AC eyes ninth-straight title
Members of the 2024 Anderson County Mavericks take the field during the 2024 home opener against Powell High School.
Teams can resume preparations for the 2025 season on Monday, with preseason work ramping up as the campaign kicks off the week of Aug. 31.
Anderson County, which went 11-2 last season and reached the Class 4A state semifinals, will again face one of the toughest schedules in Tennessee.
The Mavericks enter 2025 having won eight-consecutive region championships, with their last league loss coming in 2016.
But Region 2-4A just got tougher, as 10-time defending Class 3A state champion Alcoa enters the region this season.
The Tornadoes, who went 13-1 in 2024, will host the Mavericks in the regular-season finale on Oct. 30 in a game that could decide the region crown.
For now, that matchup is the last thing on veteran Coach Davey Gillum’s mind as Anderson County prepares to resume summer workouts.
Eight of the Mavericks’ opponents reached the playoffs last year: Powell (9-3), Knoxville Catholic (3-8), Fulton (6-5), Carter (4-7), Chattanooga Prep (8-4), Gibbs (10-2), Union County (1-10) and Alcoa. Only South-Doyle (1-9) and Heritage (5-5) missed the postseason.
The new-look Region 2-4A now includes Anderson County, Alcoa, Union County and Heritage, alongside holdovers Fulton, Carter, Gibbs and South-Doyle.
The Mavericks will open the season Aug. 22 on the road at Powell’s Scarbro Stadium in a traditional non-region rivalry. Anderson County defeated Powell at home last season.
AC will then have a short turnaround before hosting Knoxville Catholic in its home opener on Aug. 28.
Region play begins Sept. 5 as Anderson County hosts Fulton for the second straight year.
It will be the first of three consecutive region games for the Mavericks.
They will travel to Maryville on Sept. 12 to face Heritage, coached by former University of Tennessee assistant Joe Osovet, before hosting Carter on Sept. 19.
Anderson County will host Chattanooga Prep on Sept. 26 and Gibbs on Oct. 2 in a Thursday matchup before taking its open week on Oct. 10.
The Mavericks will host Union County on Oct. 17 before closing the regular season with back-to-back road games at South-Doyle on Oct. 24 and at Alcoa on Oct. 30.
