Championship Week: Day 2 Recap – Class 1A, 3A, 5A

The first day of championship play down in Chattanooga did not provide the close, hard fought games that fans and everybody else watching wanted to see but day two is a different story! Today, the public schools took center stage with Class 3A and state power Alcoa kicking off the day and finishing under the lights with the best matchup on the slate with Page taking on Powell. Here we recap all the action from today’s Tennessee High School Football State Championships! <strong>Alcoa Wins 7th Straight 3A State Title </strong> Guess what....Alcoa won another state championship! Yea I know, nothing new right but hey seven straight titles is a huge accomplishment and that was taken care of today when the Tornadoes defeated a feisty but undermanned East Nashville team, 45-14 in the first of three games on of the day. The Tornadoes started a tad slow as East Nashville moved the ball well on offense but the East Tennessee power quickly woke up, going on to score 14 points in the 1st quarter and command of the game. Alcoa senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="150819" first="Caden" last="Buckles"] </strong>was the difference in the game as he produced on all levels and was a player the East Nashville defense could not account for. He led his Tornadoes team in total offensive touchdown’s and was the main catalyst towards the Tornadoes winning their 20th state title overall. [caption id="attachment_244445" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/cbuckles2-crop-1639x1076-1638600191.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-244445" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/cbuckles2-crop-1639x1076-1638600191-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Isaac Ledham stateoftennesseehsfb.com[/caption] Buckles had some help on offense from athletic, silky smooth junior running back <strong>Jordan Harris</strong>. The Tornadoes offensive line opened up some big holes for Harris and he took advantage while also being a great safety valve for Buckles out of the backfield. Not to be outshined by the offense, the Alcoa defense was quite good as well. The defensive line, led by junior <strong>Riley Long</strong>, was all over the Eagles quarterback, constantly putting on pressure and making him force quick decisions. Overall, it was another dominating performance from possibly the top football program in the state. For the East Nashville team who played in their 1st ever state title game, it was an admirable performance as they played hard and did not quit but just didn’t have enough. Alcoa must replace several key seniors in Buckles, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102111" first="Major" last="Newman"], [player_tooltip player_id="153042" first="Isaiah" last="Bryant"] </strong>and a few others but they return the vast majority of this 2021 championship team, including a nasty offensive line led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102358" first="Lance" last="Williams"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102257" first="Tyler" last="Jeffries"], </strong>so look for the Tornadoes to compete for their 8th title in row in 2022. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">FINAL: Alcoa 45, East Nashville 14. Seven state championships in a row now for <a href="https://twitter.com/alcoafootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@alcoafootball</a> ! <a href="https://t.co/5xATVYzfxX">pic.twitter.com/5xATVYzfxX</a></p> — State of Tennessee High School Football (@stateoftnhsfb) <a href="https://twitter.com/stateoftnhsfb/status/1466838649656561674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>Pirates Come from Behind to Win Championship</strong> The season of adversity ended with glory as the South Pittsburg Pirates are your Class 1A State Champs after trailing at halftime and coming from behind to defeat a good McKenzie team, 24-21. It was a tale of two halves as McKenzie had control at halftime, up 14-7 but as both teams came out of the locker room, it was a different mindset for the Pirates. The South Pitt offense and senior back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102048" first="De’Andre" last="Kelly"] </strong>took over and on multiple possessions in the 3rd quarter, the Pirates put up two touchdown’s to take the lead and put themselves in control. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">. <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreKelly5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeAndreKelly5</a> takes it in from 28 yards out to give <a href="https://twitter.com/SPHSPIRATES?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SPHSPIRATES</a> a 21-14 lead with 7:53 left in the game! <a href="https://t.co/blaYha6QLV">pic.twitter.com/blaYha6QLV</a></p> — State of Tennessee High School Football (@stateoftnhsfb) <a href="https://twitter.com/stateoftnhsfb/status/1466896638568448009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Early on in this game, it looked like McKenzie might be the better team and would go on to win but the Pirates defense stepped up in the second half and gave their offense and team a chance to win. A big momentum shift happened in the second half where South Pitt was in control but McKenzie junior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="150306" first="Jackson" last="Cassidy"] </strong>had other ideas. Behind his running abilities and key passes, Cassidy performed well and led his team back to within three and a shot to pull out a victory. In the end, Cassidy and his Rebels team could not pull ahead and South Pittsburg would walk away with their 7th state title in school history and their 1st one since 2007. For the West Tennessee Rebels, they return Cassidy and stud running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102344" first="Marquez" last="Taylor"] </strong>next season, so look for McKenzie to be considered a strong contender to return back to Chattanooga. This was a gutsy performance from the Pirates and a well earned victory over a good McKenzie team. This was also a victory that was quite sweet for the players and coaching staff as they had to deal with some early season adversity that derailed the year but they obviously righted the ship and here they are as state champions. <strong>Powell Withstands Page Comeback for 1st Ever State Title</strong> The most anticipated game of the day ended up being the best one yet as you had two high scoring offenses going toe to toe with the Powell Panthers scoring eight points better to defeat Page, 42-34 and win the 2021 Class 5A State Championship. Powell took control early, leading 14-0 and basically as junior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102302" first="Jordyn" last="Potts"] </strong>put two passes into the end zone and did so very efficiently. Potts was perfect with his passing through the first two drives and he would almost stay that way throughout the rest of the game. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">. <a href="https://twitter.com/JordynPotts5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JordynPotts5</a> with the deep ball to <a href="https://twitter.com/ayden_greene11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ayden_greene11</a> to extend the <a href="https://twitter.com/PowellHighFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PowellHighFB</a> lead to 42-27 with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter. <a href="https://t.co/j2jn9jBHrU">pic.twitter.com/j2jn9jBHrU</a></p> — State of Tennessee High School Football (@stateoftnhsfb) <a href="https://twitter.com/stateoftnhsfb/status/1466963783264485379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> He would need to because the Patriots weren’t going away. The Panthers won the 1st quarter but it was Page who won the 2nd as they exploded for 20 points and put themselves only down 1 point headed into halftime. The second half turned out to almost be the same story. Powell quickly exploded in the 3rd quarter to go back up by two scores and it looked like maybe the Panthers would run away with the victory but yet again, here came the Patriots. Led by senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="150807" first="Jake" last="McNamara"]</strong>, the Colorado State commit gutted through multiple drives to put scores on the board and keep his team within striking distance. McNamara did just about everything for the Patriots offense all night long whether it was with his arm or his legs. He had some strong help from receivers like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="203835" first="Boyce" last="Smith"] </strong>and <strong>Max </strong><strong>Collins </strong>but he had to run for his life most of the time from a formidable Panther front seven. The rush from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101972" first="Walter" last="Nolen"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="207299" first="Steven" last="Soles, Jr"] </strong>and others was constant and forceful but somehow McNamara and the Pats offense found a way to stay in the mix. Even when things looked over and done with Powell up 42-27, the Patriots mounted the late comeback by scoring, going down by eight and then recovering an onside kick that gave them a shot. A late heave to the end zone by McNamara fell short and the Powell Panthers would become your 5A State Champs. It was a well earned win for Powell and an outstanding performance from game MVP Potts and his outstanding trio of receivers. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102088" first="Jayden" last="Collins"] </strong>and juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102307" first="Adarius" last="Redmond"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102238" first="Ayden" last="Greene"] </strong>all caught touchdown passes in this championship game and gave everything they had for Potts and their offense as play making game changers that showed up consistently throughout the game. The entire Powell team played together and wanted this victory. From the offense to the defense to the coaching staff, it was a collective effort from the entire Panthers football program that put in the work to earn this 5A title. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">FINAL: <a href="https://twitter.com/PowellHighFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PowellHighFB</a> 42, Page 34. The Patriot comeback attempt comes up just short and Powell will bring home their first Gold Ball. <a href="https://t.co/D13KHkfgGN">pic.twitter.com/D13KHkfgGN</a></p> — State of Tennessee High School Football (@stateoftnhsfb) <a href="https://twitter.com/stateoftnhsfb/status/1466971473944453122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>