SEVIERVILLE — Ten years after the team’s fabled state championship run, the Sevier County Smoky Bears have done something never before accomplished by a team wearing the Purple and White. They finished the regular season undefeated.

Sevier County (10-0, 7-0 in District 2-AAA) survived a scare from Morristown East on Friday night to clinch the perfect 10-0 mark with a 38-27 win, thanks to superb halftime defensive adjustments and a whale of a game from senior quarterback Zach Flynn.

Trailing 20-17 in the third quarter, Flynn rallied the team with three second-half TD passes while the defense held the Hurricanes to just one score, allowing the Smoky Bears to come out on top with the huge win.

Flynn finished the game with an eye-popping 337 yards on 22-of-35 passing, connecting on five touchdowns.

“Zach Flynn, what can you say?” SCHS head coach Steve Brewer asked. “Five touchdown passes tonight. Our offensive line did a great job protecting him, receivers played well and the defense came through in the second half. I was really proud of those guys in Purple tonight.”

After a lackluster first half, the Smoky Bears seemed to come out with renewed vigor in the third quarter. It only took the team seven plays to drive 73 yards for a go-ahead touchdown on the opening possession of the half, as Flynn found receiver Bryant Gilson for a 13-yard TD. Jared Baxter’s point-after put the score at 24-20.

But the visiting Hurricanes weren’t giving up, and the team used their QB option running game to march down the field on their ensuing possession.

Morristown East signal-caller Cody Ricker set up the TD drive with six carries for 49 yards, and running back Travis Blanton punched the ball into the end zone from two yards out to put the Hurricanes back in front 27-24.

From there it was all Sevier County.

The Bears took the lead early in the fourth quarter as Flynn again found Gilson, this time from 11 yards out, to cap a short drive following a botched East punt attempt.

With the lead at 31-27, fate smiled on the Bears as Morristown East misplayed a chip-shot kickoff. The Smoky Bears’ Danny Chastain recovered the Tyler Wischer kick, giving the Purple the ball right back in Hurricane territory.

“We were supposed to (kick) it a little bit deeper, he just kind of hit it a little bit flat, and Danny Chastain hustled down and got on it,” Brewer said.

Five plays later Flynn found receiver Bryce Whaley in the end zone for an 18-yard strike, giving the team a two-score lead with 8:13 left on the clock.

When Morristown East got the ball back trailing by 11 points, it became obvious the Hurricane offense would struggle in a forced passing game. Still trying to bank on their quarterback running the ball, the Morristown East team met resistance in the form of Smoky Bear defenders Issac McMahan, Robert Whitelaw and Kel McCarter, all of whom got in on tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

With a 3rd-and-10, Ricker tried a pass, but it was broken up by Jeremiah Foster, forcing a fourth down attempt from the Hurricanes’ own 43-yard line.

Moments later the Smoky Bear faithful were sent into a frenzy as Thomas Hamilton and Brandon Tinker combined to sack Ricker in the backfield, turning the ball over to the Smoky Bears on downs with under five minutes on the clock.

Three first downs later, as the game clock reached all zeroes, the Smoky Bears wrote their names in the SCHS record book as the first Purple-and-White team to finish the regular season undefeated.

“I’m really proud of our defense in the second half, stepping up the way they did,” Brewer said. “In the first half we just weren’t on assignment, basically, but I was grateful for how we played the second half. Offensively we came through, scored some big points. We gave up a couple of turnovers, but then we made some big plays.”

In addition to Flynn’s standout game at quarterback, several other Bears turned in huge performances.

Bryant Gilson ended the night with three touchdowns on seven catches for 86 yards. Fellow receiver Bryce Whaley reeled in six balls for 142 yards and a touchdown. Jeremiah Foster had six catches for 80 yards and Kel McCarter had one catch for a three-yard touchdown in the first half.

Josh Johnson recorded an interception on the first play of the game, which led to the Smoky Bears’ first touchdown drive of the contest.

McCarter led the team with 12 tackles, including three for loss and one sack. McMahan added 11 tackles, including two for loss, and teammate Matt Spangler made 10 stops. Foster made only three tackles in the game, but all three were behind the Hurricane line of scrimmage.

Ricker was the Hurricanes’ only standout performer in the game. The normally second-team quarterback ran the QB option to perfection all night, carrying the ball 31 times for 210 yards and a score.

“Those guys in Purple need congratulations,” Brewer said. “We had to fight hard. Hats off to Morristown East. They were without (starting QB Tee) Howell, which is a big part of their offense. I thought Ricker played a great game.”

Brewer also talked about the group of seniors on the ‘09 team and what they have gone through in their career as Smoky Bears to get to this historic season.

“A lot of these guys were sophomores when we struggled in ‘07, and they played a lot last year, when we got off to a great start and then we faltered,” Brewer said. “They’re just good kids. They work hard. You saw how they pulled together when things started getting tight. It’s something I’ve never gone through as a coach, and I’m just so proud for (the assistant coaches). They work extremely hard. I’m the head coach, but our assistant coaches do 99-percent of the coaching, and they’ve done a terrific job coaching their positions, and (the players) did a terrific job responding.”

Sevier County’s playoff position will be determined by the TSSAA and announced Saturday morning. Look for information on the opponent, time and location in Sunday’s issue of The Mountain Press.