3A Title Reign Continues for Alcoa

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Winning their 23rd overall state title on Friday, the Tornadoes handled Westview with ease as they ran all over the Chargers defense on their way to a commanding victory.</h2>     Well what do ya know, Alcoa is state champs yet again! The Tornadoes took down Westview on Friday morning to finish their 3A reign as champions after an impressive 41-20 victory.    From the start of this contest, Alcoa wanted to implement their will on the Chargers defense using their rushing attack and it worked. Between the first two drives that resulted in touchdowns, the Tornadoes threw the ball one time. They leaned on their backfield of [player_tooltip player_id='783053' first='Eli' last='Graf'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='904844' first='Micah' last='Jones'] to put Alcoa ahead early, 14-0.   The first half onslaught continued for the Tornadoes with Graf and Jones doing all the team's damage on the ground. Alcoa had no problem grinding out drives until they got to the red zone where Jones maintained his strong play by finding paydirt three times. It was a coming out party for this East TN sophomore and a showing that certainly boosted his recruiting stock.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_8765.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1574297" style="width:342px;height:auto" /></figure>   Holding a 20-0 lead, it looked like Alcoa was well on their way to winning but Westview finally showed up, stringing together their best drive of the day. Multiple good passes from [player_tooltip player_id='424594' first='Graham' last='Simpson'] put the Chargers into the red zone where [player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'] produced his 1st of two rushing touchdowns of the day.    Almost immediately after the Chargers touchdown, the Tornadoes struck again to make the score 27-7 going into the break. The final touchdown of the half came by way of the ground game, The Tornadoes offensive line purely dominated the Chargers defensive front in the first half and it continued into the second period.    While the line of scrimmage was still dominated by the Tornadoes, Westview started to make a charge back, behind the arm of Simpson and strong play from Barnes, [player_tooltip player_id='964719' first='Donteze' last='Joy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1422977' first='Miles' last='Brown'].    The Chargers pulled to within 13 points early in the 4th quarter at 27-13 but that's where their magic ran out. Westview was in position to potentially be down by only seven points but a strip sack from [player_tooltip player_id='1366543' first='Darius' last='Sudderth'], Jr pretty much put the game away. Simpson couldn't find anybody and continued to maneuver the pocket until Sudderth came in with some active hands.    Alcoa quickly found the end zone after the turnover to virtually put the game away. Graf was absolutely phenomenal in this contest where he ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns on the night while throwing for another, which came late in the 4th quarter to [player_tooltip player_id='219408' first='Eli' last='Owens'].    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_8889.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1574295" style="width:344px;height:auto" /></figure>   The clock eventually ran out on Westview and ended their 2024 season but it was a strong one that saw a young core grow up and become high level players. There is a bright future ahead for the Chargers!    For the Tornadoes, it was yet another strong performance on the championship stage that continued to solidify them as one of the best programs in the state. Starting next year, the Tornadoes move up to the 4A level where competition gets better but I think this program will be ready for the challenge.    - - - - -    Player of the Game    It's without question who the game's most valuable player would be as Graf ran all over the Westview defense, on his way to a 200 plus yard game and three offensive touchdowns. This is the second year in a row that Graf earned championship game MVP honors. The best thing I liked about today's performance was how hard Graf ran and how determined he was to gain as many yards as possible. His leadership was on point too and you could by his tough running. Graf is headed to Harding next year where he may have a chance to hit the field early in his career.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_8988.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1574293" style="width:362px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -   Runner-Up MVP    Jones played a critical role in this title game, especially in the 1st half where he produced three touchdowns along with several big first down runs. This sophomore two-way talent made his presence known on the big stage, supplying a nice compliment to Graf in the backfield. When he was on defense, Jones provided several key tackles versus a good Westview run game. Next season could be a breakout year for Jones as he steps into a bigger role as potentially the team's top ball carrier.    - - - - -   (DT) [player_tooltip player_id='1189145' first='Jamir' last='Turner'] - Alcoa: Friday in Chattanooga was one of the best games of Turner's career where he was a force in the middle of the Tornadoes D-line as he produced 5 total tackles on the night, including two critical sacks. Westview had a few good runs but was mostly shut down due to the play up front from Turner and his teammates.    ‘28 (QB) [player_tooltip player_id='424594' first='Graham' last='Simpson'] - Westview: This sophomore gunslinger competed against a strong defense but Simpson still flashed tremendous potential throughout the day and why he could be the top overall prospect from the #TN2028 class. Even though his team took a loss, Simpson was still clean and efficient where he went 18-24 passing for 265 yards and one touchdown.    (TE) [player_tooltip player_id='219408' first='Eli' last='Owens'] - Alcoa:  Owens had a touchdown reception in this title game while doing some good work in the run game with his blocking but it was his play on defense that made a difference. This future Michigan Wolverine produced 8 tackles on the night along with 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack against a talented Westview offense. He was ferocious from his edge position where the Chargers O-line had a hard time blocking him.    ‘27 (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'] - Westview: He may not have significant stats but Barnes had himself a good championship showing where he made several tough runs while producing two touchdowns. Sporting great size with burst and speed, Barnes showed why he could be a Top 10 running back for the #TN2027 class and someone college coaches need to start looking into as soon as they can.    ‘27 (WR/DB) [player_tooltip player_id='1422977' first='Miles' last='Brown'] - Westview: Get to know this sophomore two-way talent because Brown is a baller! He made his presence known on the big stage Friday where Brown hauled in seven passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. The Chargers sophomore also did some good work on defense, displaying his upside for the secondary. Look to hear more and more about this West TN talent over the next two years.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_9064.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1574294" style="width:390px;height:auto" /></figure>