The football programs of Gatlinburg-Pittman, Northview, Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, and Seymour all got their last chance at preseason action at the Volunteer Chevrolet 13th Annual Smoky Mountain Kick-Off Jamboree this past Friday, Aug. 12.
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With nearly 3,200 fans in attendance, it would be a chance to see all five teams in action, as each team would play at least two quarters between their JV and Varsity squads.
Starting off the event was a JV matchup between the Northview Cougars and the Seymour Eagles. The Cougars would convert on a handful of big plays and would walk away with a 14-7 at the end of the quarter.
Northview head coach Justin Anderson spoke to how happy he was with the performance he saw out of his younger players on the JV team.
“They were executing. You know when your young kids are executing your offense then you’re getting it across to them, because that means they’re learning just as much as the older kids. It was great to see them execute the offense and it was good seeing [our defense] flying to the football,” Anderson said.
Seymour would stay on the field as the second quarter saw the Eagles take on the Highlanders from Gatlinburg-Pittman. The Highlanders would ultimately find the endzone and would take a 7-0 win.
The final JV game would be between the Smoky Bears and the Tigers. The Bears would walk away with a 7-0 win in the quarter and would lead us into the halftime festivities.
During halftime, each team was represented through five different events. Brady Hammonds from G-P won the longest throw competition. Kellen Banks won the longest punt, with Sevier County teammate Taylor Madison winning the longest kickoff. Highlanders Luciano Lopez and Carlos Orr both won the 40-yard dash events for the linemen and skill players respectively.
Brady Hammonds spoke to how it felt to come out on top in the longest throw competition, and the work that he has put in to get there.
“It felt good, last year my boy Collin Shannon won it, he threw 72 yards, I mean obviously that’s a lot better than me, but I’ve been training all offseason, working on my arm,” Hammonds said. “It feels good, all this hard work paying off.”
With halftime out of the way, it was time for the varsity matchups, starting with Gatlinburg-Pittman facing the Sevier County Smoky Bears.
Smoky Bears quarterback, Christian Hoffman, would connect with Justin Walker on a big gain to move into Highlander territory. A few plays later, Bryson Lane would punch it into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead. Lane would score again on the next drive to move the lead to 14-0, where it would remain at the end of the quarter.
Next up were the Tigers from Pigeon Forge taking on the Seymour Eagles. Both teams would remain scoreless with under 3 minutes to go, but Seymour would eventually find the end zone and walk away with a 7-0 win.
The final game of the evening was the Smoky Bears taking on the Cougars. SCHS’s Hoffman would find Mason Ellis in the end zone to take a 7-0 lead. The Smoky Bears would later find themselves deep in Cougar territory again, but the Cougars’ defense would make a stand and keep the Bears out of the end zone. The quarter would end with the Smoky Bears ahead 7-0.
The Smoky Bears will be the first team to take the field for the regular season as they host Jefferson County on Thursday, August 18. Head coach Todd Loveday spoke to the team’s preparation to this point as they go into their rivalry game week one.
“These guys are just consistent, they have really high standards for themselves. They really don’t go up and down, they just play ball,” Loveday said, “the most important game is the next one you have, just stay consistent with how we play and it doesn’t really matter who we’re playing.”
