Happy Valley, Hampton meet in clash of unbeatens

HAMPTON — The Clash at Gap Creek? It's a rivalry deserving of a nickname when Happy Valley and Hampton meet on the gridiron. That will happen for the 78th time on Friday at J.C. Campbell Stadium in Hampton when the Bulldogs (3-0) play host to the Warriors (3-0) in a clash of unbeaten rivals. Hampton holds a 42-35 lead in a series that dates back to 1950. And both teams are ranked in their respective classifications — Hampton third in Class 1A and Happy Valley No. 7 in 2A. "It goes back years and years and years, cross country rivals, same county in Carter County, just separated by Gap Creek," Happy Valley head coach Jason Jarrett said. "It is a big time rivalry, both teams have a lot of tradition, a lot of pride in this game... "We expect a great football game, two teams just flat getting after one another, playing good hard-nosed, backyard, physical football. It is going to be a dandy matchup Friday night for sure." Both teams come in on a roll. Happy Valley, which has won 17 straight regular season games, has outscored three opponents by a combined score of 159-13, while the Michael Lunsford-coached Bulldogs have done the same by a combined 174-38. Both teams have firepower. Hampton has opened up the offense this season with the help of Elizabethton transfer Brycen Blevins, who has thrown for nearly 400 yards and seven touchdowns, while Landon Buchanan has the second most tackles in the area. "I could talk for days about their strengths because I don't have every many weaknesses that I can find at all," Jarrett said. "They are very strong in all three phases of the game, offensively, defensively and special teams wise. They are well coached, they have athletes all over the field. They are throwing the ball around a little bit more this year than what a traditional Hampton team is." Lane Parker has been the catalyst for Happy Valley, having scored seven times on his own, while combining with Mason Norman to lead the close-knit Warriors on defense. "What is most impressive about our teams is the closeness of this group. That may not be an answer a lot of people are looking for, but I have got a bunch of guys that care for one another," Jarrett said. "They love one another, they love the school, they love this community, and they do everything in their power to go out and represent it in a positive way on Friday nights." Happy Valley hasn't lost a regular season game since October of 2024 against South Greene. Keeping that streak alive will be far from easy. "We have been on a nice roll over here. Regular season wise it has been a good ride," Jarrett said. "We hope to extend it at least one more week, but we are going to have to do a lot of things right in order to get that done." *** Volunteer (3-0) at Elizabethton (1-2): Iowa State commit Will Bowers hit a game-winning field goal last week at West Ridge to lift the Cyclones to victory after a pair of close losses to Science Hill and Tennessee High. Volunteer continues its resurgence, with talented running backs Bryson Christian and Bryton Landry helping the Falcons score 160 points in three games. Ashe County, N.C. (0-2) at Johnson County (0-3): Two teams looking for a win. The Longhorns have scored just 12 points and allowed 147 in three games, while the Huskies have been outscored 108-13 in a pair of defeats. Brayden Dickens will look to lead Johnson County on both sides of the ball. Cherokee (3-0) at Grainger (1-2): Jayden Weston continues his pursuit of Cherokee history, rushing for 216 yards and five touchdowns last week against Sullivan East. Cade Putnal and Ezra Garrett connected for three scores for the Chiefs, who have scored 158 points. Grainger has scored 95 points, but allowed 93 in a pair of consecutive defeats. Chuckey-Doak (3-0) at Unicoi County (2-1): Blaze Rice and the 10th-ranked Blue Devils scored 21 unanswered points last Friday to snap a 23-game losing streak against Gatlinburg-Pittman that dated back to the first meeting in 1985. The unbeaten Black Knights have faced three "directional" schools, defeating North Greene, Sullivan East and West Greene. The Blue Devils are 22-7 in this series. Cocke County (0-3) at Tennessee High (2-1): The continued early season exploits of Science Hill's Kiantai Harris prevented the Vikings from their first 3-0 start since 2014. Tennessee High is 13-4 against Cocke County, which is still looking for its first points — yes, points — of the season. Cosby (2-1) at Unaka (0-3): Unaka made Twin Springs work before its losing skid reached 18 in a row dating back to 2024. Jacob Carrier threw a trio of touchdown passes to Ashton Fuller against the Titans. These clubs are deadlocked at 13-13 since the first meeting in 1991. Daniel Boone (1-2) at Sevier County (3-0): Senior quarterback Cooper Newman — who has committed to Connecticut — has led the Smoky Bears to a 40-4 record over the last four seasons, winning the Class 5A state title in 2024 and finishing second last season. Boone running back Dru Fleming figures to be busy as the 'Blazers look to keep the ball away from Newman. David Crockett (2-1) at Morristown West (2-1): David Crockett will look to sweep the Morristown schools after a 24-0 over East win last week. A.J. Wynn continues to lead the offense, while the defense returned two passes for touchdowns last week. The Trojans are 36-3 in this series dating back to 1974, although the Pioneers did win last season. Gate City (1-1) at Abingdon (1-1): Gate City follows up a competitive loss to Dobyns-Bennett with the Mountain 7 District opener at Abingdon, which flogged John Battle before falling last week to Christiansburg. Zayne Reed has talented targets in Parker Jenkins and Kaden Houseright for the Blue Devils, who are 30-18 against Abingdon since 1932, but the Falcons have won nine of the last 11. Hancock County (0-3) at Cloudland (0-2): Two teams looking for a win. Grayson Cole and Cloudland will look to bounce back from a loss to Carter County rival Happy Valley, while the Indians have been outscored 134-0 in three games. The Highlanders are 14-1 in this series, having scored at least 40 points in 13 of those games. Rye Cove (2-0) at Honaker (1-1): Cole Barnette and Maverick Cress had key plays as Rye Cove rallied past Southern Gap last week for a 2-0 start to the season. Honaker has been hampered since quarterback Parker Lowe went down with a shoulder injury in a season-opening win over Lebanon. Honaker is 16-10-1 in a series that began in 1961. Sullivan East (1-2) at Eagleton Academy (2-1): Grady Burke has thrown for 735 yards and seven touchdowns, spreading the ball out to Haden Jones, Colton Laisure and Ike Deel. However, the Patriots have lost two straight, surrendering 62 points last week to Cherokee. Eagleton presents its own talented receiver in Noel Meza-Flores in what will be the second meeting between these clubs. Tri-Cities Christian (2-3) at Bland County, Va. (1-1): One of the smaller football playing schools in Virginia, Bland County has struggled to even field at team in recent seasons due to the lack of players. The Bears thrashed Castlewood before falling last week to Craig County. Tri-Cities Christian, playing its sixth game already, will be led by quarterback Coen Kestner and running back Ian Kelly. Twin Springs (1-2) at Pineville, Ky. (1-2): Bryce Parks starred on both sides of the ball to lift the Titans to their first win under head coach Keener Burke. Ethan Lane has been a ballhawk with three interceptions, while Bruno Dunree made field goals from 47 and 33 yards last week for the Titans. With Pineville on the slate, the Titans will have played teams from Tennessee, Virginia and now Kentucky. West Greene (0-3) at Providence Academy (1-2): Ford Bowman has been a tackling machine for the Knights, leading the area in tackles, sacks and tackles for loss. Quarterback Cam Blanton and the Knights will look to snap a two-game skid. West Greene has lost three games to teams with a combined record of 7-2. West Ridge (1-2) at Hardin Valley (2-1): Brody Fields and Justice Hilton will look to help West Ridge bounce back from last week's heartbreaking loss against Elizabethton. The Wolves have lost two games by a combined nine points. Hardin Valley has scored 124 points in three games, but dropped a 43-40 decision last week to perennial state playoff contender Bradley Central.