Preview of August 31 Morgan County Football Games

By Terry Futrell and Greg Addington
August 28, 2018

All four Morgan County schools face tough opponents in Week 3 of the 2018 football season.

Coalfield vs Harriman

By Greg Addington

Coalfield begins region play hosting the Harriman Blue Devils on Rochelle Field this Friday night. The Jackets are looking to bounce back from a 21-0 setback against a physical and talented York Institute squad this past Friday night while Harriman defeated Wartburg 54-14 at Wallace-Black Field.

The Jackets bested the Devils last year at Harriman 48-7 and just like the Dragons last week, the Blue Devils are looking for revenge on Coalfield’s home field.  A year ago Coalfield jumped out quickly, scoring three times in the first 11 minutes and building a 41-0 advantage at intermission. This year, CHS is looking for a better night offensively than what was experienced a week ago.  The offense did look good at times against a very solid York defensive front, however penalties and turnovers stopped momentum at inopportune times.

Taking a look at Coalfield’s Friday night opponent, the Devils operate out of the pistol formation.  Junior quarterback Bradly Frost is an effective dual-treat quarterback and can throw or run and scored both through the air and running the football.  Trezdin Copeland scored four rushing touchdowns on the night for HHS and Giovanni Cromwell is Coach Travis Tapp’s deep play threat, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 49-yard touchdown strike from Frost.

Defensively, the Blue Devils line up in a 4-3.  They defend the pass well (Cromwell had two interceptions and Copeland added a third), however Wartburg did have some success at times running the football. Harriman does have good speed on both sides of the ball and will be a strong test for Coach Keith Henry’s Jackets on Friday.

Wartburg at Oneida

For the second week in a row, the Wartburg Bulldogs started out strong before finally losing out to Harriman 54-14. The Bulldogs led Harriman 14-7 before the Blue Devils tied the game and then continued to build a lead. The Bulldogs continue to rely heavily on the run with injured quarterback Tyler Davis forced to watch from the sidelines. But, two touchdowns against Harriman shows progress after being shut out by Coalfield in Week 1, especially when one resulted from a 33-yard run from scrimmage by fill-in quarterback Josh Moore.

The Oneida Indians are on a roll, having handily won their first two games against Class 3A opponents Claiborne County (49-9) and Gatlinburg-Pittman (33-14). The Indians sport a new wing-T offense that appears to be giving opponents much difficulty. The Indians are ranked No. 10 in the State in Class 2A and appear to be strong in every aspect of the game. Oneida will be a tough opponent for the Bulldogs.

Oneida may very well be Wartburg’s toughest opponent of the season.

Oakdale vs Midway

After losing to Pickett County in Week 1, the Oakdale Eagles quickly turned the tide and won a hard-fought battle with Jellico 12-8 in Week 2. The Eagles showed real improvement in Week 2, both offensively and defensively. As the team gets more and more practice reps, they should continue to improve throughout the season. These improvements will be put to the test this week when undefeated Midway comes to Hollis Eble field.

Midway comes to Oakdale sporting a 2-0 record, thanks to two significant victories over Class 2A Rockwood (6-0) and Monterey (40-12). The Greenwave are tough on defense and can capitalize on opponent mistakes, as Monterey found out when Midway converted two Monterey fumbles into touchdowns late in the game to add a safety cushion to their 28-12 lead. Midway’s offense can be explosive – big plays have played a huge role in their success. A good example was a 49-yard scoring pass from quarterback Jason Taylor to Andrew Burton that quickly responded to a Monterey comeback attempt.

The Midway Greenwave will prove to be a tough competitor for the Oakdale Eagles.

Sunbright vs Greenback

Sunbright’s opener with Sale Creek in Week 1 was cancelled due to lightning and the Tigers were off in Week 2. Going into their Week 3 home matchup with Greenback, we have little by which to gauge the capabilities and probable performance of the Tigers. What we do know is that Sunbright’s offensive and defensive lines are big and stronger this year. Coach Joe Kent has instilled in the Tigers a level of confidence that will make them more competitive.

Greenback, expected to repeat as State champion and currently ranked No. 1, comes to Tiger town fresh off two dominating victories over Class 3A Loudon (31-14) and traditionally strong Division II Class 2A CAK (63-20). The Cherokees defeated Sunbright in their 2017 game 48-0 and look to dominate this game.

This will definitely be Sunbright’s toughest game of the season and one that will most assuredly put the Tigers to the test.