TN HS Playoffs: East Tennessee Achieves Five State Titles

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2>The city of Chattanooga saw teams from all across the state come to their town &amp; compete for the state titles &amp; it was the East TN region who flexed their muscles the biggest, walking away with the most championships!</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several teams from across the state were able to add state championships to their resume last weekend in Chattanooga but one particular region in the state of Tennessee performed better than others and that was teams from out East.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The greater East Tennessee region produced a grand total of five state champions out of nine classifications throughout the weekend and made a statement on the season that the region from out East might have been the best area for football in the state of Tennessee for the 2022 season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a tough comparison to make as certain matchups can dictate winners and losers throughout the playoffs, so some really good teams from all three regions get knocked out early and lose their chance at a state title.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, everything happens for a reason and it's all earned for whoever gets to their class championships and for the East Tennessee teams, they came down to Chattanooga and handled business!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winning titles for the East began on Thursday evening when the Baylor Red Raiders pulled the upset over previously undefeated MBA to take home the D2-Class AAA title. It was an outstanding game that saw big performances from players on both teams but it was game MVP <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='200429' first='Caleb' last='Hampton'] </strong>and stud quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='323145' first='Whit' last='Muschamp'] </strong>that stole the show.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was Baylor's first state championship since 1973 and it was done in their hometown of Chattanooga, so it was certainly a special moment for the coaching staff, players, administration and all the fans of the Red Raiders football program.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The East Tennessee rein continued on Friday with one of the biggest football powers in the state with Alcoa picking up their 8th state title in a row in a 45-26 win over East Nashville.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tornadoes had to fight early to withstand a solid Eagles team but by the 3rd quarter, their power up front and talent on offense overcame the fight to eventually take home the “Gold Ball”. They received good performances from their backfield in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='302319' first='Jordan' last='Harris'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='149381' first='Elijah' last='Cannon'] </strong>along with strong passing and leadership from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102276' first='Zach' last='Lunsford']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":442553,"width":302,"height":302,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/zlunsford.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-442553" width="302" height="302" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their defense was quite good too with an outstanding showing from junior edge rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='258669' first='Joe' last='McCord']</strong>. It was just another statement for the Alcoa football program, adding their 8th title in a row and continuing to stamp their dominance on the East Region and Class 3A ranks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Later on Friday evening, Knox. West became champions after a thrashing 47-13 victory over Page to end their 2022 season undefeated at 15-0 and bring the state title back to campus for the third time in school history.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a dominating performance from the Rebels as both sides of the ball shined bright, including their run game, spearheaded by three rushing touchdowns from senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='504199' first='Brayden' last='Latham']</strong>. Everything clicked perfectly for the team out of Knoxville as they were the clear better team and well deserving of the Class 5A championship.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":524222,"width":362,"height":348,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/braylatham.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-524222" width="362" height="348" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moving into the final day of championship games, East Tennessee had a chance at picking up two more titles with Anderson Co. and Tyner Academy and that's exactly what happened.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beginning the day, the Mavericks of Anderson Co. saw all their tough years and hard work pay off as they defeated Pearl Cohn, 34-30 to become state champions for the first time in school history and it was well earned over a strong and talented Firebirds team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams played one of the best games of the weekend in a back and forth affair early that saw the Mavericks take the lead and have to hold on till the very end to pull off the victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anderson Co. was well balanced in offense, leaning on their powerful backfield of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102293' first='Gavin' last='Noe'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='433125' first='Nick' last='Moog'] </strong>while their defense allowed some yards and points but were opportunistic at the right times, doing just enough to win the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's exciting to see the Mavericks become state champions as that program has been close so many times in previous season's just to see their dreams crash but this time, it was their moment and they cashed in with an undefeated season and a “Gold Ball.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyner Academy wrapped things up on Saturday afternoon, bringing the fifth state championship to the East Tennessee region after a hard fought, comeback, 26-24 win over Riverside.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams were down early and had to scratch and claw the entire way but in the end, they found a way to get the job done, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='474873' first='Josh' last='Jackson'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='484006' first='Trae' last='Ruffin'] </strong>on offense and their defensive front seven, starred by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='372199' first='Jamarion' last='Varnell']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='196989' first='Journe' last='Norwood'] </strong>and <strong>Jonah Chapman</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverside gave the Rams all they could handle and made it very hard to take the lead on them as the Panthers defense, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='362063' first='Cole' last='Montgomery']</strong>, did a great job early and throughout of managing the Tyner Academy passing attack and forcing them to run the ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well that's exactly what the Rams did as they gave the ball to senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185563' first='Markel' last='McKinley'] </strong>and he led them to victory while also picking MVP honors. McKinley's athleticism and speed became a problem for the Panthers defense and proved to be the key ingredient in Tyner's championship win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the 2022 season, teams from the East Tennessee region performed very well but it continued during the playoff season and into Chattanooga where five teams earned state titles while outperforming the Middle and West Tennessee regions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a banner year for the teams out East and a season each school (Alcoa, Anderson Co., Baylor, Knox. West &amp; Tyner Academy) will remember forever as the best of the best from the state, region and classifications.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":529804,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/mmckinley.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-529804" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->