3a region 4 2015

[UpperCumberlandMan]

York Institute Dragons

Location: Jamestown, TN

Region 4 – 3A

Head Coach: Derik Samber, First Season

Last Season: 5-6 (3-3), First Round

When Alvin C. York Institute Head Coach Derwin Wright announced his resignation in the spring, there was an obvious replacement already on the roster in Derik Samber. Although Samber only has 5 years of high school coaching experience under his belt, he certainly knows the ins and outs of the Dragon football program. Not only did Samber serve as the York Institute offensive coordinator in 2014, but the young, energetic Samber also graduated from the Jamestown school in 2006. Although Samber will be the Dragons’ third coach in three years, Samber’s time on Wright’s staff will likely ease the burden of this transition.

 

York’s 2014 season ended with a 34-7 loss to Upperman in the first round of the 3A playoffs, marking the third consecutive season the Dragons bowed out in the first game of the postseason. If Samber’s squad is going to overcome the first round hurdle, they’ll have to do it while relying on young players at a number of positions. While they might endure some growing pains in Samber’s first year at the helm, the Dragons have enough talent to make some noise in Region 4-3A.

 

After being shut out 6 times in 2013, the Dragon offense experienced a resurgence in 2014 under Samber’s guidance, scoring a robust 27 points per game, and 4 starters return from last season’s revitalized offense. Those who follow the York Institute program are very familiar with the name Cravens – as in brothers Mason and Dylan Cravens. Although only a Junior, Mason (5-10, 170) returns for his third season under center in the Dragon offense. The athletic quarterback’s top choice receiver will likely be a familiar face – his brother Dylan. Dylan (5-11, 160) is the elder of the two Cravens and has been a significant contributor in the Dragon wide receiving corps the past couple years. Starting opposite Dylan Cravens will likely be either Junior Josh Molands (6-0, 155) or Senior Blake Asberry, who also plays basketball.

 

When the Dragons decide to run the football, the carries will probably go to a pair of sophomores in Ethan Probst (6-0, 190) and Heath Rexroat. These two young ball carriers will be running behind a young offensive line that will rely on junior center Davis Hendricks (6-2, 260) and senior guards Trent Smith (6-0, 240) and Stephen York (5-10, 200) to be an anchor in the middle. Overall, the Dragons have a solid quarterback in Mason Cravens, but one of the sophomores must step up to provide some consistency in the ground game.

 

Defensive coordinator Vic Wheaton returns 3 starters on his 4-4 defense that gave up 24 points per game in 2014. Arguably the most impactful player on Wheaton’s defense is Austin Bertram (6-2, 230). Bertram has the strength and speed to give opposing quarterbacks fits from his defensive end position. Starting opposite Bertram at the other defensive end position could be Trent Smith, who is also slated to play guard on the offensive line. In the middle, the Dragons will likely rely heavily on Hendricks and York. Much like the running back position, several young players will have to take strides forward if the Dragons are going to have a stout linebacking corps. Chief among them are sophomores in OLB Probst and MLB Dawson Threet (6-0, 200). Senior MLB Dylan Holland could provide some much needed leadership in the mid-level of the Dragon defense. In the secondary, many of the same players who catch passes on the Dragon offense will be called upon to defend and intercept them on defense. These include Mason Cravens and Molands at cornerback and Rexroat at safety. If the Dragons have some young linebackers emerge, the York Institute defense could be stout in 2015.

 

Coach Samber’s squad will have a chance to prove themselves right out of the gate with a home matchup against 2014 5A playoff team Stone Memorial. Two more winnable home games follow against White County and DeKalb County before a tough three game road stretch in weeks 3 through 5. The most important game on York’s schedule is likely the October 2 home date against Upperman. Upperman knocked the Dragons out of the playoffs in 2014 and could be the class of Region 4-3A this season. If Samber’s bunch do manage to stretch their playoff streak to four, they will have the advantage of an open date in week 10 to prepare.

[UpperCumberlandMan]

Grundy County Yellow Jackets

Hometown: Coalmont, Tenn.

Region:  4-3A

Head Coach: Casey Tate (1st year)

Last Year’s Finish:  5-6 Overall, 3rd in District 7-AA

Over the past five years, consistency has been embedded into the Yellow Jackets program.  Although that consistency is at an average level, you can't look down on someone who makes the playoffs year in and year out.  

 

New Head Coach Casey Tate is poised to take over this program and create a winning attitude for the Yellow Jacket players and coaches. Grundy County will have several players returning with experience on both sides of the ball, however many of them will be underclassmen with very few snaps under their belts.

 

The new region for Grundy County may hurt them in the short term, but better competition almost always breeds better teams.

 

Offensively, the Yellow Jackets will be very run oriented and have a hard-nose style of play as Coach Tate is literally taking a page out of local coaching legend Ken Colquette's playbook.  

 

Tate will be basing the offense off of a split-back veer system with some designed play-action sprinkled in. Tate admitted how this team, in previous years, had gotten away from hard-nosed, downhill football and went towards a more spread-out, shotgun-style approach.  However, he is hoping to bring back a solid run game with the help of his offensive line and above average backs.

 

On defense, Tate will focus on a 3-3-5 system coupled with a variety of variations.  He does think, however, that the Yellow Jackets will remain in a three-man front for the majority of the time.

 

The Jacket defense will have to step up in a big way if they hope to be successful.

 

Last year, Grundy County allowed an average of 34.4 points per game, and a repeat of that type of performance cannot happen if they want to advance further than the first round of the playoffs.  

 

With the size they have on the defensive line, teams will be forced to go to the passing game more often than not, which could spell trouble for run-oriented opponents such as Smith County, Sequatchie County and Whitwell.

 

When you step back and look at the big picture, this team will have to overcome a lot of odds.

 

The first being new head coach, Casey Tate.  He will be a great coach with time, but Tate may have a slow start when he takes the reigns.  

 

Tate will have a lot of younger players which will only help as time goes on, but the new region will prove to be troublesome as it features stiffer competition, more experienced teams and much longer road trips.

 

As far as the X’s and O’s are concerned, Tate runs a simple system that has the power to do great things.  

 

If you get the right personnel in on the right plays on a consistent basis, you can ride the split-back veer to the state championship and back.  Just ask Tate's new-found mentor, Ken Colquette.  

 

In a place like Grundy County where the focus is more on strength rather than speed, the system will fit in perfectly.  They could be great on defense, but there are a lot of question marks in that area as of now.

 

 

[Classless]

York Institute Dragons

Location: Jamestown, TN

Region 4 – 3A

Head Coach: Derik Samber, First Season

Last Season: 5-6 (3-3), First Round

When Alvin C. York Institute Head Coach Derwin Wright announced his resignation in the spring, there was an obvious replacement already on the roster in Derik Samber. Although Samber only has 5 years of high school coaching experience under his belt, he certainly knows the ins and outs of the Dragon football program. Not only did Samber serve as the York Institute offensive coordinator in 2014, but the young, energetic Samber also graduated from the Jamestown school in 2006. Although Samber will be the Dragons’ third coach in three years, Samber’s time on Wright’s staff will likely ease the burden of this transition.

 

York’s 2014 season ended with a 34-7 loss to Upperman in the first round of the 3A playoffs, marking the third consecutive season the Dragons bowed out in the first game of the postseason. If Samber’s squad is going to overcome the first round hurdle, they’ll have to do it while relying on young players at a number of positions. While they might endure some growing pains in Samber’s first year at the helm, the Dragons have enough talent to make some noise in Region 4-3A.

 

After being shut out 6 times in 2013, the Dragon offense experienced a resurgence in 2014 under Samber’s guidance, scoring a robust 27 points per game, and 4 starters return from last season’s revitalized offense. Those who follow the York Institute program are very familiar with the name Cravens – as in brothers Mason and Dylan Cravens. Although only a Junior, Mason (5-10, 170) returns for his third season under center in the Dragon offense. The athletic quarterback’s top choice receiver will likely be a familiar face – his brother Dylan. Dylan (5-11, 160) is the elder of the two Cravens and has been a significant contributor in the Dragon wide receiving corps the past couple years. Starting opposite Dylan Cravens will likely be either Junior Josh Molands (6-0, 155) or Senior Blake Asberry, who also plays basketball.

 

When the Dragons decide to run the football, the carries will probably go to a pair of sophomores in Ethan Probst (6-0, 190) and Heath Rexroat. These two young ball carriers will be running behind a young offensive line that will rely on junior center Davis Hendricks (6-2, 260) and senior guards Trent Smith (6-0, 240) and Stephen York (5-10, 200) to be an anchor in the middle. Overall, the Dragons have a solid quarterback in Mason Cravens, but one of the sophomores must step up to provide some consistency in the ground game.

 

Defensive coordinator Vic Wheaton returns 3 starters on his 4-4 defense that gave up 24 points per game in 2014. Arguably the most impactful player on Wheaton’s defense is Austin Bertram (6-2, 230). Bertram has the strength and speed to give opposing quarterbacks fits from his defensive end position. Starting opposite Bertram at the other defensive end position could be Trent Smith, who is also slated to play guard on the offensive line. In the middle, the Dragons will likely rely heavily on Hendricks and York. Much like the running back position, several young players will have to take strides forward if the Dragons are going to have a stout linebacking corps. Chief among them are sophomores in OLB Probst and MLB Dawson Threet (6-0, 200). Senior MLB Dylan Holland could provide some much needed leadership in the mid-level of the Dragon defense. In the secondary, many of the same players who catch passes on the Dragon offense will be called upon to defend and intercept them on defense. These include Mason Cravens and Molands at cornerback and Rexroat at safety. If the Dragons have some young linebackers emerge, the York Institute defense could be stout in 2015.

 

Coach Samber’s squad will have a chance to prove themselves right out of the gate with a home matchup against 2014 5A playoff team Stone Memorial. Two more winnable home games follow against White County and DeKalb County before a tough three game road stretch in weeks 3 through 5. The most important game on York’s schedule is likely the October 2 home date against Upperman. Upperman knocked the Dragons out of the playoffs in 2014 and could be the class of Region 4-3A this season. If Samber’s bunch do manage to stretch their playoff streak to four, they will have the advantage of an open date in week 10 to prepare.

 

Where was this article published?

[UpperCumberlandMan]

Where was this article published?

prepweekly.com

[Classless]

prepweekly.com

Wander where they get their information. I watched both scrimmages this yr and there was only one or two kids that played both sides. And none of the ones mentioned

[gcjackets18]

Glad to see that Grundy has decided to go back to the veer offense..i played for coach K and he was a heck of a ball coach..i think Grundy has a chance to win 3 games this year..cannon,Watertown,and whitwell..that being said whitwell and Watertown prolly could go either way..but even the coaches at Grundy dont believe that they will win many games..but next year will be different..we dont have but 3 seniors this year all the rest are underclass man..but this district is a lot better for us then havin to play signal mountain and all them chattanooga schools..to behonest id like to see Grundy and the sequatchie valley schools all be in one district..

[Sequatchie]

Ok Sequatchie and Grundy fans. Dekalb and Smith have train horns at their stadiums. UHS hass the dump truck train horn. Both UHS and Smith have fireworks. York has the horn in the dragon thing. What each of your unique game day traditions?

 

The scenery!  

[Booger]

The scenery!  

 

one of the best, if not the best within a 100 miles of chattanooga....best of luck in that region...dont think Booger is on your side Indian

 

Booger just sayin

[UpperCumberlandMan]

The scenery!

have always like that facility

[crow6424]

The scenery!

I'm diggin it

[Indian]

Glad to see that Grundy has decided to go back to the veer offense..i played for coach K and he was a heck of a ball coach..i think Grundy has a chance to win 3 games this year..cannon,Watertown,and whitwell..that being said whitwell and Watertown prolly could go either way..but even the coaches at Grundy dont believe that they will win many games..but next year will be different..we dont have but 3 seniors this year all the rest are underclass man..but this district is a lot better for us then havin to play signal mountain and all them chattanooga schools..to behonest id like to see Grundy and the sequatchie valley schools all be in one district..

This region is a much better fit. Similar schools and areas that love their football. The only long ride this year is Smith Co, most teams usually have 1 or 2 long nonregion trips anyway. Next year on the road at Upperman and York but those are easy trips. Cannon and DeKalb are barely an hour, going to Chattanooga on Fridays in traffic can take that long. The region also left roon for rivalry games Whitwell, Bledsoe, S Pitt, with Grundy part of the region. I am not sure if all of those could have been played in the Chattanooga region with Notre Dame, Red Bank, etc.

[UpperCumberlandMan]

This region is a much better fit. Similar schools and areas that love their football. The only long ride this year is Smith Co, most teams usually have 1 or 2 long nonregion trips anyway. Next year on the road at Upperman and York but those are easy trips. Cannon and DeKalb are barely an hour, going to Chattanooga on Fridays in traffic can take that long. The region also left roon for rivalry games Whitwell, Bledsoe, S Pitt, with Grundy part of the region. I am not sure if all of those could have been played in the Chattanooga region with Notre Dame, Red Bank, etc.

I like the fit with Grundy and Sequachie in this district too. Rual playing rual. Edited August 19, 2015 by UpperCumberlandMan