High School football officially began Monday as prep teams throughout the state donned helmets and pads for the first time with the season opening weekend 24 days away.
The sixth annual chattannogan.com tour of Hamilton County schools began with Howard just before 7 a.m.
and ended at Silverdale a few minutes before 10 p.m. – 13 schools and 173 miles.
2015 Prep Football Tour (13 schools)
6:58 a.m. Howard (0-10) … 3-3A
Second year head coach Mark Teague has 45 players on the roster, up from seven players when he took the job in the spring of 2014 … the increase in roster size is a testimony to the players buying into working in the spring and summer and a commitment to getting stronger in the weight room … Tigers lost only one starter from 2014 and the returners are back with a better attitude … Coach Teague points to Tadarius Covington (6-2, 295) as the team’s best lineman followed by Alex Howser (6-2, 240)
Roster: 45
Best Athlete – Quattarius Porter (Sr. RB) ... lots of raw talent
Weight Room King – Alex Houser (6-2, 240) OT … extremely strong
Season Opener – Aug. 21 at DCA
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 5th in region 3-3A
7:48 a.m. East Ridge (3-7) ... 3-3A
Players are arriving and coach Tracy Malone and staff are ready to take the field for the first practice … Coach Malone points to Matt Yarborough (Sr.) as the starting quarterback as he has waited three years to get the starting job ... “Matt came to us as a scrawny little dude, but has stuck with it … he is so dependable every day … he gives you everything he has.”
Coach Malone on Senior Class: “great work ethic ... great chemistry and their leadership is off the charts.”
Roster: 38
Best Athlete – Jesse Jones (Sr., WR/DB) … also plays basketball and baseball ... only second year to play organized football
Weight Room King – Pete Sexton and Quasey Vinson
Best Story – Matt Yarborough (Sr. QB)
Season Opener: Aug. 21 at Polk County
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 4th in Region 3-3A
8:31 a.m. East Hamilton (2-8) … 3-4A
Players are hustling to the field for stretching before breaking into position drills … Coach ted Gatewood said, “I like our numbers (roster size) and our guys have worked hard all summer … the attitude to win is there which is great.”
Returning Starters: Defense (6), Offense (4)
Roster: just under 100
Best Athlete – Jeffrey Coleman (Sr., WR/CB)
Weight Room King – Christian Smith (Sr., TE/LB) … Kevin Sinlard (Jr., LB)
Season Opener – Aug. 21 at Signal Mtn.
Murphy Fair’s Pick: Tied for 1st in Region 3-4A
9:15 a.m. - Notre Dame (12-2) ... 3-3A
Coach Charles Fant is excited about the current players and also about those coming to Notre Dame in the future … “St. Jude and OLPH have formed one middle school team and we think that many of those kids will come to Notre Dame” … a trio of seniors - Alex Darras (QB), all-district Ricky Ballard (Sr., RB/S) and all-state Tyler Enos (Sr., LB) - all played for OLPH, while junior Patrick Johnson (Jr., LB/TE) is a St. Jude graduate.
Roster: 47
Best Athlete – Ricky Ballard (Sr. RB/FS)
Weight Room King – Robert Murphy (Sr., DT) … bench press (335), squat (500), power cling (285) … “that’s a whole lot of weight to move,” said coach Fant.
Season Opener: Aug. 21 at Chattanooga Central
10:09 a.m. – Baylor (8-5) ... D-II AA East/Middle
The Red Raiders are taking a water break with another 40 minutes of practice on opening day
Baylor lost 2014 QB Nick Tiano to graduation, but Red Raider fans need not fear as transfer Will Austin (Sr., 2,000 yds., 19 TD passes) comes from Brownsville HS.
Best Athlete – Adrian Harris (Sr/, RB/WR)
Weight Room King: Adrian Harris … strength coach Julian Kaufman on Harris … “pound for pound the team’s strongest player … he numbers are impressive” … clean and jerk (275) squats (420) and bench press (275)
Best Story – Adrian Harris is from the a housing project in the Bronx and his sister is a Williams College graduate … Adrian got online at his old high school looking for a good prep school to play football and get a good education … “he found us … we did not find him,” said coach Phil Massey.
Season Opener: Thurs. Aug 20 at Rhea County
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 5 th in D-II AA East/Middle
10:24 a.m. – Chattanooga Christian (4-7) ... 3-3A
The players are finishing up some plays from scrimmage before a water break …
Coach Rob Spence said, “Our strength is our team concept … our players need to be have dedication, focus and total effort.”
Best Athlete - Brandon Mason (WR/FS)
Weight Room King – EJ. Toney .. squats 485
Season Opener: Aug. 21 … Brainerd at home
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 6th in 3-3A
3:56 p.m. Soddy Daisy (4-7) ... 4-5A
It’s two hours before the evening practice and coach Jason is in his office
“We’ve improved each of my two seasons and made the playoffs last year so hopefully we can continue the success this fall … we need to continue to build on what we have,” said coach
Returning Starters: Defense (8), Offense (4)
Roster: 47
Best Athlete –Tre Carter (WR/DB)
Christian Bell (RB)
Weight Room King – Christian Bell and (strongest) Owen Vice (Jr., OL’DL
Best Story Line - Casey Lewis (OL/DL) had a detached retina in one eye last season giving him only 20% vision … 100% now and ready to go
Season Opener: Aug. 21 – Red Bank at home
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 6th in Region 4-5A
5:07 p.m. - Grace Baptist (1-9) ... 3-1A
Coach Bob Ateca has defensive players in the weight room and the offense is in the classroom going over what they will work on in practice at 6 … the two units will switch spots before taking the field.
Roster: 28
Returning Starters: 7 on each side of the ball
Best Athlete: Alex Blandon (RB/LB)
Weight Room King: QB Jared Thompson
Season Opener Aug. 21 … Concord Christian at home
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 5th in 3-1A
6:06 p.m. McCallie (9-3) ... D-II AA East/Middle
Players are walking to the field for the evening workout in full pads after a morning practice in helmets and shorts
We have talented kids, but we are young,” said head coach Ralph Potter … “It will take time for them to jell into a unit.” … the new players need to jell quickly as Blue Tornado plays first three games on the road … at Parkview (Ga.), Blackman and Father Ryan …
Roster: 61 (soph-sr) plus 30+ freshmen
Best Athlete – Nygel Edmonds
Weight Room King: Corey McDonald (6-3, 285)
Season Opener: Aug 22 vs. Parkview in Atlanta
6:44 Lookout Valley (2-8) … Region 3-1A
Lookout Valley coach Tony Webb starts his 12th season as head coach and “loves his players attitude ... I can count on all 25 to give me their best effort.”
Roster: 25
Best Athlete – Kahliel Peoples (RB/LB) and Kyle Smith (OL/DL)
Weight Room King – Kahliel Peoples
Season Opener: Aug. 21 at Silverdale
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 4th in 3-1A
7:32 p.m. Boyd Buchanan (5-6) ... 3-2A
Players are in the first 30 minutes of the evening practice … “We work on defense in the morning and offense in the evening session,” said head coach Grant Reynolds .
We want our No.2 guys at each position to get as many reps as possible in practice to help us develop some depth.”
Roster: 45
Best Athlete – E. J. Matthews (RB/LB) and Jack Keebler (DE/TE)
Weight Room King – Jake Hardin (OG/LB)
Best Story Line: soph Jacob Powell (lineman) was a student manager last year, but has decided to continue his football career after playing for BBS middle school for three years …. “he told me he wanted to be part of the team and I think it is great,” said coach Reynolds
Season Opener: Aug, 21 hosts Tenn. Christian
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 3rd (tie with Tyner) … Region 3-2A
Boyd-Buchanan-Lookout Valley-Charleston HS Connection
Old Charleston HS defeated Lookout Valley - current Yellowjackets head coach Tony Webb was a LV assistant - in the second round of the 200 playoffs in the school’s final home game before shutting its doors … Charleston lost its final football game the next week at Boyd Buchanan in the state quarterfinals and current BBS head coach Grant Reynolds was a Bucs assistant.
Independent Tennessee Christian will use the old Charleston HS field for its games this year and will play both LV and BBS, but both games are on the road ... Tenn. Christian home games (3) will be played at old Charleston H.S. field – Sept. 11 vs. Sale Creek … Sept. 18 vs. Lancaster Christian (Homecoming) and Oct. 16 vs. Copper Basin
8:03 p.m. Brainerd (3-7) … Region 3-2A
Players have finished the evening practice and coach Brian Gwyn has just ended a players’ parents meeting … “The players are enthused and ready to go,” said Gwyn.
Roster: 35
Best Athlete – Malik Beavers (QB)
Weight Room King – Kentrell Sims (LB/FB)
Best Story Line: Brandon England (Jr., OG/DL) comes from a challenged living environment … Brandon is a good spirited kid, desires to be successful, wants to excel and is quite focused,” said coach Gwyn.
Season Opener: Aug. 21 at Chattanooga Christian
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 6th (tie with Bledsoe Co.) … Region 3-2A
9:26 p.m. - Silverdale (1-9) … Region 3-2A
Players are taking a break and getting some fresh fruit … 90 more minutes of practice
Coach Al Rogers said,” this is one of my most athletic teams.”
Coach Rogers could use QB Alex Gonzalez in the Wing-T and Hayden Spencer in the spread offense
Roster: 28
Very Athletic – Hunter Arnold (RB/LB), Hayden Spencer (QB), Christian Rogers (LB), Josh Brady (OL)
Weight Room King - Josh Brady and Tanner Gibson
Season Opener: Aug. 21 Lookout Valley at home
Murphy Fair’s Pick: 8th in Region 3-2A
contact B.B. Branton