Recapping each local team’s football season

We’re a week removed from the official end of the TSSAA’s football season and the state championships in Cookeville. Now that all teams have had anywhere between one and six weeks since the end of their season, here’s a look at where each team stands as it tries to progress as a program during the offseason and show the results of that progression next fall when the season arrives. For each team in our coverage area, they are listed in alphabetical order with overall final record, district record and district finish in parentheses. We take a look back at the season that was for each team in the rearview mirror and look ahead through the windshield at what the prospects for 2015 look like.

Adamsville (11-2, 4-1 in District 15-A, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: This team was among the best in the area all season long. They competed offensively and fell short in the end against one of the best offensive teams in West Tennessee and then fell short to the eventual state champion 12 weeks later for the Cardinals’ only losses. The rest of the year was spent dominating the remainder of the district and beating teams from bigger schools.

•Windshield: According to the Cardinals’ published roster, they lose a senior class of 10 players from a roster of 56. Like most years, they lose some very good players in key spots (receiver Ross Burcham, linebacker Jacob Dengler, quarterback Seth Paul to name a few), but nearly the entire offensive line is back. (There was one senior starter up front, but Zach Martin tore his ACL in Week 2.) If the Cardinals figure out who will be on both ends of their passing game, they’ll be among the best again.

Bolivar (3-7, 2-3 in 14-AA, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: A look at the overall record won’t indicate how good this team could’ve been. The Tigers took their eventual district champion to overtime and had their shots to win one or two more district games. Their defense improved through the season.

•Windshield: The good news is they have an entire offseason this year with head coach Woodrow Lowe and in his system. That should be a big help to the defense, and it can only help the team’s conditioning as well. They do lose some size and speed to graduation, but the town of Bolivar is known for its fast athletes.

Bruceton (7-4, 2-3 in 13-A, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: While the record might not have been as a good as last year with its eight wins, it will be hard to nullify the Tigers’ accomplishment of getting a first-round bye in the playoffs two years removed from a one-win season. They didn’t compete as well as they hoped in preseason within the district, but the Tigers still showed they have a lot of pride in their program by the way they competed in each individual game and nearly making the state quarterfinals.

•Windshield: This is a good group of seniors that will graduate in May, but the good thing for the Tigers is their roster has grown noticeably each season the past couple of years. Head coach Jamie Williams and assistant coach David Thomas have nearly doubled the number of players they have now compared to what they had three years ago, and that added depth will help the Tigers compete in their new region next year that goes eastward.

Camden (9-3, 7-1 in 11-AA, champion)

•Rearview mirror: The Lions played well down the stretch of the regular season and got a little help in Week 10 to get that district title, but an old foe they haven’t been able to topple yet ended their season earlier than expected. They still had one of the best teams in the state in 3A as it was consistently ranked in the top 10 each week with the three losses coming to three formidable teams.

•Windshield: Camden’s region next year strongly resembles the district it’s been in the last two seasons as the Lions are the only program on the west side of the Tennessee River. They do lose a class of 18 seniors whose graduation will really hit the defensive line, but on a roster of 82, that won’t affect depth as much as it would other teams around here. They will have one of the best rushers in the area back as well with Deshawn Brown.

Chester Co. (8-3, 5-0 in 14-AA, champion)

•Rearview mirror: The Eagles can look back on the history they made this season. They beat Lexington for the first time this century. They won their first-ever district title. They hosted their first-ever playoff game. They also had the top scoring defense in the area. They accomplished all this while having a small senior class then dealing with injuries to key players throughout the year.

•Windshield: Losing five seniors and having a large junior class this year, the Eagles will probably one of the local favorites with high expectations going into the 2015 season. They’ll be in the nine-team Class 4A region but will be among the favorites to compete for the region title with some pretty good teams to compete with.

Crockett Co. (12-1, 5-0 in 13-AA, champion)

•Rearview mirror: The Cavaliers have had seasons in which they’ve finished the regular season unbeaten, and they’ve been further in the playoffs than they made it this year. But 2014 will be one of the more memorable seasons in Crockett County High history. A senior group that went through the struggles this one did early in their careers overcame all that adversity to be one of the best on this end of the state in any classification. Each yard and touchdown running back Johnny Jones gained was celebrated by the entire team.

•Windshield: There is a lot of talent that played their final game for Crockett in the state quarterfinals last month in key spots including quarterback, running back, kicker/punter, linebacker and offensive line. But there’s plenty of talent moving up to take their place. The defensive secondary should be a strength next year, and there are some guys who’ve had plenty of snaps at running back for the Cavaliers in recent years that the cupboard isn’t bare.

Dresden (6-6, 3-2 in 13-A, third place)

•Rearview mirror: The season didn’t start well in Derek Rang’s first as head coach, but the Lions ended well as they were in the conversation for district runner-up in Week 10 and won four of their last six. Quarterback Quincy McDonald was one of the breakout players of the year with his performance passing and rushing for the Lions.

•Windshield: Eight seniors graduate this year, which means there won’t be a lot of inexperience on the field in August when Dresden takes the field for its season opener in 2015. With McDonald having two more years to grow as a quarterback, there shouldn’t be a period early in the season where he’s getting comfortable behind the line, and that should help the team early on score a few more points.

Gibson Co. (2-8, 1-6 in 14-A, seventh place)

•Rearview mirror: The Pioneers had expectations of a better season this year with more experience and having gotten the monkey of a four-year losing streak off their backs. They had a chance to meet and possibly exceed those expectations as they had a shot at the playoffs if they’d finished the season better, but injuries and bad luck got to the team as they faltered to end the year.

•Windshield: There are some quality players graduating off this team the Pioneers will miss, but the younger players seem to be responding well overall to the coaching of Morgan Cruce as he just completed his third season leading the team. They’re in a smaller region this year and have a definite shot at competing for a playoff spot in 2015.

Gleason (2-8, 0-5 in 13-A, sixth place)

•Rearview mirror: This season didn’t go as well as expected. The Bulldogs, who were one of the more productive teams in the area in 2013 offensively, didn’t match that production this time around after injuries to key players hurt their chances of scoring on a consistent basis. The result was two wins on the season with none of them coming in district play.

•Windshield: Seven players graduate off this year’s team, and those seven were guys that played both ways in key spots. But this is a position the program has been in under head coach Noah Lampkins. The good thing is he coaches the middle school team as well, so he knows probably better than any other head coach in the area exactly what he has coming up this season to the program. The question is how well will the team that doesn’t have a lot of depth fare in a nine-team region next year?

Greenfield (3-7, 2-5 in 14-A, sixth place)

•Rearview mirror: The Yellowjackets continued their construction of the program this season, and that showed with the addition of a couple more wins this year. They’re another team that loses eight seniors, which might not be a lot to some other teams in the area, but Greenfield is one of the smallest schools that fields a football team. Head coach Don Pitt will try to recruit the hallways as much as possible this offseason to add to the upcoming eighth grade group and build for next year.

•Windshield: There are some good athletes coming back next year that should help the team like John David Ricketts at quarterback. He won’t have his top two targets to throw to next year as Tanner Smithson and Miles Cavitt are graduating, but he’s worked enough with the rest of the team to have developed a cohesiveness to will get better through the spring and summer.

Hardin Co. (8-4, 3-0 in 13-AAA, champion)

•Rearview mirror: This was one of the best seasons in recent memory for the Tigers. If was their first district title in more than two decades, and the team that finished the season in Week 12 was much better than the one that started the year 1-2 after losses in Jackson and Lawrenceburg.

•Windshield: The future is bright for this program. They’re dropping down a class into 4A, which means they won’t have to drive halfway to another time zone for all of their region games, and there’s a lot of talent returning – particularly on offense with quarterback Cal Gobbell and receiver Nick Godwin. The Tigers should compete for the region title in that large 4A league.

Haywood (4-6, 2-3 in 15-AA, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: The Tomcats entered the offseason a year ago with a lot of positive vibes and momentum after making the playoffs for the first time in four years and coming close to finishing in the top two in the district. Off-the-field issues during the offseason like the exit of a good running back, losing a game the team won in ’13 and replacing it with a much tougher team this year, head coach Ernie Jackson’s two-game suspension and injuries all affected the team this season. But the Tomcats persevered and didn’t fall much short of what they accomplished a year before. A win in Week 10 would’ve given them second in District 15-AA and a decent seed in the playoffs. But the loss kept them out of the postseason.

•Windshield: There’s still plenty for Tomcat fans to get excited about going into the offseason. Defensive line prospect Emmitt Gooden will be back for his senior season, and he’s already got a lot of NCAA Division I offers. He’s not the only athlete in purple that’s got a shot at playing in college if he continues to play well. There are a number of guys who’ve played a lot of minutes for Jackson and his predecessor Slade Calhoun that experience will help the team compete in Class 4A next season.

Humboldt (5-6, 4-3 in 14-A, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: There were a lot of questions surrounding the Vikings going into the season, and for the most part, Junior Reid’s team answered the ones well they needed to and fell short in the ones they weren’t expected to win. The only time when Humboldt didn’t win when maybe they should’ve was the Lake County game, but seeing the Falcons advance to the state semifinals later, that loss doesn’t look as bad now. The losses of receiver Troy Agnew, running back Cornelius Watson and lineman Malik Epperson will be big in a small class.

•Windshield: There are about 10 seniors graduating off this team, but not a lot of them had a lot of playing experience as starters before this year. So there should be a lot of experience back next year as the Vikings will tangle with a lot of the same teams as it has been lately for a region championship.

Huntingdon (6-5, 4-1 in 13-A, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: That final record isn’t one that will be looked back on with fondness in the football-crazy town, but a look at the five losses is impressive. Two state champions (Peabody and Union City), a state semifinalist (Milan), a quarterfinalist (McKenzie) and a playoff team from a bigger class (Westview) accounted for the losses. That may be a hollow moral victory for the program, but it’s still understandable for those on the outside looking in.

•Windshield: Some good players graduate this year, but it’s not a big senior class. So many juniors and sophomores got a lot of playing time for the Mustangs this year on the line and in the backfield that Huntingdon could see a quick rise back up the mountain that is West Tennessee high school football, which they’ve been close to the top of for most of the past few years.

Jackson Christian (2-8, 1-4 in 15-A, fifth place)

•Rearview mirror: The first year with Todd Roland leading the Eagles didn’t go as well as hoped as Jackson Christian was outmanned more times than not in depth, speed and size. They had a hard time keeping opposing offenses from scoring and an even more difficult time early in the season point points on the board themselves.

•Windshield: There are some players returning who were bright spots this season. Clay Lewis, Ethan Payne and Miles Humphreys all did their jobs well, and Will Buehler progressed as a quarterback throughout the season. The good news is the Eagles are in a six-team region next year fighting for four playoff spots. They’ll be in the fight.

Jackson Central-Merry (3-7, 2-3 in 15-AA, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: The Cougars weren’t able to follow through on their hopes of competing for a state championship they had before the season started. Things looked good early when they won their second and third games of the season, but they won one game after that.

•Windshield: The Cougars will stay in Class 3A next year, but instead of taking on bigger schools for the playoffs, they will be in a large group of teams fighting for playoff spots even though some of the traditional powers on this end of the state are in the league as well. Orentheus Taylor will enter his third season leading the Cougars, and he’ll have more of his own coaching staff with him for a second go-round. That should put them in a better position to compete.

Lexington (5-6, 4-1 in 14-AA, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: A final record of 5-6 is definitely below par for the program that’s had runs to the state semifinals, undefeated regular seasons and multi-year win streaks in district play, but injuries plus a tough non-district schedule combined to not do the Tigers any favors this year.

•Windshield: Lexington doesn’t lose many contributing seniors this year, and there will be a lot of two- and three-year starters taking the field for the Tigers next season. They’ll be in for a fight in Class 4A as they will be one of five or six teams in a nine-team district that appear on paper to have a definite shot at a region title.

Liberty (8-3, 5-0 in 15-AA, champion)

•Rearview mirror: This was the year everything would come together for Liberty. The Crusaders had an experienced line with an experience backfield, a balanced offense and a defense that was as stingy as Ebenezer Scrooge before being visited by the three Christmas ghosts. The regular season was one to be remembered with a win over Henry County, competing better with Brentwood Academy and Memphis University School, domination through District 15-AA including at rival and runner-up North Side and embarrassing 6A Millington on the road. But Dyersburg ended things early in the first round, which snapped the Crusaders’ streak of making at least the second round five straight years.

•Windshield: There’s not an area in the starting lineup on either side of the ball that won’t be affected by graduation. The good thing is the Crusaders will have Corey Newble back at quarterback starting his second full year as a junior. And saying Liberty should have plenty of speed next year is like saying Liberty should be wearing black jerseys and silver helmets. Unless something drastic happens this offseason, it will happen. They drop down to 3A next year with Milan, Westview, Dyersburg and a few other teams.

McKenzie (8-4, 5-0 in 13-A, champion)

•Rearview mirror: This was a season in which everything came together at the right time for the Rebels. After dropping their first two games to eventual state champions in forgettable fashion, the Rebels rolled off a six-game win streak to win the district for the first time in four years and make the playoffs for the first time in three years.

•Windshield: The Rebels will miss some players that helped McKenzie return to the district championship and the playoffs. Quarterback Jack Surber will be back along with some of his receivers, and the Rebels will probably be one of the picks to finish in the top four for a playoff spot in their Class 2A region.

McNairy (3-7, 3-2 in 14-AA, third place)

•Rearview mirror: They only won three times, but the Bobcats won the right games as they were in the running for a possible playoff spot – and even a district title – if things had gone the right way in Week 10. One thing that happened on a positive note was the defense improved as the season progressed as one opponent in the Bobcats’ final six games scored more than 14 points.

•Windshield: The team has a good amount of players returning, but it’s not like there’s a lot of quality experience coming with them as the three wins they got this year was the Bobcats’ best season in a while. But Chad Hodge will have seven more months this offseason than he had last year to help get the team prepared. His commitment to hard work – if it rubs off on the players – will give the program the opportunity to take a few steps of progression in 2015.

Middleton (0-10, 0-5 in 15-A, sixth place)

•Rearview mirror: As far as results go, not many people in Middleton will want to look back on 2014 much if at all. A winless season that saw the Tigers competitive in the fourth quarter a couple of times was sparked by an already small roster that didn’t get much help when the team’s defensive coordinator left just before the season started.

•Windshield: One thing head coach Craig Harris usually says about his players each year during the preseason is the ones who are out for football are dedicated to the football program. That’s shown in recent years as the program has sent a handful of kids to college and even had some stat leaders in the area. Now they’re moving into a district with schools in Memphis who haven’t seen a lot of success, the Tigers have a shot at making the playoffs.

Milan (10-4, 3-2 in 13-AA, tied for runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: Was the 2014 season Jeff Morris’ best performance as a head coach? It’s possible when one considers this team was on the edge of not making the playoffs halfway through the season then rolled off seven straight wins that not only included making the playoffs but making it to the state semifinals before losing to the eventual state champion.

•Windshield: While Landon Walker started at quarterback about a half-season earlier than the coaching staff planned on him starting because of an injury higher up on the depth chart, that will do nothing but help the Bulldogs in 2015. There were a lot of underclassmen who played key roles for the Bulldogs this past year, and their proven ability to be effective in those roles along with the experience they bring will help the program compete for a playoff spot and possibly another run at a trip to Cookeville.

North Side (10-2, 4-1 in 15-AA, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: Head coach Tab Vowell said a couple years ago he wanted North Side to be viewed as a consistent winner. Mission accomplished. The Indians – with an inexperienced team for the second year in a row – competed for a district title and reached the 10-win plateau while getting to the second round of the playoffs. Vowell just completed his sixth season leading the Indians, and four of those seasons have finished with nine wins or more, which all of those have come in the last five years.

•Windshield: The quarterback will be back. The running back will be back. A lot of the linemen will be back. Most of the receivers will be back. A good freshman class is coming up. For the foreseeable future, North Side as a winning program is here to stay, and the rest of the teams in Class 4A will have to be ready to deal with them when the Indians come up on the schedule.

Peabody (13-2, 6-1 in 14-A, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: If looking back on a state championship is in the rearview mirror and the program continues to move down the road of time toward next season, a lot of people in the Golden Tide’s fan base will want to put a bumper sticker on the back of that vehicle that says something like “Ask me about my football program’s state championship.” This past season certainly was one to remember. Both losses were viewed as turning points. Three second-half comebacks occurred in the playoffs. The ongoing saga with the climax that included a gold trophy in Cookeville is a storyboard that came right out of Hollywood and landed in Gibson County.

•Windshield: There are enough players back on this team next year that talk of a repeat isn’t out of the question. The Golden Tide drop down to Class 1A, and that will be tough with some of the state powers that will be battling it out in the small-school division. But the fact that the entire offensive backfield is back, so is the linebacking corps and most of the defensive line all make Peabody an automatic force to be reckoned with before the first team starts spring practice this year.

Riverside (7-5, 3-2 in 15-A, third place)

•Rearview mirror: The Panthers had a good season in which they beat the teams they were supposed to beat and competed for the most part with the tougher teams on their schedule. Their biggest wins were over a Scotts Hill team that made the playoffs the first time and the playoff win at Forrest.

•Windshield: Graduation will hit the team hard as a couple of all-star players and the bulk of their linemen won’t suit up for the Panthers next year. The good thing is Drake Smith is back to lead the offense for the next two years after a productive sophomore season. The key will be building around him and developing younger players coming up. They’re in a new region that goes across the Tennessee River, but they should be in the race for at least a playoff spot if not the district championship.

Scotts Hill (7-5, 2-3 in 15-A, fourth place)

•Rearview mirror: No one knows what will happen with the football program in the next decade, but whatever success the Lions enjoys, head coach Michael Stroup and everyone else involved will look back at the 2014 season as the time it all started. The Lions wanted three wins initially, and they got that before they suffered their first loss. They went 4-5 the rest of the way as they made the second round of the playoffs.

•Windshield: Excitement going into an offseason has never been higher than it is right now in Reagan. Sponsors from all over Henderson County and other counties are jumping on the bandwagon, and the football team was a central point of the school this fall as the student body enjoyed watching the gridiron success. Stroup knows this offseason will be important to build on the foundation laid this year with quality work in the weight room and in conditioning plus in spring ball.

South Gibson (2-8, 1-4 in 13-AA, fifth place)

•Rearview mirror: The Hornets had one of the absolute most brutal schedules in the area as nine of their opponents made the playoffs and combined for an 8-9 record that would’ve been better if some of those teams hadn’t met so early in the postseason. While the final record doesn’t look great with two wins, a look at the final score in each contest and a box score of a few would show the Hornets played with some of the best teams around and pushed them to the limit before faltering in the end.

•Windshield: The Hornets were a young team this year, so there will be a lot coming back in 2015. One of the main ones coming back is Tyler Dysart, who made an immediate impact as a sophomore this season. The schedule won’t be easy in region play, but there’s plenty of potential in Medina to compete if the Hornets can grow and develop.

South Side (1-9, 1-4 in 14-AA, fifth place)

•Rearview mirror: The 2014 season was a learning experience for all involved. The offense had a hard time scoring, while the defense had a hard time stopping anybody. The Hawks got a win over Fayette-Ware for an early victory, but they couldn’t get anymore.

•Windshield: The key to the Hawks’ success is putting more ability out on the field. There are students walking the halls of the school that have the physical tools to help the team if they’d come out and commit to helping their teammates succeed. Cade Willingham has one more season at quarterback and has potential to be one of the best in Jackson if he can get a couple of guys to catch it.

Trinity Christian Academy (9-2, 5-0 in 15-A, champion)

•Rearview mirror: The sideline was virtually silent when the Lions fell in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs. The senior class that graduates next May will go down as one of the best in school history with a Mr. Football winner in Kyle Akin and James Bond, who is one of the best all-around athletes in Jackson. The Lions’ season ended what they felt was prematurely, but they lost to the eventual state champion.

•Windshield: As good as the graduating senior class was, a lot of their success was aided by the junior class that will lead the program next year. The makeup of the Lions’ offense could change drastically without Akin at quarterback, but with athletes like Andrew Goldsmith and Eli Parker returning, TCA football should still be competitive in 2015.

University School of Jackson (6-5, 3-1 in Division II-A West, runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: The Bruins did what they were expected to do in district play as they played for the championship in Week 10. In non-district play, they had a hard time stopping some of the better teams on their schedule, but one of the youngest teams head coach Mickey Marley has put on the field in his 26 years leading USJ developed nicely through the season.

•Windshield: A small senior class means most of the team returns next year. With about 25 freshmen on the team of about 50 this year, that means about half the team will be back for three more years. Easton Underwood and Mitchell Bodiford will be back for their third year starting in the backfield, and Mr. Football finalist Trey Smith is a quality lineman to build the front around. The future for the Bruins is as bright as the shade of blue on their home jerseys.

West Carroll (4-6, 1-4 in 13-A, fifth place)

•Rearview mirror: The War Eagles fell short of making the playoffs or competing for the district title, but this year was still an improvement over 2013 in which they won two games. They competed well in some of their losses and had a shot at making the postseason late in the year. A couple of players made the local all-star game as well.

•Windshield: Before the season began, head coach Josh Fronabarger said a good thing about the current group of players is the work ethic of the younger players on the team. If they continue to work like that through the offseason, don’t be surprised if the team from Atwood is among those competing for the playoffs if not the championship in the nine-team region. That will be a tall order considering some of the team’s competition in that league, but they want to get the program back to where it was two or three years ago when they were making the state quarterfinals and semifinals.

Westview (8-3, 3-2 in 13-AA, tied for runner-up)

•Rearview mirror: The Chargers were one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the area this year if for nothing else but the fact a lot of their games went down to the final play. More times than not, Westview won those close games because of an explosive offense and stingy defense.

•Windshield: A lot of the explosive players in that explosive offense will return next year, meaning Westview will be one of the tougher teams to stop this time around again. The Chargers came close to a district championship this year, so competing for the region title in 2015 isn’t out of reach for the program again.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751