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Star Correspondent

Friday night’s season-opening football game between Elizabethton and Science Hill will mark another historic moment in the series between the schools separated by less than 10 miles, as it will be the 100th football game played between the two teams.

After enduring a decade-long losing streak, the Cyclones have turned the tide, winning five of the last six contests. However, as everyone knows, records and win streaks can be thrown out the window when these two teams clash.

“For us, we are just treating it like any other game,” said Elizabethton head coach Shawn Witten, who is entering his 18th season at the helm. “It’s a huge rivalry, first game, and we are just trying to get off to a good start. This game doesn’t have playoff implications, but you want to have a lot of confidence coming out of it.

“If you win, you have the opportunity to gain great momentum, build some confidence, and really get things going.”

The game is expected to be one of the top high school matchups in Northeast Tennessee to open the season, with a sellout, standing-room-only crowd anticipated at Citizens Bank Stadium for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Dads on both sides are hoping for a win and bragging rights at work, while moms just hope their kids can walk off the field healthy.

“It’s tough when you open up with a marquee game like this,” Witten said. “There are so many situations and scenarios that you have to be prepared for. You’d like to have a game to warm up a little bit before you play a game like this. I guess that’s why Tennessee and Alabama don’t play the first week of the season.

“The positive is that the guys have to prepare and go hard right out of the gate. You get plenty of time to try and prepare. We went a decade without beating them, and now we’ve won five of the last six. We’ve had the upper hand, and our guys know what’s at stake. Regardless, we always try to play the underdog role in this game, and that’s the message we try to send.”

The game will be another classic chess match between two of the long-standing coaches in Northeast Tennessee as Witten and Stacy Carter once again match wits in pursuit of a win for their respective schools.

“The longer you’ve been around, the more you know what guys like to do, and you know what their philosophies are,” Witten said. “You can branch away from it a little bit, but still, each coach has an identity. ‘Hey, this guy wants to run the football,’ or ‘Hey, this guy wants to throw the football.’

“Stacy [Carter] is one of the better coaches in the area and always has elite talent. He’s always had good quarterback play. This year, they have multiple running backs with good speed. They have two transfers that make a difference and more depth. It’s no different than any other year playing Science Hill—size, speed, depth. It’s just a matter of whether you can latch on and make more plays.”

As in past years, Witten will rely on his senior leadership to guide the team in this tough and physical showdown with the Hilltoppers. That leadership will be crucial in helping the younger players stay calm when a play goes awry and nerves kick in.

“You hope our football team has developed an identity,” Witten said. “Over the last seven years, we’ve had 20 seniors each year. This is kind of that COVID group, and we have 14 seniors this year. There are a number of football players who have played a lot of games and gained a lot of experience.

“But you can practice it, you can tell them, and you can show them on film, but until they actually get out there on Friday night, it’s like, ‘Coach, I know what you’re talking about now.’ So hopefully, our guys figure it out before the lights come on Friday night.”

In past years, the team that gets off to a fast start tends to gain the upper hand in the game. Establishing the run will be key, and the only question left to answer is whether the opposing team can stop the run. Each team has its own identity and will need to play to its strengths while keeping weaknesses under wraps, according to Witten.

“We’re going to have a lot of youth out there, but sometimes that’s a good thing,” Witten said. “The thing about this season is we have six home games. Five out of the first six are at home, and we want to build some momentum while playing here. We sort of lost that feeling last year of not playing here with the band, the crowd, and just what comes with playing at home.”

Witten described the Cyclones who will take the field Friday night as “hungry, like a pack of ravenous wolves who have sat back and waited for their opportunity to get into the middle of the fight.”

“This week puts it in perspective why you do the things you do,” Witten said. “The characteristic of this team is they have a lot of grit and determination and want to prove what they can do. Some of these guys have played behind other starters for a couple of years and have been waiting for their turn. They are hungry to get their opportunity.”

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank Stadium.