Senators earn title shot with win over Jefferson
For the second time in three years, the Norris Middle School football team will play for the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference championship.
The Senators (8-1) advanced to the title game with a 22-7 victory over Jefferson on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Anderson County High School.
A win in Thursday night’s championship would not only bring Norris another league crown, but also avenge the team’s lone loss of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
“We’re going down there Thursday, and I think we can win the game — especially if our offensive and defensive lines play like they did the first time,” Norris Coach Richie Noe said. “We gave up less than 50 yards rushing in that game. But when it was third-and-12 or fourth-and-15, they would complete a big pass.”
Quarterback Cooper Downs connected with Cam Wilcox for a touchdown against the Eagles.
“Cam Wilcox made a great catch,” Noe said.
Stephen Blakney and Hunter Wade also scored for the Senators.
“Hunter Wade has just been incredible,” Noe said. “He’s hard to tackle, and he makes tackles.”
For Jefferson, it was a tough end to an otherwise outstanding season.
“If you look at where we are now compared to where we were when we started, we did well,” Jefferson Coach Sean Jesse said. “Our kids really battled. They battled hard and played hard all year.”
Jefferson’s Nic Fletcher rushed for 97 yards on five carries, including a 67-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Easton Knipp completed one pass for 10 yards in the finale, but still became the first 1,000-yard passer at Jefferson since the school transitioned from a junior high to a middle school.