Why Sevier County's Cooper Newman took TSSAA football championship loss personal
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CHATTANOOGA — Cooper Newman’s shoulders are broad enough, and his personality may fit.
He was certain you could pin the blame of Sevier County’s 21-14 loss to Page in the TSSAA football playoffs Class 5A championship game on one particular person.
“Me,” Newman said, standing under the goalpost at Finley Stadium. “I’ve got to find a way to be better.”
It wasn’t his worst game. He was brilliant at times, finishing 24-of-35 passing for 218 yards with a completion rate of 70%. But there were times his offense stalled. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass and Sevier County (13-2) failed to convert on all four of its fourth down plays. Yet Newman wasn’t interested in racking his brain to find the answers. His response came quickly.
That’s on me,” he kept repeating. “I’ve got to play better in those moments.”
Newman’s last ditch heave on a Hail Mary in the closing seconds was knocked away by Page. The Patriots (14-0) released four previous years of heartache in one gigantic sigh of relief, storming the field for the program’s first 5A state title in its fifth straight 5A state title game.
“Those guys deserve it,” Newman said. “That’s a great football team. It’s hard to imagine being here five times in a row and not winning at least one.”
Newman was gracious. He would’ve preferred handing Page a fifth straight championship loss instead of being on the opposite end of where he stood last year with his team holding the gold ball.
“That’s the kind of guy he is,” said Sevier County’s Parker Newman (no relation). “But Cooper knows we’re not about to let him take the blame for this. He’s the main reason why we’re here. He’s a baller. He’s one of the best players in the state.”
There were eerie similarities between the 2024 and 2025 championships. The blocked Page punt in the third quarter that mirrored Sevier County’s blocked field goal against Page in last year’s title game. There was the fourth-quarter drama that unfolded as Sevier County tied the game, 14-14, after Bryson Headrick’s 12-yard TD.
But the magic that followed the Smoky Bears a year ago wasn’t there when they needed it. Page executed a perfect stop-and-go route that quarterback Cameron Kruse connected on with a wide open Cayden Auckerman for a 45-yard go-ahead touchdown with 58 seconds left.
And although Cooper Newman managed to get his team to the 50 yard line, the last-second heave was only a prayer.
“We’ve got enough guys coming back next year that will have hardcore evidence about how hard it is to get back here,” Sevier County coach Todd Loveday said. “It’s not a fast-food line. You have to earn it every step of the way. And if you don’t look at it that way, that’s how teams get upset. But I trust our kids moving forward, and I trust them completely.”
Reach The Tennessean’s high school sports editor, George Robinson, at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sevier County, Cooper Newman fall short in TSSAA football championship
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