Powell Football Questions

[gator]

What is the outlook for Powell this year and in the near future? How does their talent stack up with other teams in the region? I heard they have some good young athletes coming up through the ranks. Is this true? Who are some of the players to watch this year and in the future? Finally, with a new coach on board, how will their offensive and defensive systems change from the last few years?

[HTV]

The "new" coach (who will be named this week) has been the assistant head coach for the last seven years, and also serving as the offensive coordinator. Not much will change from an philosophy standpoint.

 

Powell graduated 17 seniors, 12 of whom were starters. Obviously, there are a lot of positions to fill.

 

The Panthers return most of a huge line, led by junior Zane Bruhin, who is 6'5 1/2" and 305 pounds. Bruhin is rated by most of the recruiting gurus as one of the top 50 juniors in America this year, and is getting legitimate interest from almost all of the SEC calibur schools in South and beyond. Bruhin's Dad, John, was an all SEC offensive lineman at UT and also spend 6 years in the NFL, mostly with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

 

The Panther line will average just at 300 and will be the backbone of the team.

 

Cole Patrick returns at quarterback. He had a solid junior year, which was his first as the starting quarterback.

 

There is a lot of competition to fill the skill position spots, and like you mentioned, there is some good talent there, but it is young. Names you will likely hear from the running back and receiver spots are Cody Watts, Justin White, Josh Cole, Billy Mynatt, Zach Sherrod, Will Carpenter, Dustin Plumlee, Nate Slaton, and others.

 

It's hard to get a read on Powell just yet. Their success will depend on which of those skill players step up and are ready to replace the departed seniors.

 

Powell goes to camp at McCallie the first week of August, and will scrimmage the likes of Gallatin, the host McCallie team, Rhea County, Boyd-Buchanon, Hixson, and McMinn County while in Chattanooga. We'll have a much better feel for what type of team they will be then.

[gator]

In an unrelated issue, HTV, do you have the results and schedule of the baseball tourney being played at Powell High school this weekend?

[HTV]

Sure, it is the State USSSA 16 and under Major Division tourney. Pool play is over and the semi-finals and finals are today.

 

The one seed East Tennessee Copperheads play the 4 seed Mt. Juliet Grizzlies in one semi-final game, and the two seed Tri-Cities Express play the three seed Impact Baseball of Powell in the other.

 

The winners meet for the championship later this afternoon.