Takeaways from Week 1

By Terry Futrell
August 18, 2018

Week 1 of the 2018 football season was surprising, if not shocking, for many Morgan County football fans. Let’s take a look at just a few of the significant events that took place.

Three Teams Drew a Blank

Three of the four Morgan County teams were held scoreless in their season openers.  Wartburg was blanked by Coalfield 49-0, Oakdale succumbed to Pickett County 22-0, and Sunbright fell to Sale Creek 21-0. These three teams have never been shut out on the same night in the past 18 years, and perhaps not before. The records on CoachT.com only go back to the 2001 season.

Coalfield is for Real

In their shutout of Wartburg, the Yellow Jackets defense was superb, allowing only 66 yards from scrimmage for the Bulldogs and only two downfield pass completions. Once the Yellow Jackets offense got started, they quickly ran up 49 points in only 20 minutes of playing time. The Yellow Jackets will most certainly be competitive in Class A Region 2.

Elsewhere in Class A Region 2

Several battles appear to be shaping up in Region 2. Defending state champ Greenback staked their claim as a potential repeat champion with a 31-14 victory over Class 3A cross-county rival Loudon. In a surprising show of strength, the Harriman Blue Devils downed Class 3A Roane County Rival Kingston 24-21 on Thursday night. After a down year in 2017 in which the Blue Devils posted a 2-4 Region 2 record, they have obviously made much progress and will be a tough opponent for Morgan County teams. After posting a similar 2-4 Region 2 record in 2017, the Midway Greenwave shocked Class 2A Rockwood Thursday night 6-0. Midway will be fighting to stay in the Region 2 competitive mix along with Greenback, Coalfield, and Harriman.

Folks, it is going to be an interesting 2018 football season!