Mavericks stun Alcoa
31-30 thriller silences 10-time champs
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Anderson County’s Reese Russell (1) breaks up a late pass intended for Jamir Dean (0) of Alcoa during Friday night’s thriller in Clinton. The Mavericks’ defense held the Tornadoes out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter to give Anderson County a 31-30 victory. The win snapped Alcoa’s 11-season region win streak and clinched Anderson County’s ninth-consecutive region championship. - David Woods
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Anderson County’s Jayzon Thompson (6) hauls in a touch- down pass from John David Gillum on the opening drive of Friday night’s showdown against Alcoa. The Mavericks went on to edge the Tornadoes 31-30, pulling off a stun- ning upset to secure the victory. - David Woods
Things haven’t exactly been easy for the Anderson County High School football team this season.
The Mavericks recently lost their first Region 2-4A game in nine years, falling to Gibbs at home. The 2025 campaign has been one filled with adversity and injuries, but one win was all it took to cure what ailed the Mavs.
And they got it — in dramatic fashion. Anderson County earned a hard-fought 31-30 victory over 10-time defending Class 3A state champion Alcoa on Senior Night.
The Tornadoes (9-1, 6-1) made the leap to Class 4A this fall and stormed through their first nine games, even edging Blount County powerhouse Maryville in the Battle of Pistol Creek to open the season.
The night began with the Mavericks (7-2, 6-1) honoring their seniors, and ended with the celebration of a ninth-consecutive region championship. The title was clinched when freshman quarterback J.D. Gillum connected with Deameion Leavell on a 22-yard scoring strike after eluding a sack with 1:36 left to play. Jackson Payne added the extra point to give Anderson County its first lead of the night.
Alcoa had one final possession, but the Mavericks sealed the victory as Eli Tolley and Yashawn Campbell combined for a key sack of Tornadoes quarterback Thomas Manu in the closing seconds.
ACHS Coach Davey Gillum praised his team’s defensive resolve.
“First of all, the defensive game plan was great,” Gillum said. “We’re a little different on both sides of the ball — we’re very aggressive. We brought a lot of heat, dared them to throw, and put our DBs on islands. They made plays on us, and that’s part of it.
“The whole D-line played great,” he said. “Our defensive ends, Rocky Brown and Karnell Mills, and guys like Eli Tolley were awesome all night. They play both ways, O-line and D-line, and that’s not easy to do — especially against these guys.”
The win was a complete effort for the Mavericks.
Gillum, the freshman quarterback and coach’s son, went 10-of-19 passing for 298 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior running back Jayzon Thompson was a dual threat, catching a 99-yard touchdown pass early and rushing for 152 yards on 29 carries. He finished with 102 receiving yards on two catches, accounting for more than 250 total yards of offense.
Anderson County’s victory secured a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A playoffs. The Mavericks will host Volunteer High on Friday night.
Despite finishing fourth in Region 1-4A, the Falcons (7-3, 4-3) are enjoying their best season in school history. They have lost two of their past three games but are coming off a 63-13 rout of Sullivan East.