Chuckey Doak welcomed Pigeon Forge to Lower Afton Friday night for a Week 10 showdown with significant playoff implications in Region 1-3A. A win on senior night would have put the Black Knights in a strong position to host a first-round playoff game, while a loss would keep their postseason prospects up in the air.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the night, but Pigeon Forge ultimately claimed its fourth consecutive victory, 28-20, after opening the season with five straight losses.
Black Knight head coach Billy Kaylor described his team’s performance as one in which too many mistakes and missed opportunities proved costly.
“Our kids played hard, but we just made too many mistakes,” Kaylor said. “We had some opportunities multiple times in the game but did not do that well and a good team did. Kudos to Pigeon Forge. They are playing good football right now. We just didn’t play really well.”
Unicoi County has clinched the Region 1-3A championship, but going into week the 11 there is still positioning to play for. Gatlinburg-Pittman, Chuckey-Doak and Pigeon Forge will all advance to the postseason. If Chuckey-Doak can beat Gatlinburg-Pittman next week the Knights will be the No.2 seed and will play at home in the first round. If Chuckey-Doak loses to Gatlinburg-Pittman it will be the No.4 seed.
With a win next week against Gatlinburg-Pittman the Black Knights are in the playoffs. A loss and a Johnson County win over Unicoi would leave the Knights out. A win and a Pigeon Forge loss to Claiborne would give the Knights a home playoff game in the first round.
On their first drive the Black Knights marched down the field in 11 plays to grab the early lead. Quarterback Kiptyn Ball completed five of his first seven passes on the drive before connecting with Brody Myers for a 16-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, leaving Chuckey Doak with a 6-0 lead with 7:38 remaining in the opening quarter.
Pigeon Forge looked to answer on its ensuing possession. Donterrius Russell gained five yards on the first play from scrimmage, but quarterback Andrew Lewis was tackled for a two-yard loss on the next snap.
Facing third-and-seven, Lewis connected with Michael Lewis for a 40-yard gain to move the Tigers inside the Black Knight 20. However, Chuckey Doak’s defense came up with the game’s first takeaway when Myers intercepted a pass in the end zone on a big fourth-down play.
The Knights were unable to capitalize on the turnover. A facemask penalty following a potentially big run backed them up to their own 11-yard line. Ball completed an eight-yard pass to Skylar Davis, but an incompletion on the next play forced Chuckey Doak to punt.
Pigeon Forge took over at its own 43 and moved to the Black Knight 39 as the first quarter came to a close.
Lewis opened the second quarter with a 15-yard completion to Max Cable before Bryson Stockwell added an 11-yard run. Stockwell then capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. The successful two-point conversion put the Tigers ahead 8-6 with 10:31 remaining in the first half.
Davis nearly provided an immediate answer for the Black Knights when he fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 17-yard line and raced 83 yards for an apparent go-ahead touchdown. However, a holding penalty wiped out the return.
Chuckey Doak responded with a scoring drive of its own. Three quick completions from Ball to Braxton Lowe, along with a pair of runs by Brayden Greene, moved the Knights to the Tiger 36. Marcus Britt picked up additional yardage on consecutive carries before Ball connected with Davis for a 28-yard touchdown with 6:50 left in the half. The extra point gave Chuckey Doak a 13-8 advantage.
The Tigers answered with a methodical drive, moving from their own 26 to the Black Knight 8 before using their first timeout with 1:10 remaining in the half. After Lewis picked up additional yardage on a quarterback keeper, he finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to put Pigeon Forge back in front, 15-13.
Chuckey Doak had one final opportunity before halftime, but Ball’s pass with 22 seconds remaining was intercepted at the Pigeon Forge 24. The Tigers ran out the clock to take their two-point lead into the locker room.
The visitors wasted little time extending that advantage after the break. Pigeon Forge needed just four plays to find the end zone, with Lewis breaking free for a 36-yard touchdown run, his second score of the night. The extra point made it 22-13 with 10:36 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers then attempted an onside kick, but Chuckey Doak recovered at its own 42. Zaiden Shockey took over from there, carrying the ball four consecutive times to move the Knights to the Tiger 42.
Facing fourth-and-seven, Ball calmly connected with Myers for a 35-yard gain. Shockey finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and the extra point trimmed the deficit to 22-20 with 6:42 left in the third.
Pigeon Forge appeared poised to answer once again, relying on its ground game to move the ball and drain the clock. However, after Stockwell broke loose for a 20-yard gain, he fumbled at the Knight 14, where Mason Henderson recovered for Chuckey Doak.
Shockey picked up where he left off, gaining five yards on each of his first two carries. Ball followed with a 10-yard run on third-and-five to keep the drive moving.
Britt gained three yards on first down, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play proved costly, pushing the Knights backward as the third quarter came to a close.
An incompletion opened the final period, and Chuckey Doak was forced to punt from its own 20.
Pigeon Forge took over at its own 44 and again leaned on Russell and Lewis to move down the field. The Tigers reached the three-yard line, where Lewis finished the drive with his third touchdown of the night. The extra point was no good, leaving the Knights within striking distance at 28-20 with 5:30 remaining.
Chuckey Doak recovered another onside kick attempt and quickly went to work. Ball completed consecutive passes, finding Myers for seven yards before connecting with Davis for a 13-yard gain.
That would be the extent of the Knights’ final push. A one-yard loss on first down, an incompletion on second and no gain on third left Chuckey Doak facing fourth-and-11.
Ball’s desperation pass was intercepted, and Pigeon Forge ran out the final 2:34 to secure the eight-point victory.
Pigeon Forge finished with 420 yards of total offense, including 317 on the ground, while Chuckey Doak totaled 254 yards, with 167 coming through the air.
Russell led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 133 yards on 21 carries, while Lewis added 116 yards on 22 carries and accounted for three touchdowns.
Ball completed 14 of 21 passes for 167 yards. Myers led the Black Knights with four receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown.
With one regular-season game remaining, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Pigeon Forge and Chuckey Doak are all tied at 2-2 in region play. Chuckey Doak will host Gatlinburg-Pittman, while Pigeon Forge travels to Claiborne.
The Black Knights will need a victory over Gatlinburg-Pittman and a Pigeon Forge loss to secure a home playoff game. Any other combination of results would send Chuckey Doak on the road to open the postseason.
Kaylor knows what his team must do to improve its chances of hosting that first-round contest.
“We’ve got to play cleaner football and take advantage of opportunities.”
