Micah Jones and the Alcoa Tornadoes defeated Pearl-Cohn in the Class 4A BlueCross Bowl Championship on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
CHATTANOOGA — New classification. Same result.
The Alcoa High School football team muscled past Pearl-Cohn in Saturday’s BlueCross Bowl state championship to earn the program’s 11th consecutive state championship but to also cap the Tornadoes’ first-ever run through 4A with a title.
Alcoa entered this season having won the last 10 Class 3A state championships but many onlookers wanted to see how the Tornadoes would fare in a larger classification.
They got their final answer against the Firebirds at Finley Stadium. Alcoa junior Micah Jones ran for 120 yards and four touchdowns to win game MVP honors, and Alcoa trounced Pearl-Cohn 47-27 in the day’s first game.
“It’s unreal what our team did in the playoffs,” Alcoa coach Brian Nix said. “Losing that game to Anderson County (in Week 11). Going on the road (for Round 2), we were banged up. At Upperman. A lesser team would have folded. They were physical. We were missing guys. And they had all the momentum, and our team — I think — became what they could have been during that game.
“To me, it’s not the 4A as much as it is the adversity we faced in these playoffs.”
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Penalties found a way to disrupt the game’s flow Saturday, as Alcoa (14-1) and Pearl-Cohn (10-5) combined for 30 penalties for 235 yards.
But the Tornadoes found a way to produce and make decisive plays in the final two quarters.
Alcoa ran its postseason win streak to 55 games and won the program’s 24th overall state football championship, which is tops in TSSAA by seven. Maryville is second with 17.
Moreover, Alcoa is now 146-15 all-time in the postseason. That’s a winning percentage of .907.
And, it is 114-5 (.957) in the postseason since the start of the 2000 playoffs.
“I love this feeling. I want to continue this legacy we have here,” said Alcoa junior QB Thomas Manu, who went 12-for-15 passing Saturday for 179 yards and a touchdown.
SEALING THE WIN
Pearl-Cohn trimmed Alcoa’s lead to 33-21 early in the third quarter via a 21-yard touchdown pass.
After an Alcoa fumble at the 7-minute, 28-second mark of the third quarter, momentum could have flipped.
The Tornadoes prevented it from becoming a one-score game, forcing a Firebirds punt following the turnover.
Recognizing the situation at hand and knowing it needed a long touchdown drive to create breathing room while also shortening the game, Alcoa went to work and manufactured a 16-play, 89-yard scoring drive that siphoned 7:37 off the second-half clock. The big play wound up being a Manu pass to Jamir Dean for 32 yards to the Pearl-Cohn 1.
Dean finished with four catches for 120 yards
Jones eased into the end zone from there for a 40-21 advantage with 10:09 to play.
“I think it comes from the way we practice,” Nix said of how Alcoa made good on that drive. “Our coaches do a great job of preparing our guys. We talk all the time, in situations like this, things are not going to go your way. … You just have to keep playing. Win the next down. It’s cliche, but that’s won today.”
Then Pearl-Cohn made the ultimate mistake, failing to field the short kickoff from Alcoa. And Alcoa recovered at the Pearl-Cohn 20.
Manu hit JaColby Cooper on an 18-yard strike with 8:46 remaining to push the advantage to 47-21.
THE FIRST HALF
Alcoa led 14-0 just 2:19 into the contest. After a quick three-and-out by Pearl-Cohn and subsequent 27-yard punt, Alcoa took over on its first possession at the P-C 45. Jones, the Alcoa running back, side stepped a defender and then rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Firebirds’ offense couldn’t answer — nor even come close, mired by penalties and negative-yardage plays. They fumbled on their second drive, and Alcoa linebacker Cade Stinnett scooped it up and returned it 3 yards for a touchdown. Pearl-Cohn had minus-4 yards of offense through its first two drives.
Pearl-Cohn fell behind in the semifinal round by a 21-0 margin to South Gibson only to rally for a 42-28 win. And the Firebirds found some form just after Alcoa went up 14-0, crafting a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that quarterback L.J. Funk punctuated with a 13-yard touchdown pass into the back-right corner of the end zone.
Demauri Dubose made sure Pearl-Cohn’s newfound hope turned out to be short-lived.
He returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, fending off Pearl-Cohn tacklers the last 15 yards of the run.
Pearl-Cohn whiffed on a field-goal try early in the second quarter, and Alcoa made them pay. Manu hit Dean on a 46-yard bomb to the P-C 23. Jones converted a fourth-and-2 attempt from the 13 for a 10-yard gain. After a penalty, Jones sliced through the Firebirds defense for an 8-yard touchdown and 27-7 advantage. Alcoa missed the PAT.
Jones added his third touchdown of the half with 59 seconds remaining, knifing through defenders for an 18-yard score. Alcoa missed another PAT but still led 33-14. He ran for 87 yards on six carries in the first half.
A few penalties allowed Pearl-Cohn to sneak into Alcoa territory late in the final minute, but Cade Stinnett ended the threat with a sack on the final play before the break.
“We felt like we needed to bring some energy. That was an explosive team,” Nix said. “They had not played us in a long time. We felt like the physicality early set the tempo.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Could the Tornadoes 12-peat? Don’t put it past them.
The Tornadoes lose a handful starters on offense, mostly linemen — including 6-9 lineman Jacob Crow (Texas Tech). But Manu, athlete Condis Cherry, wideout Dean, wideout Jamerius Abuhania and left tackle Marlee Watts (6-3, 395) come back.
Alcoa loses its defensive front and linebacker Cade Stinnett. But the entire secondary is back, as well as 6-2, 220-pound middle linebacker Darius Sudderth.
5STAR PHOTOS: Alcoa Tornadoes vs. Pearl-Cohn Firebirds — Presented by Jeremy Cox/Thrivent Financial