A winning tradition… Looking back at Elizabethton Football

Published 11:39 pm Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Shawn Witten, the current coach of the Cyclones, is a 1999 Elizabethton High graduate who was a multi-sport athlete. He attended Virginia Tech, where he received his undergraduate degree and earned his Master’s at the University of Tennessee in 2007.

Witten’s coaching includes time as a Virginia Tech graduate assistant (2003) and Tennessee graduate assistant (2004-2007). He took over
Elizabethton’s program in 2007.

Named a 2013 Tennessee Titans coach of the week, Witten was selected as the 2019 Coach of the Year after guiding his team to the Class 4A state
title and a 15-0 record.

His EHS record after 13 seasons on the job stands at 121-41.

Ethan Thomas holds many of the Cyclones records. He scored the most touchdowns in a career at 77, which also ranks 10th in the state,
registered 17 consecutive 100-yard rushing games and totaled 6,436 yards.

During his four years at Elizabethton, he had 35 100-yard rushing games — ranking second in state history.

Logan Birchfield and Jaxton Holly holds the record for most extra points hitting 62 in a row and that ranks fifth and sixth in the state.

The Cyclones have made the state football playoffs every year since 1993, except two — the 2005 and ’06 seasons. Before ’93, they played in
five playoffs — 1938, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1985.

The Cyclones hold a modest edge over their now-biggest rival, Greeneville, in a series that began in 1924. The Cyclones have won 40 of
the 75 head-to-head meetings, which has produced two ties — one in 1926 (12-12) and the other in 1968 (13-13).

The Cyclones hold a 22-14 record at home, Greeneville has a one-game edge (19-18) on its turf and there’s been a tie at each place. The first
two games, the Greene Devils scored 89 points while holding ’Betsy scoreless.

It would be 1927, the fourth meeting, before the Cyclones would get its first win against the Devils, holding them scoreless for a 19-0 win.

Elizabethton took the next nine in the series, ending in 1933.

From there, the teams stopped playing until 1953. They resumed that year and the Cyclones won 33-6 and 27-7 the following year. In 1956,
Greeneville hosted Elizabethton for its first homecoming game and won 21-14.

In the seven meetings of the 1950s, ’Betsy won four games and Greeneville three. During the ’60s, the Cyclones won five of the meetings and Greenville four with one tie.

The Cyclones owned the 1970s, winning eight of the 10 times they played.  Greeneville won only in 1974 and ’76.

In 1980, Greeneville hosted only their second meeting for a homecoming game, beating the Orange & Black 7-0. They would also welcome ’Betsy for
homecoming in 1984 and ’86, winning the ’84 — but the Cyclones spoiled the ’86 festivities with a 17-6 triumph.

’Betsy, though, took just four of the 10 meetings in the ’80s.

During the ’90s, Elizabethton won seven times and Greeneville came away with five victories as they played twice each year in 1997-98. The
Greene Devils won the first four meetings, ’Betsy captured the next five and the teams split in ’97 and ’98.

Greeneville holds a 12-5 advantage in games dating back to 2000.

They didn’t play in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2014-2016. In the last two meetings
this season, ’Betsy won 24-21 and 24-13.

Since Witten has become coach, he has lost to Sullivan East only one time — in his first year. Since then, he has taken 10 in a row versus the Patriots, winning 63-0 and 62-9 win in the last two seasons.

On three of those occasions, the Cyclones held East scoreless.

Elizabethton has beaten Science Hill three times — back-to-back in the last two seasons — in the Witten era. He lost in his first year to
Johnson County, then beat the Longhorns eight straight times.

The Cyclones have played South 10 times under Witten, winning six of those — including the last four. He has never lost to Happy Valley in
nine tries, winning twice in 2011.

Witten is the first Elizabethton coach to win a football state title since 1938. This past year, Bryson Rollins set the record for best passing completion percentage (91.7) in the state finals.

Witten, with his perfect season, makes him the all-time leader in coaching win percentage at Elizabethton, slipping past his grandfather, Dave Rider.

Witten’s percentage is now 74.69 while Rider’s was 68.65.

Rider coached for 23 years and left with a 173-79 record. He coached Elizabethton from 1976-88 and then from 1990-1999.  Other coaches were
Larry Alderson who went 8-12 while Jim Perkins was 5-5.

Eddie Pless won 16 and lost 18 and Tommy Jenkins was 28-19 over four years.

Lynn Goddard, who came to Elizabethton in 1965 and coached till 1973, was 52-33-2. Before him was Ernest Cosson, who was 14-14-4.

C.A. Kyle coached the first team in 1924 and A.E. Choate was in charge the next season. Not all the results from those two years are available,
but they both went about .500.

E.  Niles Brown coached for 22 years (1926-47), compiling a 126-61-12 mark (unofficially). In 1938, he took EHS to the state championship and
won, ending with a 12-0-1 season. He also guided the Cyclones to six conference titles.

Dwight Haynes was 7-13-1 in two seasons (1948-49), John Treadway 43-22-8 over 7 seasons (1950-56), Claude Holsclaw 6-13 in the next two years and Tom Pugh 15-11-1 between 1959 and ’61.

Football play-offs
Game Date    Opponent    Result
Nov. 11, 1977    Cocke Co.    L, 0-12
Nov. 14, 1980    Morristown West    L, 21-37
Nov. 12, 1982    Jefferson Co.    L, 0-28
Nov. 8, 1985    Jefferson Co.    L, 0-28
Nov. 12, 1993    Knoxville Carter    L, 7-23
Nov. 11, 1994    Cocke Co.    W, 21-18
Nov. 18, 1994    Cleveland    L, 21-49
Nov. 3, 1995    Powell    L, 6-19
Nov. 8, 1996    Powell    L, 13-27
Nov. 7, 1997    Greeneville    W, 49-16
Nov. 14, 1997    Morristown East    W, 12-7
Nov. 21, 1997    Cocke Co.    W, 29-6
Nov. 28, 1997    Maryville    L, 21-42
Nov. 6, 1998    Cocke Co.    W, 61-7
Nov. 13, 1998    Morristown West    W, 33-10
Nov. 20, 1998    Greeneville    W, 43-14
Nov. 27, 1998    Maryville    L, 16-20
Nov. 5, 1999    Cocke Co.    W, 49-12
Nov. 12, 1999    Sullivan Central    W, 36-6
Nov. 19, 1999    Daniel Boone    W, 47-14
Nov. 26, 1999    Knoxville Central    L, 17-20
Nov. 10, 2000    Greeneville    L, 0-25
Dec. 3, 2000    Cocke Co.    W, 26-8
Nov. 2, 2001    Cherokee    W, 13-12
Nov. 9, 2001    Tennessee    L, 14-20
Nov. 8, 2002    Cocke Co.    W, 36-8
Nov. 15, 2002    Morristown West    L, 14-35
Nov. 7, 2003    Cherokee    L, 13-25
Nov. 5, 2004    Cherokee    W, 28-8
Nov. 12, 2004    Sullivan East    W, 24-12
Nov. 19, 2004    Tennessee    L, 18-35
Nov. 4, 2005    Daniel Boone    L, 28-35
Nov. 7, 2008    Greeneville    L, 26-35
Nov. 6, 2009    Cumberland Gap    W, 63-12
Nov. 13, 2009    Sullivan North    W, 37-0
Nov. 20, 2009    Austin-East    W, 31-8
Nov. 27, 2009    Alcoa    L, 7-34
Nov. 5, 2010    Chuckey-Doak    W, 30-14
Nov. 12, 2010    Austin-East    W, 14-13
Nov. 19, 2010    Gatlinburg-Pittman    W, 32-28
Nov. 26, 2010    Alcoa    L, 20-55
Nov. 4, 2011    Happy Valley    W, 38-18
Nov. 11, 2011    Austin-East    L, 7-16
Nov. 2, 2012    Johnson Co.    W, 42-13
Nov. 9, 2012    Gatlinburg-Pittman    W, 38-0
Nov. 16, 2012    Sullivan North    W, 41-38
Nov. 23, 2012    CAK    L, 34-44
Nov. 8, 2013    Scott    W, 27-20
Nov. 15, 2013    Greeneville    L, 20-49
Nov. 7, 2014    Knoxville Catholic    L, 17-24
Nov. 6, 2015    Scott    W, 17-14
Nov. 13, 2015    CAK    L, 19-48
Nov. 4, 2016    McMinn Central    W, 48-19
Nov. 11, 2016    CAK    W, 45-13
Nov. 18, 2016    Alcoa    L, 14-17
Nov. 3, 2017    Sequoyah    W, 62-35
Nov. 10, 2017    Anderson Co.    L, 21-38
Nov. 2, 2018    Howard    W, 28-14
Nov. 9, 2018    Anderson Co.    L, 21-54
Nov. 8, 2019    East Ridge    W, 44-8
Nov. 15, 2019    Sullivan South    W, 49-7
Nov. 22, 2019    Greeneville    W, 24-13

Nov. 29, 2019    Nolensville    W, 34-12
Dec. 7, 2019     Springfield    W, 30-6