Tennessee high school football rankings: See who made Knoxville area poll for Week 2

Here are the top 10 Knoxville area high school football teams after Week 1 of the 2024 TSSAA season.

1. Maryville (1-0): The Rebels couldn’t have been more dominant in Week 1, beating Heritage 51-0. Maryville's sophomore quarterback Will Jones played cleanly, going 10-of-15 passing for 169 yards and four touchdowns. It also enjoyed a taste of what senior tailback Price Davis, a Davidson commit, can do. In one half, he had 13 carries for 86 rushing yards and one touchdown along with one 20-yard receiving touchdown.

2. Alcoa (0-1): Alcoa dropped its season opener for the first time since 2006. The 27-17 home loss came against a strong Ravenwood team of Class 6A. The nine-time defending state champions Tornadoes are still a top team in the area and have reasons to be pleased as it saw success from tight end Eli Owens . The Michigan commit had seven receptions for 106 yards, including a highlight-reel contested one-handed catch .

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3. Knoxville Catholic (1-0): While Catholic starting quarterback Jayden Neal missed the first game , sophomore Mack Bartholomew performed great in his place. In a 50-13 win over Lakeway Christian Academy, Bartholomew completed 13-of-16 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns. The last time the Irish scored at least 50 points in a game was Aug. 26, 2022.

4. Bearden (1-0): The Bulldogs arguably won the most exhilarating Week 1 game in the state, beating West 31-24 in triple overtime . They were led by running back Jayzon Thompson, the No. 15 junior in the state , who had 33 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Just as important to the win against the two-time defending Class 5A state champions was senior William Pendergrass who made all three of his field goals and said this was a “statement win.”

5. West (0-1): West’s triple overtime loss to Bearden on the road was as intense of a season opener as a team can have. The Rebels’ first offensive play was a fumble on a run that Bearden scooped and scored in the first 15 seconds. After trailing 13-0 at the start of the second quarter, they went into halftime ahead 14-13 after a pair of rushing touchdowns from senior Anterius Mcalister. Despite the loss, West's defense excelled as Bearden’s first offensive touchdown came with 9:43 left in regulation. It also forced three interceptions, two coming from senior linebacker Jack Keith.

6. Jefferson County (1-0): Jefferson County took down Oak Ridge 34-31 at home after leading 21-0 to start. In the waning moments of the game, four-star Tennessee commit Nic Moore got the fumble recovery that sealed any chance of a game-winning or tying drive by Oak Ridge. Senior running back Skylar Thomas had 32 carries for 264 yards and three touchdowns for Jefferson County.

7. Anderson County (1-0): Anderson County’s 28-25 win over Powell was a strong start to the season. Senior tailback Waylon LaRue was essential for the Mavericks' ability to progress down the field. The speedster had 18 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 68 yards. Israel Small also had a nice two-way performance, grabbing four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown along with an interception.

TOP PERFORMERS: Knoxville area high school football top performers from Week 1 of TSSAA season

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8. Greeneville (1-0): Tennessee High was blown out 54-7 by Greeneville. The Greene Devils Caden Baugh had nine carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns along with completing 7-of-10 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Drew Armbrister had 12 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

9. Powell (0-1): The Panthers dropped its first game of the year to Anderson County. Powell junior quarterback Deuce Rodgers carried a heavy load, completing 11-of-19 passes for 126 yards, two touchdowns and one interception along with 17 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown.

10. Sevier County (1-0): The Smoky Bears couldn’t be contained in its 49-13 win over Carter. Sophomore quarterback Cooper Newman , who has a Virginia Tech offer, completed 17-of-22 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The top defensive playmaker was junior defensive back Wyatt Maples who had two interceptions.

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Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_ .

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee high school football rankings: See who made Knoxville area poll for Week 2