Maryville won the Class 4A state title in 2007 and finished 15-0 for a fourth consecutive year. But William Blount nearly spoiled that perfect season in the sixth week of the season. (Photo: TSSAA)
By JESSE SMITHEY
Beating Maryville in a high school football game has been no easy task, especially during the last two decades.
The Rebels claimed 13 state titles and four runner-up finishes in the last 20 years, a span which also included their nine 15-0 seasons.
At one point during the mid-2000s, Maryville strung together 74 consecutive wins.
But on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, one of its Blount County rivals nearly prevented that streak from even reaching 50.
And, no, it wasn’t Alcoa.
Maryville escaped with a one-point win at William Blount that night thanks to a couple late-game lucky breaks.
“Whenever you’re winning games (in a row) like that, you got to win one that maybe you shouldn’t,” said Furman offensive coordinator George Quarles, who coached Maryville from 1999 – 2106.
“We walked into one that night. They (the Governors) were ready to go. We took their best shot and still found a way to win, which was huge.”
This is the oral history of the 2007 Maryville at William Blount football game — the one that still generates conversation more than a decade later over a PAT that was missed … or made, depending on which fan base you’re talking to.
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