D-B, West Ridge collide for bragging rights in Region 1-6A tilt

Yes, West Ridge's football team does indeed have a passing game. And the Wolves aren't afraid to use it. Granted, they'd rather use it on their terms and not Dobyns-Bennett's on Friday night. The Indians (2-3, 1-0 Region 1-6A), who opened Big East Conference play with a lightning-delayed 35-7 win at Morristown East, aim to take the next step at defending back-to-back Region 1-6A crowns. The challenge that lies ahead is a unique one, a West Ridge team which has attempted only nine passes all season but has yet to throw an interception out of its option-based flexbone offense. Setting aside the potential region win for West Ridge (2-3, 0-0), the Wolves are looking to become the first Sullivan County school to beat Dobyns-Bennett since South won 33-7 at Death Valley in 1993. But don't expect to hear the phrase "this is the year" around the West Ridge football program. "The difference I think between now and when I was at South and other places, our middle schools are playing all these city schools now, so these guys have played against each other forever," West Ridge coach Justin Hilton said. "It's just another opportunity for our guys." Dobyns-Bennett coach Joey Christian, who's been on the Indians' staff since 2003, admitted the rivalry feels differently than it once did. Homecoming certainly does, with the traditional bonfire now a thing of the past. To Christian, the dividing line for who can attend school in Kingsport City or Sullivan County feels blurred anymore, as he compared it to a Venn Diagram in some areas where students could attend either. "I asked one of our kids today if he knew a lot of their kids, and he said no not really. The kids don't go to the mall and hang out like they did when I was in school," Christian said. "They don't go cruising like they did the generation before where all the kids from different schools come together and interact. They don't do it. They do it by phone and social media, so they might be interacting with kids from West Ridge and Science Hill, but they could be interacting with kids from Indiana and California. It's different now." When West Ridge has the ball Hate on West Ridge's offense if you must. But their approach would make legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes proud. Like he famously said, "Only three things can happen to you when you pass, and two of them are bad." Junior quarterback Justice Hilton hasn't done much bad from an offensive standpoint. With 661 yards rushing on 86 attempts, Hilton ranks sixth in the Tri-Cities area for rushing yardage. And his 10 touchdowns scored tie him for fifth in that category. "Their offense is Justice Hilton," Christian said. "He does an unbelievable job of running the inside veer, and how he keeps it … he's got this innate ability to cut back across the grain and turn an eight-yard gain into a 58-yard touchdown. He's really good at that." Hilton is 3-of-9 passing for 62 yards, two of those completions coming in last week's win over Daniel Boone including a 24-yard touchdown to Riner Hayes. Dayton Brown, who's rushed for 167 yards, has caught Hilton's other two completions. No doubt, it'll be the first time this season D-B has faced a run-first quarterback. And he's got weapons around him in addition to Brown. Brody Fields has 417 yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries, while Jackson Price has 11 carries for 162 yards and two TDs. "It's nice to be able to rest people and balance it out because a lot of those guys are playing on both sides, so rotating them in is beneficial," Coach Hilton said. "What you can't have are the turnovers. If you're running for 350 yards, you ought to be winning football games, but you can't put it on the ground. Last year, we ran for 361 on D-B but had five turnovers." Hudson Clabaugh leads D-B in tackles with 43, with Emmitt Starnes and Kedrick Harris tied at 32 apiece. Dre Gardner-Hawk, who has 26 tackles, along with Alex Mata-Vasquez and Isaiah Coclough have each picked off a pass, while Luke Brandon and Gardner-Hawk are tied with four TFL each. Isaiah Bolden, Tyree Thomas and Brandon all have two sacks. When D-B has the ball The Indians struggled to find their rhythm in the first half at Morristown East but pulled away with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, as Starnes and Harris took turns toting the pigskin and wearing down the Hurricanes. Starnes is 10th on the Tri-Cities rushing list at 566 yards, and Harris has 339. Senior quarterback Levi Chappell has rushed for 214 yards while passing for 722, eighth most in the area. Thomas (212), Tate Wernke (156) and Brayden Blakley (126) have been Chappell's top targets. "It starts with (Chappell). He can run and he can throw. Last year he hurt us running the ball quite a bit," Hilton said. "Their line is really good and they've got some good long receivers on the outside, bruiser and speed guys in the backfield who complement each other well. "I think we've grown up quite a bit. When adversity hits, there's no finger pointing. … against Hardin Valley, if it could go wrong, it did go wrong, but we had to come back and be ready for Daniel Boone. Everybody was back on Saturday ready to lift and run and watch film. These guys work extremely hard and have high character, so I know they're going to be ready to go." Jace Arwood and Jax Brown have been West Ridge's top tacklers with 45 and 35 respectively, Arwood also leading the Wolves with his seven stops for loss. Peyton Martinez and Hayden Musick, who've combined for 56 tackles, have six TFL each while Orlando Mack has sacked the opposing quarterback four times. Martinez, Price, Zach Morelock and Isaac McGee have all intercepted a pass — McGee returning his 70 yards. "West Ridge is probably the first team we've played that will go back and forth between even and odd fronts," Christian said. "We certainly aren't going to surprise them. They're so well coached. Coach Hilton has a defensive background, so we're not going to be able to outflank them or get numbers on them or anything like that. We're going to have to strain a little harder, stay on blocks, going to have to be disciplined." Friday's game kicks off at 7 p.m. from J. Fred Johnson Stadium. DOBYNS-BENNETT VS. WEST RIDGE Series record: D-B leads, 5-0 At Kingsport: D-B leads, 2-0 At Blountville: D-B leads, 3-0 First meeting: 2021 Most points: 70 in 2022 (D-B, 56-14) Fewest points: 42 in 2021 (D-B, 28-14) Biggest win: 42 points in 2022 (D-B, 56-14) Closest win: 14 points in 2021 (D-B, 28-14) Last time they played: Sept. 26, 2025 Levi Chappell passed for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 2 more, and D-B capitalized on 5 turnovers to win 45-14 in Blountville. Cooper McLain kicked an early field goal, before Chappell scored on 29- and 42-yard runs. Tyree Thomas grabbed both TD passes and totaled 49 yards on 4 catches. Jackson Sensabaugh (83-fumble return) and Luke Lundy (2-run) also scored. Justice Hilton ran for 157 yards and 2 TDs (45, 25 yards) to lead the Wolves, while Ethan Amyx ran for 96. Note: Dobyns-Bennett went 69-9 all-time against Sullivan Central (29-3), Sullivan North (14-1) and Sullivan South (26-5) prior to consolidation.