Concord Christian joins HWWW football contest, new sponsor
Area teams are set for the 18th Battle in the “How the West Was Won” Race.
For the 18th consecutive season, area high school football teams will battle for gridiron supremacy with the top team winning the farragutpress How the West was Won trophy.
The farragutpress How the West was Won will be presented by Billy Houston Group, Realty Executives for the first time. Farragut High School, Hardin Valley Academy, Bearden High School, Knoxville Catholic, Webb School of Knoxville and Christian Academy of Knoxville will compete for the award along
with newcomer Concord Christian School, which is slated to play a full 10-game varsity schedule for the first time in school history.
Bearden High School enters the 2025 season as the defending champion. The Bulldogs went 7-3 during the regular season last year and would make it to the second round of the TSSAA Class 6A playoffs.
Bearden’s program, however, is in a state of flux. The Bulldogs lost several key players due to graduation or transfer. Bearden also has a new head coach in Brad Taylor. But Taylor is no stranger to BHS. A 1994 alumnus, Taylor played quarterback for the Bulldogs. He also was the team’s head coach from 2007-14.
Bearden will open the season Saturday at Knoxville West Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Farragut, meanwhile, also will open its season Saturday when it travels to Jefferson City to play defending Class 5A State Champion Sevier County, which went 15-0 last season, at Carson-Newman.
The Admirals were 4-7 last season. Head coach Geoff Courtney returns for his second season as head coach. He previously was an assistant under his father, Eddie, a legendary figure in TSSAA football.
The Hawks have struggled of late. Hardin Valley was 1-9 last season and was the only TSSAA school in the area not to make the playoffs. The Hawks are looking snap a long region losing streak. They haven’t won a league game in five seasons but second-year head coach Tyler Wynn is looking for that futility to come to an end.
“Our kids have all bought in and they’re playing for the guy next to them,” Wynn said. “They’re playing for each other.”
The Hawks open the season at home against geographical rival Karns.
Knoxville Catholic opens its 2025 season at Riverdale Friday at 8 p.m. The Irish, under the direction of Philip Shadowens, won just three games last season but qualified for the postseason.
Former University of Tennessee assistant coach Don Mahoney begins his third season as Webb’s head coach. The Spartans won five games last season and made the Division II-AA Playoffs. They open at home against Upperman Friday night at David Meske Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The Warriors won three games last season. CAK made the playoffs under head coach Chad Speck, who begins his third season at the school. The Warriors return four of their five offensive linemen. They kick things Friday night at Warrior Stadium against Concord Christian School.
CCS will play for area prep football supremacy for the first time. The Lions, who returned to the gridiron last season for the first time since 2018, will open at CAK. They’ll play in the East Region of Division II-A.
The Lions, coached by former Tennessee, Memphis State and NFL quarterback Steve Matthews, went 8-2
as an independent team in 2024. Concord played a split schedule last season, which
included five varsity games and five junior varsity contests. Matthews previously coached at Knoxville Catholic, guiding the Irish to a pair of state titles.
