{
  "id": 2582237,
  "title": "Former Vol assistants combine for 105 points in season opener",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/former-vol-assistants-combine-for-105-points-in-season-opener",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T13:30:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-vol-assistants-combine-105-133011932.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heritage High School (Maryville, Tennessee) emerged victorious against Clinton High School (Clinton, Tennessee) in their season opener on Friday, defeating the Dragons with a score of 63-42 at Jack Renfro Stadium. The match took place under the guidance of two former Tennessee football assistants, Joe Osovet heading the Heritage team and Jake Dawson leading the Clinton squad. Both coaches, under the tutelage of Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt, were assigned key roles in their respective programs.\n\nOsovet, currently in his fifth season with the Mountaineers, had previously served as the tight ends coach for the Vols in 2020, while also holding positions as Tennessee’s director of player development (2018) and director of football programming (2019). Dawson, on the other hand, made his second season with the Dragons a productive one, having worked alongside Osovet at Tennessee as a defensive undergraduate assistant and was an assistant coach at Heritage as well.\n\nHeritage's quarterback, Walker Wheeler, led the charge with an impressive performance, completing 12-of-14 passing attempts for 228 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 119 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Bubba Patterson, Heritage's leading rusher, contributed significantly with 175 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries. Troy Ervin, the top receiver for Heritage, amassed 130 receiving yards, scored five times, and added three touchdowns.\n\nClinton's quarterback, Mason Eckerson, faced a more challenging task, completing 18-of-29 passes for 305 yards, throwing two touchdowns, and intercepting once. Eckerson also demonstrated his versatility by rushing for 103 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 17 attempts.",
  "summary": "Heritage and Clinton football combine for 105 points in 2026 season opener featuring former Vol assistants.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former Tennessee assistants Joe Osovet and Jake Dawson combine for 105 points in season opener.",
    "Heritage quarterback Walker Wheeler throws for 228 yards and five touchdowns.",
    "Clinton quarterback Mason Eckerson completes 18-of-29 passes for 305 yards."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}