kamerb

After watching this team against Oxford, I have a few big takeaways: 1. We have depth at QB. Zach Pemberton (#7,rising SO.) looked more than capable of managing a game, but still needs to work on ball protection. Logan Hall (#25, rising JR.) is definitely a decent QB that fits the offense well. Still no definite word on Braxton, but I am more confident in the depth behind him. Oakland and Jacoby Stevens, the #1 athlete in the nation that I believe plays safety, will be an even better test of game management capabilities. 2. The O-Line can sustain drives. Probably the most depleted unit from 2015, the O-Line is a key factor in how far Rhea County goes this season. After seeing the first, second, and third team lines play, their abilities shone through. Yes, they gave up some sacks, but that is to be expected considering this was the first true live-action they had seen. I was very pleased with their play, even without the production from 2nd team center Colton Edwards (#78, rising SO.) who was out with a leg injury. 3. Linebackers were up and down. This unit contained two of the key losses from 2015- Tyler Pendleton and Gavin Downey. Throughout the game, it seemed like the coaches switched around the players in this group more than any other to try and figure out who should go where. They made plays, but also missed a few key plays that could have went for 6 if not for our secondary. I am a tad biased towards this group, but the top performers, in my opinion were OLB Eddie Davis (#20, rising senior), ILB Chandler Kaylor (#42, rising sophomore), and ILB Chase Suttles (#41, rising junior). The weakside linebacker position, to me, was a toss up. #5 played really well, as did Jay Graham (#44, rising junior) and Jared Kamer (#88, rising junior). 4. D-Line could be the strongest unit in the team. This one may seem far fetched, but hear me out. The 2-deep at DE looked stronger than it has in a while. Tyler Brown (#51, rising senior) and Bradley Evans (#84, rising junior) look fairly well locked as the starters, but Dakota White (#48, rising junior) and I'm not sure who plays the other side on second team, but they looked solid. The nose position seems well founded with a great rotation and players who can make big plays. 5. Running backs are deep and ready to score. Probably the deepest position in talent on the team, the running backs looked amazing during the scrimmage. Mason Stephenson, Eddie Davis, and Cody Bice (Who missed the scrimmage due to an injury) are sharpied in as the starters for their senior year. Christian Simon (#22, rising junior), Chis Sturgeon (#3, rising junior), Gavin Morrison (#24, rising sophomore), and A. J. Velasco (#27, rising junior) got some really good reps as well and proved just how solid the Eagles are behind the three headed monster that is Stephenson, Bice, and Davis. The scrimmage with Oakland on Saturday at Eagle Stadium will show just how well our new/old style offense can move against a well coached defense, such as the one from a 6A powerhouse like Oakland. I look forward to some more spring football and cannot wait to get the 2016 season rolling! I'm feeling like this season could be a great one!

What a way to start off the road to the 2016 season! A 22-14 Rhea County win in Alabama! What are everone else's thoughts on the scrimmage against Oxford?

Hey! I am not a big follower of Oakdale football, but I do have many family ties to the school. My father, aunt (both former OHS basketball players) and grandparents all graduated from Oakdale, and I used to attend Westside Baptist when my mother's father was the pastor there, so I have family and sentiment related interest in the team. I don't know many of the current players, minus probably Garrett Miller, so I have no idea about this Oakdale team. Any scrimmages on tap for the spring? I wish you all the best of luck this year! Go Eagles!

Same here! First scrimmage for Rhea County is May 13th at Jacksonville State, and it couldn't get here any sooner! I look for this region to be more competitive than last year, and I expect big things from Ooltewah, Rhea, Walker Valley, and Cleveland this season!

Jared Edwards (TE/Rhea County) currently has 14 D1 offers from Army, Navy, Air Force, Citadel, Charleston Southern, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, MTSU, Jacksonville State, Appalachian State, ETSU, Mercer, and Memphis.

Previously unknown or underrated players to watch out for? My picks Darius Moses, SR. WR (possibly) Colby Prigmore, SR. WR Jared Kamer, JR. OLB/TE A.J. Velasco, JR. RB Dakota White, JR. DE/PK (Possibly) Peyton Barger, SR. FB/S Christian Simon, JR. RB/? *(Possibly means that they are not currently on the team, but have said they intend to play next season) *Possible competition from a freshman on the QB depth chart* Rhea Middle's QB from last season (from what I gathered from the little I watched him play) looks like a serious contender at QB if he sticks with it in high school. Not sure if he's a rising freshman, though? He looks too tall to be any younger than 8th, but Spring City had a D-lineman last year that stood well over 6ft tall that was only in 7th this past season.

Excited to hear that Rhea County will be traveling to Jacksonville State University in Alabama on May 13th to scrimmage Oxford High School!

Bryan College is a small, liberal arts college in Dayton, TN. I am a local student who attends there, and I would like to get some public feedback about the "what ifs" of having a team at Bryan. There is not a football team at the college, but the idea has been tossed around for a number of years due to the ever present juggernaut that is college football, its ability to draw in exposure and revenue, and the rich gridiron history of the area. There are no current discussions being made about a team, this is only a discussion as to how you all would respond to a team at Bryan College. What size fan base would it have? Where would they play? Would the community support a collegiate football team? And any other discussion topics that you all might think about. I look forward to getting some feedback!

Anyone know of players from the region that attended the NPA event at Rhea County today?

Same here! August cannot get here any sooner!

Probably not as far fetched as some would think. Ooltewah and Walker Valley will be tough, but I think you guys will give Rhea County their most challenging region game. Playing at Cleveland is rarely good for the Eagles, and the Blue Raiders are smelling another upset after you guys were the only region team to defeat Ooltewah in the regular season. Look forward to trekking to Cleveland for a great game!!

Also, Jared Edwards, currently Rhea County's only D1 prospect, picked up an offer from Eastern Kentucky as well as a 3-star rating by 247 Sports!

My way too early region prediction: 1. Walker Valley 2. Rhea County 3. Ooltewah 4. Cleveland Soddy-Daisy McMinn County White County Essentially, the top four are interchangeable to me. Walker Valley could possibly win it all region wise, but they do have to travel to Rhea County. I give the Eagles the edge on region schedule. They have Walker Valley and Ooltewah in Evensville and probably take the cake for toughest non-region games at Baylor and at home against Indianapolis Cathedral who has multiple D1 athletes being recruited by everyone from Indiana to Tennessee to Florida State. Cleveland could have a special year, but I feel they are one year away from the crown. They could give Rhea County some problems, though. The Eagles will travel there for, in my opinion, their most challenging region game. I expect Ooltewah to be a competitive again, but possibly not at the region champ level they have been. The remaining three? I have no idea. I'm pretty confident in my top 4, but not in their order. This region will be heavily tight this season, and it really is anyone's crown this time. The dominance by any one team has subsided for this season, so I wholeheartedly expect nail-biters, upsets, and some classic games in 2016. Enjoy it while you can, though. I feel '17 could possibly be the Return of the Blue Raiders, and they will establish themselves as the team to beat in the following years. I also expect no team escaping region play undefeated. If one does, they'll be a contender for a ticket to Cookeville because this region, to me, is the SEC of southeast Tennessee high school football. You escape unscathed from the Eagles, Owls, Blue Raiders, and Mustangs and the rest of the region, a trip to Cookeville is definitely in the realm of possibility.

The Lift-a-thon this year has changed my mind about the team's direction in 2016. Prior to, I was skeptical. I thought we'd be good, but nowhere near the teams of 2014 and 15. I saw a 7-3 or 6-4 regular season with Quarterfinals or less in the playoffs, but now I am thinking along the lines of a possible 8-2 or 9-1 regular season with a good shot at a third straight Semifinal appearance and possible trip to Cookeville. Seeing those guys in high form lifting weights and showing their raw power has nearly convinced me that Rhea County will have another special year. We do have some fairly large questions at QB and the OL, but after seeing the team lift, the OL question is more "Who will be where?" than a "What the heck are we going to do?" QB is still troubling to me. Braxton Dieckhaus did not attend the Lift-a-thon, and there are many people I'm hearing from that he is all but certain to play baseball only his senior season. This leaves rising sophomore, Zach Pemberton, the 3rd string QB, or Logan Hall, a rising junior who was the Freshman team QB in 2014 that has since played WB in a couple of varsity games, as the probable starters. No word yet on whether Seth Stulce will return. If he does, the job is essentially his for the taking being the only QB with serious varsity experience. The May 21 scrimmage with Oakland will give a much better picture as to where the current team is standing heading into summer practices and workouts. There is the potential next year to see a few players that have little or no varsity experience that will be asked to take on a role much bigger than they have had. The starting weakside linebacker was Gavin Downey who will be playing in that same role next year, just for the University of the Cumberlands instead of Rhea County. Both of the candidates to replace him are rising juniors, one of which has only played football since the 8th grade and has only been on the field for two varsity plays prior the upcoming season (my little brother). I am confident that the coaches will find the right people to fill those roles. What are everyone else's thoughts?

Also, a big congrats to senior DE/WR James Sharp on his offer and commitment to Lindsey-Wilson College to continue his football and academic career!

Rhea County officially will have one D1 prospect on the field this upcoming football season. Jared Edwards picked up an offer from the University of Memphis.

I understand. It was my mistake for not clarifying his position. However, I share your joy about having a good replacement for such a playmaker as Noel. Having that deep threat is a big factor for allowing success in the run aspect of our offense and it noticeably hurt the team when that was removed due to defenses being able to stack the box since there was no threat of a long passing game.

He moved to Murfreesboro after he graduated from the 8th grade.

I'm not quite sure, but he should be a good replacement for Noel. As for the QB situation, there are many factors at work. Braxton is looking like the starter if he sticks with football, but there is also Seth Stulce. He did not play this season due to personal reasons, but rumors around the program say he could make a return for his senior year. He was 2nd string behind Dotson when he took over the job mid-season 2014, and seemed to look better developed as a QB compared to Braxton. He would still have to work for it, but he could be a contender. Zach Pemberton was the main QB for the JV team, but Hayden Frazier got a lot of snaps in JV games after Pemberton was injured. There are also members of the team that are not in the QB position, but have experience at QB and could fill that role.

He transferred from Farragut just before the season started. Due to his late entry, he was unable to play in varsity games, but did see some action during a scrimmage between Rhea County's Freshmen and Sophomore players.

Colby Prigmore is looking like the starter for 2016. He didn't get to play this last season because he transferred to Rhea County too late to be eligible to play football. He seems legit, but he is going to be a senior.

I may be relatively new to CoachT, but I do know a thing or two about class. The actions of a certain fan who claims to support my alma mater's team are uncalled for, unsportsmanlike, and lacking in clsss. Classless fan aside, this situation branches far beyond the game tomorrow. This could have serious implications for this young man. From what I had heard/read about him before this incident, I was under the impression that he was a classy guy. Whether this is a case of an emotionally charged accident, true malicious contact, or something else, the consequences still remain. I heard today that he won't be considered any further in regards to the Mr. Football award that he's spent most of his life to this point earning by showing exceptional character on and off the field. This, to me, would be a devastating blow, not to mention his face being plastered on social media all over our area. This kid may be found guilty and be punished, but I would hope that people would have the decency to let the authorities that be review the evidence. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Hence why I won't say if he's innocent or not. All I do know is this: A player's reputation is in shambles and a community and its team have been rocked to their core. Please have some class and respect for players no matter what team they play for.

Way too excited to see the rematch between these two great teams! This should definitely be a great game, but I am interested about what Rhea County will do if Noel Patterson sits out this game. I have confidence that #84 (Sharp's backup) will step up his performance if Sharp is out for the game, but filling either of those shoes will be a tough task. Still, I look forward to watching how this game plays out and who goes on to face the Sevier County/Morristown West winner to decide which East Tennessee team will be making the trip to Cookeville!

Rhea County has lost to Baylor (35-27), Ooltewah (16-0), and Indianapolis Cathedral (45-14)