The Chuckey-Doak football team is coming off a hard-fought, cross-town battle with West Greene, but this Friday the stakes get higher for the Black Knights as Unicoi County comes to town for a Region 1-3A clash.
“I expect a good football game with a lot of implications as far as the playoffs go,” Chuckey-Doak coach Billy Kaylor said. “I expect a really fun atmosphere here Friday night and hopefully a really physical football game. Unicoi is a good football team. They were the one seed in the region last year and the two seed the year before. They have some talented dudes.”
Chuckey-Doak comes into the game 3-0 with two rivalry wins over North Greene and West Greene under its belt. Now playoff standings are on the line and if the Black Knights are to return to the postseason winning on Friday will be a big first step. Last year’s 1-8 season and 0-5 record against Region 1-3A teams broke a six-year playoff streak for the Black Knights.
“I told the guys if we want to play in November we have to win our region games,” Kaylor said. “This is a home region game against a good football team. What a great opportunity we have in front of us, this is one of those games that high school football is all about. The mentality does not change but we have to tighten things up and play our best football.”
Unicoi County comes into the game with a 2-1 record and is coming off a tough 21-20 loss to region foe Gatlinburg-Pittman last week.
In week one the Blue Devils beat David Crockett 27-13 and in week two they beat Northview Academy 29-27 in overtime.
Unicoi is led by quarterback Kolby Jones who averages 151 passing yards and 65 rushing yards per game. His favorite target has been Avery Hatcher who has 274 receiving yards and three touchdowns through three games.
“The quarterback can run and throw. He’s a big kid who is very mobile with a good arm,” Kaylor said. “They will run him on the edge, they will run reads with him, and let him sprint out and throw it. They have some good backs who can tote the ball and do things in space. This will be a challenge for our defense.”
Kaylor feels like the key for his offense this week will be to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball. Through three weeks both Brayden Greene and Marcus Britt have shown they can pick up tough yards on the ground, and the Black Knights’ line has given them plenty of space to run.
“We need to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Kaylor said. “If we can run the football effectively and control their run game we have a much better chance of winning this game.”
A year ago Unicoi County won this matchup 48-0. The two teams have met 28 times since 1983 and the Blue Devils lead the all-time series 21-7. Chuckey-Doak’s last win came in 2022, 34-20 in Erwin.
The Black Knights have the opportunity to start the year 4-0 for the first time since 2015.
The game will be broadcast live on WIKQ, 103.1 FM. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Black Hole in Lower Afton.
