Walker Valley quarterback Kolten Gibson came up 72 yards shy of the best passing performance in Tennessee high school football history last week. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior completed 29 of 42 passes (with two interceptions) for 526 yards and seven touchdowns and ran nine times for 100 yards and another score in a 62-55 loss to Stone Memorial.
"He played darn good," Walker Valley coach Glen Ryan said of his senior quarterback.
Westwood quarterback Kenton Evans threw for 597 yards in 1994 and Upperman's Connor York had a combined rush/pass total of 713 yards in 2013. That was 87 yards better than Gibson's total last Friday.
Although the Mustangs are winless thus far, Gibson has put up monster numbers, throwing for 1,353 yards, a per-game average of 338 yards, to go with 15 TDs. Despite the numbers, Gibson has had little success with regard to his college future.
"Everybody says they like him, but nobody has pulled the trigger and made an offer," Ryan said. "Everybody worries about his durability, but he has been pounded and keeps getting up and coming back and playing his butt off."
Meigs up to No. 1
It had been 22 years since Meigs County enjoyed a No. 1 state football ranking, but the Tigers are there again, thanks to a 4-0 start and losses by other Class 2A powers, including Marion County.
"I don't know all the teams in the state, but we're not going to run and hide," Meigs coach Jason Fitzgerald said. "We know how we have to get to the playoffs, but as long as there's a poll out there and they want to recognize somebody, we'll take it. I'd rather be number one than number 20."
The 1995 season was the year Meigs last reached the state championship game. Those Tigers finished the year 14-1.
The veteran coach related a question put to him earlier this week regarding any concerns he might have about his players' focus.
"Hey, I'm dealing with 14- to 18-year-olds every day. I'm worried about girlfriends, injuries and school work. That ranking doesn't get us anything," he said.
TDs against cancer
South Pittsburg and Whitwell are two of the Tennessee football teams that have joined Pledge It and MaxPreps to battle childhood cancer.
Touchdowns Against Cancer is reported to be a first-of-its-kind national program aimed at teams across the country with the specific purpose of aiding in the battle against cancer.
Every touchdown scored by participating high schools from Sept. 14 to Sept. 30 will directly benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Funds are generated from pledges obtained by the participating teams.
"It's a really good cause, something we're passionate about, so this is a way for us to do something we love and hopefully pass on something to St. Jude," Whitwell coach Randall Bouldin said.
Whitwell is also encouraging all former players and cheerleaders to attend a gathering before next Friday's home game at 5 p.m. at the school cafeteria.
The school will honor teams from 1947, 1957 and 1987 during that game as well.
Grace best of Baptists
While many prep rivalries in the area have drawn more attention, Grace Academy seemingly quietly defeated Silverdale Academy 21-14 last Friday in a matchup of the Chattanooga Baptist schools with football programs.
The series is significant because they share a denomination, but also because the schools are less than three miles apart. And this year it was significant for the Golden Eagles because they hadn't beaten the Seahawks since 2011.
"We're playing better on defense than we have in a number of years," said Grace coach Bob Ateca, whose team is now 2-1 overall, 0-1 in its league. "We've always been a strong offensive team, but that just means that teams can outscore you."
Grace travels today to Knoxville to take on Concord Christian, a third-year varsity program it has beaten by a combined score of 113-7 the past two seasons. Next week the Golden Eagles, now a member of the Division II-A East Region, are scheduled to host Boyd-Buchanan - a team they played every year from 2007 to 2014 but never came close to beating. This year the Buccaneers are off to an 0-4 start heading into tonight's game against Notre Dame.