Don't feel like happy valley will ever consolidate because they would pitch a fit. Hampton and Cloudland would make a big 3A but no body wants to play in 3A.
If you add cland,Hampton, and unaka it equals 914 which would make a solid 4A team. Probably wouldn't beat Greenville and Elizabethton every year but would make two of the three schools more competitive. Hampton is the only one who has been constantly good every season.
Actually region 4 is the weakest in 1A, but region 1 is a close 2nd. Everything else you said is correct. In reality a large Carter County School with all the athletes could compete in 4A.
No you wouldn't, Zac is doing good plus Cloudland is now a bottom feeder so who are you going to get to replace him. No one wants to come to a school that is on borrowed time before a consolidation.