Clutch plays, close losses highlight Week 3
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Concord Christian’s Dasani Moulden (1) turned in a four-touchdown performance last week at The King’s Academy, leading CCS in a dominant road win. - CCS photo by Jake Nichols / Catholic photo courtesy of Rob Daugherty
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Knoxville Catholic running back Kruise Buntyn (8) came through in the clutch for the Irish last weekend, as they left Nashville with a gritty 21-20 win over Lipscomb Academy. - CCS photo by Jake Nichols / Catholic photo courtesy of Rob Daugherty
Over Labor Day weekend, there were plenty of wild college football matchups to enjoy.
But last Friday, Sept. 4, a notable slate of high school football games shook up the How the West was Won rankings, too.
Christian Academy of Knoxville remained unbeaten with a 31-14 trouncing of Notre Dame, as junior quarterback Seaton Moffett went 11-for-15 for 157 yards and one passing touchdown. He added eight touches for 86 rushing yards and one score, while Isaac Kannah took the ball 18 times for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Marvin Wyrosdick led the Warriors with eight tackles. Wyatt Howard added seven more tackles with one pass breakup, an interception and a defensive touchdown. Up next, the Warriors will face Oneida this week.
Catholic gutted out a 21-20 comeback win over Lipscomb Academy in Nashville. The Irish trailed by 14-0 after a lightning delay, but they thundered back with a pair of scores from Kruise Buntyn. He scored on runs of two and 27 yards — the second of which brought KCHS within six at 20-14 with less than four minutes left.
Buntyn followed with a 34-yard catch to put the Irish at the Lipscomb 4-yard-line with less than a minute left, and Ryheem Lee zipped into the end zone to cap an 80-yard drive for the win.
“When we got there, we got stuck in the locker room because of lightning,” Catholic coach PhiIip Shadowens said of his program, which welcomes Cardinal Ritter (MO) this week. “I don’t think we were very good to start. But our kids showed a lot of grit. We found a way to go win and showed as much heart as any team I’ve ever seen.”
Concord Christian made a shorter road trip, coming away with a 56-26 win at The King’s Academy. Dasani Moulden made five receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown. He added another score on a 53-yard pick-six and made two kickoff returns of more than 90 yards for touchdowns, one featured as the top play on 247Sports’ X account.
“He’s maturing on and off the field, and he’s a talented guy,” Steve Matthews said of Moulden. “One of the fastest in his class in the state, and we feel like he’s got a very bright future. He’s focusing on defense more than he did last year, and he showed up huge in the kicking game. Just trying to figure out different ways to get him the ball. And with Amare McKenzie on the other side, we feel really good about our receiving combination right now.”
CCS came up with three more interceptions for five in total, while Alistair Middlebrook and Maurice Smithfield totaled 71 rushing yards for two scores and 101 yards, respectively.
Webb fell short in a 27-26 loss to Silverdale Academy, marking an 0-3 start under George Quarles. Despite a 150-yard rushing performance from tailback Matthew Rogers, the Spartans could not sustain early momentum as a failed 2-point try and three turnovers left Webb on the wrong end.
Hardin Valley suffered a similarly close loss against Bradley Central, giving up a double-digit lead as it pursued the program’s first 3-0 start since 2023. Senior Nic Rivers racked up 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground; quarterback Riley Matz threw for 114 more yards and two scores; and the Hawks racked up more than 400 offensive yards in the loss, which saw a failed fourth-down conversion and late turnover.
“We had some costly turnovers, one in the last few minutes of the game that gave them the ball back,” HVA coach Tyler Wynn said. “We squandered a drive going for it on 4th-and-1, and I probably should have kicked a field goal. But hindsight is 20/20. We left points on the board. We had a great night, they just got us on a few big plays.”
HVA will look to turn the page this week, as it faces West Ridge in a potential playoff preview.
Farragut will have a similar opportunity against that same Bradley Central team, as the Admirals are coming off a 30-7 loss to Upperman in their home opener.
For more on that game, see article by Jake Nichols in the sports section.
Bearden will look to bounce back, too, having lost to Maryville 54-0 last week. This Friday, the Dawgs travel to Science Hill.
