Turnovers Doom Eagles as Anderson County Brings Seymour’s Season to an End
The Seymour Eagles (9-2) saw their season come to an end Friday night in the opening round of the TSSAA Playoffs, falling to Anderson County (7-5) 35-3 in a disappointing season-ending defeat. Costly turnovers plagued the Eagles throughout the contest, giving Anderson County opportunities to capitalize and pull away on the scoreboard. Despite their efforts, Seymour was unable to overcome its mistakes, bringing a close to the Eagles' 2023 campaign.
Hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2015, the Eagles looked to make a statement early in hopes of picking up their first playoff win since the 2004 season.
Seymour was able to show defensive strength early on, forcing the Mavericks to a 3-and-out on their first drive of the game. Following the punt, the Eagles started their first drive on the Anderson County 27-yard line.
The Eagles were able to get 9 yards on the legs of senior running back Grayson Davis, but being backed up deep in their own territory, the Eagles opted to punt the ball back away to the Mavericks with 8:20 remaining in the opening quarter of play.
The Mavericks moved the ball down the field on the legs of running back Lane Larue before the Eagles made the stop on 3rd and 2, with senior linebacker J.D. Cook leading the charge to bring up an early 4th down for Anderson County.
Anderson County coach Davey Gilliam decided to keep the offense on the field for the 4th down play, but the Eagles' defense rose to the occasion. Tripp White made the initial penetration, and Hunter Gibson along with Mason Brown tackled the Mavericks' ball carrier, causing a turnover on downs and marking the first major momentum shift in the game.
With the Eagles taking over possession on their own 30-yard line, Levi Carlson found Mason Brown running ahead of the Mavericks' defensive backs for the catch and run down to the Anderson County 20-yard line for 50 yards, putting Seymour inside the red zone for the first time in the contest.
Davis ran for 2 yards before Carlson aimed for Brown in the end zone again. The defensive back held Brown, resulting in a penalty flag for defensive holding. Consequently, the ball was moved half the distance to the goal, reaching the 9-yard line, and providing the Eagles with an early 1st and goal chance.
On 2nd and goal, Carlson looked for Adam Burdick crossing on the slant pattern, but Larue was able to force the incompletion before Davis moved the ball down to the 6-yard line on 3rd.
Seymour coach Caleb Olive then sent senior kicker Jackson Kendall out for the 24-yard field goal attempt. Kendall banged the kick through the uprights, and with 1:33 left in the 1st quarter, Seymour led 3-0.
"We made some big defensive plays and we were able to hit the big play to Mason down the sideline and come away with some points. We felt good, it's a ballgame, it's going to be a dogfight." Caleb Olive said of the opening score.
The Mavericks once again moved the ball down the field on the Eagles defense to the midfield stripe as the opening quarter concluded.
On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Anderson County's Gilliam found Riley Miller on 3rd & 9 for 22 yards, giving the Mavericks a fresh set of downs on the Eagles 28 yard line.
Following a pair of false start penalties, Noah Bohanan stepped in front of the 3rd down pass from Gillam on the 25-yard line for the interception to end the Mavericks' threat and set the Eagles up on offense with the momentum firmly on the Seymour sideline.
With Seymour unable to make progress on the drive, the Eagles punted the ball back to Anderson County. After the return, the Mavericks took possession on their own 30-yard line with 8:26 left in the first half.
On the 2nd down play, quarterback Gillam looked for his receiver down the field, but he was overthrown, and the pass fell harmlessly to the turf. On the play, Gillam was injured and forced to exit the game in favor of Brayden Sharpe.
Sharpe and his teammates successfully advanced the ball both through the air and on the ground until Sharpe connected with Larue on a swing pass from the backfield, resulting in a 33-yard touchdown catch and run. The extra point was successful, giving Anderson County a 7-3 lead with 5:33 left in the first half.
Seymour took over on their own 20 after the kickoff sailed into the end zone, setting up 5:27 of football that would doom the Eagles' hopes of winning their first playoff game since 2004.
On the first play of the drive, Anderson County forced a fumble from Davis after linebacker Kaeson Landon was able to punch the ball free, and Larue was able to fall on it, giving the Mavericks the ball on the Seymour 21-yard line.
Anderson County moved the ball down to the 3-yard line exclusively on the ground before Sharpe hit Jaxon Price in the back corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass, stretching the lead to 14-3 Mavericks with 3:16 remaining in the half.
Zadan Smith returned the kickoff to Seymour's 35-yard line. However, on a 3rd and 9 play, Levi Carlson was pressured out of the pocket. He managed to gain 8 yards, but Landon once again forced a fumble. Anderson County recovered the ball when Colton Noe picked it up on Seymour's 29-yard line.
On 2nd down, Sharpe rolled to his right before throwing back across his body, where he found Larue for a 20-yard catch and run for another Mavericks touchdown. Following the PAT, Anderson County led 21-3 with 1:27 remaining in the half.
Seymour went to the ground on 1st down where the Mavericks would stand Davis up for no gain.
On second down, Carlson threw a quick out to Burdick, who was immediately tackled by Noe. Noe stripped the ball from Burdick, allowing the Mavericks to regain possession as Landon Daniels recovered it on the Eagles' 24-yard line.
On 2nd down, Sharpe hit Elijah Johnson, who was alone in the middle of the field, for the 24-yard touchdown pass, and with 21 seconds left in the opening half, the Anderson County lead had swelled to 28-3.
Seymour's Aidan Johnson found running room on the Eagles' 1st down play for 15 yards, down to the 45-yard line as the halftime buzzer sounded with Anderson County holding a 28-3 lead over the Eagles.
"If I could go back and erase the 2nd quarter, we'd be pretty good but unfortunately we just dug ourselves too big of a whole there. We tried to correct some things at halftime but again your playing a really good opponent and you can't make so many mistakes." Olive said of the 2nd quarter.
Seymour received the opening kickoff for the 2nd half and featured a heavy dose of Johnson on the ground, setting up a 4th and 2 for the Eagles, but the Carlson pass fell incomplete, and the Mavericks took over on the Eagles' 46-yard line.
The Seymour defense rose to the challenge when, on 2nd down, Brown penetrated the backfield and exerted heavy pressure on Sharpe, causing an inaccurate pass that Tyson Napier intercepted, giving the Eagles possession at the Anderson County 40-yard line.
Seymour picked up a fresh set of downs following an unsportsmanlike penalty on Anderson County down to the 25 yard line.
Down by 25, the Eagles offense stayed on the field for the 4th & 6 play but the Carlson pass would sail out of bounds over the head of the intended receiver with 6:49 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Mavericks' offense once again moved the ball down the field before the Eagles' defense stepped up to force the 36-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide left, leaving the Mavericks in front 28-3 with 3:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Seymour stayed on the ground with Johnson, getting them into a 3rd and short, where Carlson found Caden Soulages for the completion and a new set of downs late in the 3rd quarter.
Seymour opted to punt the ball away with 11:55 remaining in the game, but the snap was mishandled, and the Mavericks were able to make the stop and bring the punter down, taking over on the Seymour 19-yard line.
Again, Larue took the handoff on 2nd down for Anderson County and took it the remaining 4 yards into the Eagles endzone for his 2nd rushing touchdown, & 3rd total TD and with the successful PAT, the Mavericks extended their lead to 35-3.
Each team would possess the ball for one more drive, with neither team getting much going before time expired, sending the Mavericks into the 2nd round of the TSSAA playoffs for a matchup against Red Bank.
"Your contributions to this program will be felt for a long time here, walk off with your heads held high, I thought our guys kept playing. These seniors fought and battled and they decided to be different in the offseason, they bought in and found a way to win." Olive said of his senior class.
While the 35-3 loss to Anderson County brings a difficult end to Seymour's season, the Eagles can take pride in the effort and determination they displayed throughout the 2026 campaign. The postseason defeat was not the ending they had hoped for, but the experience gained throughout the season will serve as a foundation moving forward. As the Eagles turn their attention toward the offseason, the focus will shift to regrouping, improving, and preparing for another opportunity to compete when Friday night football returns next fall.
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