs on Monday, and Scott High soccer will travel to Anderson County. Both of those games are elimination games...

Oneida softball’s District 2-2A tournament game against Pigeon Forge, which found the Lady Indians up 5-0 in the first inning when play was suspended due to weather, will be played Monday with a full restart, meaning Friday’s results do not count...

📖 Read it in print format! Varsity, the Sports Magazine of the Independent Herald, was published Sunday afternoon. It’s one of two E-Editions we publish each week (along with the regular Independent Herald E-Edition on Thursdays). View this week’s edition of Varsity.

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