Westview, Huntingdon claim football state championships

CHATTANOOGA — Friday was Graham Simpson Day.
The Westview sophomore quarterback led a record-setting afternoon for the Chargers in the Class 3A state championship game at Finley Stadium.
Spurring Westview to a 62-21 win over Gatlinburg-Pittman, Simpson set the state championship game record for most passing yards with 566 — he had 510 in the first half — and longest pass play for a touchdown when he hooked up with Donteze Joy for a 99-yard score.
Simpson also tied the record for most passing touchdowns in a title game with seven while also running for a score.
As a team, Westview set the record for most points in a half with 55 in the game’s first 24 minutes, breaking the record of 49 set the previous day by Nashville Christian in its win over USJ.
The younger brother of former Westview and current Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and son of UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson was 18-of-21 passing and carried the ball three times for 46 yards.
He was — no surprise — named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Simpson’s passing prowess led to some gaudy receiving numbers as well.
Joy, CD Damron and Asa Barnes all piled up big totals. Damron led the crew with six catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns, Joy added five catches for 170 yards with the record-setting score and Barnes piled up 151 yards and two TDs on just three catches.
Miles Brown added 63 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Westview set the tempo on the game’s first play as Simpson found Damron over the middle for an 80-yard catch-and-run score.
Westview scored three more times in the first quarter for a 28-0 lead — Simpson throwing to Brown for 11 yards, Simpson throwing to Barnes for 73 yards and Simpson running it in himself from 26 yards.
Westview then put up four more touchdowns in the second period while the Highlanders got on the board with two TDs.
Each team had a touchdown in the second half.
Westview won its second state title, the first coming in 2021 when Ty Simpson was the starting quarterback.
CLASS 2A
Huntingdon 20, Marion Co. 7
Business as usual.
Huntingdon’s team rode the buses into town on game day, picked up a state championship and then loaded up for the trip home when the game was over.
Kenton Smith was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after throwing for one touchdown and running for another in leading the Mustangs to the program’s second state title.
Smith carried the ball 13 times for 111 yards, scoring on a four-yard run to cap an 11-play, 71-yard drive that opened the third quarter and put the Ponies ahead 20-0.
His only completion in three attempts was a 41-yard scoring toss to Zayden Connelley at 5:41 of the second period.
Huntingdon’s first score came at 6:54 of the first quarter when Braylin Dearmon crossed the goal line from a yard out.
Dearmon finished with 76 yards on 16 carries.
Huntingdon’s ground-oriented, ball-control offense dominated the day.
The Mustangs gained 192 of their 233 total yards and picked up 13 of their 15 first downs on the ground.
CLASS 1A
So. Pittsburg 42, McKenzie 14
South Pittsburg grabbed a 35-0 halftime lead in stopping the Rebels’ title hopes Friday.
McKenzie is now 1-4 in state championship games, all four losses coming to South Pittsburg.
Meanwhile, the Pirates won their eighth state title and are now 8-8 in championship games — two of those losses coming to Union City.
Ja’mychal Buckner led the South Pitt offense with 204 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
He scored both Pirate TDs in the first quarter on runs of one and six yards and then broke loose for a 63-yard TD run in the second period.
Caden Jones threw two touchdown passes, completing 5-of-8 tosses for 157 yards.
Martavius Smith’s only catch was a 75-yard touchdown, while Dayon pulled in a 48-yard TD pass in the third quarter.
Timmy Arline ran for 127 yards and both Rebel scores on 21 carries.
DIVISION II CLASS A
NCS 59, USJ 7
The Bruins’ state championship game frustration continued on Thursday.
University School of Jackson has now lost all eight times it has played for a state championship, dating back to its first trip in 1993.
Meanwhile, the Eagles claimed their third state title and second in a row.
Nashville Christian scored 21 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second to set a state championship game record for most points in a half — which lasted less than 24 hours. It broke the record of 42 points that Union City scored in the second half against Coalfield in 2014.

Huntingdon’s Kenton Smith heads upfield.

Westview quarterback Graham Simpson looks downfield.

McKenzie’s Timmy Arline works for some tough yards.

USJ’s Jackson Pugh looks to get to the outside.