GATLINBURG ― Landon Lightfoot flashed a gleeful smile as his teammates sprinted to the bus.
Austin-East football's sophomore quarterback tried to answer interview questions, but kept getting interrupted by energetic Roadrunners.
"Love you, Landon," one said.
"Good game, QB," shouted another.
The praise was warranted: Lightfoot led Austin-East to a 50-29 win at Gatlinburg-Pittman.
Austin-East improved to a 5-2 record, its first five-win season since 2019.
"It feels good being part of history," Lightfoot toldKnox News on Oct. 9. "It feels good being the QB to lead it and making sure everyone is doing right when we're in practice. Our hard work is paying off from the summer."
football season
Lightfoot accounted for five total touchdowns in the win against the Highlanders (4-4), who reached the Class 3A TSSAA football championship game in 2025.
That same season, the Roadrunners went 1-9. Austin-East football coach Stanton Stevens has his young group playing with a renewed vigor in 2026.
"(They are) a lot more confident than they were last year," Stevens said. "I think at times, their confidence is warranted, but they have to understand confidence comes from work ethic. You can be confident when you're working as hard as you possibly can to prepare for every game."
Lightfoot has helped lead the turnaround for Austin-East. Stevens has seen the developing quarterback "maturing" as his team pushes for a slot in the Class 3A playoffs.
The receiving corps makes Lightfoot's job easier. Three different receivers caught touchdowns against Gatlinburg-Pittman. Junior Dikyeis "DK" Towns snagged two of them and has eight total touchdowns this season.
"We knew coming into the season DK was going to be one of the best receivers, not even just in Knoxville but in the whole state of Tennessee," Lightfoot said. "We've tried to target him a lot more. I'm not trying to take any shine away from other receivers, we try to get everyone the ball equally, but DK is definitely number one."
Austin-East rebounded from a forgettable 49-20 loss to Sweetwater in Week 7. The win at Gatlinburg-Pittman not only made program history, but also demonstrated an encouraging level of resilience for Stevens.
"As long as we can learn how to win, even if it's an ugly win," he said. "There's no such thing as a good loss. We'll take it. The kids bounced back."
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How QB Landon Lightfoot drove Austin-East football to historic fifth win
