3 high school football rematches to watch in Week 1

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — High school football is back in the Tri-Cities, and some of Week 1’s games will be high profile.

Virginia high schools don’t start their season until Aug. 30, but Tennessee squads are all hoping to be 1-0 by the end of Friday night.

Below are three games on Aug. 23 that fans will want to watch. Find all the scores in real time on WJHL.com and tune into Touchdown Friday Night on News Channel 11 at 11 p.m. for a full breakdown.

Science Hill at Elizabethton

The Hilltoppers and Cyclones will face off at Citizens Bank Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday.

This is far from the first matchup between the two teams. In fact, Friday will be the 100th meeting of the teams.

Last season, the Cyclones traveled to Science Hill to open the season and won 27-7, claiming bragging rights in the Railroad Rivalry. Elizabethton built off the win and remained undefeated for weeks until meeting Greevenille near the end of the season.

The Cyclones finished the 2023 season 9-2 after a loss to Anderson County in the playoffs.

Science Hill didn’t have Elizabethton’s level of success last season but did pull off a winning 7-4 season.

Tennessee High at Greeneville

Another season opener rematch will take place in Greeneville Friday night.

The Greene Devils, defending 4A district champions, will host the Tennessee High Vikings at 7 p.m. The Greene Devils and Vikings are not in the same district, but that isn’t likely to stop the Vikings from seeking revenge.

Last season, Greeneville went to the Stone Castle in Bristol and left with a commanding 28-7 victory over Tennessee High.

Greeneville remained perfect in the regular season and only tasted defeat in the 4A semifinals of the state tournament against Upperman.

Tennessee High finished last season with a 7-4 record after a rocky start in the first few weeks.

Both teams have a slew of returning starters

Farragut at Dobyns-Bennett

Head Coach Joey Christian’s Indians squad didn’t have the season they wanted in 2023. Dobyns-Bennett finished 5-5, and that started with a road loss to state powerhouse Farragut.

This season, Dobyns-Bennett will get another chance, and history is on the Indians’ side.

Prior to last season, the Indians had enjoyed four straight seasons of winning their season openers and had a two-game winning streak over Farragut.

The Farragut Admirals defeated Dobyns-Bennett 24-17 last season, but the Admirals have to travel to Kingsport this time. The Admirals have never beaten Dobyns-Bennett at J. Fred Johnson Stadium.

The Admirals are also under the command of a new head coach. Geoff Courtney, son of longtime coach Eddie Courtney, took the reins after 15 years as an assistant, the last seven of which were spent as an offensive coordinator.

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