After each having a week off, the Johnson County Longhorns and the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Johnson County has given up an average of 32.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Johnson County lost 46-20 to Pigeon Forge last Friday. The Longhorns have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Juan Mejia, who rushed for 90 yards and one score on only ten carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Jonathan 'Jack' Csillag, who rushed for 59 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Gatlinburg-Pittman put another one in the bag two weeks ago to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed past Austin-East to the tune of 42-0. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the Roadrunners are ranked 268th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Gatlinburg-Pittman's win came from a few key players Johnson County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jackson Savarese, who picked up 112 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in receiving touchdowns (two). Brayden Maples was another key rusher, gaining 103 total yards and three touchdowns.
Gatlinburg-Pittman didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Austin-East to a completion percentage of just 39.3%. The team can thank Savarese for the heroic effort on defense: he. Gatlinburg-Pittman wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 66.7%.
Gatlinburg-Pittman didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Elijah Spence picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Gatlinburg-Pittman's win bumped their record up to 8-0. As for Johnson County, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 3-5.
Johnson County was able to grind out a solid victory over Gatlinburg-Pittman when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 14-7. Will the Longhorns repeat their success, or do the Highlanders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
