Football playoff picture is taking shape
Clinton quarterback Joshuah Keith was sterling Friday night throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns to help nail down a postseason berth for the Dragons. (photo:Ken Leinart )
Anderson County, Oak Ridge and Clinton all won at home in Week 10.
The Mavericks, Wildcats and Dragons will close out the regular season at home before beginning postseason play in November.
The Mavericks clinched the Region 2-4A regular-season championship, their seventh-consecutive league title, with a 55-6 win over Gibbs Friday night.
With the victory, the Mavericks improved to 5-4 overall and 4-0 in the region. Senior running back Nick Moog had 71 yards and two rushing touchdowns on just eight carries for Anderson County.
ACHS put this one away early, scoring 27 unanswered first-quarter points and opening a 55-0 lead against the Eagles by halftime.
Quarterback Zae Hall put up another solid performance as he was 9-for-14 through the air for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Xavian James caught a touchdown pass and scored a rushing TD against the Eagles.
Defensively, Riley Wolfenbarger had two interceptions and returned one for a touchdown.
The Mavs close out the regular season against South-Doyle (2-7, 1-3) defeated rival Seymour, 26-14, last week.
Wildcats win Region 3-5A: Oak Ridge also won a region championship Friday night as they defeated Lenoir City, 30-12, at Blankenship Field Friday.
De’Jauvis Dozier finished the game against the Panthers (5-4, 2-1 in the region) with three rushing TDs and wide receiver Will Presley scored a rushing touchdown for the Wildcats (7-2, 3-0), who broke open a close game with 16 unanswered points over the final 12 minutes, including a safety when LCHS’s Trey Wilhite was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone.
Oak Ridge hosts Campbell County Thursday at Blankenship Field to close out the regular season.
Dragons clinch postseason berth: For the first time since 2018, Clinton High is headed to the playoffs. The Dragons punched their playoff ticket with a 48-18 win over Karns last week.
Quarterback Joshuah Keith threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, going 11-for-17 against the Beavers and Juwan Goins caught a TD pass and had a pair of scoring runs for Clinton, which hosts Heritage in a non-region contest Friday. Both teams have identical 3-6 records. The Mountaineers, coached by former Tennessee assistant Joe Osovet, were eliminated from playoff contention with a 41-33 at Knox Central last week.