Football Recap: Elijah Valentine Leads Gatlinburg-Pittman's Defense on Thursday + How To Watch

Gatlinburg-Pittman won the last time they faced Cocke County and things went their way on Thursday too. The Highlanders came out on top against the Fighting Cocks by a score of 23-12. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Highlanders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Fighting Cocks are ranked 229th).

Brayden Maples had a dynamite game, rushing for 120 yards and two scores on only 11 carries.

Highlanders

Rushing Yards

08/28/25 @ Cocke County	204
08/22/25 vs Seymour	165
11/22/24 @ Alcoa	105
11/15/24 @ Unicoi County	175
11/08/24 @ Roane County	143
+ 6 more games

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Gatlinburg-Pittman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 204 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.

Gatlinburg-Pittman's defense stepped up as well, laying out Vincent Steinbacher. three times. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Elijah Valentine.

When it comes to explaining why Cocke County lost, don't look at Daniel Price. Despite the final result, he rushed for 131 yards on only 14 carries.

Gatlinburg-Pittman has started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 19 points this season. As for Cocke County, they are on a five-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-2.

Coming up, Gatlinburg-Pittman will head out to take on Unicoi County at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th. This will be the Highlanders' first chance to prove their worth in the conference. As for Cocke County, they will welcome Seymour at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th.