ALCOA — One thing coaches across every level of the game are quicker to say than just about anything else: “There are no moral victories in football.”
Especially when it’s a region game that counts towards playoff standings, the only victory that matters in football is the one on the scoreboard. That’s perhaps even more true when one team manages to shut out the opposing team. And, yet, Scott High left Alcoa with reason to hold its head high after a 38-0 loss to the Tornadoes on Friday.
The Highlanders, undersized and out-manned with 30-something players on its roster, stood eyeball-to-eyeball with the winners of the last five state championships in Tennessee Class 3A football. And they didn’t flinch.
“I cannot in good conscience not applaud the leadership and effort of the way those guys played tonight,” Scott High coach Josh Terry said of his team’s effort in the Region 2-3A opener.
The 38 points scored by Alcoa were the fewest the Tornadoes have scored against the Highlanders in 13 games, since the two teams became region opponents in 2009.
Scott High forced Alcoa to settle for a field goal on its first drive after its defense bowed its back in the red zone, and senior Caleb Jeffers recorded a big sack.
Later, in the second quarter, River Gray — another senior — intercepted a pass to thwart an Alcoa scoring attempt.
“They’re Alcoa,” Terry said. “Our guys lined up and played. Obviously we have some stuff to sharpen up on, but from an effort standpoint I’m flattered by the guts, the way my guys went toe-to-toe with the best in Tennessee.”
One week earlier, Alcoa put up 55 points in a shutout win over Austin-East. They also scored 35 in the season-opener against Blackman, a Class 6A team that finished in the quarterfinals of the state’s largest classification last season.
By the end of the night, the Tornadoes had won with a running clock in the fourth quarter. But they knew they had been in a ballgame.
“We were expecting a win, but they came prepared, and we weren’t really ready for that,” Alcoa quarterback Zach Lunsford told The Daily Times.
Offensively, Alcoa’s defense did Alcoa things, making yards difficult to come by for the Highlanders. The Tornadoes have given up only one touchdown through 12 quarters of play this season, and the Highlanders accumulated only 40 yards during Friday’s game.
However, there were bright spots in the second and fourth quarters. The Highlanders got the ball across midfield and into Alcoa territory in the second quarter before eventually being forced to punt. They strung together first downs in a drive to start the fourth quarter, as well.
Sophomore William Young finished the game with 51 rushing yards on 11 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
“I think defensively it’s probably the fastest defense in high school that I’ve watched,” Terry said. “They’re not very friendly. Everyone knows who Alcoa is. But this one in particular is fast. I’m flattered by my guys as far as the effort goes. Defensively, they’ve got a bunch of guys that are going to play college football and big-time college football. We went toe-to-toe with them and took our punches.
“If you know (Alcoa coach) Gary Rankin, he’s sincere pretty much 100% of the time, whether you like it or disagree with it or whatever,” Terry added. “And he was complementary of our boys. That means a lot, coming from him.”
The Highlanders will next face Grainger on September 11. It’ll be the home opener at Highlander Stadium, and Terry said he and his team are excited to be in a friendly environment. And, he said, the Alcoa game will have them battle-tested.
“Whatever happens, you want your guys to know they’re going toe-to-toe with the best in Tennessee,” he said. “From that standpoint, how are you going to approach Kingston? How are you going to approach Northview and Gatlinburg and everybody else? But from a nerves standpoint, what have you got to be afraid of when you’ve seen the worst of the worst?”
Complete game stats: Scott vs. Alcoa
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