In the first two weeks of the football season, cross-town rivals Chuckey-Doak and West Greene appeared to be heading in opposite directions.
The Black Knights entered Friday night’s matchup at 2-0, averaging nearly 39 points per game, while the Buffaloes came in winless and surrendering about 34 points per contest. But when the two teams clashed on Friday night fans were treated to a defensive battle that was not decided until the final play, as Chuckey-Doak escaping The Range with a 14-7 win.
After a scoreless first quarter, where neither side found much offensive rhythm, the Black Knights struck first. With 9:47 left in the second quarter. Quarterback Kiptyn Ball tossed a quick pass to Dominique Atchison, who slid into the end zone for the game’s opening touchdown. The extra point made it 7-0, a score that held until halftime.
Chuckey-Doak totaled just 118 yards in the first half, but West Greene managed only 21 yards.
“Hats off to our defense,” said West Greene coach Evan Monroe. “We challenged them all week to slow down a powerful offense, and they ended up holding them to their lowest offensive output of the season.”
The Buffaloes came out strong after halftime, using their best starting field position of the night—inside Black Knight territory. Behind a steady ground attack, they drove the ball downfield, and with 11:20 left in the third quarter Trystan Banks powered in from 12 yards out to tie the game at 7-7.
Chuckey-Doak wasted little time answering. Leaning on the hard running of Ball and Brayden Greene, along with timely receptions from Atchison and Dominic Hahnlan.
The Knights marched inside the One-yard line. From there, Marcus Britt finished the drive with a plunge into the end zone, putting the Black Knights back in front 14-7 with 7:02 remaining in the third.
“Although we didn’t play that well overall, we responded with a lot of fight and effort, which is what you want,” said Chuckey-Doak coach Billy Kaylor.
West Greene, however, wasn’t done. The Buffaloes leaned on Banks, Kyler Patterson, and quarterback Austin Brown to piece together a grinding fourth-quarter drive that kept the Knights on their heels.
They even pulled off some trickery. Facing a fourth-and-four with 8:26 left, West Greene lined up to punt but instead snapped the ball to Shawn Bailey, who raced down the sideline past the Chuckey-Doak bench for a first down. Soon after, Patterson broke loose for a big gain but nearly lost the ball—saved only by teammate Matthew Harral’s recovery.
The Buffaloes pushed inside the 10-yard line in the final minutes, threatening to tie or even take the lead. But a holding penalty stalled momentum and three straight plays went backward. That set up a do-or-die moment with 1:23 on the clock. Brown launched a well-placed pass toward the end zone, but Hahnlan and Greene broke it up to preserve the Black Knights’ win.
“That high-pressure situation is tough at any level,” Kaylor said. “I’m extremely proud of our kids and how they locked in to finish the game.”
Chuckey-Doak finished with 213 total yards, while West Greene was limited to 105 yards and one turnover. The Black Knights improve to 3-0 and will host Unicoi County next week.
West Greene is still seeking its first win and will celebrate homecoming against Providence Academy next week.
The Chuckey-Doak Black Knights fought down to the wire to gut out a 14-7 victory over the West Greene Buffaloes on Friday night. Hear a few words from Knights Head Coach Billy Kaylor after the win. pic.twitter.com/1WQ62qfrg2
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) September 6, 2025
West Greene lost a tough battle with Chuckey-Doak on Friday night 14-7 with the game coming down to the last Buffalo possession. Hear from Head Coach Evan Monroe after the tough defeat. pic.twitter.com/OWHLeIqQy6
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) September 6, 2025
West Greene came up short in the final moments, but it was a battle! CDHS walked away with a 14-7 victory.
Let's relive some of last night's action right now!#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/LaPeIhORTy
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) September 6, 2025
