Region contests highlight Week 3 of the football schedule. There will be 134 games played this week with 113 of the games featuring region matchups.

Schools are continuing to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and mandates and TSSAA believes that every adult and every participant must do their part and follow the guidelines set forth by the association and conduct themselves safely and thoughtfully so that the schools can provide as many opportunities as possible for the student-athletes this fall.

School administrators and coaches are aware of the guidelines and requirements, but the general public can educate themselves on what is being asked of everyone attending and participating in high school games this season by visiting the Return to Play page at TSSAA.org.

Spectators should be prepared to wear masks and have their temperatures checked at the entry gates. Those that are or have recently experienced COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter the stadium. Because stadium seating capacities will be limited to allow for physical distancing, check your school’s website or social media accounts for information on ticket availability. It is the host school’s discretion to honor passes, or offer any public ticket sales at all, because of capacity restrictions.

The following four games will be played on Thursday this week:

Northview Academy at Gatlinburg-Pittman
Rockwood at Oliver Springs
Cocke County at South Greene
CPA vs. Bartlett (at Milan High School)

The full scoreboard, schedules and standings can be found at https://tssaasports.com/sports/football/.

Historical Matchups

This weekend’s game between Clinton and Knoxville Halls is a rematch of a consequential Class AAA semifinal playoff game in 1992. Clinton, undefeated and coming off wins over Maryville, Cocke Co. and Riverdale, defeated Halls (12-1) in a close 14-10 contest on Dec. 4, 1992. The win would propel Clinton to the Clinic Bowl state championship game to face powerhouse Gallatin at Vanderbilt Stadium.

Clinton finished runner-up to Gallatin, whose 1992 trip to the Clinic Bowl was the school’s fourth finals appearance in a six year span (1987-1992). Neither team has been back to the state finals since.

The 1992 season was the 11th and final campaign at Knoxville Halls for head coach Larry Kerr. The next season, he would begin a long tenure as head coach at Clinton’s cross-town rival, Anderson County High School. Almost two decades later, Josh Kerr, son of Larry Kerr, would begin a six-year stint as Clinton’s head football coach from 2011 until 2016.

More information about these games and others can be found at the online home of the TSSAA Championships, TSSAAsports.com.

Watching Online

This week, approximately 100 contests are scheduled to be broadcast by schools across the state on the NFHS Network this week, including nearly 15 football games. More than a dozen soccer games and over 30 volleyball matches are featured on the Network. Your subscription to the NFHS Network sends money back to the schools and helps to cover the costs of offering the service.

Watching the games are easy, whether it’s on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Download the NFHS Network app from Google Play or the iTunes App Store and take the live coverage with you wherever you go.

Thursday Varsity Football

Bartlett High School vs. Christ Presbyterian Academy (6 pm CST)

Friday Varsity Football

McKenzie High School vs. Peabody High School
Baylor School vs. Chattanooga Christian School
Boyd Buchanan School vs. Webb School of Knoxville
Christian Academy of Knoxville vs. White Co. High School
Cleveland High School vs. Maryville High School
Alcoa High School vs. Scott High School
Notre Dame High School vs. Silverdale Baptist Academy
Warren County High School vs. Rockvale High School
Marshall County High School vs. Tullahoma High School
Cookeville High School vs. Riverdale High School
Jackson County High School vs. Westmoreland High School
Hendersonville High School vs. Station Camp High School

For an up-to-date schedule of games streaming live this week, visit https://tssaasports.com/nfhsnetwork/.

COVID-19 Standings

TSSAA has updated the scoreboard, schedules and standings to show a win for 18 schools whose Week 2 opponents canceled due to COVID-19. The team that was forced to cancel is, by Board action, to consider the game a “no-contest.” Contests where both teams were unable to play due to COVID-19 are considered “no-contests” and have been removed from the schedule. The schools listed below were awarded a Week 2 win:

Crockett Co. High School
Cumberland Gap High School
Fairview High School
Lebanon High School
Maryville High School
Memphis University School
Middleton High School
Milan High School
Notre Dame High School
Oakland High School
Perry Co. High School
Pickett Co. High School
Scott High School
Springfield High School
Stewart Co. High School
Tipton-Rosemark Academy
Mt. Juliet Christian Academy (region win only, game replaced)

Photo: Knoxville Halls kicks off to Gibbs on Thursday, August 20 to start the 2020 High school football season.
Courtesy of James Spears and The Knoxville Focus