Football Recap: Keaton Phipps' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Northview Academy over Unicoi County

Northview Academy came into this matchup off a tough 38-point loss last Friday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Unicoi County Blue Devils by a score of 29-27 on Thursday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Cougars of the 34-21 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in August of 2024.

Northview Academy lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Keaton Phipps, who rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Calvin Ferguson was in the mix as well, providing Northview Academy with two scores.

Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 2.9 yards per carry. The team can thank Logan Cates for the heroic effort on defense: he. Northview Academy's ground attack was stronger, having averaged five.

Unicoi County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kolby Jones, who rushed for 54 yards and a pair of TDs, and also threw for 240 yards and one touchdown while completing 72.2% of his passes. That's the most passing yards Jones has posted since back in September of 2024. Unicoi County's leading receiver Avery Hatcher was Jones' top target yet again, picking up 130 receiving yards and one score.

Northview Academy's record is now 0-2. As for Unicoi County, their record now sits at 2-0.

Northview Academy and Unicoi County will both get their first taste of in-conference action in their upcoming games. The Cougars are set to face off against their familiar foe Greeneville at 7:30 p.m. on the 5th. Meanwhile, Unicoi County will take on rival Gatlinburg-Pittman at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th.