On the evening after learning he was once again a state Mr. Football semifinalist, Meigs County's Aaron Swafford went out and proved why he was selected.
The senior quarterback helped lead his third-ranked team to a 41-6 win over Happy Valley in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs, compiling 256 total yards and four touchdowns. For that performance, Swafford has been selected as Times Free Press player of the week.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Naval Academy commitment ran for 160 yards and three first-quarter TDs and threw for 96 yards and a 64-yard TD in the second quarter, helping the Tigers take control early.
"The big thing is people know we're going to run him and he's still getting his yardage and doing what he does for us," Tigers coach Jason Fitzgerald said. "A lot of that credit goes to the offensive line up front for doing their job, opening the holes and taking care of him.
"Aaron is doing what he's done for us for four years. He's just special."
Swafford's scoring runs covered 1, 5 and 37 yards as the Tigers (10-1) scored all their points in the first half.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd/ Meigs County quarterback Aaron Swafford (19) runs with the football. The Meigs County Tigers visited the South Pittsburg Pirates in TSSAA football action on October 11, 2019.Swafford is one of seven Chattanooga-area players to be named a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist. He has been a finalist each of the past two seasons, winning the award last year. He and McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy are the only two area players who were also semifinalists last year.
This year's finalists will be announced on Nov. 19 on the NFL team's website (titansonline.com) and will be invited to attend the awards luncheon at Nissan Stadium, where the winners will be revealed on Dec. 2.
This season Swafford has thrown for 981 yards and 10 touchdowns, rushed for 1,539 yards and 21 touchdowns, made 49 tackles and intercepted four passes. As the Tigers' starting quarterback since he was a freshman, he has a 45-5 career record.
"I've experienced being Mr. Football and it's a great honor, but my main goal is to be focused on doing whatever I can to help my team get to the state championship now," Swafford said last week when he was named a semifinalist.
The Tigers (10-1), who outgained Happy Valley 362-70 in total yards and have reached at least the quarterfinals the last two seasons, will host sixth-ranked South Greene (10-1), which won 20-7 against Rockwood, in Friday's second round.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.