PREP FOOTBALL: Tennessee High falls to Daniel Boone in TSSAA playoffs

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Entering Friday night, the Tennessee High football team had not trailed for 46 consecutive quarters.
That streak ended against the Daniel Boone Trailblazers. So did the dream season for the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Vikings.

Daniel Boone used a diverse offense and a physical defense to stop THS, 23-14, in the second round of the TSSAA Class 5A playoffs.

Tennessee High relied on big plays to rout Boone, 51-26, two weeks ago at the Stone Castle. But the record-setting THS offense never found a rhythm Friday. THS managed just seven yards rushing.

“We could not establish momentum and pick up first downs like we normally do,” said THS coach Greg Stubbs. “Boone was well-prepared. They popped us on the chin early and hit some big plays, like we hit on them in the first game."

Daniel Boone coach Jeremy Jenkins spent much of the week designing innovative pass routes from the shotgun formation. That extra work paid off as the Trailblazers used two big completions in the first quarter to open a 10-0 lead. Brandon Burkey capped a 75-yard drive with a 30-yard field goal, then Dakota Whitson scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass.

“We’ve been working on a few new plays in practice,” said Boone receiver Jessee Collins. “We want to grab the momentum off the bat, and that’s what we did. Taking the number one team in the state down, that’s a big win for our program.”

Boone, which featured a pair of 6-foot-3 quarterbacks, went back to its traditional power-running game in the second half and gradually wore down the injury-depleted THS defense with time-consuming drives.

THS closed to within 16-14 with 2:13 left in the third quarter as quarterback Taylor Harmon connected with John Ellis Davis on a 14-yard score.
Prolific THS running back Keenan Shepard, who has been slowed by ankle and knee injuries, managed just two yards rushing on four carries while fullback Bradley Tallman saw limited duty on offense due to a broken hand. Orlando Gammon led THS with 21 yards rushing on three carries.

“We ran the ball extremely well, our quarterbacks made some big plays and our linemen blocked their tails off, but this game was won on defense,” said Boone coach Jeremy Jenkins, who played middle linebacker at Boone from 1989-92. “We wanted to make Tennessee High one-dimensional and make them run the ball.”

Harmon, who has established a variety of THS passing records, threw for 149 yards Friday despite facing heavy pressure. The Vikings were unable to counter the relentless Boone offense, which generated over 350 yards.

Senior running back Blake Shropshire led Boone with 73 yards rushing on 19 carries.

“Our best defense is our offense, so we knew that we had to keep [Tennessee High’s] offense off the field,’’ said Boone quarterback Austin Reppart. “I don’t know if they were expecting us to pass the ball as much as we did, but we knew that we had get the ball moving.”

Reppart and Kevin Connell combined for 180 yards passing against a THS secondary that established a new school record with 25 interceptions.

“We were off-balance on defense the past two games, and just couldn’t seem to stop the passing game,” said THS defensive back Austin Snyder. “It’s been an awesome run, and we will always remember this season. Boone has a really good team, and things just didn’t work out for us.”

The Vikings, who used a sophomore at middle linebacker, were forced to play most of the game without starting defensive tackle Cameron Bell.

“We had some kids banged up, but I don’t ever talk about injuries or use injuries as an excuse,” Stubbs said.

Students from Daniel Boone stormed the field following the game. Meanwhile, the Vikings struggled to control their emotions after the sudden end to a dream season.

“It’s been quite a year, and I feel for our kids,” Stubbs said. “I know they are hurting right now, but it’s get the job done or go home at this point. We didn’t quite get the job done tonight, so we go home.”

The Trailblazers will continue their march after reaching the 10-win mark for the first time.

“This is probably the biggest win in Boone history,” Reppart said. “We knew what we had to do, and we got it done."

Daniel Boone 10 0 6 7—23
Tennessee High 0 7 7 0—14
Scoring Summary
DB-Burkey 30 FG
DB-Whitson 17 pass from Connell (Burkey kick)
THS-Tallman 1 run (Graham kick)
DB-Shropshire 7 run (kick failed)
THS-Ellis 14 pass from Harmon (Graham kick)
DB-Shropshire 1 run (Burkey kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: DB 15, THS 7: Rushes-Yards: DB 48-175, THS 12-7; Passing Yards: DB 180, THS 149; Comp.-Att.-Int.: DB 9-20-3, THS 12-26-1; Fumbles-Lost: DB 0-0, THS 1-1; Penalties-Yards: DB 2-25, THS 2-20; Punts-Average: DB 2-35, THS 7-38