Sunday, November 4, 2007

Title Path Runs Through K-town


(Pictured is the Maryville banner prior to the 4A championship game in 2006.)
Playoff teams in the TSSAA 2A, 3A and 4A classifications will likely have to beat a Knoxville area team to win a 2007 state championship.

Knoxville has long been a focal point of football in the state as the home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

Now the Knoxville area is a “Bermuda Triangle” where opposing teams go to disappear in the playoffs.

Class 4A Maryville (10-0), 2A Alcoa (9-1), and 3A powers Fulton (8-2) and Knoxville Catholic (10-0) form an area of great danger for programs throughout the state.Maryville is drawing national attention with three consecutive Class 4A state championship and six in seven years.

The Rebels completed their sixth consecutive undefeated regular season and pushed the regular season win streak to 66 games with a win last Friday.

Coach George Quarles’ team has now won 55 consecutive games and 108 of the past 110.

Alcoa and Fulton joined Maryville in capturing football state championships in 2006.

Rhea County (6-4) goes to Maryville this week. It will be a tough task for the Eagles. Rhea County has not defeated a team with a winning record this season.

A win by Brainerd (7-3) over Knoxville West (6-4) out on Moore Road in Chattanooga Friday night will likely send the Panthers back to Maryville again this season.

Coach Marvin Jones’ Panthers put a scare in the Rebels last postseason before falling 30-26 in the only close game Maryville encountered in its 4A title march.

If Red Bank (10-0) wins on Friday night at home against Powell (5-5) Coach Tim Daniels’ Lions would need a victory over the winner of Cleveland (7-3) and Knoxville Halls (7-3) to get the opportunity for a rematch with Maryville in the quarterfinals on Nov 23.

The Rebels dispatched the Lions 38-14 in the playoffs last season at Red Bank. It is the Lions only loss in their last 22 games.

Alcoa (9-1) won its third consecutive Class 2A crown in 2006 and fourth in the last seven years.

Gary Rankin’s Tornadoes have lost three games in the past two seasons. Neighboring Maryville has beaten Alcoa twice during regular season match-ups and 3A state champion Fulton defeated the Tornadoes in 2006.

Fulton (8-2) has won three 3A titles in four years.

Nevertheless, the best team in Knoxville in 3A this season is Knoxville Catholic (10-0).

The Knoxville area also has a strong group on 5A teams this season.

Bearden (9-1), Farragut (9-1), William Blount (8-2) and Oak Ridge (8-2) all have highly regarded playoff teams this season.

1 comment:

Mike Cripps said...

Stumpola, you hit it right on the head. The foot ball powers are in the Knoxville area and has been for 35 years. I played on the 1972 Red Bank team and we were beaten soundly by the Bristol team in the State playoffs.

Mike Cripps, class of 1972. Go Loins!!!