SPORTS

October 17, 2018

JC’s Hunter Paisley scores on a 25 yard touchdown run against Cloudland.
Paisley played well in their 28-0 win.

By Tim Chambers
Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

Johnson County played its final regular season youth football games on Saturday with the Junior Pee Wee team logging the only victory. Coach Austin Atwood’s squad shut out Cloudland 28-0 while the Mighty Mites and Grass-Cutters lost to Cloudland by identical scores of 19-6.

JC’s Colton Grindstaff make a good run after intercepting a pass against Cloudland. The Longhorns Junior Pee Wee team won the game 28-0. Photos by Tameula Trivett.

Junior Pee Wee
Johnson County 28
Cloudland 0

The Longhorns scored all their points in the first half and never had the ball in the second one due to the 28-point mercy rule. Several players stood out for the Longhorns on both sides of the football. Carson Jennings had a 20-yard touchdown run and threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Juan Mejia. Hunter Paisley got in on the scoring act with a 25-yard touchdown run. Carter Atwood had the other touchdown on a five yard plunge.

Kaden Blevins and Kyle Maple had a couple of long runs in the backfield for the Johnson County that racked up over 200 yards rushing.Mejia sparked the defense with 11 tackles. Atwood provided six tackles. Christopher Thomas collected 25 yards rushing and had a fumble recovery. Eli Tester, Colton Grindstaff and Sam Cretsinger were stellar performers on both sides of the football.

Grass-Cutters
Cloudland 19
Johnson County 6

Both teams were playing for a final playoff berth with the Highlanders coming out on top.The Longhorns lone score came on a 50-yard touchdown pass and run by Bryson Kimble from Avery Blevins. The try for the extra point failed.
Hunter McElyea led the Horns in rushing with 55 yards. Sawyer Marshall led the defense with eight tackles. McElyea provided four stops and Trevor McCloud was in on three.

Mighty Mites
Cloudland 19
Johnson County 6

The Little Longhorns ran up and down the field the entire game but had only one touchdown to show for it. Mason Luckett had their only touchdown on a 25 yard run. He ended the game with 100 yards rushing on six carries. Grayson Hensley rushed for 225 yards on 12 carries but was kept out of the end zone. Hensley and Masyn Allen led the defense with four tackles apiece and a pair of sacks. Ethan Wilson was in on three stops as was Luckett. Brylan Walton and Mason Gregg also had a tackle each. The Grass-cutters and Junior Pee Wee teams took part in a bowl at Abingdon on Tuesday. We will have results from both games in next Wednesday’s edition of the Tomahawk.

NOTE: The Pee Wee team forfeited their last game due to not having enough players.

October 17, 2018

JC honored these 11 senior football players on Friday. Front Row, L-R: A.J. Blevins, Christian Krupsky, Lance King and Noah Cox. Back Row, L-R: Tyler Norris, Aric Neely, Tyler Phillips, Weston Throop, Nathan Lane, Zack Eller, and Troy Arnold. Photo by Tameula Trivett

By Tim Chambers
Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

So far the Longhorns have stayed afloat over the first eight games of the 2018 football season. Some have predicted their life raft will capsize before the season ends. I instead choose to tip my hat to them because this group of seniors has given a remarkable ride. And I not ready to grab a life jacket just yet. The Longhorns had 20 holes to plug created by 20 graduating senior players from the record-setting 2017 squad. But somehow they managed to do it.
Going down this year’s lineup is like going through the buffet line at your favorite restaurant. You get a little bit of everything in several different varieties. Every class is represented in the starting lineup including the freshman and sophomore ones. And just like last year, they have some talented senior playmakers on the team.

Tyler Norris is the leading tackler in Northeast Tennessee and definitely one of the top linebackers. He might be one heck of a fullback too if called on to play that position. T-Dog can do it all. Nathan Lane is one of the leading scorers in Northeast Tennessee and maybe the fastest. Lane is a dual threat at running and catching the football and ranks as one of the best special team players too. Zach Eller has electrified the crowd with some long touchdown receptions and kickoff returns. He also has four interceptions as a defensive back.

And then there is quarterback Troy Arnold.Arnold’s frame looks more like a punishing fullback where he played at in 2017, but he’s had a good year as the team’s signal-caller. He’s a threat to get you the tough yards needed up the middle and has thrown the ball well when given time. Christian Krupsky has undoubtedly emerged as one of the league’s top lineman and has been a starter for three seasons. Credit the Longhorn’s quintet for keeping the Horns in the hunt and having them ranked in the AP 3A poll for every week in 2018.

Let’s also credit six more seniors who go out and practice every day without a lot of fanfare. They too deserve to be recognized. Weston Throop has been the ace in the hole for Kerley’s Longhorns. He continues to make big plays for the defense. He had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a 55-yard interception return for a TD on Senior Night. He also had a 75-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown against Claiborne County.

“It’s been a blast for me,” said Throop about this season. “Our defense and offense are always going at one another. I didn’t play last year so getting into the playoff and hosting a first-round game is very special.”

Special would be the best way to describe Throop’s play. Tyler Phillips, like Throop, did not play last year. He too has been a starter on the defense.

“It’s meant a lot for me to get out here with all the seniors and get to play,” said Phillips. “We’ve all grown up together so getting a chance to be on the field with them is very special. I’m glad to be a part of this playoff team and bring something exciting for our town. I believe that we are a team that cannot be underestimated. We play hard and believe in ourselves.”

Aric Neely is just like Throop and Phillips. He didn’t play last season but earned a starting role at wide receiver.
“This is my first year of playing, so it definitely means a lot to me,’ said Neely. “I wish that I had started playing a little earlier. Football has made me a better person, and I’ve enjoyed being around all the players and coaches. We still have some things to work on and a lot to play for. I want to be playing well going into the playoffs.”

The Longhorns have also been blessed with some key role players who have contributed to their success.
Noah Cox and A.J. Blevins are two of those type players. Cox just missed making the state tournament in tennis this past spring.

“I’ve enjoyed getting out here and playing in front of all our fans,” said Cox. “I appreciate all of them for coming out here every Friday. Tonight is bittersweet because this is my last regular season home game. I’ve loved every minute of being a Longhorn.”

Blevins echoed those same sentiments.

“Getting to play on this team has meant everything to me,” said Blevins. “I’ve enjoyed getting to compete and working with all of my coaches and teammates. It’s something that I’ll always remember.”

And then you have the fan favorite Lance King. The senior reserve can always be found on the sideline trying to pump up the crowd. King got to start his first high school game ever on Friday. He smiled when telling me what it felt like.

“I was excited but nervous about being called out as a starter,” said King. “That was my first start ever. I got a tackle tonight, and there wasn’t anything that dude could do about it. He didn’t have a chance.” King added. “I want to thank “Daddy Dunn” and “Uncle Randy” for making me a football player. I would be where I am at if it wasn’t for those two.

Neither would the Longhorns without their elite 11 seniors.

October 17, 2018

JC’s Weston Throop (23) returns an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. Throop scored 2 TD’s in their 57-0 win. Photos by Tameula Trivett

By Tim Chambers
Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

The Husky dogs couldn’t mush against the No. 7 ranked Longhorns on Friday night inside of Paul McEwen Stadium. Johnson County’s defense dominated play by scoring five defensive touchdowns in their 57-0 blowout win over North Greene. The Longhorns will now host a first-round home playoff game for the second consecutive year. They’ll play for the conference championship on the road against Unicoi County in two weeks. The overmatched Huskies were clearly outmanned against the much deeper and talented Longhorns. The Huskies trailed 18-0 early in the first quarter and the Longhorns had run only one offensive play.

Head coach Don Kerley praised his senior players.

“They’ve won a lot of football games for us,” said Kerley about the seniors. “They have come out here and worked hard and did all the things we’ve asked of them and they know how to play. We’ll be challenged in our next three games because everyone we play is good. I’m proud of our coaching staff for all their hard work, and you can’t say enough about the kids. It was good that everyone got to play tonight on our last regular season game.”

DEFENSE SCORES THE FIRST 18 POINTS
The Longhorns would have the game well in hand before the first quarter had expired. They led 31-0 after one and extended their advantage to 45-0 by halftime. Touchdowns came in a variety of ways including a quintet of them scored by the defense. North Greene’s first offensive series would set the tone for the game. They were forced to punt and fumbled the ball inside the red zone which was recovered by Johnson County’s Weston Throop. From there they would score on their first offensive play.

Stacy Greer found the end zone from 12 yards out giving the Horns a 6-0 advantage with only one minute gone in the game. That led to several North Greene miscues that were converted into points by the Horns. Throop recovered his second fumble of the game inside the end zone for the first defensive touchdown to up the ante at 12-0. He felt like it was important for them to get off to a good start.

“We didn’t want to let them hang around,” said Throop. “We wanted to be playing well going into our next two games.”

Nate Rice laid a jarring hit to North Greene’s quarterback causing another fumble at the 10. Colt Moody picked up and scored from there to increase their lead at 18-0. Johnson County would add two more touchdowns before the first quarter ended. Nathan Lane provided them a 10 yard TD run then hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Troy Arnold with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter. They would expand on their 31-0 advantage in the second quarter.

North Greene tried to move the football in the second quarter but continued to make mistakes. They turned Harold Arnold Field into a sea of turnovers. Troop scored his second defensive touchdown of the game by picking off a pass and running it back 55 yards for a score. The next defensive touchdown came after a massive hit by Tyler Norris on the Huskies’ quarterback that caused a fumble and sent him to the sidelines. Tyler Phillips picked up the loose football and returned it 51 yards for another score. Tyrone McFadden kicked a pair of extra points putting the Horns up 45-0 at the half.

NORRIS PROVIDES AN ENCORE
The Longhorns begin the second half just like they ended the first one. Norris logged the last defensive touchdown by intercepting a pass and taking it back to the house 81 yards for a score. Their final touchdown came on a two-yard run by Sam Mann whose 39-yard run set up that score. The eye-popping numbers didn’t happen on this night due to limited playing time for the Longhorn starters. Mann led the ground game with 48 yards on six carries. Troy Arnold attempted only two passes, one to Lane for a touchdown.

Norris did collect 12 tackles; eight came in the second quarter to go along with his touchdown interception return. Throop gathered eight tackles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception to go along with his two defensive touchdowns. Ethan Icenhour, Sammy Walters, Gavin Wilson, and Ethan Woody collected four tackles apiece. Colton Story led Huskies’ ground game with 45 yards on 15 carries. Tyler Sanches finished with 27 yards on four rushes. The Huskies were sacked three times on pass attempts and threw three interceptions. They were also tackled behind the line of scrimmage eight times.Brandon Mercer and JC Staton and Story had four tackles each to lead the defense. Jan Sauceman had a 22-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Sky Arwood contributed a 12-yard run.

“That’s a good football team that we played,” said North Greene’s head coach Andrew Murray. “There is a reason they are ranked like they are and their record is what it is. That’s somewhere we would like to be in the future.
The Longhorns (7-1) will travel to Roan Mountain on Friday to take on Cloudland (7-1), ranked No. 6 in Class 1A.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.

North Greene 0 0 0 0 – 0
Johnson Co. 31 14 6 6 -57

JC’s Nate Rice (20) sacks NG’s Damitrus Kea and causes a fumble that was returned by Colt Moody for a touchdown.

Scorning Summary:
1st Quarter

JC—Greer 19 run (run failed) 11:00
JC—Throop recovers fumble in end zone (kick failed) 9:10
JC—Colton Moody 10 yards fumble return (kick failed) 8:48
JC—Lane 10 run (McFadden kick) 1:50
JC—Lane 25 pass from Arnold (McFadden kick) 1:10

2nd Quarter
JC—Throop 55 interception return (Kimble kick) 6:10
JC—Phillips 51 fumble return (Kimble kick) 1:27

3rd Quarter
JC—Norris 81 interception return (kick failed) 1:50

4th Quarter
JC—Mann 2 run (kick failed) 3:30

Team Stats
NG JC
1st Downs 5 7
Rushing yards 32-63 20-110
Passes A/C/I 4-10-2 1-4-0
Passing Yards 42 25
Total Offense 105 135
Fumbles 5-4 0-0
Punts 2-20 0-0
Penalties 4-20 2-15

Individual Stats:
Rushing: JC— Lane 6-22, Greer 2-7, Lowe 1-0, Arnold 1-20, Neely 3-5, Mann 6-48, Kimble 1-6. NG—Story 15-45, Sanches 4-27, Staton 7-(minus 5), Kea 5-(minus 14), Arwood 1-9,
Passing: JC—Arnold 1-2- 25, Kimble 0-2-0 0. NG—Kiker 4-10-2 42
Receiving: JC—Lane 1-25. NG—Kea 2-14, Staton 1-22, Arwood 1-6
Sacks: JC—Norris, Troop, Rice. NG—None
Fumble Recoveries: JC—Troop 2, Moody, Lowe. NG—None
Interceptions—JC—Norris, Throop,
Tackles (4 or more): Johnson County only—Norris 12, Throop 8, Icenhour 4, Walters 4, Wilson 4, Woody 4. NG—Mercer 4, Staton 4, Story 4.

Longhorns juniors Curtis Lowe (2), Andrew Fugger (45) and Jamal Scott (55) ready to take on their rivals under the Friday night-lights. Photo By Tamas Mondovics

By Tim Chambers

Sports Editor

Happy Valley’s quest to erase last year’s loss to Johnson County failed on Friday inside of Paul McEwen Stadium. The No. 7 state-ranked Longhorns dominated play from start to finish in their 28-7 victory over the Warriors.
Happy Valley had lost to the Horns 14-7 last year in a game where both teams were state ranked. That wasn’t the case for the visitors on this night.
The Warriors (2-4) lost their starting quarterback Will Tittle for the season just a few weeks ago
but did have a signature 27-13 win over Unicoi County earlier this season.

LONGHORNS SCORE EARLY
Bad luck would plague the Valley on their opening possession.
The Warriors started at the 20 and lost nine yards on their first play. They were forced to punt from their end zone where they mishandled the snap. Curtis Lowe pounced on the football giving the Horns a 6-0 advantage.
Head coach Don Kerley felt like that getting off to a good start helped his squad. He praised his seniors for their outstanding play.
“Our seniors stepped up and made some big plays, and that
allowed us the opportunity to
win the way we did,” said Kerley. “I was pleased with the way our receivers caught the ball especially Zack Eller. You can’t say enough about how well Nathan Lane and Tyler Norris played, so did the
rest of our seniors. It’s always big when you beat Happy Valley because they are well coached and they all play hard. Our underclassmen also stepped up and did a good job too.”
The Warriors had trouble moving the football against the Longhorns, but they did have a couple of scoring opportunities.
They failed to convert on a 29-yard field goal attempt and managed only 40 yards of total offense by halftime.

STELLAR ELLER
THE MAIN FELLOW
The Longhorns took to the air that led to their second touchdown.
Zack Eller hauled in a couple of passes from Troy Arnold that covered 42 and 35 yards respectively. Lane later scored on a two-yard run with 1:58 left in the first quarter. He added the two-point conversion for a 14-0 advantage.
“We felt pretty good getting up by two touchdowns,” said Arnold. “The line blocked well, and our receivers got open. I thought our defense was the difference. Tyler Norris was all over the field, and everybody was flying to the football. It’s special when you get a win over them.”
Happy Valley’s lone touchdown came with the help of a Longhorn’s miscue. They got the ball on the four-yard line after Johnson County mishandled a punt and threw an incomplete pass out of their end zone.
Eli Ayers scored from one yard out on fourth down to cut the deficit to 14-7 after Michael Harrah’s PAT with 2:17 left in the first half.
The momentum established by the Warriors was quickly taken back by the Longhorns on their next possession.
They marched 65 yards with the help of two big pass plays to score just before the half ended.
Arnold hooked up with Eller for 34 yards then added an 18-yard touchdown pass to Lane with 1:49 showing before intermission. Jared Kimble’s PAT made it 21-7 at the half.
“We felt like we could throw the ball on them,” said Eller. “They got the ball, and I tried to make things happen. It felt good that they kept calling my number. A huge win for us over our rival.”
Neither team could muster any offense in the third quarter, as both teams were held scoreless. Happy Valley had the ball inside the red zone twice thanks to a 29-yard punt return from Tyler Norris and a 23-yarder from Eller but couldn’t convert including a 23-yard field goal attempt.

LANE FOR SIX
The Warriors put together a nice drove down to the five-yard line but were turned away by the Longhorns’ defense. From there they would deliver the fatal blow.
Lane broke loose for a 95-yard touchdown run up the gut that accounted for the final score with 8:23 remaining. Coach Kerley would empty the bench at that
point.
Lane ended the night with 147 yards on 14 carries. He also added eight tackles on defense.
“I felt like we would break one before the night was over,” said Lane. “I knew they wouldn’t catch me if I could get into their secondary. The line blocked well, and our defense played outstanding. It feels great to get another win over them.”
Eller caught four passes for 120 yards and five tackles on defense. Arnold completed 7-of-15 passes for 152 yards. But it was the defense that stood out most.

NORRIS LEADS
THE LONGHORNS’
DEFENSE
Tyler Norris racked up 18 tackles including three for losses and a sack. Lowe added nine tackles and had the fumble recovery for a touchdown. Weston Throop contributed eight tackles and did an excellent job of shutting down the run game. Ethan Bower had a critical interception that kept the Warriors from scoring.
“Our goal was to shut them down and keep them out of end zone,” said Norris. “We didn’t give them anything the whole game.”
Lowe added. “We wanted to get ahead early and take their fans out of the game.
It’s always tough when we play them because both schools don’t like one another.”
Dakota Cochran supplied most of Happy Valley’s offense. He ended the night with 110 yards on 27 carries, many of them from the wildcat package.
Happy Valley totaled 170 yards of total offense. They were 3-of-13 passing for 20 yards.
The Longhorns rushed for 203 yards and added 152 more in the air.
Luke Naylor led the Warriors on defense with ten stops.
Johnson County (6-1) will clinch a first-round home playoff game with a win over winless North Greene on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 on Harold Arnold Field.

H.V. 0 7 0 0 — 7
J.C. 14 7 0 0 —28

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
JC—Lowe recoveries fumble in end zone (Kick failed)
JC—Lane 3 run (Lane run)
2nd Quarter
HV—Ayers 1 run (Harrah kick)
JC—Lane 18 pass from Arnold (Kimble kick)
4th Quarter
JC—Lane 95 run (Kimble kick)
Team Stats
HV JC
1st Downs 8 10
Rushing yards 39-130 27-203
Passes A/C/I 3-13-1 7-17-2
Passing Yards 20 152
Total Offense 150 355
Fumbles 1-1 1-0
Punts 5-25 2-35
Penalties 9-65 7-68
Individual Stats:
Rushing: JC— Lane 14-147, Greer 6-30, Kimble 2-12, Arnold 2-6, Lowe 1-4,
Mann 1-4, C. Neely 1-0. HV—Cochran 27-110, Campbell 7-29, Ayers 5-(minus 9)
Passing: JC—Arnold 7-15-2 152, Kimble 0-2-0 0. HV—Ayers 1-7-0 4, Cochran 2-6-1 16
Receiving: JC—Eller 4-120, Lane 2-22, Greer 1-10. HV—Hyatt 2-16, Carter 1-4.
Sacks: JC—Norris, Lowe
Fumble Recoveries: None
Interceptions—JC—Bower. HV—Little, Cochran
Tackles (3 or more): Johnson County only—Norris 18, Lowe 9, Lane 8, Throop 8, Eller 5, Greer 5, Icenhour 4, Woody 4, Rice 3, Phillips 3, Moody 3, McFadden 3. HV—Naylor 10, Cochran 8, Little 4,

October 3, 2018

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

The Johnson County youth football teams were scattered abroad on Saturday with only the Mighty Mites picking up a victory. Johnson County scored in the final minute to knock off Morristown 13-6 for their lone win. The Junior Pee Wee team took Elizabethton down the wire before losing 16-14. The grass-cutters had a tough time with Elizabethton losing 26-6.

Mighty Mites
Johnson County 13
Morristown 6
Grayson Hensley was the workhouse for the Longhorns scoring both touchdowns including the game winner with 58 seconds remaining.
He tied the game at 6-6 with an 85-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. His game-winner was a 68-yard run. Hensley finished the day with 206 yards rushing, ten tackles, and two sacks. Mason Luckett added 53 yards rushing and caught a conversion pass from Brayden Wallen. Maysen Allen played a solid defensive game with five tackles and two sacks. Hunter Stanley added four stops and a sack as did Luckett. Eathan Wilson and Mason Gregg provided three stops apiece. Caden Woodard and Hayden Isaacs each had one.

Junior Pee Wee
Elizabethton 16
Johnson County 14
The Cyclones found themselves in a dogfight the entire game that wasn’t decided until the final seconds. The Longhorns held a 14-8 lead only to see Elizabethton score on a touchdown pass and kick the game-winning conversion. Christopher Thomas had a 30-yard touchdown run for the Horns. Caden Blevins had the other touchdown from five yards out. Juan Mejia kicked the two-point conversion.
Kyle Maples was a beast on defense with ten tackles. Karter Atwood logged six stops while Blevins and Carson Jennings contributed four apiece. The Longhorns nearly won the game in the final minute on a 50-yard pass from Jennings to Mejia but were stopped inside the 20. Atwood helped the rushing cause with 35 yards. Eli Tester had a big game in the offensive line for the Longhorns. Rhett Slagle tossed touchdown passes to Sully Perkins and Aiden Williams to lead Elizabethton. William Bowers kicked a pair of conversion including the game-winner in the fourth quarter.

Grass-cutters
Elizabethton 26
Johnson County 6
The Longhorns fought hard against the league-leading and undefeated Cyclones but couldn’t keep them bottled up in the second half.
Hunter McElyea scored the only touchdown of the game on a 55-yard run in the second quarter. The Cyclones used a 40-yard touchdown run by Brycen Blevins and a 70-yard touchdown run by Evan Chambers to go up 13-6 at the half.mBlevins would tack on a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter after Chambers had scampered 45 yards to get them inside the red mzone. Their final score came on a 15-yard run from Bo Armstrong.

The Longhorns got 35 yards rushing by Sawyer Marshall and 25 more from Avery Blevins to add with McElyea’s 55. Marshall, Daniel Yax, Conner Stout, and Blevins had three tackles each for the Longhorns. Bryson Kimble and K.K. Baird led the defense with four. Chambers had a good all-around game for the Cyclones with 150 yards rushing, seven tackles, and 230 all-purpose yards. Blevins rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns from his quarterback position. Karter Force led the defense with ten tackles and three sacks. Lennox Loveday and Brendan Orellana provided four tackles
apiece.

October 3, 2018

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

BEAN STATION—It has been a long journey for Johnson County’s golf team in 2018. The Longhorns played all their games on the road including Monday’s regional tournament at Clinchview Golf Club in Bean Station. South Greene won a berth to the state tournament by shooting a team score of 318. University High was runner-up at a distant 353. North Greene, Hampton, Cumberland Gap, and Johnson County rounded out the top six.

The Longhorns shot a team score of 412 led by Jayden Joiner’s score of 94. Reece Stout recorded a 102 while Gavin Reece and Petie Pavusek rounded out the top four with scores of 106 and 110. South Greene’s Peyton Humphries shot a four-over-par 76 to win the individual medalist honors. Teammate Hunter Hartman finished second with a 77. University High’s Daxx Carr qualified for the state tournament as an individual. North Greene’s Ricky Compton and West Greene’s Ty Sauceman also qualified as individuals.

October 3, 2018

Johnson County will look for Zack Eller (5) to make some big plays for them on Friday against Happy Valley. Eller has been a key performer for the Horns this season. Photo by Tameula Trivett

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

Johnson County is riding a four-game winning streak and currently ranked No.7 in the AP’s Class 3A poll. They were sitting at No. 3 when they battled Happy Valley last season on top of Warrior Hill. What a difference one season makes. Lady Luck hasn’t been good to Happy Valley in 2018. The Warriors are currently 2-4 after ranking No. 7 in its Class 2A, this time last year.

The Warriors are riding a two-game losing streak including a 31-7 defeat at Grace Christian last week. But don’t think the Longhorns will be overlooking them. One of their wins came against Unicoi County 27-13 that is currently tied for first place with Johnson County. They also played well recently in a heartbreaking 8-7 loss at Cloudland. The Warriors have lost starting tailback Will Tittle for the season with a torn ACL, but they still have some quality football players. Eli Ayers won the starting quarterback job after game three. Their best player is linebacker/fullback Dakota Cochran who scored their only touchdown in last week’s loss. Cochran rushed for 753 yards last season and is pulling the wagon so far this year. Luke Naylor who is also one of the team’s top defensive players leads the offensive line.
Johnson County’s head coach Don Kerley knows what his team is up against.

“Happy Valley has some pretty good football players and always play well against us,’ said Kerley. They are well coached and have played a tough schedule. They held Unicoi County to 13 points, and they are averaging nearly 40 per game. We saw what can happen against Hampton when you don’t come out ready to play. It’s going to a big test for us. They have revenge on their minds because of last year’s game.”

Kerley was referring to last year’s 14-7 victory over the Warriors. Happy Valley was on the two-yard line ready to score but was stripped of the football by Tyler Norris. The senior linebacker ran the ball back 98 yards for a touchdown that swung all the momentum in Johnson County’s favor.

“I remember it well,” said Norris after Friday’s win at Claiborne County. “They’ll come in here wanting to get us back, but we’re going to be ready to play. We’ll not be looking past anyone.”

Norris is approaching 100 tackles and is currently leading Northeast Tennessee in that department. Nathan Lane is one of the area’s top scorers and logged a couple more in Friday’s win. The Horns hope to wear Happy Valley down, as the game gets deep in the third quarter.

“They play a lot of kids both ways but they all pretty good athletes,” added Kerley. “We’ll try and wear them down and play a lot of people. It’s been working for us so far. We have confidence in all of our kids.”

Johnson County will need to find a way to get the football into the hands of their speedsters Lane and Zack Eller. They also need for quarterback Troy Arnold to have a good game and not turn the ball over. Jared Kimble and Stacy Greer both ran the football well in Friday’s win. Johnson County needs to shore up its special teams play especially on extra points. They have failed to convert six times in the last three games due to miscues. Johnson County (5-1) can clinch a home playoff game next week if they can defeat winless North Greene at home. But they won’t be looking past the Tribe.

“We’re taking the one game at a time approach,” said Norris. “We don’t want to be looking past Happy Valley or anyone else.”
Kickoff is set for Friday at 7:30 inside of Paul McEwen Stadium.

October 3, 2018

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

It’s not often that a coach can smile after a loss but head coach Devin Shaw could on Thursday. His young and inexperienced Longhorns took undefeated and league-leading Hampton down to the wire before falling 6-0 on Harold Arnold Field. The Bulldogs scored on a busted play when Jonathan Greenwell raced 53 yards up the gut with 59 seconds remaining for the game’s only score. It still didn’t dampen the spirits of Shaw about his team’s effort.

“I was really pleased with how our young kids competed,” said Shaw. “We are mostly 7th graders that have not played that much. They could have packed it up after losing the way we have the last two games, but they didn’t. We’re not concerned as much about wins right now, as we are getting better. Tonight we did that against a very good Hampton team.”

The Bulldogs had soundly beaten Chuckey-Doak, a team that handed the Horns a 46-0 loss in the previous week but this week was an entirely different ball game. Neither team could generate much offense over the first two quarters. The Longhorns had the ball 13 plays on their first possession and ate up a big chunk of the clock that went well into the second quarter. The Longhorns had the Dogs back up deep on their 5-yard line, but a 37-yard pass from Dylan Trivett to Gage McKinney got them out of the hole. That was mostly the bulk of Hampton’s offense along with Greenwell’s touchdown run. They ended the night with 130 yards of total offense with those two plays accounting for 90 of them.

GAME LEADERS 7TH GRADERS STEP UP
Johnson County’s Isaiah Willis rushed for 50 tough yards to lead the Longhorns who could muster only 70 yards of total offense against the tough Bulldog defense. Nick Speed collected the other 20. Austin Hyder rang up 30yards rushing to aid Hampton’s attack.
The defense stood out for both squads. A quartet of seventh graders led Johnson County’s defense. Connor Simcox had a big night with eight tackles and a sack. Chase Muncy racked up seven stops including two for losses. Tyler Bouchelle and his twin sister Zennia Bouchelle both contributed five tackles apiece. Speed, Wills, Grinnan Walker, and Tanner Marshall were in on four stops each.

“These kids are going to be good football players,” added Shaw. Many of them didn’t get to play last year because we didn’t have enough to have a Pee Wee youth league team. We’ve come a ways since the season started. We still have one more game to play.”

The Longhorns made the playoffs thanks to their 26-20 win earlier in the season over Happy Valley. They play at a site yet to be determined on Tuesday.

Hampton 0 0 0 6 — 6
JCMS 0 0 0 0 — 0

Scoring Summary
Ha—Greenwell 53 run (run failed)

October 3, 2018

JC’s Taylor Cox (13) goes high to set up a kill shot for (24) Taylor Parsons against Elizabethton. The Horns played well but feel in straight sets. Photo by Tim Chambers

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

AFTON—Johnson County needed a win, and they got just what the doctor ordered on Thursday. They swept Chuckey-Doak in straight sets 25-16, 25-13 and 25-18 in their final regular season game. Johnson County’s head coach Donna Poteet touched on her team’s play heading into the District Tournament. She liked the way they finished after a sluggish start.

“We started out slow, and I wasn’t pleased with that,” said Poteet. “We started getting a lot of good movement as the match went on. I thought the setters played really well, and so did our frontline players. We got a lot of net points and had nearly 20 kills. I was pleased with the way that we finished.”

The Longhorns trailed early in the first match before taking control of the match midway through the first set. Renie Morrow and Taylor Cox had a pair of kills apiece that allowed them to take the lead for good. Renie Morrow finished with nine kills while Cox provided seven. Margaret Morrow, Taylor Parsons, and Emily Garr each had a pair of kills that kept the Lady Black Knights on the defensive end.
Cox severed up seven aces to lead in that department. Kaylee Wittenberg, Renie Morrow, Garr, and Natalie Winters added three apiece. Parsons provided three to help the cause. Coach Poteet praised the defensive play of Winters, Bella Miller, Cox, and Renie Morrow throughout the match.

“They were aggressive, and that’s what you want to see,” said Poteet. “It’s good when you win your final regular season game. The girls have improved a great deal.”

The junior varsity won their match 25-16 and 25-11.

Longhorns fall to Cyclones
Johnson County took the fight to host Elizabethton but came up short at the end. The Longhorns lost in straight sets 25-16, 25-20 and 25-23. The Longhorns led the last set 23-22 only to watch the Cyclones score the last three points. Taylor Parsons had a good night on the front line with ten kills. Renie Morrow cashed in on five kills while Abby Cornett and Taylor Cox came up with three apiece. Natalie Winters had a stellar night on the defensive side logging 17 digs. Cox played well as a setter and led the team in serve points with eight.

Johnson County won the junior varsity match.

Season comes to a close
Johnson County saw the season come to a close in the first round of the District Tournament on Monday. The Longhorns fell to third seed Sullivan Central 25-19, 20-25, 25-14 and 25-10. The Horns played close in the first match but didn’t have enough down the stretch for the Lady Cougars. Poteet went to a young but quick lineup in the  second set, and they responded by taking down Central. The Lady Cougars would regroup in the next two sets and win rather easily over the Horns.

October 3, 2018

The fired-up Longhorns take the field at Claiborne County. Johnson County won the contest 33-6 to clinch a home playoff game. Photo by Tim Chambers

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

TAZWELL—Claiborne County ran more plays (59-46) and dominated time of possession against Johnson County, but the Longhorns won the battle on the scoreboard where it mattered. The No. 7 ranked Horns in Class 3A made the most of their opportunities and cruised to a 33-6 road win on Friday. The conference win clinched a playoff spot for Johnson County and all but assured them a first-round game at home if they can knock off win-less North Greene in two weeks on Harold Arnold Field. Johnson County led 12-0 after the first quarter despite only have the ball for one offensive play. Head coach Don Kerley complimented the defense for coming up with ways to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone.

“It was a long bus ride down here for the kids, but they played hard the entire game,” said Kerley. “I was very proud of the defense for the way they kept Claiborne from scoring for nearly three quarters. We did a lot of good things, and our offensive line played well on the long drive that we put the game away. It’s always good to get a win, especially when you travel this far. We have a lot of things to improve on, but this was one we had to have.”

Kerley was referring to his squad being in the catbird seat to host another first-round playoff game. It was the bizarre fashion they did it in that left fans shaking their heads.

DEFENSE STEPS UP WITH BIG PLAYS
The Longhorns caught a break in the early going after holding the Bulldogs on their first possession and forcing them to punt deep in their own territory. A bad snap gave the Longhorns the ball at the Bulldogs’ six. Nathan Lane scored on their first offensive play to put the Horns up 6-0. Claiborne got the ball back and marched downfield 76 yards that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock but were stopped once again at the 5-yard line. They elected to attempt a field goal, but Troy Arnold blocked the kick. Weston Throop scooped up the loose football and outran everyone for a 75-yard touchdown on the final play of the quarter.The senior outside linebacker touched on the play.

“Troy made a great play blocking the kick, and then he hit the kicker that was trying to retrieve it,” said Throop. “I just picked it up and took off up the field. I felt like I would score once I got out in front. It’s was a huge momentum changer.”

The Bulldogs never recovered from it although they did put up a good fight. The Longhorns had the ball inside the red zone twice in the second quarter but shot itself in the foot by throwing a pair of interceptions. They didn’t need an air attack in the third quarter.

LONGHORNS CASH IN ON BIG PLAYS
Zack Eller got them started by returning the opening kickoff 44 yards to the 45. Arnold kept the drive alive with a 13-yard completion to Nathan Lane who later scored a touchdown from the one that extended their lead at 18-0. Claiborne would score their only touchdown at the 6:26 mark on an 11 yard run by Eli Stone but the Horns would have an answer. Lane found a seam up the middle and sprinted 55 yards for his second touchdown. Jared Kimble’s PAT made it 26-6 in favor of the Longhorns. The Longhorns would put the game away with one of their best drives of the season.

“I got through the line and into their secondary, and there was only one man to beat,” said Lane. “We had some success running in the middle. Our line and defense played excellent tonight.”

The offensive line consisting of Logan Gilley, John Stout, Ricky Fenner, Lucas Walters, and Christian Krumsky lived up to its billing on Johnson County’s next offensive possession. They mounted a 12-play, 95-yard drive that all came on the ground. Stacy Greer and Kimble did most of the damage by breaking free on sizeable runs. Kimble had one of 10 yards to keep the drive alive on a third and eight while Greer and Arnold added runs of 13 and 11 yards respectively. Kimble capped off the mammoth drive with a seven-yard touchdown run then booted the extra point. He also gave credit to the offensive line.

“Those guys up front blocked their tails off,” said Kimble. “We wore them down and had some big holes on that drive to run through. This was a huge win for us because we’ll now host a first-round playoff game, but we can’t be overlooking anyone.”

FINAL COMMENTS
The Longhorns ended the night with 300 yards of total offense with 255 coming on the ground. Lane led the way with 135 yards on 14 carries. Kimble and Arnold added 40 and 35 yards respectively. Sophomore Stacy Greer enjoyed his best game of the season. He carried the ball eight times for 50 yards and scored a two-point conversion. He also caught three passes for 38 yards and logged five tackles.

“I give all the credit to my offensive line because that’s where it starts,” said Greer. “I thought our whole team played well because there was a lot on the line. We wanted to be at home for the first round of the playoff, so we had to win this one. We still got a lot to play for. We want to finish first and win the league.”

Tyler Norris once again led the defense with 12 tackles. He said the goal was to keep them off the scoreboard.

“We kept trying to hold them off because we wanted our defense to help win this football game,” said Norris. “They kept getting some yards on the dive, but we kept them out of the end zone. That’s all that matters to us. We hung in there and did what we had to do.”

Throop and Lane added eight tackles apiece. Tyrone McFadden and freshman Nate Rice logged five each. Bryce Laws rushed 18 times for 85 yards for the Bulldogs. Hayden Hollin caught seven passes for 71 yards. Johnson County will be at home on Friday to take on Happy Valley. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.

Johnson Co. 12 0 13 8 -33
Claiborne 0 0 6 0 – 6

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
JC—Lane 5 run (run failed) 9:47
JC—Throp 75 blocked punt return (run failed) 0:00
3rd Quarter
JC—Lane 1 run (run failed) 6:26
JC—Lane 55 run (Kimble kick) 3;29
CC—Stone 11 run (run failed) 0.56
4th Quarter
JC— Kimble 7 run (Greer run) 2:02

Team Stats
JC CC
1st Downs 14 15
Rushing yards 33-255 37-155
Passes A/C/I 4-13-3 8-22-0
Passing Yards 45 80
Total Offense 300 235
Fumbles 0-0 3-1
Punts 0-0 4-20
Penalties 9-65 12-85

Individual Stats
(Johnson Co. Only)
Rushing: JC— Lane 14-135, Arnold 4-35, Kimble 6-35, Greer 8-50, Webster 1-0. Claiborne—Laws 14-85, Livesay 8-40, Stone 11-35, Goins 4- (minus 5)
Passing: JC—Arnold 4-12-2 45 Kimble 0-1-1 0. CC—Stone 8-19-0, Goins 0-3-0 0.
Receiving: JC—Greer 3-38, Kimble 1-7. CC—Hollin 7-71, Ervin 1-9
Sacks: JC—Blevins
Fumble Recoveries: None
Interceptions—None
Tackles (4 or more): Johnson County only—Norris 12, Throop 8, Lane 8,
McFadden 5, Rice 5, Eller 4 Greer 5, Kimble 4, Moody 3, Blevins 3. CC—Livesay 10, Helderman 10, Callebs 9.

                                        Zennia Bouchelle

By Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
TomahawkSportsEditor@gmail.com

It’s been a tough go so far for the middle school football team. The young and inexperienced Longhorns were crushed by Chuckey-Doak on Thursday 46-0. One player stood out for their defensive play despite the loss. Zennia Bouchelle is one a few girls in the Longhorns’ football program but she is already making a name for herself. The 7th grader logged six tackles against the Black Knights including one for a loss. That was tops for the Longhorns.

“She’s very aggressive and she plays hard,” said head coach Devin Shaw. “Zennia wants to play and she wants to be good. I can see her becoming a really good football player.”

The Longhorns were finally able to rack up some second half rushing yards after being held to six yards of total offense in the first half. Isaiah Wills rank for 35 yards while Nick Speed ran for 33. The Longhorns will play at Hampton on Thursday at 6 pm.

Junior Varsity Horns grounded again

The junior varsity football team got saddled with missing another game on Monday. They were scheduled to play Hampton at home but the Bulldogs canceled. The Longhorns have also had games with Elizabethton and Sullivan Central canceled. Many of the JV players are seeing varsity action on Friday but some of it is in limited roles.

“We need our young kids to play some junior varsity game,” said head coach Don Kerley. “We had enough games on the schedule but we can’t seem to get anyone to play. We’ll try and do it again next week.”

Their next game is set for October 8 at home against Happy Valley. They could wipe off their bye date on October 1 and possible play a makeup game.

Horns ranked at No. 7

Johnson County remains in the state rankings this week coming in at No. 7 in the latest 3A poll. Elizabethton is still No. 3 in Class 4A while Cloudland holds down the No. 6 slot in Class A.David Crockett moved up to No. 4 in Class 5A, after destroying Hampton. Daniel Boone is setting at No. 8, while Tennessee comes in at No. 9.

Class 3A

Team: Rec. Pts.
1. Alcoa(16) 6-0 160
2. Covington 5-0 144
3. Red Bank 5-0 126
4. Upperman 6-0 108
5. Fairview 5-1 91
6. East Nashville 6-0 84
7. Johnson Co. 4-1 64
8. Pearl-Cohn 4-2 47
9. York Institute 5-0 36
10. Austin-East 3-2 20