Falcons hold off Powell, 21-13

Thomas runs Fulton past Powell (KNS Article):

Fulton junior runningback, Dametrius Thomas, scored two touchdowns and added a conversion run Friday night in Fulton's 21-13 win at Powell's new Scarbro Stadium.
"We battled hard to get the win," said Thomas, who scored on runs of 27 and 70 yards.
It was the first win for Fulton (2-0) against Powell (1-1) since 1988 and avenged a 28-0 loss in 1992 - the last time the teams played - when Buck Coatney was a first-year coach for the Falcons.
Fulton, 8-6 all-time against Powell, committed 12 of the game's 21 penalties.
Powell turnovers helped Fulton lead 14-0 at the half. Both touchdowns followed Powell fumbles.
"Fulton did what championship teams do," Powell coach Matt Lowe said. "They took advantage of our mistakes."
Powell fumbled on its first drive and Fulton's Quientest Vinson recovered. Six plays later, Fulton quarterback Ben Winters completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Barfield, who caught the ball at the 5 and turned to score. Thomas' conversion run gave Fulton an 8-0 lead.
Hunter Hodge completed a pass to Landon Wright who broke a tackle and got into the secondary but a slight misstep allowed a Fulton defender to catch him and strip the ball.Fulton recovered at its 19 and eventually scored on a 28-yard touchdown run by Thomas for a 14-0 lead.
Powell's offense answered on the opening drive of the second half with an 88-yard drive highlighted by a 55-yard run from Dy'shawn Mobley to the Fulton 1. That led to a 3-yard touchdown pass from McPhetridge to Matt Meade to cut the deficit to 14-6 as the kick failed.
After Thomas' 70-yard run for Fulton, Meade caught a 69-yard touchdown pass from McPhetridge to cut the deficit to 21-13 with 10 minutes to play.
"We had a lot of opportunities to win that game," Lowe said.

Game Statistics:

--------------Fulton--------Powell
1st downs------9--------------11
Rushes/yds--33/170-------25/130
Passing yards--110-----------148
Passes-------10-20-0------10-23-0
Fumbles/lost---4-1-----------5-3
Penalties/yds--11-120-------9-82
Pungs/avg.-----3-26.6------3-26.0

Score by quarters:

Fulton 8-6-7-0-21
Powell 0-0-6-7-13

Scoring Plays: Fulton: Antonio Barfield 26-yard pass from Ben Winters (Dametrius Thomas run). Fulton: Thomas 28-yard run (kick failed). Powell; Matt Meade 5-yard pass from Dustin McPhetridge (kick failed). Fulton: Thomas 70-yard run (Brad McKeehan kick) Powell: Meade 69-yard pass from McPhetridge (Karl Harris kick)

Powell Comes up Short Against Fulton (knoxsportsonline.com):

The real rain didn’t start until right at the end Fulton ’s 21-13 win over Powell Friday night. Until then the only thing falling from the sky had been penalty flags.
The Falcons overcame 120 yards in penalties – including a pair of pass interference calls the kept the Panthers’ hopes alive late – to win the inaugural game at Powell’s rebuilt stadium.
They were able to brush off the penalties thanks to the legs of running back Dametrius Thomas. Thomas, a junior, scored on runs of 28 and 70 yards as Fulton (2-0) built a 21-6 lead after three quarters.
Thomas finished with 143 yards on 18 carries and his 70-yard score in the third quarter – he took a pitch from quarterback Ben Winters and was not touched around left end – effectively put the game away.
Powell (1-1) pulled to within 8 on Dustin McPhetridge’s 69-yard scoring throw to Matt Meade with just over 10 minutes to play. It was their second scoring play of the half, with the pair also connecting on a 5-yard pass in the third quarter.
"Dustin did a good job moving around and finding a receiver on both plays,” Meade said. “Still, this was a tough one to lose. We had our chances.”
Powell had a chance to pull within 2 on its next possession, but McPhetridge’s pass to Justin Wood on fourth-and-8 from the Fulton 37 was high and wide. In the first half the only thing on the ground more than penalty flags was footballs. Powell lost three fumbles on its first four possessions, including a tying-touchdown-turned-what-the-heck-happened kind of play.
After Fulton took a 8-0 lead on Winter’s 26-yard scoring pass to Antonio Barfield and Thomas’ conversion run, Powell took advantage of a Falcon fumble at the Fulton 47. Facing third-and-11, Powell quarteback Hunter Hodge hit Landon Wright on a slant pass, the defender missed the tackle, and Wright was o on his way to the end zone. He never got there. Wright was all by himself when he lost his grip on the ball at the Fulton 20 and the Falcon’s Jerron Brown jumped on it. Nine plays later Thomas scored his first touchdown. “We’ve got to find some playmakers on offense,” said Powell coach Matt Lowe. “Our defense played well enough for us to win, but offensively we didn’t get a whole lot done.”
Fulton ended up outgaining Powell by only 2 yards, 280 to 278, but fumbles set up both of the Falcons’ first half touchdowns as they took a 14-0 lead.

Falcons Travel to Powell to Open New Scarbro Stadium

Fulton and Powell will open up newly reconstructed Scarbro Stadium, and at the same time renew a rivalry that was last played in 1992. The Week One matchup will be the 14th meeting between the Panthers and Falcons; Fulton holds a slight 7-6 advantage in the series. The Falcons are 5-2 all-time in games played at Powell. Both squads are coming off Week 0 victories. Fulton defeated Morristown West 16-13, while Powell won at South-Doyle 31-0.

Powell, coached by Matt Lowe, is looking for young players to step up and fill the shoes of a very productive group from a year ago. The Panthers must replace offensive threats in 2008 starting quarterback Kier Houston (2000 yds passing & 1000 yds rushing) and wide receivers Tyler Drummer and Devin Collins (1450 yds and 17 TDs combined). The offense will now be handled by quarterbacks Hunter Hodge (jr) and QB Dustin McPhetridge (soph). McPhetridge and fellow sophomore RB Dy'shawn Mobley each ran for 2 TDs last week in the 31-0 win over S-D. The offense will also be lead by returning starting senior wide receiver Tyler Powell, junior lineman James Ussery (6-1, 205) and Austin Smith (6-2, 275). Sophomore newcomers Darian Logan (5-7, 155, TB), Justin Wood, (5-10, 165, WR), Austin Schwinge (WR) will also make an impact for the Panther offense. Defensively, the Panthers are lead by seniors Hunter Cooke (6-2, 210), Cameron Petree (6-0, 195) and Dalton James (6-0, 175).

Powell Looks to Stay Perfect, Hosts Falcons (knoxsportsonline)

Polls
----------------------Fulton(4A) ---Powell(5A)
AP----------------------NR-------------NR
Earl Nall---------------5---------------18
Sonny Moore----------4---------------8
Murphy Fair-----------3--------------NR
tnvarsity.com---------NR------------NR
maxpreps.com--------50------------89
Massey----------------102------------68

Falcon Week 0 Offensive Notes:

-Junior RB Dametrius Thomas ran for 138 yards and 2 TDs against Morristown West last week. He has rushed for over 100 yards in 3 of his last 4 games, including a 130 yard effort against Catholic last year. His career high is 194 yards against Scott in 2008.
-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.

Notes courtesy of Fulton SID Russell Mayes

Fulton vs Morristown West Postgame

The Fulton Falcons started the new season off right when they held off the host Morristown-West Trojans football team by a count of 16-13 on Saturday. With the win, Fulton upgrades its record to 1-0 on the season. The Falcons travel to Powell to encounter the Panthers in a non-league outing on Friday, August 28.

Line Score:

------------Q1Q2Q3Q4---Final

Fulton------0 8 8 0--------16

MoWest----0 7 6 0--------13

Scoring Summary:

2nd Quarter Summary:FUL (6:35) THOMAS 1 RUN (PITCHFORD CATCH FROM WINTERS)
3rd Quarter Summary:MW (7:02) BROOKS 4 RUN (HUNSUCKER KICK) FUL (3:41) THOMAS 26 RUN (WINTERS RUN)
4th Quarter Summary:MW (5:24) BISHOP 1 RUN
(KICK FAIL)

Stat Leaders:

Rushing:
D Thomas 23 for 138 yds, long of 31

Passing:
B Winter 9-12 for 106 yds

Receiving:
X Bridges 3-32 yds, long 0f 20

Tackles:
M Golliday 10 total--2 solo, 8 assists
B Winters 9 total--4 solo, 5 assists

Fulton Ready for a Streak, 16-13 (KNS):

Fulton High School football coach Buck Coatney took a photocopy of a newspaper article from his pocket Saturday, unfolded it, and put it on display.
The headline read, "Fulton playoff streak ends." It put an exclamation point on the end of the 2008 season.
"That (headline) was the last thing we looked at when we came out of the locker room," Coatney said after the Falcons opened the 2009 season with a 16-13 non-region victory over Morristown West at Burke-Toney Stadium.
Junior running back Dametrius Thomas, who rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, had seen that headline often after the Falcons went 4-6 a year ago.
"Fulton has a long history of going to the playoffs," Thomas said. "That was big motivation for us."
Fulton (1-0) capitalized on the mistake-prone Trojans (0-1), who had four dropped passes - one for a potential touchdown - and lost two fumbles.
Fulton's Marco Golliday recovered Wesley Goins' fumble at the Trojans' 38 early in the second quarter.
On third-and-10 from the 20, Ben Winters threw a 17-yard pass to Javonte Cotner. Thomas scored one play later on a 1-yard run with 6:35 left in the half.
Winters' first pass for the two-point conversion was incomplete, but the Trojans were called for holding. Winters then threw to Micah Pitchford for an 8-0 lead.
After stopping the Trojans on downs, Thomas returned a Curt Duncan punt 32 yards, and a 15-yard penalty gave the Falcons a first down at the Trojans' 47. The drive stalled when Winters' fumble was recovered by Seth Collins.
The Trojans drove to Fulton's 24 on 10 plays, and Duncan's 41-yard field-goal attempt was short late in the half.
"The first half we didn't finish plays," Trojans coach Lamar Brown said. "A couple of times we had receivers open. We've just got to finish plays. Defense, the same thing, we've got to finish plays. We missed tackles. It's nobody's fault but mine."
The Trojans stopped Fulton on downs starting the second half and took over at the Falcons' 40.
Seven plays later, Chad Brooks scored on a 4-yard run. It was 8-7 with 7:02 left in the third.
Fulton answered with two big plays by Thomas.
On first down from his 20, Thomas gained 31 yards. Five plays later, Thomas ran to the left, broke a tackle in the backfield, and ran right for a 26-yard touchdown. Winters' conversion run gave the Falcons a 16-7 lead with 3:41 to play in the third.
The Trojans' Jordan Bishop scored on a 1-yard run with 5:24 left in the game. Hunsucker missed the PAT attempt, and the Trojans trailed 16-13. They never got the ball back.
Fulton faced a third-and-11 from its 19, and Winters threw a 20-yard pass to Xavier Bridges to keep the drive alive. Fulton drove to the Trojans' 11 and time ran out.

Knoxville teams prevail in Kickoff Classic at Burke-Toney Stadium in Morristown (knoxsportsonline):

Knox Fulton held off Morristown West, 16-13, in the opener, while Austin-East overcame a standout performance by Tee Howell to beat Morristown East in the second game, 26-21. The doubleheader drew a standing-room-only crowd with the stands full and fans lining the fences surrounding the field.
Both Knox Fulton and Austin-East are from District 3, Class AA, while the Morristown schools are in District 2, AAA this season.
Fulton built a 16-7 lead, then held on as West closed to withing 16-13 on a touchdown run by Jordan Bishop with 5:24 to play. Dametrius Thomas scored both TDs for the Falcons, who convertede two-point conversions after each score. Still, Fulton needed a time-consuming final drive to deny West the ball and preserve the win. Ben Winters connected with Xavier Bridges on third-and-11 to keep the drive alive and deny Morristown West time to get a go-ahead score.

Knox Fulton coach Buck Coatney said his team's game with Morristown West was too close for comfort.
"That was a great win for us because they are a great team,'' said Coatney. "They are going to win a lot of games.''
Coatney said he held up a headline in the locker room before the game. It read: "Fulton Sees Playoff Streak End.''
It came from last season when his team finished 4-6 and missed the playoffs for the first time in several years.
"If West makes that field goal, we'd be going into overtime,'' said Coatney.

Falcons Open '09 Season versus Trojans in Lakeway Area Kickoff Classic

The Fulton Falcons will open the 2009 campaign with a Week Zero matchup with the Morristown West Trojans in the Lakeway Area Kickoff Classic at Burke-Toney Stadium on Saturday, August 22. The Falcons and Trojans will kickoff at 5 PM and be followed by the second game of the double header @ 8 PM, crosstown rival Austin East vs Morristown East. The Week Zero matchup is Fulton's first and also the earliest start in school history. Burke-Toney Stadium, which has plenty of tradition, was built in the mid-1930s and has been recently renovated and also upgraded with field turf. The artificial turf, a spring-turf with a sand-rubber mix underneath, was installed before the 2007 season. The stadium also has a $100,000 matrix board.

The Falcons are looking to erase the effects of the 2008 season. One in which they felt the growing pains of starting sophomores at 14 of 22 positions and experienced their first non-playoff campaign since 1992. The Falcons will prepare for nine new opponents in 2009 and return four players that earned post season honors in 2008: senior LB Quintest Vinson and juniors RB/LB Dametrius Thomas, FB/LB Javonte Cotner and QB/LB Ben Winters. Vinson was the team leader in tackles with 82, seven for negative yardage. Winters completed 96 of 184 passes for 1413 yards and 16 scores, while Thomas totaled 1000 all purpose yards.

Winters, Thomas and fellow junior transfer WR/QB/DB Steven Allen were all profiled on TNVarsity.com's 2011 Watchlist:

Dametrius Thomas RB (5'10 185) Fulton High School- Runs with a gliding
smooth style, and is capable of running over you or around you. Earned All
Region honors last season as he rushed for over 700 yards including 125 yards against state champion Catholic, what caught a lot of people's attention.

Steve Allen ATH (5'10 170) Fulton High School- Transfer from Georgia is set to take the East Tennessee football community by storm. Is electric with the ball in his hands and can line up and numerous positions. Adds to already loaded junior class for the Falcons. will be highly sought after once his name gets out.

The Morristown West Trojans, under the direction of second year coach Lamar Brown, are coming off of a 6-4 season in which they made the playoffs for the 12th straight year. Much like Fulton, West looks to build on last years inexperience by returning 9 starters on defense and 8 starters on offense. The Trojans are lead by senior OL Zach Lancaster (6-2, 240) and TE Jake Spivey (6-2, 235) whom will help block for backfield mates FB Jordan Bishop (440 yds in '08), Chad Brooks, Tyler Swain and Laith Callahan. The defense is lead by senior defensive ends Brock Smith (6-2, 250) and Nathan Bush (6-4, 255), senior NG Brant Porter (5-8, 220) and DB Clark Vandergriff (6-0, 185).

WVLT video coverage Countdown to Kickoff: Morristown West

Results for the 4th Annual Big Man Tournament

The Bearden Bulldogs earned a decisive victory in the 4th Annual Big Man Tournament of Champions held at Powell High School on July 18, 2009. The Bearden #1 team won 4 out of the 8 events in the competition. Bearden has won the overall championship 3 times in the 4 years of the event. The host Powell Panthers finished second, and defeated Bearden #1 in the Tug-of-War competition. Coaches Matt Lowe of Powell and Buck Coatney of Fulton helped to organize the event. Each team consisted of ten players. The events required the linemen to use their strength, agility, quickness, and teamwork skills. Each event was scored like a track meet with the winning team scoring 10 points, the second place team getting 9 points, and decreasing points given to the lower-placed teams. The event was very successful, and everyone is looking forward to a bigger and better event next year.

Team Results

1. Bearden #1 (74), 2. Powell #1 (60.5), T3. Farragut (54) Fulton (54), 5. Bearden #2 (49.5), 6. Claiborne (49), 7. Central (37), 8. Powell #2 (29), 9. Fulton #2 (23).

Event Winners:

Bench Press- (Bearden #1) Edward Pena, Davis Tull 49 reps x 185 lbs.

Dumbell Relay- (Bearden #1) Brett Parisi, Dillon Wilker, Chris Jackson, Jaylin Stewart 46.64 sec.

1-Man Sled (40-yds)- Quientest Vinson (Fulton #1) 9.57 secs.

2-Man Sled (40-yds)-(Powell #1) Steven Ross, James-Michael Ussery 11.23 secs.

4-Man Tire Flip Relay- (Bearden #1) Drew Williamson, Mark Goltry, Edward Pena, Peter McKay 1min. 14 sec.

5-Man Sled (40-yds)- (Bearden #2) Kevin Stokes, Davey Kennedy, CJ Terry, Zack Wells, Harry Patty 15.27 secs.

Obstacle Course- (Bearden #1) Drew Williamson, Davis Tull 53.92 secs.

Tug of War- Powell #1 def. Bearden #1

Fulton to Participate in East TN Perimeter Passing League Saturday @ Maryvile College

Maryville College will host the East Tennessee Perimeter 7 0n 7 passing league Saturday, July 18. Games begin at 10 am and the tournament concludes at 6 pm. This is Fultons first year participating in the event which will host 31 teams from the East Tennessee area. The event is being organized by former Scots football players Nick White and Brian Gossett, the event was moved to Maryville College in the summer of 2008 and dedicated to the memory of Cody Bowers. Admission is $4 and concessions will be sold.

Passing Day Schedule:

10 a.m.

Fulton vs. Grace

Central vs. Farragut

Loudon vs. Austin-East

Lenoir City vs. Seymour

Greenback vs. Polk County

Anderson County vs. Smith County

Maryville vs. McMinn Central

Oak Ridge vs. Heritage

Karns vs. Alcoa

Catholic vs. Sequoyah

11 a.m.

Fulton vs. Oak Ridge

Central vs. Austin-East

Lenoir City vs. Polk County

Cumberland County vs. Cumberland Gap

Smith County vs. McMinn Central

Upperman vs. East Ridge

Sequatchie vs. White County

Greeneville vs. Wartburg

Claiborne vs. Chattanooga Central

Karns vs. Sequoyah

Noon

Farragut vs. East Ridge

Loudon vs. Upperman

Greenback vs. Sequatchie

Seymour vs. White County

Anderson County vs. Cumberland Gap

Maryville vs. Cumberland County

Heritage vs. Wartburg

Grace vs. Greeneville

Alcoa vs. Claiborne

Catholic vs. Chattanooga Central

1 p.m.

Fulton vs. Heritage

Farragut vs. Austin-East

Central vs. Loudon

Lenoir City vs. Greenback

Seymour vs. Polk County

Anderson County vs. McMinn Central

Smith County vs. Maryville

Oak Ridge vs. Grace

Alcoa vs. Sequoyah

Karns vs. Catholic

2 p.m.

Fulton vs. Greeneville

Sequoyah vs. Chattanooga Central

Karns vs. Claiborne

Austin-East vs. Upperman

Central vs. East Ridge

Polk vs. Sequatchie

Lenoir City vs. White County

McMinn Central vs. Cumberland County

Smith County vs. Cumberland Gap

Oak Ridge vs. Wartburg

3 p.m.

Alcoa vs. Chattanooga Central

Catholic vs. Claiborne

Farragut vs. Upperman

Loudon vs. East Ridge

Seymour vs. Sequatchie

Greenback vs. White County

Maryville vs. Cumberland Gap

Anderson County vs. Cumberland County

Heritage vs. Greeneville

Grace vs. Wartburg

4 p.m.

Fulton vs. Wartburg
Karns vs. Chattanooga Central

Sequoyah vs. Claiborne

Central vs. Upperman

Austin-East vs. East Ridge

Lenoir City vs. Sequatchie

Polk County vs. White County

Smith County vs. Cumberland County

McMinn Central vs. Cumberland Gap

Oak Ridge vs. Greeneville

5 p.m.

Alcoa vs. Catholic

Farragut vs. Loudon

Seymour vs. Greenback

Anderson County vs. Maryville

Heritage vs. Grace

4th Annual Big Man Tournament of Champions scheduled for Saturday, July 18 @ 10 am

Information Provided by Fulton SID Russell Mayes:

Preparations are underway for the Fourth Annual Big Man Tournament of Champions linemen competition on July 18 at Powell High School. Registration begins at 9 am and the event gets underway at 10 am. This unique competition for football linemen features eight different events that showcase both individual and team efforts. Each participating school enters a team of ten linemen that compete in the various skill events. The competition is concluded with an old fashioned team against team tug-of war. Individual players can only enter in two events plus the tug-of-war. Points are awarded in each event, just like a track meet, and the school with the most points at the end of the competition is declared the champion. Schools scheduled to participate in this year’s event include: Powell, Fulton, Claiborne, Bearden, and Farragut.

Admission is only $3 dollars for this unique event. For more information, contact Matt Lowe at Powell High School at 335-0775, or Buck Coatney at Fulton High School at 659-4356. Members of the media are encouraged and welcome to attend.

Order of events: (# OF PARTICIPANTS PER TEAM)

• BENCH PRESS (2)
• DUMBELL RELAY (4)
• 1 MAN SLED (1)
• 2 MAN SLED (2)
• 4 MAN TIRE FLIP (4)
• 5 MAN SLED (5)
• OBSTACLE COURSE (2)
• TUG OF WAR (10)
  

2008 Results:

• Team Results--1. Central (55), 2. Bearden 1 (53) 3. South-Doyle 1 (52.5), 4. Heritage (52), 5. Fulton (46.5), 6. Cumberland Gap (37.5), 7. Powell (33), 8. Bearden 2 (23), 9. South-Doyle 2 (14.5)
  

Event Winners

• Bench Press- Tie- Jon Shipley (Cumberland Gap), Eric Costner (Heritage) 31 reps x 185 lbs.


• Dumbell Relay- (Bearden 1) Sam Zivi, Peter McKay, Mark Goltry, Tanner Fine 44.44 sec.1-Man Sled (40-yds)- Antwan Hamilton (Fulton) 9.43 secs. (Event Record Time)


• 2-Man Sled (40-yds)-(Heritage) Minh Tran, Evan Tall 10.29 secs.


• 4-Man Tire Flip Relay- (South-Doyle 1) Chase Phillips, Taylor Stansberry, Zach Rhodes, Ricky Stansberry 1min. 52 sec.




• 5-Man Sled (40-yds)- (Heritage) Eric Costner, Cody Garland, Minh Tran, Todd Merriman, Evan Crockett 12.5 secs.


• Obstacle Course- Dylan Wolfenbarger (Central) 21.58 secs. (Event Record Time)


• Tug of War- Fulton def. South-Doyle
  
  

Falcons Land in the Top 5 in Preseason Football Polls

This years edition of the football Falcons are being lauded by two prominent Tennessee high school football pollsters. The Falcons have landed in the top 5 of both Earl Nall and Murphy Fair's pre-season rankings. Here is a complete rundown of each poll, which also includes local and rival teams:

--Earl Nall, technology director for the TSSAA, released his 17th annual state football preseason rankings earlier this month. For his preseason ratings he uses a statistical model that takes into account historical data with the single most important factor being Margin of Victory. Note: Only 3 times in its 17 year history has a team made it to one of the 80+ state championship game since the ratings began that wasn’t ranked in the top 10 in the final week 10 ratings.

• Class 4A rankings:

1. David Lipscomb 73.5 pts


2. Nash Maplewood 70.1


3. Mem Fairley 68.5
   
4. White House 66.2


5. Knox Fulton 66.2


6. Crockett County 64.3


7. Chatt Red Bank 64.0


8. Jackson Soutside 63.1


9. Giles County 61.5


10. Haywood County 59.8
    

• 2009 Opponents Rankings: 3A--13 Knox Carter, 47 Gibbs, 50 Union County; 2A--1 Alcoa, 5 Austin East, 22 Gatlinburg Pittman, 47 Pigeon Forge; 5A--18 Knox Powell, 23 Morristown West, 25 Knox West


• Notables from other classes: 1A--1 South Pittsburg, 11 Knox Grace; 2A--1 Trousdale County; 3A--1 Alcoa, 10 CAK; 5A--1 Henry County, 4 Knox Catholic, 14 Clinton, 18 Knox Powell, 21 Knox Halls; Class 6A--1 Oakland, 4 Maryville, 6 Knox Farragut, 15 Knox Bearden

--Murphy Fair, self proclaimed high school football "Guru" and capitalist from Tullahoma, TN. Fair puts out an annual pre-season football preview magazine that profiles most all of the teams in Tennessee. He can also be heard on Nashville's 104.5 The Zone on Fridays from 2-3 PM. Murphy's preseason Top Five in each playoff classification consists of the five teams that he believes have the best chance to be competiting in the BlueCross Bowl in Cookeville in the first week of December. Teams are listed alphabetically:

• Class 6A--Brentwood, Maryville, Millington, Oakland, Whitehaven
  
  Class 5A--Clinton, Henry Co., Melrose, Mitchell, Sullivan South
  
  Class 4A--Fulton, Giles Co., Lipscomb, Maplewood, Red Bank
  
  Class 3A--Alcoa, Austin East, Tyner, Milan, Westview
  
  Class 2A--Boyd-Buchanan, McKenzie, Oneida, Trinity Christian, Trousdale Co.
  
  Class 1A--Huntingdon, Jo Byrns, South Pittsburg, Union City, Wayne Co.

Southern Cal Interested in Steele

The offer list for rising senior Jalen Steele includes numerous mid-major schools, but this summer he is starting to receive interest from Major Division 1 schools. The Southern Cal Trojans and their new coach, former UT coach Kevin O'Neill, are the latest school to show interest in the Fulton Basketball Standout.

Fulton coach Jody Wright said he received a call from O'Neill on Monday about Steele and received another Tuesday seeking Steele's transcript.

Steele has a lengthy list of offers, which includes Dayton, Tulane and Marshall. Now major Division I programs are showing their interests.

Marquette and Xavier have come on hot during the July evaluation period.

And now USC.

"I think (Steele) has himself on the national radar now," said Wright.

O'Neill has a connection to Wright, who used to work basketball camps at Tennessee with O'Neill and assistants Billy Schmidt (now head assistant at Dayton) and Lawrence Frank (coach of the New Jersey Nets). So, he didn't give Wright a fluffy business pitch.

"He is in a difficult situation (taking over for Tim Floyd at USC). He said they're probably facing probation and losing some scholarships," said Wright. "But he told me needs a shooter who can defend well. Word had it, from another buddy of his (in Knoxville), that Steele was the real deal."

Tennessee has not offered Steele.

"Recruiting is need-based, and it's a business," said Wright. "If UT is full of guards, it doesn't make sense to recruit him and doesn't make sense for him to go there.

"Jalen wants to go somewhere where he can play, and, at the same time, he wants to play at the highest level he can."

Steele was the PrepXtra boys' player of the year this past season, as he scored 21.3 points per game and led the Falcons to their second Class AA state title in a row.

He is showcasing his game this week in Indianapolis, Ind., at the Hoosier Shootout with the Tennessee Travelers.

"He knew coming in that this summer was big for him," said Wright. "He's concentrated on his body. I think he surprised some people over at the Rocky Top League this summer. Not just with his shot, but also with his jumping ability. He had a couple of really nice slams. Forceful. Over people. Not breakaways.

"He's a good, solid 190 (pounds). He knew July was huge for him. His stock is really rising."

Steele Takes Rocky Top League's Improvement Award as Team Wins Championship; Seeing Interest From Flyers

Fulton rising senior Jalen Steele received the Bruce Pearl Award (Improvement) for his outstanding performance in this summers Rocky Top League. Steele scored 22 points in the finals and was instrumental in helping to lead his team, the HT Group, to win the league championship. This was Jalens second year playing in the Rocky Top League which features current/former UT players and other college and professional players with local ties.

Pilot Rocky Top League championship to HT Group (KNS Article)

The HT Group ran like a well-oiled machine en route to its second
consecutive Pilot Rocky Top League championship under coach Pat Walden.
"The key was getting guys that played well as a team and bought into the team
concept,'' Walden said. "No one cared who scored; we just identified
mismatches.''Asheville's Jon Primm (16 points) and Fulton High School's Jalen
Steele never wavered in the backcourt for HT Group.
Steele was particularly effective, scoring 22 points with UT walk-on Skylar McBee guarding him throughout the night.
"I would love to play in the SEC. Some teams are giving
me a look,'' said Steele, who is giving serious consideration to an offer from
mid-major power Dayton. "I may decide later this month, but if not I'll sign in
November.
"This was fun, our team really jelled and figured out what it could
do with shooters, drivers and mismatches inside with Wayne, Boo and
Renaldo.''

Rocky Top League Awards (KNS)

Couple of New Schools Calling on Steele (Rivals Article):

As evaluation period opens up on July 6, many schools will be scattered
trying to watch their top targets and evaluate those they haven't been able to
see with no April scouting period this year. One of the prospects that Dayton
has been coveting for a very long time is the Fulton (Tenn.) Falcons star Jalen
Steele. A couple new schools are trying to get involved as they play catch-up to
the Flyers, who have been there since day one.Jalen Steele had a busy month of
June as he played with his high school team and also participated in the Rocky
Top Summer League in Knoxville. He's a gym rat by nature and Dayton has liked
what they've seen in his work ethic and ability for a very long time. After all,
it led him to back-to-back state championships for Fulton. Now it's getting down
to crunch time to see where he will play in college."Not much has changed (with
recruiting)," Jalen admitted. "I got a call last week from a new school."The new
school belongs to the Big East Conference and is one that Dayton has been
competing with for some of their guard targets. "Marquette called last week,"
Steele said. "They told me they needed a combo guard and that they would be in
Indianapolis to watch me."He also expects the Flyers to be in attendance for his
games at the Hoosier Shootout. "Oh yea, they'll be there in full force."Another
team that was trying to get involved was the University of Tennessee. "They
called and were talking about recruiting me," he explained. "I am not quite sure
what is going on with that, but they talked to my uncle about it."As it pertains
to unofficial visits, Jalen has been to Dayton three times and Virginia
Commonwealth once. He didn't get to make any visits during the month of June
because of other commitments.Steele said he's still on pace to make a decision
sometime this month or at the beginning of August.Jalen and the Tennessee
Travelers will be at the Hoosier Shootout (July 6-9) in Indianapolis, followed
by The Triple S Jam Fest in Morgantown, West Virginia (July 14-16), the Super
Showcase in Orlando (July 23-27), and the Price Chopper in Kansas City, Missouri
(July 28-31).

Flyers Going After Guards (Dayton Daily News)

Highly touted basketball prospect Jalen Steele of Knoxville, Tenn., visited
Dayton for the Duquesne game last season and found the revelry in the stands as
entertaining as anything on the floor.
“The fans are into the game,” the 6-foot-2 senior-to-be said. “They’re real faithful to the team. They’re into it. They get the team ready to go. If there’s a bad call, they get mad. I loved it.”
That wasn’t all Steele found appealing about UD. “Me and the coaches
click very well,” he said. “And I clicked with (Flyer recruit) Juwan Staten. Me
and him exchanged phone numbers.”
Steele, who is being recruited by Marquette, Clemson and Xavier and has
about 20 scholarship offers, averaged 21.3 points last season in leading Fulton
High School to its second consecutive state title.
He scored 20 points in the state semifinals, hitting the game-winner in the lane at the buzzer, and tossed in 22 in the final to earn tourney MVP honors.
“He’s a tremendous, tremendous competitor,” Fulton coach Jody Wright said. “He has an unbelievable desire to win, and that has manifested itself many times in big ballgames. Like many great players, the bigger the game, the better he plays.”
“I think Dayton has done it the right way,” said Wright, who coaches Steele. “They have recruited him hard all along. Right now, somebody has to beat Dayton out. I’ve said that from the get-go. Anybody that gets on you the earliest and goes the hardest, that’s tough to beat.”

Football Jamboree Back at Neyland: Fulton Faces the Karns Beavers

The Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic's Kickoff Classic is scheduled at Aug. 14. The KFL Jamoboree will be held at the newly renovated Neyland Stadium on UTs campus.

Tickets are $8 in the presale term but $10 at the gate.

Start Time - 6 p.m.

TSD vs. The King's Academy

Cosby vs Hardin Valley Academy

Grace Christian vs Carter

Powell vs Catholic

Austin-East vs Halls

HALFTIME ACTIVITIES (kickoff, punt, pass, lineman 50-yard dash, backs/ends 50-yard dash)

Fulton vs Karns

Bearden vs South-Doyle

Webb vs Farragut

Central vs Gibbs

CAK vs West

Kickoff Classic Moving Back to Neyland (KNS Article):

The last time the Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic's High School KickOff Classic
was held at Neyland Stadium, players like Catholic's Harrison Smith (Notre Dame)
and Fulton's Dennis Rogan (Tennessee) graced Shields-Watkins Field.
Nearly three years later, a new batch of local stars will get their chance to work the
same stage.
The jamboree, that features predominantly Knoxville-based teams,
is set for Aug. 14 at Neyland Stadium.
"The most exciting thing is you're playing in a big-time football environment," said CAK coach Rusty Bradley. "And the goal of the jamboree is to prepare you for game-like situations. Playing at Neyland Stadium magnifies the opportunity to make it game-like."
Because of renovations at Neyland Stadium during the past two offseasons, the jamboree was moved and became a two-night affair.
Central hosted, in 2007 and 2008, the first run of games on Thursday night.
Farragut took on the Friday-night portion in 2007, and Bearden did it in 2008.
Moving the jamboree back to Neyland won't be too much of a financial hit to those schools. They collected money mainly off concessions while gate dollars helped pay for insurance for Knox County athletes.
"It really needed a bigger site," said Farragut coach
Eddie Courtney. "The parking is better (at UT). And the kids get the chance to
say they've played in a place like that once in their lives - even if it's just for four or five plays.
"It's a special event." For Bradley's staff, it will be a return trip to Neyland of a different sorts. Four of his assistants - safety Fred White (secondary coach), offensive lineman Jarvis Reado (offensive line), kicker Jeff Hall (special teams) and assistant coach Mark Bradley (offensive line) - were part of Tennessee's rich run in the late 1990s. "It's going to be crazy with Fred, Jarvis, Jeff and Dad there," said Rusty Bradley. "That'll be a fun thing for them to go back.
"They all had a lot of memories, working and playing, over there."

Boys Track Wins 4x400 State Championship

The Fulton Falcon 4x400 relay team ran a team best 3:23.77 and edged Christian Academy of Knoxville 3:23.94 to take first place and win gold in the Class A/AA Tennessee State Track Championships at Middle Tennessee State University this past Friday.

The relay team was comprised of Juniors Marco Golliday, Antonio Barfield, Demarcus Harris and Sophomore Nick Bennett.

This was Fulton's first State Championship in Track since 2004 when Demarcus Stevens took gold in the 110 meter hurdles (14:53 seconds).

2009 State Championship Game Highlights

Highlights of the Falcons 2009 State Championship victory over Memphis Booker T Washington

Special Thanks to Photoman for the footage.

Fulton Falcons Hold off BTW and Repeat as Class AA State Champs

Fulton repeats as Class AA champions (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

MURFREESBORO - Fulton High School coach Jody Wright didn't tell his players before Saturday's Class AA state championship that no Knox County school had won back-to-back boys' basketball titles.
He wanted to avoid any unnecessary pressure.
Smart move. Booker T. Washington (29-3) did enough of that.
Fulton built a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter at Middle Tennessee State University and held on for a 56-55 win, as Booker T. Washington scored 29 points in the final five minutes, 22 seconds with a suffocating press that nudged the Falcons to the brink of a meltdown.
But like last year's final, Fulton (30-6) showed an icy nerve at the free-throw line, making seven of 10 down the stretch to end the Warriors' 15-game win streak.
"To do something like win it back to back, to my knowledge, has never been done in the city of Knoxville," said Wright. "That makes it pretty special."
Fulton shot 51.3 percent from the floor. Courtland Styles had 17 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Steele, the tournament's MVP, led the way with 22 points on 5-for-15 shooting. He made nine of 12 free throws.
Steele got going in the second half for the second night in a row. He scored 12 points - including three 3-pointers - in a significant 18-5 third-quarter run that put Fulton ahead 39-17 with 1:20 left.
His halftime shooting tuneup under Wright's watchful eye had an effect.
"He said, 'Have confidence in your shot,' " said Steele. "I was shooting with no confidence in the beginning. He said, 'Shoot straight up and down. Shoot in the same spot you jump off of. ' ''
Fulton led 41-21 starting the fourth quarter. James Gallman's nifty layup with 5:42 to play kept the lead at 20. But in the next 2:12, Booker T. Washington forced four turnovers and outscored Fulton 14-1 to close to 47-40 on layups, jumpers and easy transition scores.
Steele hit two free throws with 1:55 to go for a 51-42 lead. But Fulton turnovers on its next two possessions led to Booker T. Washington closing the gap to 51-48 with 51.2 seconds left. The Warriors then twice trimmed the lead to two, but Styles and Steele hit pairs of free throws to preserve the win.
Larry McGhaughey (22 points) banked in a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. Styles, barely escaping a five-second call, threw a deep inbounds pass that was intercepted too far down the court for a game-winning attempt.
"What a comeback by Booker T.," said Wright. "They made us earn it."
Steele wasn't in foul trouble during the first half like he was Friday. His shot just was sailing too long. He reached the half with two points on 1-for-9 shooting. Still, his dribble-drive move to the hoop gave Fulton its 21-8 halftime lead.
Fulton's role players provided the offensive relief. Robert Boyd scored four points in the second quarter. Micah Pitchford and Reggie Garrett pitched in two points apiece. Styles had seven first-half points.
Booker T. Washington was 4-for-23 shooting through 16 minutes and 0-for-10 on 3-pointers. Fulton prevented the Warriors' trademark putbacks and easy transition buckets - that was, until the fourth quarter.
"It was kind of weird," said Steele of the halftime score. "I was like, 'This game ain't gonna be normal. Something is going to happen. They're going to come back.'
"We just had to keep our heads and our poise."




Falcons flock together for another title (Knoxville News-Sentinel):


MURFREESBORO - After losing three starters from last year's Class AA boys' basketball state championship team, not many gave Fulton High School a chance of getting back to the state tournament - let alone win the whole thing.
But Saturday, there were the Falcons, celebrating in the middle of center court as they held off No. 7 Booker T. Washington 56-55 for a second consecutive state title.
Fulton (30-6) also made Knoxville history becoming the first team to win back-to-back state titles.
"Memphis gets all the credit for winning a lot of titles, but you have to give Knoxville some credit now," said tournament MVP Jalen Steele, who finished with 22 points and passed Terry Russell for third place in school history with 1,628 points.
The Falcons also improved their record to 4-3 against Memphis schools in the state tournament.
Most had Austin-East as the pick to be in Murfreesboro to compete for a state title, but the Roadrunners lost to Carter in the region semifinals.
Meanwhile, Fulton continued to gut out wins and prove critics wrong.
"We heard about how good Austin-East was and that they would be at the state tournament and we would be at home," said senior forward Courtland Styles, who had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. "We used it as motivation day in and day out and played hard and now we are back-to-back state champions."
The Falcons lost point guard Shannon Hollingsworth, post player Will Bryant and guard Dominique Minor from last year's 28-4 team.
Fulton coach Jody Wright juggled his lineup all season as Middle Tennessee State signee James Gallman was switched from shooting guard to point guard, while Steele was put at shooting guard from small forward in 2008.
"Coach always preaches that team comes first and as a leader I had to embrace the move because you can't be selfish," Gallman said.
Add junior guard Robert Boyd, junior post Lemar Gibson, sophomore Micah Pitchford plus transfers Styles from Central and Reggie Garrett from Alcoa and Wright had a recipe for success. It just took a while for the Falcons to mesh.
"I knew we could be good but how good I didn't have the answer to that," Wright said "But the guys bought into the system and we got some great leadership from James Gallman and Jalen Steele.
"Players change all the time but our expectations never do. We always want to be in contention for a state title."
Steele, Gallman, Boyd and Styles made the All-Tournament team. For Styles it was really special. He never saw himself playing basketball for Fulton.
"I transferred over here to play football and get a football scholarship," Styles said. "But (Gallman) stayed on me to play basketball so I did and I got a football scholarship to Cumberland and a state title in basketball. Nothing can beat this feeling right now."



Washington falls in AA final (Commercial Appeal):


MURFREESBORO -- With his team trailing by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter of their TSSAA Class AA state championship game against Fulton Saturday, Booker T. Washington coach Fred Horton didn't have any master strategy he could share with his players on how to get back in the game.
He simply told them the only thing he knew to tell them.
"I told the kids to give yourself a gut-check and play your hearts out,'' Horton said. "We don't have time to run no offense. Just keep pressing and get after them. As the game went on, I saw things were turning in our favor. We had the momentum.''
His tactic nearly made for a dramatic, made-for-television finish, including a last second 3-pointer that banked in from the top of the key. Unfortunately, that shot by Larry McGaughey with three-10ths of a second remaining left the Warriors one point shy as Fulton held on, 56-55, to win its second consecutive state championship.
"I don't like losing, but that's one loss I think I can digest,'' Horton said. "They played their hearts out in that fourth quarter.''
That they did. For three quarters, BTW shot about as poorly as a team could shoot. In the first quarter, they made just 1 of 12 shots (that's 8.3 percent), including 0 for 8 from 3-point range, and trailed 8-2.
By halftime, the Warriors trailed 21-8 after increasing their shooting percentage to 17.4 percent (4 of 23, 0-10 from 3-point range). Finally, in the third quarter, BTW made just 3 of 10 shots, 1 of 4 from 3-point range, and trailed 41-21.
"In the first half, when you shoot 17 percent, that's not too good for anybody,'' Horton said. "That didn't help us at all.''
Then, it was if Horton's words woke his team up. The Warriors made a couple of shots, which finally allowed them to get into the fullcourt press Horton had been wanting to use, but couldn't because Fulton rarely had to take the ball out.
The press exposed Fulton's one weakness, which was ballhandling. The Falcons turned the ball over 10 times in the final period, which fueled BTW's furious rally, one that saw it outscore Fulton, 34-15.
"They found our weakness,'' Fulton senior James Gallman said. "We're not good at running the ball. We're good a slowing the ball up. They pressured us, and we just turned the ball over, and they came back off of layups. They showed our weakness.''
The Falcons used five free throws in the final 42 seconds to hold the Warriors off. BTW, looking for its first state title since 2001, was led by MgGaughey's 22 points. Travis Bridges added 10 points. The Falcons were paced by tournament MVP Jalen Steele, who scored 22. Courtland Styles had 17.



Fulton survives rally by B.T. Washington (Tennessean):



MURFREESBORO — For Fulton, the clock couldn’t tick fast enough.
The Falcons withstood a furious rally from B.T. Washington to escape with a 56-55 victory and its second consecutive Class AA boys basketball title Saturday night at MTSU.
Fulton became the first Knox County team to claim titles in back-to-back seasons.
Fulton (30-6) was up 41-21 to start the fourth quarter, but watched that lead erode as the press of B.T. Washington (29-3) forced 10 turnovers.
“We panicked a little,” said Fulton senior James Gallman, an MTSU signee. “I was like, ‘Come on. Get this game over with. Don’t look at the clock or it may go slower.’
“When it was over it felt so good, like I just got out of the shower. You get out feeling great, feeling fresh.”
Junior wing Jalen Steele’s two free throws with 13 seconds left gave Fulton a 56-52 lead, which held up after Douglas Rosser’s deep 3-pointer banked in for the Warriors with 0.3 seconds left.
Steele, named the tournament MVP, finished with 22 points. B.T. Washington’s Larry McGhaughey also had 22.
Courtland Styles added 17 points for Fulton, which committed 22 turnovers — 16 in the second half. Martavious Newby had eight of B.T. Washington’s 15 steals.
“I told the kids to give yourself a gut check and play your hearts out,” B.T. Washington Coach Fred T. Horton said. “As the game went on I saw things turning in our favor. We had momentum.
“From the scouting report I knew the press would bother them a great deal. Austin-East (which beat Fulton three times) pressed them. I don’t like losing, but that’s one loss I can digest.”
Fulton led 21-8 at halftime as B.T. Washington endured a miserable stretch of shooting, going 4 of 23 from the field.
Steele, who scored 48 of his 58 tournament points in the second half, got hot in the third quarter for 12 points and pushed the Falcons’ lead to 22 on two occasions.
“We got to rubbing that gold ball a little too early,” Fulton Coach Jody Wright said.
B.T. Washington wasn’t done. The suffocating defense gave Fulton problems getting the ball beyond midcourt in the fourth quarter, and those turnovers produced Warriors’ layups in bunches.
“I’m thinking, ‘Man, don’t let this slip away,’” Steele said. “We have to win. Just keep your poise, try and get fouled and make your free throws.”



Box Score:
FULTON 56, B.T. WASHINGTON 55


B.T. WASHINGTON (29-3)
McGhaughey, Larry 10-21 0-0 22; Bridges, Travis 2-8 5-6 10; Rosser, Douglas 4-8 1-2 9; Newby, Martavious 4-12 0-0 8; Anthony, Lacorwyn 3-13 0-1 6; Duffie, James 0-0 0-2 0; Love, Kerry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 6-11 55.


FULTON (30-6)
Steele, Jalen 5-15 9-12 22; Styles, Courtland 7-8 3-3 17; Gallman, James 3-5 0-0 6; Boyd, Robert 3-6 0-1 6; Pitchford, Micah 1-3 1-2 3; Garrett, Reggie 1-1 0-0 2; Gibson, Lemar 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-39 13-18 56.


B.T. Washington 2 6 13 34 — 55
Fulton 8 13 20 15 — 56



Defending Champion Fulton Edges BTW For AA Title (The Chattanoogan):



MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Defending champion Knox Fulton defeated Booker T. Washington, 56-55, in the Class AA state championship game Saturday night at the boys state basketball tournament at Murphy Center.


Second-half shooter: Junior Jalen Steele scored just two points during the first half of Fulton’s Class AA semifinals and final. But in the second half, he had 40 points — 20 in each game.
“I get back in the locker room and get my head straight,” Steele said. “I know the speed of the game. After that I come back out and starting making shots.”


All Tournament Team:

Lester Wilson-Carter,Ricky Tisdale-Bolivar Central,Fred Sturdivant-Brainerd,Larry McGhaughey-BT Washington, James Gallman-Fulton, Douglas Rosser-BT Washington, Courtland Styles-Fulton, Martavious Newby-BT Washington,Robert Boyd-Fulton, Jalen Steele-Fulton (MVP)





PrepXtra Game Blog: Class AA Championship: Fulton (29-6) vs. B.T. Washington (29-2) (Jesse Smithey)





TSSAA Official Boxscore



Sweat Repeat! WVLT coverage


Fulton wins second straight state championship (WATE coverage)


Back to Back: Fulton Falcons AA Champs (WBIR coverage)