Alcoa High School makes eighth straight football state title appearance
The state championship game will take place this Friday.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Alcoa High School Tornadoes are headed back to the state championship game for the eighth year in a row, the longest record of consecutive title game appearances in the state of Tennessee.
Senior linebacker Aaron Davis feels special to be part of such a successful team not only in the state but in the country.
Davis said, “It’s really special cause I don’t think there is anywhere like this, across the U.S., really.”
Upon returning to the title game for the eighth year in a row, senior running back Jordan Harris knows all too well what is at stake and how going into this game feels.
Harris said, “It’s a great feeling to always be able to make it back to the state championship. Anytime you can make it to the state championship, it’s always good.”
Both seniors talked about how much their team and this opportunity mean to them, as their class has won the state title each year since they entered Alcoa High School.
“It means a lot,” Davis said. " We have a streak going, and I’m just looking to continue it. We know they were really good last year, and I’m really expecting a dogfight, a war, so we’re just preparing this week for it.”
“I love this whole team,” Harris added. “It’s a lot. It’s my senior year. It’s crazy; I love it.”
First-year head coach Brian Nix has been part of the team’s recent successes but is making his debut as head coach in a championship game this weekend.
Nix recognizes that he plays a role on this team, but this role is beyond coaching and winning.
“You just want to try and contribute to making these kids better people,” Nix said. “You feel like if you make them better men, if you invest in them, then they’re gonna play hard for you. The field is going to take care of itself.”
This season, the Tornadoes have outscored their opponents 591 to 188. This year also marks the fifth straight season in which the team has had one or fewer losses heading into the title game.
Nix prepares his team the way his players can also be prepared for life.
“There’s gonna be some adversity, and that’s why we practice the way we do; it’s why we train the way we do,” Nix said. “That’s why our practices are strenuous; they’re mentally strenuous because we want our kids to be able to deal with stress; we want our kids to be able to deal with adversity because that’s what life is about.”
This year features a rematch of the 2021 season’s championship game. Alcoa will meet East Nashville for the second time, and the Tornadoes are prepared to give it their all to repeat as state champions.
The state championship game will take place this Friday, December 2nd, at 11:00 a.m. at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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