Stephen has covered sports in the tri-state area for the Times Free Press for more than 26 years and was named Sports Editor in February of 2015 after 10 years as assistant sports editor, where he oversaw the prep sports staff. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP newsroom, having won 54 awards at the state, regional and national level ranging from investigative work to feature and news writing, including 22 awards in the past three years. Stephen was named one of the top 10 sports writers in the nation at the Associated Press Sports Editors' conference in Kissimmee Fla., in 2012, and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists with Green Eyeshade southeast regional awards three times, where his work was noted for its high standards of ethical journalism. He received an Associated Press national award for a season-long story following the Taft Youth Center football team, became the first writer from the TFP staff to win first-place as the state's top overall sports writer by the Associated Press Media Editors and has also been named the state's overall Writer of the Year three times in the past four years. He has been awarded the state's top prep writer a record 18 times, including each of the past six years, is the first writer on the TFP staff to win the prestigious Lawrenceburg Quarterback Club's Sports Writer of the Year and was recognized with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association's Sportsmanship Award for Contributor of the Year in the state. He is also a regular contributor previewing and highlighting prep football on local television. In 2013, Stephen co-authored a book about University of Tennessee football entitled "Game Of My Life". Stephen is a lifelong Chattanooga area resident and has two children, Riley and Lauren.
The spoils of a state championship season continue for McCallie's football program with seven Blue Tornado players being named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Division II-AAA all-state team. A total of 19 local players earned spots on the DII-AAA or DII-AA all-state teams.
by Stephen HargisAfter five seasons as South Pittsburg's defensive coordinator, Shawn Peek has accepted an offer to become the new head coach at Chattooga (Ga.) High.
by Stephen HargisDeep playoff runs translated into an impressive group of all-state selections for four Chattanooga-area Class 1A, 2A and 3A prep football teams.
by Stephen HargisJoey Mathis is going home, or at least close to it. Mathis resigned as Marion County's football coach Tuesday to accept the job as head coach at Coosa High in Rome (Ga.), which is closer to where much of his family currently lives.
by Stephen HargisTen high school football players from the Chattanooga area earned spots on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's 2019 all-state teams for classes 4A, 5A and 6A.
by Stephen HargisAfter a tough semifinal loss Friday, East Hamilton boys' basketball coach Andrew Webb had a simple message for his players.
by Stephen HargisFollowing a similar script from their first meeting one month earlier, the Signal Mountain girls' basketball team used a late fourth-quarter rally to knock off rival Red Bank in Friday's Times Free Press Best of Preps semifinals.
by Stephen HargisIt didn't take long for the Baylor boys' basketball team to reestablish itself among the favorites in the annual Times Free Press Best of Preps Tournament.
by Stephen HargisIt won't count in the district standings, but it definitely matters to both sides as far as the emotion of the rivalry.
by Stephen HargisThe past 12 months saw a mixture of traditional high school sports powers continue their dominance and new faces stepping into the spotlight.
by Stephen HargisCaleb Bagley resigned as head football coach at Coahulla Creek High School on Thursday, after three seasons with the program.
by Stephen HargisFor once, Brevin Sims took his time.
by Stephen HargisGary Murray has resigned as Hixson High School's head football coach after three seasons. Murray began working with the program in 2012 as an assistant coach, including as offensive coordinator in 2016.
by Stephen HargisIt's time to update life's certainties: death, taxes and Alcoa winning a state championship in football.
by Stephen HargisGoing into Thursday night's BlueCross Bowl Division II-AAA state championship game, most of the attention had been given to the McCallie offense — which was averaging 36 points per game — and the Montgomery Bell Academy defense, which hadn't allowed more than 14 points in a game as the Big Red won seven of their previous eight.
by Stephen HargisThe only thing that sputtered was a team bus on the way to the game.
by Stephen HargisBetter late than never.
by Stephen HargisAs the three-day spectacle of state championship football games begins Thursday at Tennessee Tech, it will mark the 20-year anniversary of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee sponsoring the event.
by Stephen HargisWhen the Blue Tornado step onto the turf inside Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium for the Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl, which is set for an 8 p.m. EST kickoff, they will be looking to snap a 14-game losing streak that spans 13 seasons and includes two playoff losses.
by Stephen HargisAl Rogers has resigned as head football coach at Silverdale Baptist Academy after nine seasons in charge of the program. Rogers told the team Tuesday afternoon.
by Stephen Hargis