Mavs season ends in semifinals thriller
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Anderson County’s Stephen Powers (30) wraps up Macon County’s Zach Borders during Friday night’s state semifinal playoff game at Pat Parker Memorial Field in Lafayette. The Mavericks’ very successful football season came to an end in a high-scoring thriller, where they fell short 43-41. - Tony Cox
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Mr. Football Tennessee finalist Waylon LaRue capped off his season with 155 yards’ rushing and three touchdowns on 15 carries in the Mavericks’ state semifinal matchup against Macon County High School. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Israel Small escapes Macon County’s Matthew Wheeley as he breaks into the open field during Friday night’s state semifinal game in Lafayette. - Tony Cox
In a game that went down to the wire, Anderson County High School saw its quest for a second state championship in three years come to an end last week.
The Mavericks (11-2) fell to Macon County 43-41 in a shootout in the TSSAA Class 4A state semifinals on a cold Friday night in front of a packed house at Pat Parker Memorial Field in Lafayette.
The game went back and forth before the Tigers clinched their first-ever trip to the Blue Cross Bowl. After the Tigers won, their fans poured onto the playing surface and tore down the goalposts.
Macon County (12-2) will now play Melrose at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Class 4A championship game to be played at UT-Chattanooga.
The Mavericks, who won the state title in 2022, had a 28-20 lead after Waylon LaRue scored on a short touchdown run just before the midway point of the third quarter.
That touchdown came after Anderson County recovered a Macon County fumble a short time earlier.
After that, the Tigers responded by scoring the next 15 points. They took a 35-28 lead on an 85-yard touchdown scamper by Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist Gabe Borders.
The Mavericks tied the game at 35 when Hensley completed a touchdown pass to LaRue with 7 minutes, 1 second to play.
The seesaw affair continued into the final minutes.
Anderson County pulled within two, at 43-41, late in the fourth quarter on its final touchdown of the season.
Opting to go for a two-point conversion with 58.1 seconds left, quarterback Landen Hensley’s pass, intended for Israel Small, was batted down by Macon County senior defensive back Ty Young.
The Tigers then recovered Anderson County’s onside kick attempt.
Despite the season-ending loss, the Mavericks had several solid performances on their final night of the 2024 campaign.
LaRue, the latest in a long line of stellar Anderson County running backs, closed his prep career by rushing for 155 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
In his final game as a Maverick, Hensley proved to be a versatile weapon as he has been all season.
He was 25-for-43 through the air, totaling 289 passing yards, and threw two touchdown passes and had one interception. He also had 53 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on nine carries for the Mavericks.
Riley Wolfenbarger finished with seven receptions. He gained 143 yards and caught a touchdown pass.
While the season ended sooner than they hoped, the Mavericks leave behind a legacy of grit and resilience, underscored by their thrilling semifinal performance.
