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Wlaf1450By Clayton Carroll
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – Campbell County, 4 and 6 on the year, headed south to Cleveland to take on the 8 and 2 Walker Valley Mustangs in Round 1 of the TSSAA Playoffs.
Campbell would receive the opening kickoff and unfortunately be stopped and forced to punt the football to the Mustangs. Walker Valley quickly got on the board first. With 7:11 left to go in the 1st quarter, the Mustangs led by a score of 6-0 after the extra point attempt was blocked by Campbell’s Timmy Gibson.
On the Cougars’ second possession of the night, Landen Hensley would find K. J. Chadwell for a touchdown with 3:44 left to go in the first quarter. After a successful PAT from Rylan Sanders, Campbell led 7-6. Following another Mustang touchdown, Campbell trailed 13-7 with 11:56 left to go in the first half. After a pick six, Walker Valley expanded their lead to 20-7.
At this point, both offenses began to kick into another gear. Landen Hensley found Gabe St. John for a touchdown. Walker Valley answered. Landen Hensley kept it on the ground and found the endzone. The Mustangs answered back again. Gabe St. John had another touchdown reception, and, you guessed it, Walker Valley fired back. Finally, after all of this, at the half Walker Valley held a 41-27 lead at the intermission.
To much despair to the Cougar faithful, as the game went on, it looked like the season would not. Walker Valley scored touchdown after touchdown, allowing them to hold a 67-33 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th quarter, Walker Valley would score with under a minute to go in the game, to take the lead by a score of 74-33, scoring the most points that the Mustangs had scored in a single game in school history.
The Cougars would score only once in the 2nd half, after scoring the most points in the first half that they had all year. Also, Campbell County would not stop the Mustangs once in the game.
The Mustangs will advance to round 2, where they will host the Lenoir City Panthers, who defeated McMinn County to advance.
Despite the loss, it was a fun year for the Cougars, with a 46-30 victory over Fulton, a historic program, for the first win of the year; a miraculous 36-33 comeback at The King’s Academy. A beatdown of Karns on Senior Night, 49-14; and a close, hard-fought, scrappy win at Morristown-East 41-31.
What unfortunately is a sad moment for Cougar fans, is made better when realizing that this team will be returning many of its starters from this year. Landen Hensley will have one more year at Campbell County, along with Gavin Owens and Keagon Cowan. Receiving wise, Luke Lindsay, Gabe St. John, and Timmy Gibson will all have two more years wearing the Orange and Blue. On the defensive side of the ball, Campbell County will be returning defensive studs such as Luke Carroll, Eli Dorton, Tiras McCulley, Blake Albright, and Kole Welch.
To all of the seniors on this team, thank you for giving your all for not only this team, but for all of Campbell County as well.
Until next season, thank you to all of our sponsors and to everyone who tuned in this 2023 football season. And as always, Go Cougars!
Making coverage of Campbell possible over WLAF are these outstanding corporate partners:
Charley’s Pizza
Brandon’s Towing & Recovery Service
Citizens Bank
Robbins Guttering & Roofing
Clayton Homes
C & L Metal Sales
Smith Metal & Dock Sales
Grace Rehab
Attorneys Burrell & Varsalona
Community Trust Bank
Exterior Home Solutions
C & L Furniture
Rice Oil – Big O’s
Bales Buick-GMC
United Cumberland Bank
Defense Attorney Jeffrey Coller
LUB
Greeneview Farms Market
La Follette Medical Center
TCAT
ALCO Builders & Realty
E.E. Hill Insurance
Holston Gases
First National Bank
Gray Insurance Group
La Follette Nutrition
Doyle’s Tire Shop
PCUD
Cumberland Gap Medical
La Follette Mine Supply
Jacksboro Body Shop
Hensley Tire & Service
Allstate Agent Casey Allen
Be.you.tiful Med Spa
Hammer’s Dry Goods
C & C Concrete
McDowell Real Estate
Peoples Bank of the South
Hammer’s
Byrge Screen Printing
The Cantrell Law Firm, La Follette
TCAT
Cumberland Equipment Rentals
Thu., Aug 17 AT Halls Red Devils – Rivalry Thursday Halls 41 Cougars 14
Fri., Aug. 25 Fulton Falcons HOME Cougars 46 Fulton 30
Fri., Sep. 01 AT The Kings Academy Lions – Cougars 36 TKA 33
Fri., Sep. 08 Clinton Dragons# HOME – Clinton 55 Cougars 14
Fri., Sep. 15 AT Lenoir City Panthers# – Lenoir City 43 Cougars 26
Fri., Sep. 22 Daniel Boone Trailblazers HOMECOMING – Boone 44 Cougars 21
Fri., Sep. 29 Gibbs Eagles HOME – Gibbs 56 Cougars 28
Fri., Oct. 6 Karns Beavers# HOME – Senior Night Cougars 49 Karns 14
Fri. Oct. 13 OPEN DATE
Fri., Oct. 20 AT Morristown East Hurricanes Cougars 41 East 31
Thu., Oct. 26 AT Oak Ridge Wildcats Oak Ridge 55 Cougars 28
Fri., Nov. 2 AT Walker Valley Mustangs 74 Cougars 33
# – Region 3-AAAAA