Intra-county matchups always have a little extra sizzle to them, both teams generally enter with a little more intensity. Friday night, there was even more buzz than most intra-county games and Greenback Head Coach Brent Kilpatrick had an idea why. “I'll just be honest – we expected to win tonight,” the coach exclaimed.  “Loudon's got a great team, but we felt we could beat them this year.” And beat them the Class A Cherokees did. When Greenback quarterback Bunkie Vanskiver, the offensive star of the contest, fell on Loudon's desperation onside kick, it was apparent to everyone in the stadium. For the first time in school history, the Greenback Cherokees had defeated the Loudon Redskins 26-23.

Coming into the game as heavy underdogs, the Cherokees were fully aware of the highly lopsided defeats they had received from the Class 2A Redskins. The Loudon players, it seems, were aware also, as Head Coach Jeff Harig's fears of a lack of focus were realized.  “We weren't mentally focused and their kids made plays and ours didn't.  They outplayed us, outcoached us and I give them credit.” The Redskins took the ball first, in an apparent attempt to quickly quell the energy swelling up among the Greenback faithful. This wasn't the case, however, as the Loudon offense was forced into a three and out and punted the ball to Greenback.

The fired-up ‘Kees took possession at their own 21 and, in nine plays, marched to the end zone.

It wasn't an easy path, as the Loudon defense forced a decision on fourth and four from the visiting 38.

Cherokee offensive coordinator Greg Ryan, true to his aggressive nature, chose to go for it early.

The decision worked as Vanskiver flipped the ball out to senior Chase Vogt on a wide receiver screen and Vogt fought his way to a first down.

Three plays later, Greenback was on the board first on a 28-yard scramble by Vanskiver.

The extra point was blocked, but the Cherokees struck first, 6-0. Undaunted, the Loudon offense took the field and put together a very lengthy drive.

Beginning from their own 31, the Redskins drove 43 yards in 17 plays and ate 8:46 off the clock. The Cherokee defense made a stand on its end of the field, though, as a fourth down pass from Brandon Johnson to Keenan Hawkins was broken up by Vogt. The Greenback offense took possession of the ball at its own 26 and used some trickery to find the end zone this time. After moving to the Loudon 49 in four plays, Ryan dug into the playbook and found a play that caught Loudon off guard.

Vanskiver dropped back and, much like he had done numerous times already in the game, tossed a screen pass out to Vogt. Instead of running with the ball, though, the senior dropped back and fired across the field to a wide-open Daniel Willis.  The tailback caught the pass and streaked through the green grass to paydirt.

The ‘Kees attempted a two-point conversion, but Vanskiver's pass was batted down by Devan Grissom and the Loudon defense held Greenback to a 12-0 advantage. Loudon took the ball this time and the coaches turned to the best weapon they have, senior tailback D'Andre Miley. The senior touched the ball on six of the seven plays run and capped the 64-yard drive with a 22-yard scamper. Carlos Espinoza nailed the PAT and Loudon closed the gap to 12-7.

The Greenback offense continued its success through the air, though, as Vanskiver moved the ‘Kees 60 yards in seven plays to the Loudon 15.

Possibly the senior's only mistake came on the final play of the drive, though, as he tried to get the ball to Vogt, but had it tipped and intercepted by Loudon's Matthew Wallace.

The Loudon offense failed to pass the 50, though, and the teams headed to the locker room with five points seperating them.

Loudon seemed to get things back under control after the break, as the Redskin defense stuffed the Cherokee offense for a three-and-out and the Loudon offense cashed in.

Starting from their own 43, Miley led the Redskins down the field in seven plays to the Greenback 10.

The host defense held firm there, though, and forced an Espinoza field goal.  It was true, and Greenback clung to a 12-10 lead.

No intimidation showed from the ‘Kees on the ensuing drive as they marched 63 yards in 10 plays and a Vanskiver to Vogt 15-yard slant pattern capped the scoring drive.

Jeremy Miller's point after made it through and the hosts upped their lead to 19-10.

The teams traded possessions before the inevitable occured – a big play from Miley.

Beginning at their own 45 early in the fourth, sophomore Wade Plemons picked up six yards for the Redskin offense and then Miley evaded numerous tacklers in the middle of the field and burst out for a 49-yard TD strike.  Espinoza's PAT cut the ‘Kee lead back to two at 19-17.

The ‘Kees all but wrapped up the game on the next drive, though, as the offense marched 82 yards in 10 plays and fullback Jeff Harris plunged in from a yard out to cap the drive.  Miller nailed the extra point and Greenback held a 26-17 lead with 7:25 to play and enjoyed every bit of the momentum.

With a raucous crowd doing its best to slow them, the Loudon offense bogged down at midfield on the next drive and a fourth down scramble from Johnson came up well short – giving the ball back to the ‘Kees.

Greenback burned four minutes from the clock, but couldn't hammer the final nail in the coffin.

Loudon took possession at its own four yard line and the passing game brought the Redskins six points closer.

After moving the ball to midfield, Johnson dropped back and found Wallace streaking down the left sideline.  The receiver caught the ball and found his way to the end zone.  Espinoza's PAT bounced off the right upright, though, leaving the score 26-23.

The senior kicker then attempted an onside kick as the final hope for Loudon.  The ball rolled free for the necessary 10 yards, but Vanskiver fell on it to clinch the Cherokee win.

The senior QB finished the game with 204 passing yards and 116 on the ground.  "He's a playmaker, that's all you need to say," Kilpatrick said of his QB.  Harig also spoke of Vanskiver's big game saying he "made plays all night long.  We tried to get to him, but we couldn't get to him."

Miley led the Loudon offense with 183 yards and two TDs.  "We knew that we could do some things in the running game," Harig explained of Miley's success.

As for moving on, both teams are facing very different situations.  "It's a big deflator," Harig said.  "On film, I knew they were good and I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I felt that we would be OK to make the plays we needed, but unfortunately we didn't."  Kilpatrick, on the other hand, is hoping for this win to vault his team forward.  "I think confidence-wise this is going to help.  If we come out and play like this every Friday night, we have a chance to do some good things this year."

The ‘Kees (3-0) will travel to Harriman Friday night and the Redskins (2-2) will look to rebound at home against Sweetwater.

Both games are set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Loudon Redskins (2-1) took to the field Friday night as underdogs to their Region 2(2A) rivals, Christian Academy of Knoxville (1-1).  The Redskins had home field advantage and something to prove – they were not going to let the critics be right.  By the end of the game, the Redskins had avenged their losses to CAK from last season with a 23-7 win.

The Redskins took their opening possession from their own 26-yard line.  On the first play, Brandon Johnson found Keenan Hawkins for a one-yard gain.  Then Johnson found Lee Poynter on a slant for a first down at the 38-yard line. Wade Plemons came in at quarterback to keep the Warriors' defense on its heels and kept the ball as he picked up another Loudon first down.  D'Andre Miley picked up five yards on a carry and then, on second and five, Johnson found Matthew Wallace for a 39-yard touchdown.  The point after was blocked, but the Redskins were up 6-0.

The defense stopped the Warriors short of the goal line on CAK's second series and Hawkins blocked a 41-yard field goal attempt.  Wallace recovered the ball for Loudon and took it out to the 45 but the offense couldn't get going and had to punt. The defense once again stepped up and forced a punt, which the Redskin special teams unit came down on hard.  The Redskins got what they wanted as the punter shanked it and netted a five-yard punt.

The offense took advantage of the great field position, as Plemons came in to pick up a first down.  He then pitched to Wallace on the option for another Redskin first down.  Loudon marched down to the 11-yard line and Plemons kept the ball and took it into pay dirt.  Carlos Espinoza added the PAT and Loudon was up 13-0. Each team traded possessions after that, but it was the Big Red defense that got the best of the Warriors.  Richard Butkus had a big hit on Michael Fromke causing a fumble.  Luke Newman scooped up the ball and rumbled 30-yards for the TD.  Espinoza's point after was good and the Redskins were up 20-0 going into halftime. The third quarter was scoreless as each team traded punts.

The fourth started with the Redskins getting the ball on a CAK punt.  Miley got the handoff on a second and seven from Loudon's own 27-yard line and took to the races.  He was eventually caught by the shirttail at the 23-yard line of the Warriors.  Tyler Barr carried the ball seven yards and Miley was able to pick up the first down.  The Redskins got a first and goal at the nine but kept going backwards.  Finally Espinzoa's 29-yard field goal was good and Loudon extended its lead to 23-0.

With two minutes left to play the Redskins put in their second team defense, but the Warriors left in their starters.  So Fromke was able to find Taylor Moran for CAK's only TD.  Matthew Warren added the point after, but Loudon was still up 23-7. The Redskins got the ball back on the onside kick and ran the clock out for their second victory of the season. “The key to the win was a great team effort and the defense kept them from making big plays,” said Loudon Head Coach Jeff Harig after the game. CAK had 252 yards of total offense and the Redskins finished with 256. Loudon was led in rushing by Plemons with 19 carries for 101 yards.  Miley pitched in 41 yards on 13 carries.  Hawkins led in passing with four receptions for 51 yards.

Loudon (2-1) travels to Greenback (2-0) next Friday to end the county rivalry for the 2008 season.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

Many things have changed in the past year, but there's one thing that has remained constant – Loudon's success against its intra-county rival. Two very different teams took the field Friday night, Loudon attempting to repeat a duo of strong seasons and Lenoir City trying to carry the momentum from its first win in 18 games. The end result, though, was the fourth straight Redskin victory over the Panthers – this time 30-7. The two teams were very competitive early, even entering halftime with Loudon hanging on to a 17-7 advantage.

The Redskins were dominant in the final half, though, securing the victory yet again. “I thought our defense was the difference,” said Loudon Head Coach Jeff Harig. “I thought our secondary played well . . . and they were really trying to test us in the secondary.” As for the Panther side, Head Coach Mike Zeller spoke of a team that needed more improvement. “It was just one thing after another. Just a bad game all around,” he said.  “We had so many mental mistakes, I don't know where to start.” The game didn't start out so badly for the Panthers, though, as they gave the ball to Loudon to open the game and stopped the Class 2A school for a three and out. The Redskin defense stepped up and held the Class 4A offense to the same fate, though. After the trade of failed possessions, Loudon put together a drive that would dent the scoreboard. A 10-play, 55-yard drive that ate 5:42 off the clock culminated in a three yard run by Matthew Wallace for the touchdown. Most of the yardage was gained by starting tailback D'Andre Miley, though, as he accounted for all but 13 of the yards. After senior Carlos Espinoza nailed the extra point, Loudon held a 7-0 lead. The Panthers made sure their rival didn't pull too far ahead, though, as it took just three plays for LC to tie the game. After a couple of plays that lost three yards, senior QB Matt Gentry found an open Derek Pratt streaking across the field on a slant pattern. The junior grabbed the ball and blazed 69 yards to paydirt. Daniel Cook's PAT was true and the Panthers tied the game late in the first quarter.

The Redskins came right back with an answer, as they put together an eight-play, 60-yard scoring drive. Helped by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Lenoir City that turned a third down into a first, the Redskins capped their drive on a draw up the middle by backup quarterback Wade Plemons. The sophomore, who rotated with senior Brandon Johnson on a pre-planned basis, ran a draw up the middle  and had nothing but daylight for 21 yards. Asked about the QB rotation, Harig explained, “Wade gives us a dimension with the option game that Brandon does not.  We like the way Brandon manages the game and his demeanor in the huddle and Wade can come in and spell him and give us another dimension.” Espinoza once again drilled the extra point and Loudon held a 14-7 lead midway through the second. Neither offense found much footing against the opposing defense the remainder of the half, except for one last scoring drive by Loudon.

After a series that saw Loudon fail on a fake punt and then Lenoir City giving the ball back on the next play due to a fumbled handoff, the Redskins tacked on three more points. A 43-yard Miley run set up the field goal attempt by Espinoza and, despite making things extremely interesting, the kicker converted the three-point play and the visitors headed to halftime up 10. Coming out of the break, the Panthers began to put together a successful drive and appeared to be near getting back in the game – before disaster struck in the form of a red and white clad Wallace. The junior stepped in front of a Gentry pass thrown to the right hashmark, caught it and raced 60 yards for a score that deflated the home crowd. Espinoza missed the PAT this time, leaving the score at 23-7. The next offensive drive for the Panthers saw the more mobile Cody Harvey enter the game at quarterback, and he produced a long drive.

Under Harvey's leadership, the Panthers drove down to the Loudon 15 before the drive stalled. The Panthers attempted a fake field goal from there, but holder Brandon Rutherford was unable to find any room to run and was promptly taken down by a duo of Redskins. The LC defense held on the ensuing drive, forcing a Loudon punt.  Even then, though, bad luck struck the Panthers. Harvey fielded the punt from Keenan Hawkins and was leveled by a Redskin defender.  The ball sprung free and was recovered by Wallace, but Harvey was hurt. “He had a bad cramp there at the end,” said Zeller of Harvey.  “He was doing a lot of running.”

Loudon turned that turnover into more points, as Johnson capped the drive with a one-yard sneak and Espinoza sealed the final score with his fourth PAT. Gentry finished the game 8 of 22 for 130 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Miley led the Loudon offense with 139 yards on 25 carries. The Redskin ground game carried the offense, gaining 218 yards total along with three TDs. Pratt finished the game for LC with 96 yards on three catches and a score.

The Panthers (1-1) will remain at home Friday to face Powell while Loudon (1-1) returns to Dukes Field to face CAK.

Loudon Head Coach Jeff Harig called his team a “work in progress” after Friday night's opening contest and it certainly showed.  The Redskins hosted McMinn Central in the season opener and fell into an early 34-0 hole before ultimately falling 34-13 on Dukes Field. The Wade Plemons-led Loudon offense (senior Brandon Johnson was still nursing a shoulder separation) took the ball on the opening drive, but quickly punted after a three and out.  A very short punt by Keenan Hawkins gave the ball to McMinn Central at the Loudon 33 and the Chargers capitalized on the good field position.

The Redskin defense didn't make things easy for the Class 3A squad, though, as the Chargers ran 10 plays and ticked 6:17 off the clock before scoring.  The lengthy drive finally culminated in a score when McMinn Central's Josh Moss took a handoff and beat the Loudon defense to the right edge for a 10-yard score.  Jamon Godfrey's extra point was true and the Chargers took the early 7-0 lead. Loudon came out firing on the second drive, as Plemons connected with Hawkins 33 yards downfield on the first play.  From the visitors' 41 yard line, Plemons then scrambled 11 yards for another first down to the McMinn Central 30.  The drive stalled from there, though, as Loudon only moved backwards and was forced to punt.

The Chargers once again put together a touchdown drive, but yet again the Loudon defense made life difficult on the way.  It took the visitors 12 plays to score, and they were helped along the way by a Redskin roughing the punter halfway through. The Chargers accumulated three first downs as they matriculated their way down the field, but gained a chunk of 35 yards on one play when Aaron Walker took a reverse and streaked 25 yards downfield.  A face mask penalty on Loudon marched the ball another 10 yards across the grass and set the visitors up with a first down on Loudon's seven. One play later, Branden Simpson took the handoff to the left and fought his way to paydirt.  Godfrey barely crept the kick over the crossbar and the Chargers saw their lead grow to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Redskin offense showed some life again on their third drive, as a Plemons to Matthew Wallace connection earned them their third first down of the game.  The drive appeared to be over once the Redskins drove to the McMinn Central 45 and were faced with a fourth down, but Harig took a chance.  On fourth and seven, the punt team came on but the snap went directly to Plemons, the upback on the play.  He was tackled for no gain, apparently ending the drive again, but a personal foul face mask was called on the visitors, setting Loudon up with a fresh set of downs on the Charger 30.

The Redskins couldn't do anything with the new life, though, running into a three and out and punting. The Chargers enjoyed their first short drive of the game, moving 82 yards in just six plays for the third score of the contest. The final scoring drive of the first half was culminated when quarterback Zac Rayl hooked up with receiver Jarrel Harrison for a 70-yard score.  Godfrey once again made the extra point interesting, but nailed it to send the game to halftime with the Chargers up 21-0.

Some confusion opened up the second half, as the Redskins received the ball once again to open the half – despite getting it to start the game as well.  As it turned out, the Chargers chose to kick on the opening coin flip, instead of choosing to defer.  Therefore, the decision was left up to Harig in the second half and he chose to receive. It didn't turn our well for Loudon anyway, though, as the kickoff was fumbled and the Chargers fell on the loose pigskin. This miscue led to a six-play, 17-yard scoring drive by McMinn Central, capped off by a three-yard scamper by Maury Ragland.  Godfrey continued to flirt with the goalposts, but made the PAT to extend the advantage to 28-0. The Redskin offense continued to find problems putting a drive together, and punted after a quick three and out.

The Loudon defense, though, continued its strong play forcing the Chargers into a punt formation after a three and out.  The Chargers, though, ran a fake of their own and it succeeded this time.  Rayl took the direct snap and burst through the middle of the line for 32 yards and a first down.  Two plays later, the Chargers moved the final five yards for the touchdown as Walker punched it in.  Godfrey, playing with fire all night, finally missed an extra point to keep the score at 34-0.

The Loudon offense finally began its progression on the next drive.  Starting from his own 20, tailback D'Andre Miley ended a game of frustrations with a 38-yard bolt out to the McMinn Central 42.  The senior was hit late by the Chargers' Shane Moses for one personal foul penalty, and then the referees charged another one to Moses, apparently for arguing after the play was over.

The duo of penalties moved the ball all the way down to the visitors' 12 and Miley took the handoff on the next play around the left side and into the end zone.  Carlos Espinoza tacked on the PAT and Loudon moved within 34-7. The Chargers continued to implode on their next drive, giving the ball back to Loudon after a three and out.  Hawkins got the Loudon fans on their feet once more on the punt, returning it 17 yards to the Charger 35. Miley continued to carry the offensive load, turning a third and 12 into a first down with a 15-yard scamper before Plemons found Hawkins on the left sideline for 10 yards and a first down. The Redskins appeared ready to cut the deficit to 21 after a Matthew Wallace run put the ball at the one, but the Charger defense held strong and forced the Redskins to turn the ball over on downs.

The McMinn Central offense continued to sputter, though, as the Redskin defense stuffed two straight run plays and then forced a turnover.  On third and 10 from the one, Rayl dropped to pass and was forced to step up in the pocket.  From there, he tried to fire the ball across the middle, but a Loudon lineman got his hand on the ball and the duck fell right into the hands of Jordan Purdy. The Redskin linebacker took the ball to the one, but failed to cross the goalline.  The Loudon offense did eventually break the line, though, as Plemons snuck in from a yard out to cement the final score.

After the game, Harig said he felt overall the defense “didn't play bad,” but that the team still had some growing to do.  “We had kids in position to make plays.  When we learn to make those plays, we'll have a chance at success this year. The coach added, “Our challenge as players and coaches is to keep striving to get better.” They'll have to find a way to get better quick, though, as a potentially improved Lenoir City Panther team awaits them Friday night for the annual “Battle of the Bridge.”  Harig said he didn't think this loss would impact his team negatively for the upcoming pivotal contest.  “I think it only gives us confidence.  For us to come out and compete the way we did in the second half and not give up – I think it shows we have character.” The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Lenoir City.

The 2008 high school football season kicked off for all three Loudon County football teams Friday night as, all across Tennessee, teams took part in their preseason jamborees. Greenback visited Heritage High School and faced off with William Blount. Behind touchdowns by senior quarterback Bunkie Vanskiver and fellow senior receiver Chris Sabo, the 'Kees chopped down the much larger Class 5A Governors 13-7. "To come out and play like this, I think, will give us a lot of confidence," said Greenback Head Coach Brent Kilpatrick. The Redskins hosted their own jamboree and took on Tellico. 
Both teams struggled to find consistent offense and the quarter ended in a scoreless tie.  "Good night, good weather, good crowd, nobody got hurt, and the kids played hard," said Loudon Head Coach Jeff Harig. 
Taking part in the jamboree at Loudon, Lenoir City faced off with Polk County. The Panthers ran six offensive plays on the way to a  7-0 defeat. 
"We've got to fix some things and get better," said Lenoir City Head Coach Mike Zeller. The 'Kees will take Week 0 off before heading to Hancock County Aug. 29. Loudon will open its home slate with a contest against McMinn Central and Lenoir City will hit the road for a date with Karns. All games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.