Wendell Shepherd Jr., Memphis Commercial AppealSat, November 29, 2025 at 6:07 AM UTC·3 min readMARTIN – As the fourth-quarter clock dwindled to around two-and-a-half minutes, Westview football's Graham Simpson ran to his right.
The game was tied against Covington, and nothing was open, so the sophomore quarterback drifted back left. At this point, Simpson knew he should've thrown the ball away. Instinct reigned, and Simpson let it rip down the left sideline. Junior receiver Miles Brown elevated between two defenders, hauling in the 46-yard pass to advance deep into Covington territory.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Bad decision on my part, but a great catch on his," Simpson said.
Two minutes later, Donteze Joy galloped into the end zone from four yards, sealing Westview's 40-34 home victory over Covington in the TSSAA Class 3A state semifinals on Nov. 28, sending the Chargers to their second straight BlueCross Bowl state championship game. Westview (13-0), which finished runner-up to Alcoa a season ago, will face Gatlinburg-Pittman (14-0) on Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. CT at Chattanooga's Finley Stadium.
Westview will make its fourth state title appearance as it seeks a second state title, the first coming in 2021 when Graham's older brother Ty Simpson was the quarterback. Ty is now the Alabama starting quarterback.
"The catch by Miles was unreal," said coach Matt McConnell of Brown, who finished with 85 yards. "We needed a play, and he made a play. We've got some unfinished business from last year, so we're gonna enjoy this tonight and go back to work tomorrow."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe state semifinals marked Westview's second game against Covington in the last month (including a 42-20 win on Oct. 30) and the fourth in the last year. All were Westview victories. The visitors played with fire, forcing three incompletions among Simpson's first five passes and intercepting him late in the third quarter. Ultimately, Westview dug deep, and now returns to Chattanooga with one thing on its mind.
"(Nearly) 365 days ago, we lost the biggest game of our lives," Simpson remembered after the game. "Beating a good team like that (despite) not playing very well just goes to show how high our ceiling is. Tonight, the defense stepped up in the crucial times, and Donteze Joy (receiving TD, rushing TD) and (Christopher Damron) stepped up when we needed them most, and we found a way."
Simpson finished the night 9-of-15 passing for 167 yards and three touchdowns with the one pick and running back Asa Barnes pitched in with two total touchdowns. After Covington followed the interception with a TD to tie it 27-27 with 7:23 remaining, Damron returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score to give Westview the lead. After a Covington TD with 2:49 remaining, Simpson's heroic two-minute drill unfolded.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"He makes plays and he's a heck of a leader for our team," McConnell said. "We knew it would be a challenge, and our kids responded well. I'm proud of them."
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Graham Simpson leads Westview football back to TSSAA football title game
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