Maryville vs. Alcoa Friday Night
I spent my Friday night at Maryville High School checking out some of the local talent in the annual Blount County rivalry. I got there about an hour and a half before kickoff and was still unable to find a seat. There were more than 10,000 fans there from what I was told.
I was anxious to check out Vols commitment Tyler Maples, who had a big game against the Tornadoes last year. He didn’t disappoint. Maples had quite the first half and finished with 6 receptions for over 130 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown pass was a 39 yard play that was all Maples. It was, without a doubt, one for the highlight shows. His elusiveness got him to the open field and his speed got him to the end zone.
Brian Sommer didn’t catch my eye all that much except for the interception he had in the end zone. It was a nice play, but also a poorly thrown ball. He finished with a couple of catches on offense, one of which was a 30+ yard catch where he showed some nice running ability.
Rae Sykes was easy to spot. He is very physically imposing out there. I saw him make a few tackles but I wouldn’t consider him a difference maker in the game.
As for the game, Alcoa kept it close. Maryville helped them with turnovers but it came down to one last series. After an Alcoa touchdown closed the gap to 3, Maryville had the ball the just over six minutes left on the clock. It took two fourth down conversions (one accomplished when the defense jumped offsides on fourth and one) but Maryville was able to keep possession of the ball and run out the clock. Final score: Maryville 17 and Alcoa 14.