The Sevier County Smoky Bears and Seymour Eagles had quite an impact their first year in the Inter-Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Bears won the conference championship and the Eagles, playing their first season with the state’s biggest regular season classification, played their way into the playoffs with a strong conference showing.
Tuesday, the IMAC announced it’s All-Conference teams, and players from both schools populated the list, including the top two player awards.
Sevier County quarterback Zach Flynn was rewarded for his 2,477 passing yards and 16 touchdowns by being named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
His coach, SCHS’s Steve Brewer, was named the IMAC’s Coach of the Year for guiding the team to their first-ever undefeated regular season.
Across the county at Seymour, senior transfer defensive lineman Nick Smith was named the IMAC’s Defensive Player of the Year for his run-stuffing 111 tackles.
Several other players were named to the IMAC’s first team All-Conference squad.
From Sevier County wide receivers Bryant Gilson (55 catches, 804 yards, 7 TDs) and Bryce Whaley (30 catches, 711 yards, 4 TDs), offensive linemen Ross Heatherly and Bryson Maples and athlete Danny Chastain were on the offensive side of the ball.
Teammates Kel McCarter (LB), Thomas Hamilton, Robert Whitelaw, Jake Reppert (all defensive linemen), Jeremiah Foster, Matt Spangler and Josh Johnson (DBs) joined on defense.
For Seymour running back Blake Overton got first team offensive honors, while teammates Keegan Newport (LB), Cory Clark (DB) and Stephen Martin (P) were also tabbed to the first team.
Second team All-Conference selections from the two schools were as follows: Sevier County — Jared Baxter (K), Jacob Childs (OL) and Seymour — Joseph McCarter (OL), Cody Watson (DL) and Wes White (DL).
All-Academic selections were Mikey Hutton for Sevier County and Stephen Martin for Seymour.
Selected to the All-Character team from Sevier County was Austin Nave, and from Seymour, Wes Humes.
Honorable mentions to the All-IMAC teams were Dakota Cogdill (SCHS) and Chase Ketron (Seymour).
The Mountain Press All-Sevier County Football team is announced annually on Christmas Day.
Seymour — The Seymour Eagles (4-6, 3-4 in District 2-AAA) know they have their work cut out for them tonight against the state’s No.1-ranked Tennessee High School Vikings.
And that’s just the way the Eagles like it.
“(The team’s mentality) has been great, just like all year,” coach Jim Moore said Thursday evening. “I guess for other teams in other situations it might mean something to be playing the No.1 team in the state, but heck, all year long we’ve been playing ranked teams in the state. This just happens to be the No.1-ranked.”
Coach Moore has confidence in his squad and their ability to play with the big boys.
“Sevier County, CAK, Morristown East, Morristown West, all those teams have been ranked in the state, so this is just another one.”
In all of those contests except CAK, the Eagles were within 11 points, and two — Sevier County and Morristown West — could have gone Seymour’s way had just one play gone differently in the game.
Last week against Morristown West, the Eagles played their always-stingy defense, allowing just eight points, but scored just three themselves.
“Defensively we played really well,” Moore said. “We gave up one touchdown on a pick route, and we had a snapped punt that gave them two points and that was it. Offensively we weren’t consistent, but four of our bigger plays of the night were called back because of penalties.”
Should the Eagles play the same sort of ball game on defense, they may stand a chance with the mighty Vikings.
“They’re a good football team, no real weak spots,” Moore said. “Offense, defense, special teams all three, they’re a very solid football team.
“Offensively they’re something else. They run the ball well, they throw it well, they block well. Good play selection. They mix it up good. They’re just a well-coached football team that’s got some really good athletes. They’ve got a fullback/linebacker that may be the best we’ve seen this year.”
The Vikings are also very good behind center.
“Their quarterback has a very good arm, and it seems like he sits back there and has 10 seconds to throw every ball he throws,” Moore said. “We’ve watched film after film and there’s no pressure on him, and somebody eventually comes open.”
Should the defense get pressure, perhaps the Eagles’ defensive backs — with 12 picks already this year — can add to that total and set up a short field for the offense.
Field position and keeping their vaunted defense off the field for as large chunks of time as possible will be keys to staying with a Tennessee High team that hasn’t allowed an opponent to finish within 15 points of them all season.
MORRISTOWN — The Seymour Eagles found themselves on the losing end of a heart-wrenching 8-3 score against District 2-AAA opponent Morristown West (8-2, 6-1) Friday night at Burke-Toney Stadium.
“We had our chances,” Seymour head coach Jim Moore said of the close contest, which was decided on a fourth down play deep in Morristown West’s territory with under two minutes to go.
“We’ve just gotta find a way to score.”
Going into the game the Eagles (4-6, 3-4) knew they would be facing the most potent offense in the conference. But Moore didn’t seem too concerned about the time his defense spent on the field before the game.
“Our defense has played well all year. That’s what we were expecting,” said Moore. “They’ll fight with anybody.”
The Seymour defense lived up to the coach’s pregame expectations, holding a Trojan team which averages over 300 yards of offense per game to just 190 yards from scrimmage.
The Eagles kept the score within a single touchdown throughout the contest despite their offensive struggles.
In fact, Seymour held the lead at the conclusion of the opening stanza.
Eagle kicker Stephen Martin took advantage of a Morristown West fumbled punt by booting a lengthy 49-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Trojan kicker Curt Duncan, son of a former University of Tennessee kicker himself, tried to match and even outdo Martin in the second quarter but fell several yards short on his 55-yard field goal attempt.
The Eagles stayed on top until Trojan sophomore quarterback Andrew Lee finally took advantage of several short field opportunities midway through the second quarter.
Lee looked sharp on consecutive plays which were called back by penalties before he connected with junior wideout J.T. Ostrowski for a 22-yard score. It would be the only points allowed by the Eagle defense.
After a penalty from each team moved the ball to the original line of scrimmage on the point-after try, Seymour senior Wes White blocked the kick and the score stood at 6-3 with 1:09 to go in the half.
A three-and-out, three Morristown West timeouts and a short punt gave the Trojans the ball back with a chance to add to their new lead before intermission. But on the last Trojan play of the second quarter, defensive end Cody Watson pounced on a fumble and gave Seymour the ball with 30 seconds to go.
Though they played inside their own territory for much of the game, Seymour answered the call defensively over and over. Holding tightly to the three-point deficit, Seymour allowed the only other points of the game on special teams after a long snap sailed over Martin’s head and rolled into the end zone.
Feeling the heat from the Trojan special teams unit, Martin wisely kicked the ball out of the end zone and about 40 yards into the parking lot. The play resulted in a safety and made the score 8-3 in favor of the favored home team.
As the game slowly crept towards its conclusion, Seymour’s defense thickened even more.
Seymour had work to do as the fourth period began, but with the scoreboard still reading 8-3, the Eagles were just one big play away from taking the lead.
Seymour blocked a field goal attempt at the tail end of the first series of the final frame, which landed in the hands of Cory Clark. Clark returned the fluttering football just past midfield, and with 10:00 remaining the Eagles’ crowd had life.
Again, the offense stuttered, but on 4th-and-14, Martin threw a pass to Blake Overton from the punt formation, resulting in a 22-yard first down. One run and two fade passes later, junior quarterback Dustin Fain’s throw fell out of bounds.
For the second time in the game, Seymour’s Wes White made a game-changing play when he blew up the Trojan runner in the backfield on a key fourth down on the next drive.
White and Watson were joined by Keegan Newport, Cody Sands, Kevin Kennedy and Nick Smith as impact players on a defense that performed at a near-perfect level.
Seymour had one final chance to score in the final minutes, but Fain was taken down by the Trojan’s Elliot Stone at the Morristown West 36-yard line, ending their chance.
Though the Eagles failed to get over the hump on Friday night, they will be included in the 2009 postseason.
And after hanging tough with the 7th-ranked team in the state until the very end, Seymour figures to be the last team an opponent will want to face in a first-round matchup.
The 2009 TSSAA playoff schedule will be released on the organization’s website on Saturday, beween 8-10 a.m.
Eagles drop Chiefs, secure playoff spot by JASON DAVIS, Sports Editor 5 days ago | 161 views | 0 | 0 | |
Jason Davis/The Mountain Press Seymour senior running back Blake Overton (6) was a human highlight film Thursday night, as he scored a TD rushing, receiving and returning a punt. slideshow
SEYMOUR — For one drive it looked like the Cherokee Chiefs might give the Seymour Eagles all they wanted Thursday night at Benton Householder Field.
About 48 minutes and 44 points later, the Eagles had erased all memory of the early Cherokee lead, blowing out the Chiefs 44-6.
The win cliched playoff eligibility for Seymour, as they Eagles’ have now guaranteed a spot among District 2-AAA’s top three 5A schools.
The Chiefs scared some Seymour fans early, scoring a TD just 1:25 into the game by using a double-pass from QB Hunter Hamilton to wide receiver Ty Ryans to receiver Landon House for an untouched 43-yard score.
But the Eagles weren’t impressed, and it showed.
Over the next 48 minutes of the game, the Eagles were never in danger of giving up another point to Cherokee, and their offense scored points in bunches.
Kicker Stephen Martin got the team on the board first with a 29-yard field goal on the Eagles’ first drive of the game.
In the second quarter a big defensive play sparked the Eagles’ next score.
Junior Lee Knight blocked a Chiefs’ punt and recovered it just five yards’ from their end zone.
One play later Seymour senior running back Keegan Newport plunged in on a five-yard run, and after the point after, the score stood at 10-6.
After a Cherokee turnover on downs in Seymour territory, the Eagles used a seven-play drive, fueled by a first down catch from Corey Clark and a 15-yard scamper from Blake Overton, the Blue and Gold found paydirt again. This time it was Overton running into the end zone from 19 yards out for the score to make it 17-6 after the PAT.
In the third quarter things got ugly for the Chiefs.
Seymour put up 20 points in a matter of minutes to start the half.
Keegan Newport scored his second TD of the night on a 1-yard plunge, and following a Cherokee punt less than two minutes later, the team went right down the field and scored again.
This time the drive was led by a 35-yard Overton run and a 14-yard dash from sophomore Corey Todd, who got the 3-yard TD one play later.
Still later in the third, second team quarterback Ryan Chadwick burned the Chiefs’ defense on 2nd-and-18, tossing a pass across the middle to a streaking Overton, who took it 24 yards for his second score of the night.
But the senior running back wasn’t done.
Early in the fourth quarter he took a Cherokee punt to the house for his third score of the game, a fitting total for a 12th grader on Senior Night.
That score got the game clock running with a lead of more than 35 points, and the Eagles’ cruised to the 44-6 win.
The defense played a big role all night, as the defense line and linebacker corps came up with multiple tackles in the Cherokee backfield. Chase Ketron also had a first quarter interception in the contest.
The team will play its final game of the regular season at Morristown West next Friday.
SEYMOUR — The lightning and thunder in the sky was matched by an offensive storm on the field, but the thunder of Seymour’s attack was outmatched by the lightning quickness of Morristown East, as the Hurricanes came away with the win over the Eagles, 32 -21, at Benton Householder Field.
Morristown opened with a gale force run by Hurricane quarterback Tee Howell, who took the first play 66 yards in under seven seconds to give Morristown East a first-and-goal to start the game. The Eagle defense held the line for three plays, but on fourth down, Howell fumbled the ball across the goal line, then recovered it for the touchdown. A bad snap on the PAT left the score 6-0 in favor of Morristown East.
The first quarter storm continued.
Seymour’s second play was a 25-yard blast by Blake Overton that gave the Eagles good field position. The Morristown East defense stuffed the Seymour offense on the next four plays, however, and the Hurricane offense took the field. Covering 52 yards in 14 plays, including a 30-yard run by Terrell Warren, the Hurricanes moved the ball into Seymour territory.
The drive paid off when running back Johnny Bell took the ball in from eight yards out. The PAT by Nolan McDaniel gave the Hurricanes a 13-point lead.
Seymour got the ball back with just over a minute and a half to go in the quarter and went to work.
Keegan Newport thundered through the middle for 25 yards, and Dustin Fain scrambled for 24 more, moving the Eagle offense rapidly down the field. The drive was killed by a turnover as a high snap went over Fain’s head and was recovered by Morristown East. The quarter ended on the next play with a brilliant tackle by Newport, who caught Warren in the backfield for a seven-yard loss.
The second quarter began just as the first quarter, only this time the lightning came from Warren, who took the ball 85 yards for a touchdown. McDaniel’s kick was good, and Seymour found themselves in an early hole, down 20-0.
The Eagle offense had to get things together, otherwise the game was going to get out of reach.
Behind the strong running of Newport and some excellent blocking by the offensive line, they did exactly that.
Seymour moved 75 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 19-yard touchdown run by Blake Overton.
The lightning on the field dried up in the second quarter as the lightning in the sky took over.
The rains that were predicted broke loose with about five minutes to go in the half. For two or three minutes it was hard to see the field, as the skies opened up.
Neither Morristown East nor Seymour was able to do much with the ball until the rain slacked off. They traded punts back and forth; Seymour tried a fake punt; and lightning moved in just as time expired in the half.
The start of the second half was delayed about 30 minutes for the storm to move off, and when play resumed there were more people on the field than in the stands.
The Eagles opened the second half with the ball and a driving need to score. The Seymour offensive line opened some big holes for Newport to run through. Fain hit Cory Clark with a nice pass to keep the chains moving, and then hit Newport with a 24-yard touchdown strike that brought the Eagles to within one score. Stephen Martin’s PAT was good, and the score was 20-14.
Then lightning struck once again for the Hurricanes, when Tavin Blanton took the ball 85 yards for the Hurricane touchdown. Morristown East went for two put didn’t make it, but they had extended their lead to 26-14
The Eagles weren’t able to get anything going on offense and had to punt. The Hurricanes weren’t able to move the ball either, and had to punt, but Eagle defensive lineman Nick Smith blocked it, setting up the Eagles with a 1st-and-10 inside the Morristown East 15-yard line. The Eagles capitalized on the block with a Fain pass to Clark in the end zone for a TD, followed by a Martin Kick, and Seymour was within five points of the Hurricanes after trailing by 20.
But there was still more electricity in the Hurricane arsenal, aand on first down Tee Howell took the ball 80 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was no good, but the damage was done. The Hurricanes led 32-21.
The Eagles were forced into a one-dimensional offense, and on a sloppy field they had to try and establish a passing game. Fain and his receivers did the best they could, but the rain and the soaked conditions proved to be too much for them to overcome. The game ended with the final score, Morristown East 32, Seymour 21.
Next week, Seymour travels to met South Doyle in a border rivalry that is sure to feature more fireworks from the Eagles. Game time is 7:30.
