Dobyns-Bennett football coach Joey Christian sees similarities between Bearden and the team his squad played last Friday, although he’s hoping for a much different outcome.
The No. 8-ranked Indians (8-2) host their former conference rival Bulldogs (6-4) on Friday night in the first round of the TSSAA Class 6A playoffs. What Christian has seen on film reminds him of the Science Hill team which defeated the Indians 34-32 last week in Johnson City.
He especially sees the Bulldogs resembling the Hilltoppers up front. At some other spots, he sees another team which handed D-B a one-point loss this season.
“It’s one of the best offensive lines we’ve faced. They look a lot like the line we faced last Friday, so that makes them one of the best we’ve seen,” Christian said. “Their two running backs, (Presean) Brown and (Mugisha) Ironside, run it hard.
“Their quarterback, Drew Parrott, is a competitor and athlete whose dad is the basketball coach. They’re very athletic and fast, a team that reminds you of Greeneville.”
Many remember Parrott’s dad, Jeremy, as the longtime coach at Cherokee High School before he moved to Bearden and won a state championship in 2019. D-B beat Bearden in last year’s Class 4A title game to win its first state basketball championship since 1945.
Christian hopes to duplicate that success on the football field, but he knows the younger Parrott is a handful.
Just a sophomore, the dual-threat quarterback had a 19-of-23 passing night for 228 yards and five touchdowns against South-Doyle.
However, the Tribe defense has been good at pressuring the quarterback as Chris Harris finished with two sacks against Science Hill and seven for the regular season. The Indians have come up with 11 interceptions over 10 games.
D-B OFFENSE VS. BEARDEN DEFENSE
D-B has averaged 38.1 points per game with quarterback Jake Carson throwing for 1,687 yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
The Indians have piled up 1,714 rushing yards, relying mainly on a four-pronged attack from Brayden Simpson, Peyton Franklin, Peyton Brooks and Hayden Jobe.
Up next are three Bearden linebackers as good as any the Indians have faced all season.
“Their three senior linebackers — No. 1 (Sam) Nicaud, No. 8 (Bryce) Chesney, No. 11 (Eric) Lyttle — they play like seniors out of the stacked lineup,” Christian said. “You look at the defense and they’re very impressive up front and good on the back end as well.”
That back end includes free safety Sam Tummins, who has seven interceptions, and strong safety Cody Clough, third on the team behind Nicaud and Lyttle in tackles.
NEXT PLAY, NEXT GAME
The Indians were literally one play away from being able to run the clock out against Science Hill before a fumble led to the Hilltoppers driving 90 yards and scoring with 10 seconds left.
Christian doesn’t expect any hangover as he explained the players were able to quickly put the loss behind them.
“Kids are resilient. I don’t know if the coaches will ever get over it,” Christian said. “That’s a positive with youth nowadays. They don’t dwell on it. They know what our goals are, what we want to do. Hopefully, we can have another good day and accomplish what we want to.”
While some may see Bearden’s four losses as negatives, Christian knows the Bulldogs have played a very high level of competition.
“You play in the region they play in, facing Maryville, Bradley Central, Farragut and Cleveland,” Christian said. “Cleveland ends Maryville’s region win streak and don’t even make the playoffs.
“Non-conference, they’ve played Oak Ridge, Knox West, who I would put against any team in the state regardless of classification. They’ve challenged themselves with a lot of good teams. They’re battle-tested going into the playoffs.”
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