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FOOTBALL DIRTY DOZEN: Panel puts state champion at top of final list

Brandon Shields

We contacted our panel of Dirty Dozen voters one final time to do a season wrap-up edition of the Dirty Dozen rankings.

This edition of the Dirty Dozen is always a little different. During the season, if a team lost that week or had a big win, then readers can usually expect to see a big rise or drop in that team’s ranking.

That’s not the case this time, obviously since no team won or lost this past week.

But we ask each panelist to look at the season as a whole and judge each team based on its overall performance from Week 0 to the end of its season.

Each voter has a different idea of what each team deserves within the ranking of the top 12. There are those who think Peabody deserves to be No. 1 because the Golden Tide ended up No. 1 in their class.

Others believe Crockett County’s consistency through the season allows the Cavaliers to be the top team in this ranking.

Either way it’s an interesting discussion. Since this isn’t college or pro football, there are no national championship games or Super Bowls to determine who is the best team in our coverage area. It’s simply opinion.

So here is the final edition of the 12 best football teams in the Sun’s coverage area. See if you agree with what we came up with.

1Peabody (8) (13-2): The Golden Tide have won their past six games since losing to another eventual state champion. Total voters’ points: 138. Most recent ranking: 3. How season ended: State championship.

2Crockett Co. (4) (12-1): The Cavaliers were a field goal from entering the state semifinals unbeaten. Total voters’ points: 133. Most recent ranking: 1. How season ended: State quarterfinals.

3Adamsville (11-2): The Cardinals nearly made it back to their third state title game. Total voters’ points: 109. Most recent ranking: 2. How season ended: State semifinals.

3TCA (9-2): The Lions had a standout season before falling to the eventual state champion. Total voters’ points: 109. Most recent ranking: 4. How season ended: Second round.

5Milan (10-4): The Bulldogs had one of the better turnarounds from the beginning of the season to the end. Total voters’ points: 85. Most recent ranking: 5. How season ended: State semifinals.

6Liberty (8-3): The Crusaders had one of their most complete teams ever this year. Total voters’ points: 82. Most recent ranking: 6. How season ended: First round.

7North Side (10-2): The scary part about the Indians’ team from this year is most of the players will be back next year older and probably wiser. Total voters’ points: 78. Most recent ranking: 7. How season ended: Second round.

8Hardin Co. (8-4): The Tigers were a lot better in Week 12 than they were in Week 1, and the coaching staff hopes that improvement continues in the offseason. Total voters’ points: 42. Most recent ranking: 9. How season ended: Second round.

9Camden (9-2): The Lions claimed a district title before falling in the second round of the playoffs. Total voters’ points: 39. Most recent ranking: 10. How season ended: Second round.

10Westview (8-3): The Chargers’ offense was one of the toughest to stop or even slow down in the area. Total voters’ points: 38. Most recent ranking: 11. How season ended: First round.

11Chester Co. (8-3): The young Eagles team made some history this year and will try to do so again next year. Total voters’ points: 35. Most recent ranking: RV. How season ended: First round.

12McKenzie (8-4): The Rebels returned to the playoffs and made some noise before falling in the quarterfinals. Total voters’ points: 31. Most recent ranking: 8. How season ended: State quarterfinals..

Also receiving votes: Scotts Hill (7-5); Huntingdon (6-5) and Dresen (6-6).

Teams from schools within the Sun’s 13-county coverage area are eligible for the Dirty Dozen rankings. Those counties are Madison, Gibson, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, Haywood, Crockett, Weakley, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, McNairy and Hardin. A number in parentheses next to a team’s name indicates how many first-place votes the team received. “RV” in the “most recent ranking” indicates the team received votes for the Dirty Dozen during the last vote.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751