Old nemesis Alcoa welcomes Grace Christian coach Rusty Bradley back to Knoxville
Rusty Bradley offered a shrug-of-the-shoulders kind of laugh about the notion of playing defending state Class 3A champion and former chief rival Alcoa at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in his debut as Grace Christian’s football coach.
The powerhouse Tornadoes were a perennial roadblock to Bradley during his nine-year run (2007-15) at Christian Academy.
“Absolutely I see the irony,” said Bradley, whose Rams host 15-time state champion Alcoa in the kickoff to the 2017 season.
Without Alcoa as the benchmark to shoot for, Bradley said the CAK program would never have ascended to the heights it reached.
“They force you to get better and bring out the best in you,” he offered.
After eight consecutive losses to Alcoa, Bradley and the Warriors finally broke through with two wins over the Tornadoes in 2011 on their march to the Class 3A state championship.
In 2012, CAK lost to Alcoa in the regular season but scored a memorable 38-36 playoff win over the Tornadoes on their way to another state title.
Bradley finished 3-15 against Alcoa at CAK and lost his final game as Warriors coach to the Tornadoes two seasons ago in the state quarterfinals.
After one season at University of School of Jackson, Bradley returned to Knoxville when longtime Rams coach Randy McKamey departed for Clinton.
Bradley inherited the 2017 schedule, but he has no reservations about playing the Tornadoes in the opener.
He sees only positives.
“It’s honestly really, really good for our program moving into Division II where we’re going to face great competition every week,” he offered. “There’s no better way to start this off than playing Alcoa.”
First-time meeting
Grace senior Emery Webb said there has been no shortage of motivation to get ready for the 2017 season knowing that Alcoa was waiting for the Rams in the opener.
It’s also the first football meeting ever between the schools.
“Everybody is excited,” said Webb, a two-way starter at safety and receiver.
“We’re playing Alcoa on a Thursday night. Everybody is excited for the opportunity to be on this stage.”
Grace, a decided underdog, hopes to use a good showing against the Tornadoes as a springboard to a return to prominence.
The Rams have gone 6-6 and 7-6 the last two seasons after reaching the 2A semifinals in 2014 and 2013.
Alcoa is coming off a 14-1 season where the Tornadoes rocked Liberty 45-12 in the state championship game, handing coach Gary Rankin his state-record 12th title.
Alcoa appears poised to make a run at yet another championship.
Will the Rams be up for the challenge?
“We’ve just got to play a whole game,” said Webb.
“We’ve got to play all four quarters and make the catches and make the tackles.”
A burgeoning tradition?
Grace returns the favor by traveling to Alcoa next year in the season opener.
Beyond that, Bradley said he’d welcome discussions about turning the game into an annual season-opening rivalry.
He figures playing Alcoa each season could have the same rewards at Grace that it did at CAK.
“Obviously, it’s something to look at down the road,” he said. “I absolutely see the benefit of it.”
Mike Blackerby is a freelance contributor.