West TN Top Football Programs Historically

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

1 hour ago, ManOfMillions said:

 

 

SAAAY WHAT?? THIS CAN'T BE TRUE. MILAN IS IN THIRD PLACE IN THE LAST 5 YEARS... IN JUST GIBSON COUNTY!  

 

LOVE YOU BPM.... NUMBERS ARE HARD SOMETIMES BUDDY. IM OFF TO MY VACATION. I WILL SLEEP WELL TONGIHT. 

You might sleep better if you learned how to spell tonight. Lol. 

[Croppygenius]

1 hour ago, stacmot said:

1966 – Tim Priest and the Huntingdon Mustangs.  I was a youngster at the time, but I  have vague memories of that Mustang team.

 

The sixties were one of Haywood’s greatest decades as well.  The Tomcats finished the decade with  94 wins, 12 losses, and 1 tie.  (3 undefeated teams, 4 one loss teams, 3 bowl championships and 4 Big Ten Conference championships. Haywood also ended the decade sporting a 24 game winning streak.

A note of interest:  Undefeated Haywood met undefeated Huntingdon in the 1964 Little Cotton Bowl.  Haywood won 20-0.

Remember that game. Jerry Robinson our outstanding running back broke his arm early in that contest. Haywood had a great team that year. Didn't Rocky Felker play on that Haywood team?

[stacmot]

9 hours ago, Croppygenius said:

Remember that game. Jerry Robinson our outstanding running back broke his arm early in that contest. Haywood had a great team that year. Didn't Rocky Felker play on that Haywood team?

I believe Bradley Cunningham was the Haywood QB in 1964.  Rocky Felker quarterbacked the Tomcats during the 68, 69, and 70 football seasons.

Concerning the ’64 Haywood-Huntingdon game, I did read the following info in 100 Years of Haywood Tomcat Football written by Dr. Robert Rooks.

”On the second play of the game, Haywood fumbled at its own 33 yard line.  Huntingdon drove to the two yard line aided by a Danny Woodward to Jerry Robison pass that traveled 16 yards.  Haywood held, but Mustang Jerry Robison broke his arm on the drive.”

I apologize for the spelling, but Dr. Rooks spelled the name Robison in his book.

Edited July 8, 2022 by stacmot

[TryNotToSuck]

On 7/1/2022 at 5:10 PM, BIGPURPLEMACHINE said:

So I saw a post by a particular west tn high school football team on Facebook the other day that had a very interesting signature. It said “West TN Premier HS Football Program”. While they are a great team year in and year out I did not agree with that statement mainly cause they have no gold balls in the trophy case. So I want to get some feedback from posters on the top programs in rural west tn outside of Memphis. I think a good criteria should be 1.  Championships 2.  All-Time wins 3.  Recent success 4.  Consistency 5.  Community Support

Im going to list a top 5 and I would love to hear others opinions as well for some good conversation  Remember this is excluding Memphis.  
 

1. Milan

2.  Peabody

3.  Union City

4.  Henry Co  

5.  Lake Co  

I think a case could be made for any of the top 3 to be #1 especially since they all have 4 gold balls.  I would not argue with anyone that had Peabody or UC at #1.  I just put Milan there because of the 10 trips to the title game.  Henry Co has 2 gold balls and a silver in 5A and that speaks volumes to me.  And Lake Co has 3 titles one being very recent with a dominant team.  What is everyone’s thoughts??

 

I'm back, took some time off and somehow I lost my password. I'm glad to be back for the 2022 season. Putting Milan on the #1 team on your list is interesting. Yes, you stated that Championships and All-Time wins are you 1&2 reasons why Milan is #1. When you really think about, all of those programs that you listed have good community support. I won't say Union City and Lake County's community support is up to par with the other 3 teams (Milan, Peabody, and Henry County) because of population of size (especially Lake County), and UC has been averaged over the past few years.

My list:

1) Henry County

2) Peabody

3) Haywood

4) Milan

5) Huntingdon

The last time Henry County finished the season below .500 was 2004. Since the 2007 season, they accomplished 11 seasons of earning 10 wins. That does include two state championships at the 5A level, which impresses me because the Ridgeway Roadrunners were a tough team to play in the early 2010's. 

Peabody: I am curious to see how this team will enter the 2022 season as not the favorite to win it all in Chatt. The only reason why Peabody is behind Henry County is because Henry County winning a state title in 5A is tougher than Peabody winning a title in 1/2A. That's my opinion. Can't take the title away from the program, but Peabody has been a late bloomer. As I stated, the last time Henry County finished a season below .500 was 2004. The consistency from the Patriots outweighs the recent success from Peabody

Why Haywood: They are starting to get a reputation of getting athletes to play Division 1 football on a consistent basis. They're favorites in 4A to play on Black Friday. Also, Haywood has 10 wins in each season since the 2016 season. But the recent success, and consistency is there. Community support is there as well as they're in the process of getting a renovation to their stadium. I'm not going to penalized a team for all-time wins and championships. Winning a championship in 4A is probably the toughest class to win a championship in. I can careless about a championship that was won in the 1990's. 

Milan: I can make an argument that Huntingdon should be here. Milan has won a few titles. They have the ability to get to Chattanooga. I don't think it will happen in 2022. The playoff success from Milan is better than Huntingdon's. However, Milan's recent success is lacking big time, that's why they're behind Haywood.

Huntingdon: I will say they're pretty consistent. Their fans say "this team will be dangerous. They will be great!" They do win 8-9 games, and they do lose in November. That, to me, is consistent as you can get. Huntingdon is good at beating teams they're supposed to beat, but they're struggling in the games where "Can Huntingdon pull this off?" type of games. The 50/50 games. 

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

4 hours ago, TryNotToSuck said:

I'm back, took some time off and somehow I lost my password. I'm glad to be back for the 2022 season. Putting Milan on the #1 team on your list is interesting. Yes, you stated that Championships and All-Time wins are you 1&2 reasons why Milan is #1. When you really think about, all of those programs that you listed have good community support. I won't say Union City and Lake County's community support is up to par with the other 3 teams (Milan, Peabody, and Henry County) because of population of size (especially Lake County), and UC has been averaged over the past few years.

My list:

1) Henry County

2) Peabody

3) Haywood

4) Milan

5) Huntingdon

The last time Henry County finished the season below .500 was 2004. Since the 2007 season, they accomplished 11 seasons of earning 10 wins. That does include two state championships at the 5A level, which impresses me because the Ridgeway Roadrunners were a tough team to play in the early 2010's. 

Peabody: I am curious to see how this team will enter the 2022 season as not the favorite to win it all in Chatt. The only reason why Peabody is behind Henry County is because Henry County winning a state title in 5A is tougher than Peabody winning a title in 1/2A. That's my opinion. Can't take the title away from the program, but Peabody has been a late bloomer. As I stated, the last time Henry County finished a season below .500 was 2004. The consistency from the Patriots outweighs the recent success from Peabody

Why Haywood: They are starting to get a reputation of getting athletes to play Division 1 football on a consistent basis. They're favorites in 4A to play on Black Friday. Also, Haywood has 10 wins in each season since the 2016 season. But the recent success, and consistency is there. Community support is there as well as they're in the process of getting a renovation to their stadium. I'm not going to penalized a team for all-time wins and championships. Winning a championship in 4A is probably the toughest class to win a championship in. I can careless about a championship that was won in the 1990's. 

Milan: I can make an argument that Huntingdon should be here. Milan has won a few titles. They have the ability to get to Chattanooga. I don't think it will happen in 2022. The playoff success from Milan is better than Huntingdon's. However, Milan's recent success is lacking big time, that's why they're behind Haywood.

Huntingdon: I will say they're pretty consistent. Their fans say "this team will be dangerous. They will be great!" They do win 8-9 games, and they do lose in November. That, to me, is consistent as you can get. Huntingdon is good at beating teams they're supposed to beat, but they're struggling in the games where "Can Huntingdon pull this off?" type of games. The 50/50 games. 

Our top 5 May differ but you have some really sound reasoning behind yours. Won’t get any argument out of me. Good to see you back on the boards man. 

[stacmot]

20 hours ago, TryNotToSuck said:

I'm back, took some time off and somehow I lost my password. I'm glad to be back for the 2022 season. Putting Milan on the #1 team on your list is interesting. Yes, you stated that Championships and All-Time wins are you 1&2 reasons why Milan is #1. When you really think about, all of those programs that you listed have good community support. I won't say Union City and Lake County's community support is up to par with the other 3 teams (Milan, Peabody, and Henry County) because of population of size (especially Lake County), and UC has been averaged over the past few years.

My list:

1) Henry County

2) Peabody

3) Haywood

4) Milan

5) Huntingdon

The last time Henry County finished the season below .500 was 2004. Since the 2007 season, they accomplished 11 seasons of earning 10 wins. That does include two state championships at the 5A level, which impresses me because the Ridgeway Roadrunners were a tough team to play in the early 2010's. 

Peabody: I am curious to see how this team will enter the 2022 season as not the favorite to win it all in Chatt. The only reason why Peabody is behind Henry County is because Henry County winning a state title in 5A is tougher than Peabody winning a title in 1/2A. That's my opinion. Can't take the title away from the program, but Peabody has been a late bloomer. As I stated, the last time Henry County finished a season below .500 was 2004. The consistency from the Patriots outweighs the recent success from Peabody

Why Haywood: They are starting to get a reputation of getting athletes to play Division 1 football on a consistent basis. They're favorites in 4A to play on Black Friday. Also, Haywood has 10 wins in each season since the 2016 season. But the recent success, and consistency is there. Community support is there as well as they're in the process of getting a renovation to their stadium. I'm not going to penalized a team for all-time wins and championships. Winning a championship in 4A is probably the toughest class to win a championship in. I can careless about a championship that was won in the 1990's. 

Milan: I can make an argument that Huntingdon should be here. Milan has won a few titles. They have the ability to get to Chattanooga. I don't think it will happen in 2022. The playoff success from Milan is better than Huntingdon's. However, Milan's recent success is lacking big time, that's why they're behind Haywood.

Huntingdon: I will say they're pretty consistent. Their fans say "this team will be dangerous. They will be great!" They do win 8-9 games, and they do lose in November. That, to me, is consistent as you can get. Huntingdon is good at beating teams they're supposed to beat, but they're struggling in the games where "Can Huntingdon pull this off?" type of games. The 50/50 games. 

I’ve declined to list a top five.  I would like to come up with an objective list, but I’m sure I would show favoritism toward Haywood.  That said, Haywood has been the dominant Class 4A team in West Tennessee (including Shelby Co. and the rural west) over the past 5 years.   Haywood has a 2-2 record against Class 5A Henry County (your number 1 team) over the past 5 years.  In fact, Haywood leads the series with the Pats 9-5-0.  I do believe Haywood’s history, recent success, and consistency definitely merits the Cats being in the top five. But where?  I don’t know.  One of Haywood’s biggest drawbacks is the fact that the Tomcats have made 4 trips to the state championship, and they have never sealed the deal.

I believe that Covington deserves a place at the table as well.  Until this past year, the general consensus has been that Class 3A was the strongest class in West Tennessee, and Covington has been a very successful 3A team.

I'm not trying to contradict you in any way.  Out of all the top 5 lists I’ve seen in this thread, I like yours the best. I like your reasoning, and thanks for your work in putting it all together.  Most of all, thank you for including the Haywood Tomcats!  Thanks to @ManOfMillions for including the Tomcats too.

@BIGPURPLEMACHINE, I doubt you’ll tell me, but what school claimed to be the premier program in West Tennessee?  Please tell me it wasn’t Haywood!  I know that last statement is funny after all the campaigning I’ve done for Haywood, but I just don’t think it's wise for a school to place a target like that on its back.

One last statement…I don’t believe there have been any serious efforts to renovate or build a new stadium for Haywood.  So far it has been all talk and no action.

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

29 minutes ago, stacmot said:

I’ve declined to list a top five.  I would like to come up with an objective list, but I’m sure I would show favoritism toward Haywood.  That said, Haywood has been the dominant Class 4A team in West Tennessee (including Shelby Co. and the rural west) over the past 5 years.   Haywood has a 2-2 record against Class 5A Henry County (your number 1 team) over the past 5 years.  In fact, Haywood leads the series with the Pats 9-5-0.  I do believe Haywood’s history, recent success, and consistency definitely merits the Cats being in the top five. But where?  I don’t know.  One of Haywood’s biggest drawbacks is the fact that the Tomcats have made 4 trips to the state championship, and they have never sealed the deal.

I believe that Covington deserves a place at the table as well.  Until this past year, the general consensus has been that Class 3A was the strongest class in West Tennessee, and Covington has been a very successful 3A team.

 

I'm not trying to contradict you in any way.  Out of all the top 5 lists I’ve seen in this thread, I like yours the best. I like your reasoning, and thanks for your work in putting it all together.  Most of all, thank you for including the Haywood Tomcats!  Thanks to @ManOfMillions for including the Tomcats too.

@BIGPURPLEMACHINE, I doubt you’ll tell me, but what school claimed to be the premier program in West Tennessee?  Please tell me it wasn’t Haywood!  I know that last statement is funny after all the campaigning I’ve done for Haywood, but I just don’t think it's wise for a school to place a target like that on its back.

One last statement…I don’t believe there have been any serious efforts to renovate or build a new stadium for Haywood.  So far it has been all talk and no action.

 

Here ya go Stac^^^^

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

Now having shared the post, I don’t cast any shade on them for making the claim as they are a fine program. It’s just a hefty claim to make with no gold balls in the trophy case. But nothing but respect for them as a program. 

[stacmot]

24 minutes ago, BIGPURPLEMACHINE said:

Here ya go Stac^^^^

 

22 minutes ago, BIGPURPLEMACHINE said:

Now having shared the post, I don’t cast any shade on them for making the claim as they are a fine program. It’s just a hefty claim to make with no gold balls in the trophy case. But nothing but respect for them as a program. 

Thanks!  I agree with you.  It is a hefty claim.  Actually, I think it would be a hefty claim for all of the teams that have been mentioned.  I'm just glad it wasn't Haywood.

Edited July 10, 2022 by stacmot

[stacmot]

Warning!  The topic of this thread has inspired me to go through my old scrapbook, so I’ve got a little (maybe a lot of) historical trivia concerning 20^th century rural West Tennessee football.  I know it’s a stretch, but it sort of fits in the criterion of all-time history.

On January 30, 2000, the Jackson Sun published a special section on what their readers considered to be the top ten games and teams of the century.  The section was put together by Dan Morris, and he deserves all the credit for the information I’m posting.

I’m sure Byars-Hall/Covington would fit into some of this, but Covington is not located in the Sun’s circulation area.  As a result, I don’t think very many Covington fans had a chance to vote.

Don’t shoot the messenger.  I just thought it was an interesting read related to West Tennessee football history.  I’m sure we could all argue about what and what wasn’t included.

Games:

Bradley Central 50, JCM 48 (3 OTs) -  Thanksgiving Day, 1976 (Class AAA state championship game)

Westview 23, Humboldt 20 – November 6, 1970 (The game was played before an estimated crowd of 9,000 at UTM,  Johnny Brundige kicked a 26 yard field goal to give Westview the win.  Westview’s victory extended the Chargers winning streak at the time to 41 games.)

Humboldt 13, Maryville 10 – December 7, 1979 (Class AA state championship game.  Alan Welch kicked a 25 yard field goal with .06 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Vikings.  Welch also kicked a 43 yard field goal earlier in the game.)

Milan 10, Kingston 7 – November 26, 1971 (class AA state championship.  Milan’s Larry Utley kicked a 34 yard field goal in the 4^th quarter to give the Bulldogs the victory.)

USJ 3, Bruceton 0 (OT) – December 3, 1993 (Class A state semifinal game.  Larry Kirkland kicked a 20 yard field goal in overtime to send the Bruins to their first state championship game.)

Chicago Austin 13, Jackson High 0 – December 11, 1937 (The game was played at Crump Stadium in Memphis for what was billed as the national prep school championship.)

Dyer County 31, Sequatchie County 26 – December 7, 1973 (Class A state championship)

Ripley 3, Haywood 2 – November 7, 1958 (A 29 yard 1^st half field goal by Ripley’s John Morris proved to be the difference.  The game was somewhat controversial.  On fourth-and-goal inside the 1 yard line, Haywood’s Larry Banks tried the center of the Tiger line and appeared to score.  One official signaled touchdown, but was overruled by other officials.  Haywood scored it’s two points when Ripley took an intentional safety late in the game.)

Paris Grove 21, Memphis Central 20 – December 2, 1949  (Jackson Exchange Bowl.  Grove scored on a last second 4^th down play to finish the season 11-0.)

Haywood 24, Hendersonville Beech 17 (OT) – November 24, 1995 (Class AAAA state semifinal game.  With 15 seconds left, Haywood’s Patrick Black kicked a 32 yard field goal to send the game into overtime.   The Tomcats scored on the second play of overtime on a 7 yard screen from Jason Giompoletti to Marcus Henley.  Beech got to the 2 yard line in their overtime possession before being stopped short on a fourth-down run over right tackle.
 

Teams:

 

Jackson High 1939 – Coach Tury Oman’s Golden Bears finish the season 12-0 shutting out 9 teams and outscoring their opponents 388-20.  Their closest competitor was when they defeated Chicago Austin 7-6 in the season finale.
 
Paris Grove 1949 – Coach Bobby Jelks’ Blue Devils finished 11-0 behind the talents of running back Chick King and end Dan King.  Three players signed with Georgia.  One each went to Vanderbilt, Mississippi St., Memphis St. and Murray St.  Several went to UT Martin.

Newbern 1952 – The Choctaws finished 11-0 and made national news as the “Point-A-Minute Team” by scoring 432 points in 432 minutes of regular season play.  Newbern beat Whitehaven, the Shelby County Champion, 32-7 in the Little Cotton Bowl in Brownsville.

Jackson High 1963 = Coach Tom Fann’s Golden Bears finished the season 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state after beating Haywood 26 to 7 on a rainy Thanksgiving Day to win their second consecutive Big Ten Conference championship.  The only team to score more than 7 points against the Golden Bears was Union City which lost 39-12. 

Huntingdon 1966 – Coach Paul Ward’s Mustangs finished the season 11-0 outscoring their opponents 436-33. Led by quarterback Tim Priest (who played at Tennessee) the Mustangs were one of only three teams in the state to finish the season unbeaten.  Portland was the only team to score against Huntingdon’s first team defense.  The Mustangs defeated Portland 22-7 in the Jaycee Bowl in Gallatin.

Haywood 1968 – Among Haywood’s three unbeaten seasons of the 1960s, Coach John Hooper’s 11-0 Tomcats of 1968 were probably the most balanced.  Sophomore quarterback Rockey Felker and Senior running back Steve Stoots led the Tomcats to the state’s No. 1 ranking. In the final Big Ten Conference game ever played on Thanksgiving Day, Haywood beat Jackson High 26-12.  Haywood also defeated Jackson 21-0 during the regular season.

Westview 1970 – Coach Jim Dunn’s Chargers finished the season 10-0 and extended the school’s winning streak to 42.  Senior quarterback Danny Walker guided the school to three of it’s four consecutive unbeaten seasons. 

Humboldt 1979 – Coach Jack Cain’s Vikings completed a 13-0 season by beating Maryville 13-10 for the Class AA state championship.  The Vikings were ranked No. 1 when the traveled to No. 2 Lexington in the semifinals.  More than 6000 spectators surrounded Tiger Stadium to see the Vikings win their sixth shut-out of the year, 7-0.

Bruceton 1989 – Coach Rod Sturdivant’s Tigers  finished the season 14-1. Bruceton lost to Donelson Christian in the second game of the season by a score of 7-28.  The Tigers avenged that loss with a 21-6 victory over DCA in the Class A championship game.
 
Milan 1999 – Coach Jeff Morris saw his Bulldogs finish the season 15-0 and win a second consecutive state championship after moving up from Class 2A to Class 3A.  The Bulldogs outscored their 15 opponents 544-86.  Milan was the first school to win a state football title in one classification and the next year win in a higher classification.  Milan was the smallest Class 3A school in the state in 1999.  The Bulldogs defeated No. 1 ranked Portland 21-14 in the state title game. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by stacmot

[theawesomebro]

1 hour ago, stacmot said:

Warning!  The topic of this thread has inspired me to go through my old scrapbook, so I’ve got a little (maybe a lot of) historical trivia concerning 20^th century rural West Tennessee football.  I know it’s a stretch, but it sort of fits in the criterion of all-time history.

On January 30, 2000, the Jackson Sun published a special section on what their readers considered to be the top ten games and teams of the century.  The section was put together by Dan Morris, and he deserves all the credit for the information I’m posting.

I’m sure Byars-Hall/Covington would fit into some of this, but Covington is not located in the Sun’s circulation area.  As a result, I don’t think very many Covington fans had a chance to vote.

Don’t shoot the messenger.  I just thought it was an interesting read related to West Tennessee football history.  I’m sure we could all argue about what and what wasn’t included.

Games:

Bradley Central 50, JCM 48 (3 OTs) -  Thanksgiving Day, 1976 (Class AAA state championship game)

Westview 23, Humboldt 20 – November 6, 1970 (The game was played before an estimated crowd of 9,000 at UTM,  Johnny Brundige kicked a 26 yard field goal to give Westview the win.  Westview’s victory extended the Chargers winning streak at the time to 41 games.)

Humboldt 13, Maryville 10 – December 7, 1979 (Class AA state championship game.  Alan Welch kicked a 25 yard field goal with .06 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Vikings.  Welch also kicked a 43 yard field goal earlier in the game.)

Milan 10, Kingston 7 – November 26, 1971 (class AA state championship.  Milan’s Larry Utley kicked a 34 yard field goal in the 4^th quarter to give the Bulldogs the victory.)

USJ 3, Bruceton 0 (OT) – December 3, 1993 (Class A state semifinal game.  Larry Kirdland kicked a 20 yard field goal in overtime to send the Bruins to their first state championship game.)

Chicago Austin 13, Jackson High 0 – December 11, 1937 (The game was played at Crump Stadium in Memphis for the national prep school championship.)

Dyer County 31, Sequatchie County 26 – December 7, 1973 (Class A state championship)

Ripley 3, Haywood 2 – November 7, 1958 (A 29 yard 1^st half field goal by Ripley’s John Morris proved to be the difference.  The game was somewhat controversial.  On fourth-and-goal inside the 1 yard line, Haywood’s Larry Banks tried the center of the Tiger line and appeared to score.  One official signaled touchdown, but was overruled by other officials.  Haywood scored it’s two points when Ripley took an intentional safety late in the game.)

Paris Grove 21, Memphis Central 20 – December 2, 1949  (Jackson Exchange Bowl.  Grove scored on a last second 4^th down play to finish the season 11-0.)

Haywood 24, Hendersonville Beech 17 (OT) – November 24, 1995 (Class AAAA state semifinal game.  With 15 seconds left, Haywood’s Patrick Black kicked a 32 yard field goal to send the game into overtime.   The Tomcats scored on the second play of overtime on a 7 yard screen from Jason Giompoletti to Marcus Henley.  Beech got to the 2 yard line in their overtime possession before being stopped short on a fourth-down run over right tackle.
 

Teams:

 

Jackson High 1939 – Coach Tury Oman’s Golden Bears finish the season 12-0 shutting out 9 teams and outscoring their oppenents 388-20.  Their closest competitor was when they defeated Chicago Austin 7-6 in the season finale.
 
Paris Grove 1949 – Coach Bobby Jelks’ Blue Devils finished 11-0 behind the talents of running back Chick King and end Dan King.  Three players signed with Georgia.  One each went to Vanderbilt, Mississippi St., Memphis St. and Murray St.  Several went to UT Martin.

Newbern 1952 – The Choctaws finished 11-0 and made national news as the “Point-A-Minute Team” by scoring 432 points in 432 minutes of regular season play.  Newbern beat Whitehaven, the Shelby County Champion, 32-7 in the Little Cotton Bowl in Brownsville.

Jackson High 1963 = Coach Tom Fann’s Golden Bears finished the season 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state after beating Haywood 26 to 7 on a rainy Thanksgiving Day to win their second consecutive Big Ten Conference championship.  The only team to score more than 7 points against the Golden Bears was Union City which lost 39-12. 

Huntingdon 1966 – Coach Paul Ward’s Mustangs finished the season 11-0 outscoring their opponents 436-33. Led by quarterback Tim Priest (who played at Tennessee) the Mustangs were one of only three teams in the state to finish the season unbeaten.  Portland was the only team to score against Huntingdon’s first team defense.  The Mustangs defeated Portland 22-7 in the Jaycee Bowl in Gallatin.

Haywood 1968 – Among Haywood’s three unbeaten seasons of the 1960s, Coach John Hooper’s 11-0 Tomcats of 1968 were probably the most balanced.  Sophomore quarterback Rockey Felker and Senior running back Steve Stoots led the Tomcats to state’s No. 1 ranking. In the final Big Ten Conference game ever played on Thanksgiving Day, Haywood beat Jackson High 26-12.  Haywood also defeated Jackson 21-0 during the regular season.

Westview 1970 – Coach Jim Dunn’s Chargers finished the season 10-0 and extended the school’s winning streak to 42.  Senior quarterback Danny Walker guided the school to three of it’s four consecutive unbeaten seasons. 

Humboldt 1979 – Coach Jack Cain’s Vikings completed a 13-0 season by beating Maryville 13-10 for the Class AA state championship.  The Vikings were ranked No. 1 when the traveled to No. 2 Lexington in the semifinals.  More the 6000 spectators surrounded Tiger Stadium to see the Vikings win their sixth shut-out of the year, 7-0.

Bruceton 1989 – Coach Rod Sturdivant’s Tigers  finished the season 14-1. Bruceton lost to Donelson Christian in the second game of the season by a score of 7-28.  The Tigers avenged that loss with a 21-6 victory over DCA in the Class A championship game.
 
Milan 1999 – Coach Jeff Morris saw his Bulldogs finish the season 15-0 and win a second consecutive state championship after moving up from Class 2A to Class 3A.  The Bulldogs outscored their 15 opponents 544-86.  Milan was the first school to win a state football title in one classification and the next year win in a higher classification.  Milan was the smallest Class 3A school in the state in 1999.  The Bulldogs defeated No. 1 ranked Portland 21-14 in the state title game. 

that was super interesting to read and I am not from west TN.  I would love to see this for middle TN or the whole state.  thanks for sharing!

 

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

41 minutes ago, theawesomebro said:

that was super interesting to read and I am not from west TN.  I would love to see this for middle TN or the whole state.  thanks for sharing!

 

I agree. Great stuff!!