Upper Cumberland Football Wrap-Up: 8 Upper Cumberland Teams Advance

by Rusty Ellis

The 2022 postseason is here, and the first round of the playoffs saw eight different Upper Cumberland teams advance to the second round.

Here is everything you need to know from this past week’s action:

White County 49, Franklin County 30

The Warriors earned the program’s first playoff victory on Friday, as they took down Franklin County by 19 at home. Malaki Dowell and Tripp Pinion continued being the deadly rushing duo they’ve been all season and the defense got all of the stops that mattered when they needed them. They will head to Nolensville for their second-round matchup.

Upperman 34, Chattanooga Central 7

An early pick-six by the Pounders didn’t faze the bees at all, as they reeled off 31 unanswered points to advance in the playoffs. Branson Turnbow was the star of the game with a 90-yard kickoff-return touchdown to open the second half, and he added an interception later to help seal the win. Upperman will now go on the road to East Hamilton for the second round.

Stone Memorial 37, Hixson 0

An early injury to Hunter Heavilon led to an opportunity to play for junior Nick Osmun, and he didn’t disappoint in guiding the Panthers to a dominant victory. Osmun threw a touchdown to Brady Lane and ran one in himself in the second half to help pace the effort for Stone. The Panthers will now host Red Bank for the second round.

Clay County 49, Sale Creek 0

A shutout on defense continues what’s been an excellent season for the Bulldogs, as they moved their record to 10-1 on the season. Thanks to their win over Gordonsville in the region championship, the Bulldogs will get to host in the second round, as they welcome Whitwell to town this Friday.

Gordonsville 49, Lookout Valley 8

The Tigers also advanced to the second round of the playoffs with their dominant win over Lookout Valley at home. They will now go on the road to South Pitt for what should be an excellent second-round matchup.

York Institute 60, Cumberland Gap 8

The Dragons of York Institute put together one of the more impressive scoring performances of the first round with their 52-point win over Cumberland Gap. York will now host South Greene for the second round.

Monterey 40, Happy Valley 6

Staying in that same region, Monterey took down Happy Valley with a big first-half performance that saw them take a 33-0 lead into the halftime break. Thanks to the win and it being an even year, Monterey will now get to host Hampton, the team they went on the road to last season for the first round.

Smith County 41, Sycamore 0

The Owls continued their impressive play with a shutout win over Sycamore in the first round. The Region 5-3A champions will now host Fairview in the second round.

Blackman 49, Cookeville 20

The Cavaliers were much more competitive early in their rematch with Blackman, but the Blaze ran away with the game near the end of the first half. Cookeville finishes with a 3-8 record in Taylor Hennigan’s first season as the head coach.

East Hamilton 21, DeKalb County 14

The Tigers fell just short in a comeback bid on the road in Chattanooga on Friday, losing by just a single possession to East Hamilton. East Hamilton will now turn around and host Upperman on Friday. DeKalb County finishes with a record of 6-5.

Red Bank 21, Macon County 14

The Macon County Tigers also fell by a final of 21-14, as they couldn’t get it done against Red Bank on Friday. Red Bank will now head to Crossville to take on Stone Memorial. Macon finishes with a record of 8-3.