Fulton Travels to Austin East in Week 1 Battle of Crosstown Rivals

Game Notes provided courtesy of Fulton SID Russell Mayes:

Long-time rivals Fulton and Austin-East meet tonight in the District 3-AA opener for both schools…This will be the 42^nd meeting between the schools. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series 24-17…A Fulton win tonight would give the Falcons a 11-10 advantage in games played at Dusty Lennon Stadium…Fulton earned a 21-13 victory at Powell last week, while A-E dropped a heartbreaking 7-6 decision to Ooltewah… The Falcons are outscoring opponents 22-0 in the first half, but have been outscored 26-15 in the second half…The Falcon defense has forced 5 turnovers in its first 2 games this year……Fulton RB Dametrius Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards in 4 of his last 5 games. He ran for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week’s win.

Fulton vs. A-E Series History

Austin-East is Fulton’s only opponent from 2008 held over to the 2009 schedule. The Fulton/A-E rivalry is considered one of the most hotly contested rivalries in East Tennessee. Though the teams have met 3 times in the playoffs since 2003, the new TSSAA classification system will find Fulton and A-E in separate classifications in 2009. Tonight is the 42^nd meeting between the schools, with A-E holding a 24-17 advantage in the all-time series. Fulton has played well in the past at Dusty Lennon Stadium. The teams have split the 20 games played on A-E’s home field. A detailed breakdown of the Fulton-AE series can be found in this week’s game notes.

Roadrunner Notes

If there is anyone who should challenge Alcoa in Class 3A this year, it should be Austin-East. The Roadrunners return 9 starters from a stout defense that helped A-E to a 10-3 record last year…A-E also boasts a strong sophomore class this year, led by QB D.J Oggs. Oggs has already tallied 217 rushing yards on 24 attempts this year…Coach Kwayu Graham is in his 5^th season at A-E and has a 34-18 record…The Roadrunners lost 7-6 last week at Class 6A Ooltewah. The Roadrunners had numerous opportunities inside the 20-yard line, but only got a 7-yard TD run from Travious Blair…A-E defeated Morristown East 26-21 in the season opener.

Poll Watching

Poll	Fulton(4A)	A-E (3A)
AP	1	3
Earl Nall	4	2
Sonny Moore	4	3
Murphy Fair	3	3
tnvarsity.com	NR	NR
maxpreps.com	37	45
Massey	50	57

The Sonny Moore poll has Fulton listed as the number 32 team in the entire state of Tennessee. Austin-East is the number 44 team in the state.

District 3-AA Statistical Leaders

Rushing	Carries	Yards	TD
Thomas (Fulton)	45	263	4
Troutman (Carter)	21	236	2
Oggs (A-E)	24	217	1
Cox (A-E)	23	169	2
Hibbett (Gibbs)	12	119	2
Receiving	Catches	Yards	TD
Bridges (Fulton)	7	56	0
Taylor (G-P)	5	77	0
Treadway (Gibbs)	5	70	2
Brown (Fulton)	5	50	0
Troutman (Carter)	4	57	0
Passing	Att/Comp	Yards	TD
Winters (Fulton)	21/31	228	1
Legg (Gibbs)	17/29	214	3
Whitaker (Carter)	16/25	186	2
Marshall (G-P)	14/27	171	1
Johnson (A-E)	6/14	64	0

Offensive Notes

-Fulton is outscoring opponents 22-0 in the 1^st half this year.

-Junior RB Dametrius Thomas ran for 125 yards and 2 TDs against Powell last week. He has rushed for over 100 yards in 4 of his last 5 games, including a 130 yard effort against Catholic last year. His career high is 194 yards against Scott in 2008.

-Thomas’ 70-yard touchdown run against Powell is Fulton’s longest offensive play of the year.

-Senior Xavier Bridges and Junior Javonte Cotner recorded their first career receptions against Morristown East.

-Quarterback Ben Winters broke a streak against Morristown West of throwing an interception in eight consecutive games.