Mavericks open season at home
Preparations for the 2024 football season will kick into high gear Monday after Anderson County High School returns from the two-week break mandated by the TSSAA dead period.
The Mavericks, who finished with an 8-5 overall record in 2023, won the Region 2-4A championship by going 5-0 in league play.
ACHS will enter the new season with an impressive streak. The Mavs haven’t lost a league game in seven seasons.
They lost their first three games last year, but rebounded to win eight of their last 10 games and reach the Class 4A state quarterfinals. This came after winning their first-ever state championship in 2022.
Anderson County opens the new season at home as it hosts Class 5A power Powell on Thursday, Aug. 28, in a regionally televised game.
The Panthers went 9-4 in 2023 and defeated the Mavericks 35-21 at Scarbro Stadium.
On Aug. 30, the Mavericks head to Johnson City to play Science Hill.
The Hilltoppers edged Anderson County 26-23 last season. They went 7-4, making the Class 6A playoffs.
On Sept. 6, the Mavs entertain Bearden. They’ll look to avenge last year’s 45-27 loss to the Bulldogs in Knoxville. Bearden went 9-4 in 2023.
Anderson County will open Region 2-4A play at home against Fulton, which has a new head coach as Justin Long takes the reins. The Falcons reached the postseason last year despite winning just two regular-season games. Fulton went 2-9, falling to the Mavericks 50-14 in Knoxville last year.
The Mavs have another region game in Week 5 as they take on Seymour. They routed the Eagles 51-7 last season. Seymour went 0-10 in 2023.
On Sept. 27, Anderson County hosts Carter in its third-consecutive league tilt. The Mavericks shut out the Hornets 49-0 in Strawberry Plains last season. Carter was 6-5 and made the playoffs last year. They have a new coach as Todd Helton takes over after several years as an assistant.
On Oct. 4, the Mavs step out of region play as they host crosstown rival Clinton. The Mavericks won last year’s meeting 28-14 at Clinton.
The Dragons, who went 6-7 in 2023 and advanced to the Class 5A state quarterfinals, have a new head coach as Jason Hamock takes over on an interim basis.
After an open date, Anderson County returns to the gridiron for the second of three Rivalry Thursday games on Oct. 17. This time, the Mavericks will head to the Marble City/Pond Gap community to face Knoxville West at Bill Wilson Field in a non-region tilt in Knoxville.
The Rebels, who reside on Sutherland Avenue, defeated the Mavericks 8-7 last season.
West went 14-1 last season and captured the Class 5A state championship under head Coach Lamar Brown.
Anderson County will close out the regular season with back-to-back region games. The Mavericks head to Corryton for a showdown with Gibbs at Ernest Whited Stadium on Oct. 25. The Mavs knocked off the Eagles 55-6 last season. Gibbs made the playoffs last year, posting a 9-3 record.
In the season finale on Halloween night, the Mavericks host South-Doyle in the final Rivalry Thursday game of the season. ACHS topped the Cherokees (2-8 in 2023) 56-16. The Cherokees have a new coach as L.A. Headrick, a previous assistant at Fulton, King’s Academy, Knoxville Catholic and Knox Central.
