To say the least, this year has been a little wild. However, one normal has remained this fall, even though it, itself, has been subjected to the \u201cnew normal.\u201d That, of course, is prep football in Tennessee. Already, we have reached the halfway point of the regular season and there\u2019s still plenty of great action left and stories to be told. Here is the preview of the top games to watch for in Week 5 in the Knoxville area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notable Week 4 Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CLASS 6A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bearden (0-2) vs. Maryville (3-0) \u2013 <\/strong>There will only be a handful of times that Maryville will face adversity throughout a season, and the first time usually comes when the Rebels take on crosstown archrival, Alcoa. This was the case in Week 4, as Maryville found themselves down 9-0 in the 3rd<\/sup> quarter to the Tornadoes. However, some key defensive stops and two rushing TDs from QB Carson Jones later, and the Rebels extended their winning streak to 18 games. With Bearden getting handled by Dobyns-Bennett and Bradley Central to open the Bulldogs\u2019 season, there\u2019s high chances that Maryville\u2019s streak goes to 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Farragut (2-1) vs. Morristown West (2-0) \u2013 <\/strong>After being handled by Knoxville West 30-7, the Farragut Admirals next took the field against Oak Ridge on a Thursday night TV game and turned a 180 on offense, exploding for a 45-point output in the win. Dawson Moore looked sharp against the Wildcats and has offensive weapons in Matt White and Schumann Xie surrounding him. They will face a challenge from the 2-0 Trojans of Morristown West, who have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 49-7. Running back Hunter Delaney can explode for yards in a hurry, so the potential for fireworks in this one is likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CLASS 5A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n South-Doyle (3-1) vs. Sevier Co. (2-1) \u2013 <\/strong>The South-Doyle Cherokees got what could be seen as a season-defining win last week, overcoming a 21-7 4th<\/sup> quarter deficit to take down Anderson County 22-21. With weapons such as Noah Myers and Shawn Gary, the \u2018Kees could still have something to say in the fight to be the best of a stack 5A class in the East Tennessee area. S-D will have very stout competition in visiting Sevier County. The Smoky Bears possess a lethal offense with QB Collin Shannon and are hitting their groove early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knoxville Central (4-0) vs. Powell (4-0) \u2013 <\/strong>Wow. What a treat that was delivered to fans on Wednesday with the sudden announcement of this matchup. With Central\u2019s game at Seymour and Powell\u2019s contest at Clinton both forfeited due to COVID issues for their respective opponents, these elite squads will meet for the first time since 2016. The two-time defending state champ Bobcats host one of the best overall squads in the area in the Panthers. The Ironman specialists in the Fortner twins for Central will face QB Jordyn Potts and the stacked WR corps of Powell. No region standings will be affected in this one, but this could be a postseason preview and we didn\u2019t even know it would be happening. Christmas in September?<\/p>\n\n\n\n CLASS 4A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Austin-East (0-4) vs. Greeneville (1-2) \u2013 <\/strong>While one of these teams technically has a win, both are looking for their first one on the field. Like everything else in 2020, Greeneville\u2019s season has been weird thus far, having its Week 1 contest canceled and its Week 3 game against Union County forfeited to them, all due to COVID. On the field, it\u2019s been a heart-breaking loss to Daniel Boone and a thrashing at the hands of Science Hill, easily the roughest start for the Greene Devils in a while. They will go for the first \u201creal\u201d win against a Roadrunners squad that has not looked competitive thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CLASS 3A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pigeon Forge (2-0) vs. Alcoa (3-1) \u2013 <\/strong>Hey, it\u2019s not every year that Pigeon Forge can face Alcoa and say that they\u2019re the unbeaten team heading into the match. Good for the Tigers to start hot out of the gate in the first year of head coach Scott Meadows\u2019 tenure. Okay, but we know what will happen when the Tornadoes come to town. Hopefully PF can look competitive, because Alcoa will be out to exorcise the demons from the 14-9 loss to Maryville last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DIVISION II-AAA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Knoxville Catholic (2-1) vs. McCallie (3-1) \u2013 <\/strong>This will be the first time that Catholic has seen the field since Aug. 29, as the scheduled Sept. 4 matchup with Ensworth was forfeited to the Irish due to COVID. This will be a fantastic contest as the young talent of Catholic in Kaden Martin and Keondre Jarmon lead the way for the Irish. The defending Division II-AAA champs, McCallie, have look just as solid despite a 30-27 loss to Brentwood Academy two weeks ago. A season ago, Catholic struggled against some of their regional peers, including a 56-19 drubbing to the Blue Tornado. This time, it should be much, much closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DIVISION II-AA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chattanooga Notre Dame (2-1) vs. Knoxville Grace (4-0) \u2013 <\/strong>Grace head coach Rusty Bradley has been known for producing high-flying offenses over the years. However, he may have one of his most complete squads this season. The Rams had not pitched a shutout since 2016 coming into this season, and they already have done it twice in four games. For the regional opener, the Rams will travel down to Chattanooga to take on the Irish. Notre Dame lost its regional opener to Silverdale Academy 31-13, but are coming off of a bye week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To say the least, this year has been a little wild. However, one normal has remained this fall, even though it, itself, has been subjected to the \u201cnew normal.\u201d That, of course, is prep football in Tennessee. 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