For real: Football season starts Friday
Clinton’s Joshuah Keith begins his senior cam- paign Friday night.
The long workouts in the summer are in the rearview mirror for local high school football players as the 2023 season begins Friday night.
All three area teams kick off the 2023 campaign later this week. Oak Ridge and Clinton will both be at home Friday, while Anderson County hits the road to begin the season and defense of its Class 4A state championship.
The Mavericks (15-0 in 2022) make the short trip to Powell to take on the Panthers (11-3 and Class 5A State semifinalist last season) at Scarbro Stadium.
ACHS defeated the Panthers to open last season in Clinton. The Mavs’ 48-14 victory snapped a three-game losing streak against the Panthers.
Powell won in 2021, claiming a 60-48 victory in a shootout. The Panthers edged Anderson County 31-29 in 2020.
Powell also won in 2019, besting the Mavericks 48-36, and both teams should light up the scoreboard again on Friday night.
Clinton, meanwhile, will host Cleveland at 7 p.m. Friday. The Dragons, who went 5-5 last season, winning their five non-region games, are looking for a breakout year in 2023 as quarterback Joshuah Keith enters his senior season.
Clinton, which was winless in Region 3-5A play last year (0-5), did not play the Blue Raiders last season. Cleveland also failed to qualify for the postseason in 2022, despite posting a 6-4 record.
Oak Ridge, meanwhile, will begin the Coach Derek Rang era. Rang takes the reins for ORHS this year after the school parted ways with Head Coach Scott Cummings after one season.
Cummings guided the Wildcats to a 7-6 record in 2022, reaching the Class 5A state quarterfinals and finishing second in Region 3-5A.
The Wildcats open the season at home as Jefferson County invades Blankenship Field.
The Patriots, coached by former University of Tennessee player Spencer Riley, went 7-4 in 2022 and made the Class 6 playoffs. They dropped a 17-7 decision at Farragut in the opening round of postseason play.