Lions claim the Stetson
Once disbanded program shines bright
Now his Concord Christian School (CCS) football team will have a chance to become acquainted with it too after winning farragutpress’s annual How the West was Won contest for the 2025 high school football season.
Notably, CCS won the award in its first full campaign at the TSSAA varsity level, making this the first year the Lions have been eligible for the contest.
“It’s awesome,” said Matthews, who first earned the trophy when he was at Knoxville Catholic in 2014 and 2016. “It’s a great achievement for our program in the first year out the door. Really appreciate what you guys do for the community and for our team. Hopefully we can continue to build this relationship and win this thing a couple more times.”
The contest has been an annual occurrence for more than two decades, as the seven teams within the farragutpress coverage area — Farragut, Bearden, Hardin Valley, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Knoxville Catholic, Webb School of Knoxville and Concord Christian School — compete for the regular-season title.
“We are ecstatic for Concord Christian School and their first How The West Was Won victory,” farragutpress general manager Kathy Hartman said. “Seeing the growth of the program in such a short amount of time under coach Matthews is a true testament to the dedication, hard work and determination of both the athletes and the coaching staff. Undoubtedly, this will not be their one and only win in our contest.
“How The West Was Won is a staple for our readers, our writers and local athletes. It brings healthy competition, community involvement and weekly recognition of the merits earned on the gridiron. The Farragut/West Knoxville area is rich with football talent, and recognizing that talent is fundamentally what has driven us for the past 18 years. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of seven high school programs that strive for success year after year.”
The Lions claimed the shiny, Stetson-adorned prize after going 6-4 in the regular season with a plus-170 point differential providing the difference between CCS and CAK, which also went 6-4 with a point margin of plus-54.
CCS also expanded on its success by making its first-ever postseason appearance in 2025, falling to Jackson Christian 27-13 in the first round of the Division II-A playoffs.
This year’s contest was sponsored by a first-year backer, the Billy Houston Group with Realty Executives. Houston joined farragutpress at the team’s banquet on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, to present the trophy and a $500 check to Matthews’ squad.
“It’s been fun,” Houston said with a smile. “For someone who has five kids and played sports in high school, to be associated with it again has been fun.”
Houston gave a brief speech to the players before the check was presented.
“Part of my speech is on goals, and in individual and team efforts in sports, you have to have goals to accomplish and have the drive to make you do better,” Houston said.
The Lions certainly set high marks this past season. After reeling off an 8-2 record with a mixed schedule in 2024, Matthews’ team scored 49 points or more four different times in 2025 with five games at 42 points or greater. They also averaged 35 points per outing with a high of 59 in Week 3. Also, the only win that did not include 40 or more points was a 35-0 shutout over the Georgia Force.
“The first year was kind of a JV schedule, just feeling our way, but really just proud of what we accomplished this year,” Matthews said. “We went 6-5 but were in every game in the fourth quarter. Started seven guys on offense who had never played a high school snap, so really proud of these young men. Fantastic trophy and just a cool thing for our school.”
He attributed the offensive success to the many playmakers CCS has on the offensive side of the ball — some of whom have FBS offers and most of whom will be returning next season.
“Everybody back on defense, nine returners on offense,” Matthews noted.
“The schedule will be a little more difficult with teams like CAK, Grace and Halls, and we’re aware of that. But we’re excited to take on the challenge.”
