The Alcoa High School football program’s state championship reign is closing in on a decade of dominance, and the Tornadoes have shown no signs of stopping.
A year after breaking their own TSSAA record for consecutive titles, they extended it by lifting the Class 3A gold ball trophy for the ninth season in a row, beating East Nashville 42-20 on Friday to kick off the second of three days of BlueCross Bowl competition at Finley Stadium.
The Blount County program also added to its record for most TSSAA football state titles with its 22nd overall — five more than rival Maryville, the next-closest team on the list — and the Tornadoes have been champions 10 of the past 11 seasons, with the streak interrupted by a runner-up finish in 2014. They had a record-setting run of seven consecutive state championships from 2004-10 — no other TSSAA team has won more than four straight — and they also won three in a row from 1977-79. Their other titles came in 1989 and 2000.
Alcoa (13-1) beat East Nashville (12-3) in the BlueCross Bowl for the third year in a row, and the Tornadoes set the tone early in Friday’s matchup when freshman defensive back Micah Jones returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown on the first series of the game. Alcoa, which scored 28 points off turnovers in the game, led just 14-7 after the first quarter but went to halftime ahead 35-7 and had a 42-7 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
BlueCross Bowl MVP Eli Graf accounted for three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground, all in the first half, which included the junior’s 50-yard screen pass to senior Elijah Cannon, who cut back and forth down the left sideline on his way to the end zone.
East Nashville sophomore running back Kelan Anderson exploded for a season-high 258 of the Eagles’ 314 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Tornadoes rushed for just 91 yards.
Anderson set a TSSAA state championship game record with 3:16 left in the fourth quarter on his 99-yard touchdown run up the middle. The previous record for the longest run in a title game was 91 yards, which had been done twice.
Alcoa’s defense had interceptions on the first two drives of the game and was stingy against the pass, allowing 16 yards through the air on 11 attempts.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / East Nashville sophomore Kelan Anderson dives in for a touchdown in Friday’s TSSAA Class 3A BlueCross Bowl state championship game against Alcoa at Finley Stadium. Anderson rushed for a game-high 258 yards.Knoxville West 24, Page 19
A dream scenario occurred for West senior defensive back Syxx Hoard on the final play of Friday night’s Class 5A BlueCross Bowl.
Having already snagged a career-high three interceptions in the championship game, Hoard provided double coverage with An’terius McAlister to break up a potential winning touchdown pass to Page star Eric Hazzard, a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist who plays both tight end and linebacker.
Those on the Rebels’ sideline then stormed onto the field to celebrate back-to-back BlueCross Bowl victories over the Patriots. The Rebels won 47-13 last year against Page — which also lost the 2021 title game, 42-34 to Powell.
“That was a dream finish for me,” said Hoard, who finished the season with seven interceptions for West (14-1) and was named BlueCross Bowl MVP. “Everybody was counting on me for a play at the end there, and I am blessed I could lock up the state title for my school.
“I am so thankful for my DBs coach (David Roberts). He trained us to stay patient and just do us and be ourselves. He really helped me get better as a player and be ready to make big plays in these type of moments. This is a night we will always remember.”
Hoard had a touchdown catch in last year’s thumping of Page, which finished 13-2 this season.
In the rematch, West senior receiver Connor Cummings hauled in two touchdown passes to build a commanding 24-7 lead with 8:16 left in the third quarter. To end the first half, Cummings slipped behind two defensive backs down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown catch that was followed by a 27-yard score for Hunter Dance.
“This was all so worth every bit of pain I am feeling right now,” said Cummings, who broke a rib on his second touchdown as he landed hard in the back of the end zone while securing the contested catch. “This state championship victory is going to last with me forever. To come up big for our team at this stage is something I am so thankful to be able to do.”
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Knoxville West senior defensive back Syxx Hoard (6) had three interceptions to help the Rebels beat Page 24-19 in the TSSAA Class 5A BlueCross Bowl state championship game Friday at Finley Stadium.The Rebels scored 10 points off Hoard’s trio of interceptions in a game where the victors only had eight first downs and 183 total yards compared to Page’s 369.
Hoard helped take away the Patriots’ top receiver, Henry Cason, who finished the game with zero catches.
“I was just reading and baiting,” Hoard said. “I knew their quarterback was looking at their best receiver, No. 3, and I just had them. I wasn’t going to let them beat us.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.