Chuckey Doak and Gatlinburg-Pittman entered Thursday night’s Region 1-3A matchup with identical 5-4 records, with both teams looking to secure the No. 2 seed and the opportunity to host a first-round playoff game next week. The two teams traded blows early, but in the end, Marshall Gay stole the show, rushing for a school-record 356 yards on 23 carries and four touchdowns to lead the Highlanders to a 40-21 victory.
Chuckey Doak head coach Billy Kaylor gave credit to the Highlanders following the loss.
“They are a very good football team. We played hard but just made too many mistakes, including too many missed tackles and too many missed opportunities on offense.”
Gatlinburg-Pittman won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving the Black Knights the first possession. However, Chuckey Doak managed just five yards on three plays before being forced to punt.
The Highlanders took over at their own 23 and quickly went to work. Gay picked up 18 yards on the first two plays, and a Black Knight penalty moved the ball across midfield to the 46. Quarterback Ben Seavy then connected with Jackson Savarese for a 14-yard gain, followed by a 1-yard run from Gay to move the ball to the 31.
On the very next play, Seavy found Savarese for a 31-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 7-0 with 8:04 remaining in the opening quarter.
Chuckey Doak wasted little time answering, turning its second offensive possession into a quick-strike scoring drive. After fair-catching the kickoff at their own 27, the Knights needed just three plays to find the end zone. Kiptyn Ball connected with Cobe Love, who raced 72 yards for the touchdown. The PAT tied the game at 7-7.
Gatlinburg-Pittman wasn’t about to be outdone, taking the ensuing kickoff and marching 60 yards in just four plays to regain the lead. Gay was once again the focal point, breaking loose for a 59-yard gain on the second play from scrimmage before punching it in from four yards out. The extra point put the Highlanders ahead 14-7 with 3:48 remaining in the quarter.
The Black Knights looked to answer when Ball connected with Skylar Davis on a screen pass for an 18-yard gain, but the Highlanders tightened up defensively and forced another punt.
Gatlinburg-Pittman took over at its own 12 and moved all the way to the Black Knight 24 before a holding penalty pushed the visitors backward. The opening quarter came to a close with the Highlanders facing a difficult situation.
The second quarter began with Chuckey Doak appearing to have Gatlinburg-Pittman on the ropes. The Black Knights forced the Highlanders into a fourth-and-14 situation following an incomplete pass and a 3-yard gain by Gay. However, Seavy silenced the home crowd by finding Hayden Shultz for a 29-yard touchdown. The extra point extended the lead to 21-7 with 11:08 remaining in the half.
Chuckey Doak went three-and-out on its next possession and punted, with the ball downed at the Highlander 27. The visitors took over looking to extend their advantage.
Gatlinburg-Pittman moved the ball to the Black Knight 28 behind the running of Gay and the passing of Seavy, but a false-start penalty backed the Highlanders up to the 33. That’s when Davis provided a spark for the home sideline, intercepting a pass and racing 81 yards for a pick-six. The extra point cut the deficit to 21-14 with 6:00 remaining in the half.
After the teams exchanged punts, Gay found the end zone again, this time breaking loose for a 55-yard touchdown run. The Black Knights blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving the score at 27-14 with 3:06 remaining before halftime.
Chuckey Doak had an opportunity to cut further into the deficit before the break, moving from its own 35 to the Highlander 18. The big play came on a 22-yard completion from Ball to Brody Myers. However, the drive came to an end when Savarese intercepted a pass at the 5-yard line, sending the teams to the locker room with Gatlinburg-Pittman holding a 27-14 advantage.
The Highlanders showed no signs of slowing down to open the second half. After piling up 348 yards of total offense in the first half, Gay took the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter 64 yards for another touchdown. The extra point pushed the lead to 34-14 with 11:41 remaining in the period.
Chuckey Doak continued to battle. Zaiden Shockey picked up five yards, and a Highlander penalty moved the ball to the 25. An intentional-grounding penalty later put the Knights in a difficult third-down situation, but Ball connected with Davis for a 43-yard completion to set up first-and-goal at the 1.
The Knights, however, couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. Ball attempted to sneak into the end zone from the 1, but the ball came loose and was recovered by Gatlinburg-Pittman at its own 4.
The Highlanders were unable to take advantage of the turnover and were forced to punt after picking up just one first down.
Chuckey Doak appeared to be moving again after two incompletions were followed by a 28-yard completion from Ball to Myers. However, a 4-yard pass to Braxton Lowe and a 4-yard run by Marcus Britt left the Knights facing fourth-and-2. They were unable to convert, giving the ball back to the Highlanders.
Gatlinburg-Pittman looked content to keep the ball on the ground and take time off the clock. Jonathan Garcia picked up gains of 14 and 10 yards before Seavy connected with Savarese for another 14-yard gain.
Garcia then carried the ball four consecutive times for 23 yards, moving the Highlanders down to the 3-yard line as the third quarter expired with the visitors leading 34-14.
Gatlinburg-Pittman opened the final period with a 20-yard field-goal attempt, but the Black Knights came up with a big defensive play, blocking the kick to keep the score unchanged.
Chuckey Doak took over at its own 7 and began putting together a drive. The Knights moved the ball close to midfield before Ball connected with Lowe for an 11-yard gain, advancing to the Highlander 36. On the very next play, Ball dropped back to pass but was forced out of the pocket. He then scrambled 36 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 34-21 with 9:16 remaining.
Trailing by just two possessions, the Knights stayed within striking distance when Davis successfully recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Gatlinburg-Pittman 45. Chuckey Doak received another opportunity when the Highlanders were flagged for pass interference on a fourth-down play, but a subsequent interception ended the comeback hopes.
Gay put the finishing touches on the Highlander victory, breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the night, with 3:02 remaining. The extra point was no good, making the final score 40-21.
Ball, who finished with 215 passing yards while completing 11 of 26 attempts, got one final opportunity but was intercepted for the third time, bringing the night to a close.
Gatlinburg-Pittman finished with 629 yards of total offense, including 477 on the ground. The Highlanders will host either Austin-East or Kingston in the opening round of the playoffs, while Chuckey Doak will hit the road to face Meigs County, which defeated Kingston 28-18.
“We now have to go to work tomorrow and start watching tape to get the best game plan that we can and prepare to go on the road and play a really good team,” Kaylor explained. “These seniors will have at least four more practices, and we get to play football in November, which is something that hasn’t been done in the last few years.”
