• Even though the Seymour Eagles are considered one of the top 3A teams in East Tennessee year in and year out, they may be hurt in the long run by their schedule. The Eagles played Sevier County and Cocke County as non-regional games in the first two weeks of the season. Both are solid football teams but neither presents the type of overall team speed that Seymour will most assuredly see if they go very far in the playoffs. Sevier County offers a big and deep team and Cocke County has two or three really good athletes that carry the ball, but neither of those clubs can come close to the quickness that Seymour saw Friday night against Fulton. Eagles coach Gary Householder, who has been at the school for 27 years, said after the game that this is the fastest Fulton team he has ever seen. If Seymour gets another chance at the Falcons later this year in the playoffs, the odds would be much better for the Eagles to pull off an upset. After seeing the Falcon speed first hand and not just on film, Householder and his coaching staff should be able to put together a scheme to better contain the speed.
• The top five teams in the Greater Knoxville area look to be Maryville, Fulton, Powell, Central and Anderson County.
Maryville was expected to be among the top teams in the entire state after winning a 4A State Championship last season. Even after losing their starting quarterback in the pre-season the Rebels are still loaded.
Fulton returned the nucleus of a team that lost a heartbreaking game in the state quarterfinals last year to Anderson County. The Falcons, who have defeated defending 3A State Champion Austin-East already this season, will play Anderson County at home on October 11th. If they can defeat the Mavericks and get by a dangerous Loudon team on the road on October 4th, a perfect regular season is a possibility for the Falcons.
Powell is the surprise team of the area and are led by a massive offensive line. The Panthers have looked very impressive winning the first three games against Campbell County, Morristown East and Karns, but will be challenged this week as the always-tough Halls Red Devils pay a visit. If the Panthers can get by the Red Devils, they will more than likely be undefeated going into October. A trip to Maryville on October 4th should wipe out any dreams of a perfect season, and a match-up with Central in the last game of the season will have a first round playoff bye going to the winner.
Central has been another surprise team. Bobcat fans were excited when freshman Zach Helton led the team to a 14-0 win over Austin-East in the pre-season jamboree. Since then, wins over William Blount, Knox-West and Morristown East has given the young quarterback a confidence that seems to grow every week. But like Powell, the Bobcats will see their schedule become more difficult in October with games against Halls (at home on Oct. 18th), at Maryville (Oct. 25th) and Powell (at home on Nov. 1st).
The Anderson County Mavericks defeated Oak Ridge for the first time in school history in the first game of the season and were the second ranked 3A team in the state when the first set of rankings were handed down last week. The Mavericks, who lost All-State quarterback Matt Price from last year’s state semi-final team, may be somewhat overrated after the Oak Ridge win, but only time will tell as they go on the road to Fulton on October 11th and will host Austin-East on October 18th.
• Sweetwater could as be included among the top five teams. Wins over Gatlinburg-Pittman and Alcoa in the first two weeks of the season have fans talking State Championship. With a bevy of running backs at their disposal, including Maryville transfer T.J. Brock, the Wildcats have steam rolled to a 3-0 record. Games against Wartburg Central (Sept. 20), at Loudon (Sept. 27th) and Oliver Springs (Oct. 18th) will tell if the Wildcats are for real.
• At the other end of the barrel is the Clinton Dragons. The Dragons, a 3-4A team stocked with talented underclassmen, lost a lead in the fourth quarter to a powerhouse Morristown West team in week one. They were then stunned at home by the Carter Hornets in week two in what was the Hornets first region win in two years. They lost another heartbreaker Friday night to county rival Oak Ridge. It won’t get any easier for the Dragons. They will finish their season at Anderson County, at Halls, at home against Central, at Cherokee, at Powell and at Maryville. People in Clinton are already talking about the possibilities of a winless season.

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