Tennessee High and Sullivan East look to strike back in rivalry game

The schools, located just seven miles apart, will meet on the football field for the 44th time Friday night at Stone Castle, with both teams desperately trying to recover from the loss.

Tennessee High lost 54-7 to strong Greeneville and to make matters worse, one of the buses taking the team back to Bristol after the game had a mechanical problem on the highway. East played at home, but the Patriots also suffered a 53-7 defeat to the Johnson County Longhorns.

THS caused four turnovers that the Greene Devils took advantage of, while East managed only three total rushing yards.

“Football is all about turning the page,” Tennessee high school coach Josh Holt said. “You have to turn the page but at the same time be aware of the lessons from the previous week and make sure you address the areas where you were lacking in practice before you're ready for the next page. There are only 10 games in a football season and you have to learn something from every game.”

Sullivan East coach JC Simmons shared many of those feelings with his team.

One game does not make a season.

“It was a tough loss,” Simmons said. “It highlighted all the little things we haven't mastered yet, but that's what good teams do: They highlight their problems. I told them after the game that a lot of coaches would start talking about next year, but my team and I don't know how to do that. We're going to keep working to get better to be successful in 2024.”

Coincidentally, East's neighbors are next on the agenda.

“I don't usually talk about who we're playing and extra motivation because we want to develop into a team that can play anytime, anywhere,” Simmons said. “The fact that this game comes right after a tough loss is indicative of our season – we don't have bad weeks. Every week we have to be ready for a battle over four quarters. This week is no different.”

A bright spot for Tennessee High against Greeneville was the physical running style of Trent Dowdell, who gained 90 yards on 23 carries.

“We told them that turnovers can be fixed in practice and that we will use the physicality and effort they played with as a springboard for Week 2 against Sullivan East,” Holt said.

East allowed 331 rushing yards last week, and the Patriots will once again receive a heavy dose of a relentless rushing attack on Friday.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Holt and his program,” Simmons said. “The guys we're going up against this week are a tough, physical team. They're strong up front on both sides of the ball and they're committed to what they do. Defensively, they fly to the ball and play solid, aggressive football. Their talented guys do a great job of what their coaches ask of them. I have no doubt they'll be prepared and ready to execute their game plan. A really big test for us, but what a great opportunity to perform and compete in front of a big crowd.”

Peyton Lingerfelt threw 182 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots last week in his first official game as Sullivan East's starting quarterback.

The “Air Raid” offensive has become the trademark of the Bluff City troop.

“East is very happy with what they're doing on both sides of the ball,” Holt said. “They're good on offense and they're really tough on defense. Coach Simmons has done a great job out there and has started to create an identity with his commitment to their scheme and what it means to his players.”

Tennessee High and Sullivan East inexplicably did not play from 2011 to 2022 until the series was extended last season.

Holt is a former Vikings player who has fond memories of playing against the Patriots.

“The East game was a staple when I was here in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” Holt said. “We never imagined back then that there would be a rift in the rivalry like there has recently been. We knew a lot of East players back then and looked forward to the game every year. It's rivalry in its purest form. We had friends and family who went to East. Parents worked with other parents whose kids went to East. You went to church with players who went to East. For all of those reasons, it really meant the world to a lot of players. It's a community competition that gets a lot of people in our area excited about high school football.”

Tennessee High's Stone Castle has been refurbishing the bleachers and will likely be full on Friday. An estimated 5,000 people came to Bluff City last August when the Vikings celebrated a 48-25 victory over Sullivan East.

“Last year the atmosphere was great and what I think a high school crowd should be like,” Simmons said.

Sullivan East has never beaten the Vikings on the field, although a 35-14 victory by the Bristolians in 1998 was later ruled a forfeit when it was discovered that Tennessee High had used an ineligible player.

Only in seven cases did Tennessee High fail to beat East by a double-digit margin.

Nevertheless, the tension remains palpable when the Patriots and the Vikings meet.

One of the teams will be able to ease the pain of their Week 1 losses.

“Here at Tennessee High, we haven't had any rivalry games for the last couple of years,” Holt said. “We're so spread out in our league that it's hard to really build any kind of consistent rivalry with anyone. Anytime you can play a team that's literally just down the street, it creates that rivalry-like atmosphere.”