Week two of the prep football season is here, and another in-county rivalry will take place on the gridiron on Friday, Aug 25, as the Northview Academy Cougars travel to Pigeon Forge High School to take on the Tigers.
The Cougars and Tigers are meeting each other on the gridiron for the ninth time. Pigeon Forge holds a slight lead in the all-time series, with a 5-3 record over the Cougars.
The Tigers have come out on top in each of their last four meetings, with Northview’s last win in the series coming in the 2018 season.
Last year saw a very competitive matchup between the two teams. Pigeon Forge connected on a touchdown pass on third and 16 with just under one minute left to play to take a 21-20 win over the Cougars.
However, both teams will come into Friday night with momentum on their side as both the Cougars and Tigers have a record of 1-0 after week one of the season.
The Cougars started their season with a 20-13 win over Unicoi County, led by a go-ahead touchdown run from Javier Wharton late in the fourth quarter.
Wharton emerged as a threat for the Cougars’ offense after stepping into the starter role at running back due to an injury. Cougars’ Head Coach Justin Anderson said that Wharton was key in their win last week, and has responded well to taking over the starting position.
“He’s done a great job, ran the ball hard last week, being able to do the things that we thought he could do,” Anderson said. “[Javier] stepped in and has done a great job.”
The Tigers took a 24-14 win over Hampton High School last Friday, with a combined three rushing touchdowns from Wyatt and Aidan Howard.
Coach Anderson said picking up a win on Friday night starts with figuring out how to stop the running attack from the Howard brothers.
“We’re just preparing to read our keys and play what they’re giving us,” Anderson said. “They have a very good quarterback, [Wyatt] Howard is very talented, his brother [Aidan Howard] is a bruiser back, runs the ball hard.”
“We’re playing a very tough football team that’s physical, and does a lot of things offensively that gives us fits,” he said. “I expect it to be a battle, it’s the team that has the least amount of misfortune and can rise through adversity is going to be the team that wins Friday night.”
While Coach Anderson and the Cougars are working on their game plan against the Tigers’ offense, Pigeon Forge Head Coach Scott Meadows said their biggest key Friday night is containing Northview’s defensive line.
“I think their defensive line is fantastic,” Meadows said. “[Evan Poticher] is an incredibly good football player, he just really is, and we’re going to have a hard time with him.”
“Really all of their defense, [Archer Laney] and [Richard Bell Jr.] another defensive linemen, not only are they good, but they’re big, they’re quick, they’re strong,” he said. “That’s going to create some problems.”
Meadows said their schemes should make things easier on the offensive line, but they’re still preparing for a tough battle in the trenches.
“We’re just going to do what we do. Luckily with our scheme, we don’t have to take on somebody one on one there,” Meadows said. “We put pressure on the offensive line every week, but this week is going to be a huge challenge for us.”
As they prepare for a battle this Friday, like most teams throughout the area, the Cougars and Tigers have been hit with another challenge, navigating the heat index which has forced several teams across the area to reschedule practices.
Both the Tigers and Cougars have had to find ways to keep players from being at risk, while still getting adequate preparation for an in-county rivalry matchup Friday night.
“We’re doing what the heat policy allows us to do. This whole week we’ve only been able to go out for an hour,” Meadows said. “You can only do what you do, you don’t want to put the kids in danger.”
“It’s been one of the more different weeks of practice that I’ve ever had,” he said.
“We’ve come in early and practiced at 5:30 every morning to try to beat the heat index,” said Anderson. “At the school we haven’t been able to get out, so we’ve decided to come in early and do the best we can to prepare for this week.”
The two teams’ level of preparation will be on display Friday night as only one team will walk away from Jim Whaley field with a 2-0 record, the other will fall to 1-1.
Kickoff between the Cougars and Tigers is set for 7:30 p.m.
Other games across the county Gatlinburg-Pittman vs. Cocke County
Gatlinburg-Pittman will go on the road Friday night for a non-district matchup against Cocke County.
While it’s the first time that the Highlanders will face off against Cocke County with head coach Brad Wagner at the helm of the program, the two schools have history with one another dating back to the 1963 season.
The Fighting Cocks took the first two matchups against the Highlanders in 1963 and 1964, which is where the series stood until the 2011 season.
Since 2011, the two teams have met one another six times, with Gatlinburg-Pittman taking the win in all six encounters. During that time the Highlanders have outscored the Fighting Cocks by a total of 229-82.
The last time the Highlanders traveled to Cocke County was in the 2019 season, where Gatlinburg-Pittman walked away with a 59-7 win.
The Highlanders go into week two with a 1-0 record after a 56-13 win over Seymour last Friday. The Highlanders will look to improve to 2-0 as they bring their high powered offense to Cocke County High School.
The Highlanders posted 349 yards of total offense in their win last Friday, including 214 rushing yards and four touchdowns from running back Tegan Avera. Carlos Orr added another 154 yards from his punt and kick returns.
Cocke County comes into Friday night with a 1-0 record as well, taking a 27-20 win over Cherokee last Friday.
Kickoff between Gatlinburg-Pittman and Cocke County is set for 7:30 p.m.
Sevier County vs. Jefferson County
The Sevier County Smoky Bears will go on the road Friday night as they travel to take on a cross-county rival in the Jefferson County Patriots.
This marks the 38th meeting between the two programs, dating back to their first matchup against one another in the 1975 season. The Smoky Bears hold a slight edge in the all-time series with 19 wins and 18 losses.
Sevier County has had the upper hand in the series since the 2000 season. Since 2000, Sevier County holds a 14-8 record against their rivals.
Sevier County has managed to string together three consecutive wins against Jefferson County, including a 7-6 win in a defensive battle last year. The Patriots last win against the Smoky Bears came in the 2019 season.
However, this year’s game might not be the same defensive battle as it was last season, as the Smoky Bears were able to pour on the points last week in their 43-20 win over Carter.
The Smoky Bears established the run game in their win Friday night, with Byron Lindsey rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and Malachi Pate rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Freshman quarterback Cooper Newman was able to hold his own in his first varsity start, completing 9 of his 19 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown. All together, the Smoky Bears posted 411 yards on offense.
The Smoky Bears will test their offense against a Jefferson County defense that allowed 314 yards of total offense, 222 through the air and 92 on the ground, in a 30-13 loss against Oak Ridge last Friday.
Kickoff between the Smoky Bears and the Patriots is set for 8:00 p.m.
Seymour vs. McMinn Central
The Seymour Eagles will be on their home field for the first time this Friday as they host the Chargers of McMinn Central High School.
The Eagles and Chargers have only met on the gridiron one time before, 30 years prior in the 1993 playoffs. An Eagles team led by then head coach Gary Householder faced off against the Chargers in the second round of that year’s playoffs.
However, Eagles fans are hopeful for a different result than their matchup 30 years ago, as their matchup against the Chargers resulted in a 6-3 win for McMinn Central.
The Eagles had bright spots in their season opener against Gatlinburg-Pittman, forcing two turnovers, including a pick-six from Zyon Rockett for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season.
However, the Eagles come into Friday night looking for their first win of the season, and the first win as a program under first-year head coach Patrick Clark.
They’re facing a McMinn Central team that is also looking for their first win of the season after taking a 34-26 loss to Signal Mountain High School last Friday.
Kickoff between the Eagles and Chargers is set for 7:30 p.m.
The King’s Academy vs. Christian Academy of Knoxville
The King’s Academy Lions will also be on their home field for the first time this season as they host a non-region foe in the Christian Academy of Knoxville.
The Lions come into week one after suffering a 28-21 loss to Grace Christian Academy. However, the Lions had their fair share of bright spots offensively throughout the game.
Alijah Davidson rushed for two touchdowns last week against Grace Christian, and quarterback Elijah Williams-Smith made his return to the field after being sidelined with an injury last year. Williams-Smith made an immediate impact on the Lions, throwing a touchdown late in the game to kickstart the Lions’ comeback hopes.
The Lions face a CAK team who come into Friday night with an 0-1 record, facing a 48-24 loss to Darlington last Friday.
However, history is not on TKA’s side as far as this matchup is concerned. This marks the third year that the Lions and Warriors have met one another on the gridiron, with CAK taking the win in each of the two previous matchups.
The Lions are hopeful that this year they can even the score a little bit, and improve their record to 1-1.
Kickoff between the Lions and Warriors is set for 8:00 p.m.