Westview Routes Gatlinburg-Pittman for the 3A State Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chattanooga, Tenn. – </strong>Westview and Gatlinburg-Pittman met in a battle of unbeatens for the TSSAA 3A State Championship on Friday afternoon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It looked like a fun matchup on paper, but it was just that way for one side, as Westview annihilated GP 62-21 for its first championship since 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chargers quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='424594' first='Graham' last='Simpson'] had a sensational day, breaking the passing yards and total touchdowns record in a state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"The whole week, really the whole year, I told these guys that we're not walking off the field as losers. Everybody on social media said Westview was a fluke; we proved them wrong," Simpson said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We came out here and dominated. That's the only goal we had today: dominate."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1997011324333912514?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1997011324333912514?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The scoring barrage started right as the ball was kicked off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simpson fired a bullet to Christopher Damron, who took it 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore led three more scoring drives in the first quarter, the final one being a 26-yard rushing touchdown by him, where he hit the famous "Crimson Crane" afterwards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gatlinburg-Pittman did get on the board halfway through the second quarter after a muffed punt gave them the ball deep in Westview territory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers made up for that special teams blunder with back-to-back scoring drives, including a 99-yard pass from Simpson to [player_tooltip player_id='964719' first='Donteze' last='Joy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That touchdown strike set a new record for the longest scoring pass in a state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1996991232384418228?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1996991232384418228?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Highlanders scored again towards the end of the half, but [player_tooltip player_id='1422977' first='Miles' last='Brown'] countered it with a 78-yard kick return touchdown on the very next play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simpson ended the first half with a bang, firing a long touchdown pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'], giving him the record for most passing yards in a title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After an insane first half, the Westview Chargers went into the locker room with a 55-14 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simpson had one final drive in the third quarter to set a new record for most touchdowns in a game, then his day was done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gatlinburg-Pittman scored one final time, then both offenses ran out the clock.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A video-game number performance from Simpson and his offense was more than enough to win this game, as they went on to capture the 3A State Championship with a 62-21 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Player of the Game</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["424594"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69333e4762179"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Simpson had arguably the best single-game state championship performance in Tennessee high school football history. The sophomore signal caller accounted for 612 total yards, eight touchdowns and completed 86% of his passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">He was on fire from the moment the ball was kicked off, and nobody had any business stopping him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Other Notable Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 WR Christopher Damron – Westview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Damron was unbelievable in this one, much like the rest of Westview's wide receivers. The senior caught six passes for 182 yards and a trio of receiving touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was certainly Simpson's favorite weapon, getting the most targets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 WR [player_tooltip player_id='964719' first='Donteze' last='Joy'] – Westview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joy had a big day as well, hauling in five passes for 170 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown reception. He was vital in this game, serving as a deep ball threat and consistently being wide open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior WR ended his career on a high note with the school's first state championship since 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'] – Westview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'] typically impresses people with his running abilities, but he was not needed there today. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He carried the ball seven times for 44 yards, but was most effective in the passing game with three receptions for 151 yards and two scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barnes is a mighty back who can do it all and is one of the best players in Tennessee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":810876} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/32-Miles-Brown.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-810876" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Westview ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1422977' first='Miles' last='Brown'] at a Prep Redzone camp.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1422977' first='Miles' last='Brown'] – Westview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown had a “quiet” day compared to the rest of his team, but was vital in the game and made multiple plays. The junior athlete caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown while returning a kick for six.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was also effective on defense, making significant contributions to his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->