BlueCross Bowl: Day Three Top Performers

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We capped off championship weekend with three more winners in Alcoa, Huntingdon and Oakland taking home "Gold Balls." For those three teams to win titles, they needed big player performances and they received them from the prospects below, who we thought stood out the most. </h2>     TNHSFB State Championships - Class 2A, 4A, 6A    Oakland didn't make things easy for Chance and the Raptors offense but this senior quarterback still had his moments and showed why Navy is excited about his future as a Midshipman. Chance was the one guy that caused a few issues for the Patriots defense as his athleticism and speed kept drives alive for his Raptors offense. He finished the night scoring two rushing touchdowns while producing over a 100 yards rushing but it still wasn't close enough to keep up with Oakland. What it showed me though is that Chance is legit and someone to watch for during his time at Navy as a potential high producing starting quarterback with the Midshipmen.    - - - - -    The best players usually shine brightest on the biggest stage and that's what Tutt did in his team's 62-21 title game victory over Ravenwood. While Tutt is destined to play defense in college, his work on offense has been exceptional, especially within this championship as the future Ole Miss Rebel ran 32 times for 226 yards and 7 touchdowns against the Raptors. His athleticism and speed was too much to handle for the Ravenwood defense and it was without question that Tutt was certainly the game MVP that could have ran for more yards had we played another quarter.    - - - - -    Producing two touchdowns in his team's state final loss to Alcoa, Starnes was one of the best playmakers on the field that the Tornadoes defense had problems keeping in-check and if it wasn't for the play of this senior back, his Firebirds team would have been blown out. Starnes is more of a running back but his team uses his skills out wide and this senior playmaker proved he can handle playing receiver when called upon. Strong hands were displayed by Starnes but so was his strength and ability to break tackles. He is a tad undersized with height but the Firebirds senior is a gamer that can run and catch the ball with succession.    - - - - -    Named game MVP for his work against the Firebirds, Jones was a difference maker in the Tornadoes 47-27 title win as he ran for 120 yards and 4 touchdowns with 3 of them coming in the first half. Alcoa made it a point to utilize Jones and their run game and it worked to perfection as Pearl Cohn had no answers in slowing down the Tornadoes junior back, especially in the red zone. This performance might help the narrative into the off-season that this East Tennessee talent will be someone college coaches take a longer look at because Jones is a gamer that shows up on the big stage.    - - - - -    Dearmon was a key player in the Mustangs 2A championship win as he made big plays from both sides of the ball. Handling running back duties on offense, Dearmon generated several key first down gains, especially a few power runs that the Marion Co. defense had a hard time dealing with. The Mustangs senior also produced a key interception on defense in the 4th quarter to pretty much seal the victory for Huntingdon. North Alabama and UT-Martin recently offered, which says Dearmon is a legit prospect that I think helped his stock further with his strong title game performance.    - - - - -    Going home as the game MVP after his Mustangs title win over Marion Co., Smith continued his strong play through the back half of the season with another stellar performance that helped bring home the school's second ever state championship. The Mustangs used their philosophy of running the ball to perfection with Smith being a main catalyst as he ran 21 times for 111 yards and one touchdown while also throwing for a score as well. We get the luxury of Smith returning next Fall for his senior year and with him back, Huntingdon might have a shot at repeating as 2A champs.    - - - - -    Explosive and fast, Cooper used those traits on several occasions throughout the Tornadoes championship win over Pearl Cohn. He had one touchdown called back, so Cooper would have produced two scores but his 4th quarter reception that went into the end zone sealed the win. Cooper is one of the more underrated talents we have from the TN2026 class that puts his skills on full display down in Chattanooga. Whoever lands this guy will be getting a steal and someone that can develop into their #1 receiver somewhere down the road.    - - - - -    This future Tennessee Volunteer didn't make a huge impact on offense but it was his work on defense that landed him inside this piece. Tall, long and athletic, Wyatt's physical tools were tough to throw around for the Raptors offense. He even picked off Chance in the 2nd half with an outstanding leap and grab deep down the field. It's still unknown what position Wyatt will handle in college but on Saturday night, his athleticism flashed big time, so wherever he lands, I expect the Pats senior to make an impact.    - - - - -    Even though Dean didn't produce a score in his team's title win, this junior wideout still made a big impact as he produced several clutch first down receptions that put his squad in position to score. The Firebird secondary had a tough time dealing with Dean due to his athleticism, size and speed. The Tornadoes targeted Dean on several occasions and when they did, he came down with the ball. There is a lot of potential with Dean and I think this coming off-season you will see him breakthrough into a Power Four guy with tons of schools in pursuit.    - - - - -    It's hard to pick out top players from the Raptors defense when Oakland scored 62 points but I'm telling you, Anderson was a force that stood out in a variety of ways. He produced double digit tackles on the night and was the lone guy that made some kind of impact on the Patriots rushing attack. If Anderson wasn't making the tackle, he was right there with a shot at doing so. His motor is outstanding and nose for the football is strong. The Raptors senior is tad undersized in height but he more than makes up for it with heart, football smarts and physicality.    - - - - -     Probably the best defensive performer from day three of the Blue Cross Bowl Football Championships was this East TN linebacker that wrecked havoc all game long versus Pearl Cohn. Stinnett made an impact early with a scoop and score that was an exciting play to put the Tornadoes up 14-0. This senior linebacker made a sack to close out the half then recovered another fumble in the second period. Stinnett was everywhere in this game, he was a machine that could not be blocked by the Firebirds. His efforts definitely made an impact and helped the Tornadoes earn their 11th state title in a row.    - - - - -     I don't know if the stat sheet will it but I was impressed by Left and his action against a very good Alcoa football team. The Firebirds junior went both ways where he displayed his versatile skill along with physical competitiveness inside the loss. Left had a few good plays on offense but it was his work on defense that really stood out. He made an outstanding play where he literally took the ball away from the Tornadoes receiver and gave the ball back to his offense. This guy is a competitor with some athletic traits that can be developed much further into a potential college level prospect.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/cstinnett-crop-1536x1009-1765144539.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2076925" style="width:362px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: TooHypeSports</figcaption></figure>