The Road to the BlueCross Bowl… Cyclones face unknown in Nolensville with a state berth on the line
Published 3:02 am Friday, November 29, 2019
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Tonight’s contest against the Nolensville Knights is almost like a blind date for the Elizabethton Cyclones as Coach Shawn Witten and staff have heard a little bit about the Knights and seen film but they don’t know exactly what they are going to get until the two teams actually meet face-to-face at the 7 pm kickoff at Citizens Bank Stadium.
In fact, most have never heard of the school which opened on August 5, 2016, with a ninth and tenth grade only and then expanded in 2017-18 with an 11th grade before adding the 12th grade in the 2018-19 school year and is located in the massive Williamson County School District.
The school had 1,060 students enrolled in the 2018-19 school year and had its first graduation in the Spring of 2019.
In their short history, the Knights have been very successful in athletics and actually are the team that handed the Cyclone baseball team their two losses at the 2019 state baseball tournament that eventually led to the Cyclones elimination from the tournament.
For Elizabethton, however, all that really matters is they are the next team up and one more door that must be broken down for the Cyclones to reach their first state championship in the modern TSSAA state championships that were established in 1969.
The Cyclones were recognized as the 1938 state championship team prior to 1969.
It’s not that the Cyclones haven’t stood on the cusp of getting to the game – it was just that those opportunities slipped through their fingers.
Tonight, the 2019 Elizabethton team can add to its already impressive legacy seeking their 14th win of the season having already eclipsed the most wins in a single season last week with their quarterfinal win over Greeneville.
There is an air of confidence – not cockiness – about this team that just being around the players and coaches lets one know that this team has been committed to taking care of the small details of the game that have carried them to this point in time.
Preparations for the Knights have been going non-stop from the time the horn sounded to end the Greeneville game right up to kickoff tonight even going through two workouts on Thanksgiving getting ready and staying focused on their opponent tonight.
“It’s a golden opportunity for us to be here at home as far as the 4A regions go,” Witten said. “It’s almost a four hour trip for them.
“It’s almost like doing a research paper on them because we know nothing about them. They run a lot of complex schemes and have very good quarterback and skill position play and have a Mr. Football receiver finalist (Tim Coutras) and have a defensive end that has committed to Miami (Ohio) in mid-major play.
“It’s an area that broke off from the Ravenwood area which Ravenwood has been in many semifinals in state championship appearances. So its a very good clientele school and they didn’t start from scratch. They are good overall in everything they have.”
It will be the second week in a row that the Cyclones have faced a Tennessee Mr. Football finalists as Ty Youngblood from Greeneville came into last week’s game as a finalist as well and all the Cyclone defense did was limit Youngblood to a measly 27 yards on seven carries. The Greene Devil did register a one-yard touchdown run.
Meanwhile, Cyclone sophomore quarterback Bryson Rollins who was in the running for the award but didn’t make the finalist list continued to do what he has done all season and that was run the Elizabethton offense to perfection leading Elizabethton into this week’s semifinal game.
It has been a total team effort all season as the offensive line, defensive line, backs, receivers, linebackers, defensive backs, and special teams have all united and been the reason for a successful season.
Ultimately it has been discipline and attention to detail that has been the driving force.
“I think early on our preparation has been about discipline,” Witten stated about his team’s approach to tonight’s contest. “You have to make sure you know everything about them – their positions, how they are going to try to attack you, going back and trying to find out as much as you can statistically from their games, run-pass ratios, and see how many different things they do defensively.
“We have not seen a true passing team. A team that completely spreads you out using four receivers and a running back that really makes you cover the field from a passing standpoint.
“A lot like Anderson County in the past and CAK. The quarterback is a really smart kid that they have put a lot on to make the right reads and the right plays to get them in the right position.”
This week, like previous weeks, is another opportunity for the Carter County community to come out and support the Cyclones in the march on the road to the BlueCross Bowl.
Last week saw fans from all over Northeast Tennessee in attendance and tonight will be no different as the game is the hottest (and only) ticket for local high school football fans to see a state semifinal contest in Northeast Tennessee.
And even though a Christmas parade may not be on the agenda next Saturday for Cyclone Nation, there are hopes of another parade going down I-81 and I-40 toward Cookeville for a 3:30 pm state championship date.
But, first things first. It’s the Nolensville Knights at 7 pm tonight – Citizens Bank Stadium.
It’s football time in Tennessee!
