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 two steps Logan Oetting took toward his team's sideline before collapsing could easily have been his last in a football uniform. Doctors would later tell his parents they could have been the last steps of his young life.
by Stephen Hargis 17 minutes agoThe anxiety and frustration regarding Tennessee high school sports peaked in early July.
by Stephen HargisThe only thing more impressive than the McCallie football team's return to the TSSAA Division II-AAA state championship game is the path it has taken there.
by Stephen HargisAll four games involving area teams are rematches either from earlier this season or from last year's postseason.
by Stephen HargisLegendary former East Ridge High School coach and administrator Catherine Neely, known to the thousands of girls who played for her simply as "Mama Cat," died early Wednesday morning after a lengthy illness. She was 78.
by Stephen HargisFive Chattanooga-area players have been named finalists for the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award in their respective classifications.
by Stephen HargisOne of the best seasons in the history of McMinn County's football program came to an end Monday evening not on the field but through a decision handed down by the TSSAA.
by Stephen HargisWith an entire defense focused elsewhere, Logan Carroll proved he is not the type player to be overlooked. As Hampton keyed on stopping Meigs County star running back Will Meadows, a Mr. Football semifinalist, Carroll stepped in to kick-start the Tigers offense in Friday's Class 2A second-round win.
by Stephen HargisThe McMinn County football team's second-round playoff game at Dobyns-Bennett was postponed Friday due to a COVID-19 issue that will not be resolved before Monday, TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress told the Times Free Press.
by Stephen HargisThe only adjustment made at halftime was attitude.
by Stephen HargisThe news was barely a half-hour old, hardly enough time for the reality to sink in, when Sam Hall decided he needed to express his feelings.
by Stephen HargisBaylor and McCallie are set to step back on the football field this weekend as eight Division II-AAA teams join the TSSAA playoffs.
by Stephen HargisClifford Kirk won more than 1,100 games in a career that spanned more than 30 years at Hixson, Soddy-Daisy and Sale Creek, with his team's achievements including 10 state championships.
by Stephen HargisOn the surface there would seem to be little common ground between the 1997 Tyner and 1987 Kirkman football teams.
by Stephen HargisDue to COVID-19 issues within the general student population at Chattanooga Christian, the Division II-AA football playoff quarterfinal game at Christ Presbyterian Academy has been canceled.
by Stephen HargisThere is a sign that hangs on the doorway leading out of the Tyner football locker room that reads "Success is not owned, it's rented. Rent is due every day."
by Stephen HargisSome early trickery helped get Sullivan South out of its comfort zone, but it was mainly just solid play on both sides of the ball that helped East Hamilton roll to an impressive 56-20 home win in the first round of the TSSAA Class 4A playoffs on Friday night.
by Stephen HargisIt wasn't easy, even requiring two late defensive stands, but Bradley Central's football team avenged losses in last year's first round as well as earlier this season by holding off Farragut 17-14 on Friday night to advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs for the first time in three years.
by Stephen HargisFor more than 50 years, the one guarantee under the TSSAA football playoff format was the "survive and advance" mantra.
by Stephen HargisThe four-week road trip to Cookeville for the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl state championship games begins Friday with 22 Chattanooga-area teams scheduled to step on the field for first-round playoff games. Two more area teams will join the mix when Division II-AAA begins its postseason next week.
by Stephen Hargis