Running the gauntlet
Saturday, Dec. 3, is for the community.
Anderson County High School’s Maverick football team will be playing Pearl Cohn Entertainment Magnet School of Nashville at Finley Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga for the right to hoist the gold football in Class 4A.
Game time is 11 a.m.
It will be Anderson County’s first trip to the state final.
This will be Pearl Cohn’s fifth trip to a football title match.
The Firebirds were back-to-back state champions in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, the Firebirds beat Halls 18-8, and in 1997, they beat Maryville 36-16.
Their last two title game appearances were in 2015 and 2019. In 2015, the Firebirds lost 48-8 to Knoxville Catholic. In 2019, they lost to Alcoa 27-0. In 2019, the Firebirds were in Class 3A. All other appearances in the title game were in Class 4A.
The Firebirds are 12-2 going into Saturday’s contest.
Pearl Cohn finished the regular season with an 8-2 mark. Their losses came in the first two games of the season, to Cane Ridge (17-14) and Montgomery Bell Academy (49-6).
In the playoffs, the Firebirds beat Jackson South Side (3-7) 38-0; Hardin County (7-3) 54-21; Lexington (9-3) 41-24; and Haywood County (13-0) 53-47.
Anderson County is used to opponents with heady resumes, however.
The Mavs’ regular season was no cake walk, and the playoffs, especially rounds two and three, were against two of the best in the business in 4A.
“Coaching through the gauntlet that is E-town (Elizabethton) and Greeneville back-to-back … It’s not only physically rough, it takes it out of you emotionally,” Anderson County Head Football Coach Davey Gillum said.
The Mavs were a little flat in the first half of their semi-final game against Red Bank. But after Elizabethon and Greeneville, that could have been expected.
Averaging 44 points a game until that point, a slow first half saw the state’s No. 1 team score only 29.
That, however, doesn’t really matter as long as the bigger score belongs to the Mavs.
“I hate to say this —no, I don’t hate to say this — I really want this for them, the players, the community,” Gillum said.
“The community is so hungry for this. They love these kids so much. Win or lose, I’ll be back at it Dec. 15, getting ready for next year.”
The challenge is out to fill Finley Stadium this Saturday.
The biggest question left to answer is who’s turning out the lights in North Anderson County Saturday morning before everyone heads to Chattanooga.