A light week on the Knoxville-area high school football schedule does not mean there is nothing to watch. Several familiar Friday-night teams have an open date, shifting attention to a small group of Thursday and Friday matchups before the schedule gets busy again in mid-October.

The headliner comes Thursday night when Sevier County visits unbeaten Grace Christian Academy. The matchup is also this week’s Rivalry Thursday game. Grace is coming off a 57-20 win over Boyd-Buchanan, while Sevier County rolled past Cocke County 69-0 last week.

Thursday games to watch

  • Sevier County at Grace Christian Academy, 7 p.m. — The week’s marquee Knoxville-area matchup puts a strong Sevier County team against a Grace Christian squad that has yet to lose. It is a non-region game, but it should provide a good measuring stick for both teams before the final stretch of the regular season.
  • Karns at Morristown East, 7 p.m. — The Beavers step outside region play and travel to Morristown. Karns will look to rebound after a 49-14 loss to Halls, while Morristown East is coming off a loss to Science Hill.

Friday night

  • Austin-East at Gatlinburg-Pittman, 7:30 p.m. — Austin-East heads to Sevier County for a non-region test. The Roadrunners are coming off a 49-20 loss at Sweetwater, while Gatlinburg-Pittman enters after a 51-10 victory over West Greene.

A breather for several area teams

The open week comes at a useful point in the season for several Knoxville-area programs. Central, Halls, Oak Ridge and Webb are among the teams without a game this week. CAK also has an open date before returning Oct. 15 for a major matchup at Grace Christian.

That Oct. 15 CAK-Grace Christian game is one to circle now. It is scheduled as a Rivalry Thursday matchup and will bring together two Division II-AA East programs entering the closing weeks of the regular season.

For the teams playing this week, the smaller schedule offers a little more spotlight. For everyone else, it is a chance to heal, reset and prepare for the run toward the postseason.

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