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.
There is not yet a plan in place but there are now options for how the prep football season could be played in Tennessee this fall.
by Stephen HargisThe annual "dead period" in Tennessee and Georgia has been anything but as the expected return of high school sports in the two states is in doubt after the states' governors extended the public health state of emergency this week due to recent dramatic spikes in the number of COVID-19 positive test results.
by Stephen Hargis and Lindsey YoungThe first real blow to having the high school football season kick off on time in Tennessee and Georgia was dealt on Monday.
by Stephen HargisThe disappointment of missing out on what could have been a record-breaking senior season was lessened slightly for Brevin Sims on Monday when the Arts & Sciences star was named Gatorade track and field athlete of the year for Tennessee.
by Stephen HargisOn the heels of the school's first football state championship since 2001 and its first cross country state title in seven years, McCallie finished ranked No. 13 in the 2019 fall sports national MaxPreps Cup standings for boys' schools.
by Stephen HargisMcCallie football standout B.J. Harris, who will be a senior this coming season, has committed to Missouri.
by Stephen HargisDespite spring sports being canceled due to the outbreak, there were still 18 award winners announced during the half-hour show, which included several sports celebrities making appearances to send congratulations and best wishes.
by Stephen HargisEarning championship hardware was not a prerequisite to becoming a finalist for Scrappy Moore Best of Preps Coach of the Year, but it certainly didn't hurt.
by Stephen HargisThe list of accomplishments by the finalists for this year's Best of Preps Male Athlete of the Year range from statewide dominance of their sports to national recognition.
by Stephen HargisBaseball has been a part of Steve Garland's life for more than 40 years, including 28 seasons of building one of the most successful prep coaching résumés Hamilton County has seen.
by Stephen HargisFor the most part, the finalists for this year's Best of Preps Female Athlete of the Year award were single-minded in their focus.
by Stephen HargisThe 1,000-watt smile is still the same. So, too, is the jaw-dropping ability on the track and the relentless determination to realize a dream she has chased for years.
by Stephen HargisIt is rare for any local high school athlete to have the opportunity to attend Harvard University. Brothers earning that opportunity is even more rare.
by Stephen HargisAfter a spring in which nothing involving high school sports went as scheduled, the TSSAA has determined the two-week summer dead period will remain business as usual.
by Stephen HargisThe TSSAA Legislative Council held a virtual meeting Thursday to determine whether to waive the annual two-week dead period, which prohibits athletes and teams from working out with coaches or on school grounds.
by Stephen HargisFor more than 20 years, there has been one local sports event that culminated with only winners.
by Stephen HargisHamilton Heights has named former Brainerd assistant coach Stephen Cook as its new boys' basketball coach.
by Stephen HargisThe tornadoes that swept through the Chattanooga area on April 12 destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Grace Baptist Academy was among the structures that were damaged beyond repair.
by Stephen HargisThe TSSAA and the GHSA have released official guidelines for the return of offseason workouts for all of their sanctioned sports, including football, as the nation begins to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
by Stephen Hargis and Lindsey YoungFor more than a decade, Chattanooga has produced some of the top high school track talent in the state.
by Stephen Hargis