There’s good news for Elizabethton, but the bad news is the bad news hasn’t diminished.
The Cyclones proved earlier in the season they could go on the road to Anderson County and have a chance to win. But the Mavericks still have Walker Martinez, one of the top quarterbacks in the state who proved to be the difference in the first meeting between these teams.
Kickoff for the TSSAA Class 4A playoff game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Clinton.
The Cyclones enter with a record of 6-4, which is significant after a 0-3 start. The one loss in that stretch was a 35-34 overtime decision against Anderson County.
As for the Mavericks, they are 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state.
Cyclones’ head coach Shawn Witten said his team has grown since that setback against the Mavericks.
“We’ve moved on and worked on different things to try to find a way to get better,” Witten said. “The guys have gotten better and they are more confident.”
But Witten said he knows this is supposed to be Anderson County’s best chance to get past Elizabethton and then Greeneville.
“Anderson County is an older team,” Witten said. “The last couple of years we were the older team. We are catching Anderson County with a bunch of good seniors, and this is the prime year for them. They are as good on defense as they are on offense. This is a team built to make this run.”
But Witten said his team learned some things in the first meeting.
“No. 1, we were able to score,” he said. “And No. 2, we were able to capture a 21-7 halftime lead. We forced a sack and fumble, got some stops, and gained some confidence.”
The Cyclones and Mavericks previously met three times in the postseason, all in Clinton. Anderson won by scores of 54-21 (2018) and 38-21 (2017) while Elizabethton won last year by a score of 45-7 — but Martinez missed the game because of an injury.
THE CHALLENGES
Certainly Martinez will have the Cyclones attention. He has thrown for 3,145 yards and 44 touchdowns on the season, and has dangerous weapons in receivers Bryson Vowell (over 700 yards, 11 scores), Eli Braden (over 600 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Braden Miller (over 600 yards, 14 scores).
In the win against the Cyclones, Martinez threw for 286 yards and four touchdowns.
“The differences with Martinez are his accuracy and his ability to hit any throw: deep ball, deep corner, deep out,” Witten said.
But the Mavericks can also run the football with Nick Moog (1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns) and 6-foot-2, 220-pound Gavin Noe providing challenges for the Cyclones’ defense.
“They have a good team,” Witten said. “They’re balanced. They have good running backs and more than one receiver.”
RIDING STEPHENS
The Cyclones have hitched their wagon to running back Nate Stephens, and he has responded in a big way.
Over the last six games, he has rushed for 981 yards with 18 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, quarterback Dalton Mitchell has found his sweet spot with six 100-yard games in his last seven. He has thrown for 969 yards on the season with 10 touchdowns.
Here’s a look at other playoff games involving Northeast Tennessee teams.
Class 4A
Gibbs (7-4) at Greeneville (11-0)
The Greene Devils have been challenged just twice this season, and the Eagles don’t figure to have enough defense to keep things close in this one.
Gibbs has surrendered 52, 61, 55, 53 and 42 points in games this season while Greeneville has allowed seven points or less in eight of its contests.
Class 3A
Gatlinburg-Pittman (10-1) at Chuckey-Doak (10-1)
Two teams this season have slowed the Highlanders with one of those being state-championship favorite Alcoa.
The other was Pigeon Forge, which held Pittman to 21 points. If the Black Knights can produce that kind of defensive effort, they should have a shot. Chuckey-Doak has held seven of its opponents to single-digit totals.
Class 2A
Monterey (8-3) at Hampton (9-2)
Both teams like to run the football, so this should be a line of scrimmage battle of wills.
The Wildcats have a 60-40 run-pass ratio with running back Mason Bowman leading the way. Hampton counters with Levi Lunsford, who has rushed for 1,476 yards and scored 25 touchdowns on the season.
South Greene (6-5) at York Institute (7-4)
The Rebels have emerged as a threat, winning four straight after a slow start to the season.
Sophomore quarterback Jacob Susong is coming off a standout effort with 240 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 34-16 win over Rockwood.
The Dragons had no problems in region games, including a 32-0 victory over Rockwood in Week 11.
Class 1A
Oliver Springs (6-5) at Cloudland (6-5)
A 0-4 start didn’t derail the Bobcats, who have since been rock solid other than the blowout loss to Coalfield in Week 10.
These teams have similar results against common opponents: Rockwood, Oakdale and Cosby. Both beat Oakdale and Cosby while each suffered a blowout loss to Rockwood.
Unaka (7-4) at Coalfield (10-1)
Only three teams in Rangers’ history have earned eight wins, and it is going to take a major upset to join that short list.
The Yellow Jackets have beaten Unaka in all six previous meetings, but they haven’t played each other since 2005.
“We’re confident we are playing our best football of the year,” Rangers’ head coach O’Brien Bennett said. “And we feel like we are not intimidated by anybody.”
