Pat Benson: Chattanoogan Spring Football Tour (Part One)

Spring football is back! This time last year, we were sanitizing our Amazon packages and watching Tiger King. But thanks to the hard work, selflessness, and sacrifice by so many people, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We all remember how frustrating last season was for everyone involved with football. The cancellation of games and abrupt ending to the seasons of state championship contenders was maddening. Since that time, we’ve had reclassification and an unusual coaching carousel. So, let’s check in our local programs to see the work they’re putting in:

Division I

Region 3-1A

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with both Coach Payne and Coach Stone of Lookout Valley. The Yellow Jackets hit the practice field on May 12^th. Their goal is to identify areas that need improvement so they can focus on them throughout the offseason.

The coaching staff expects the following players to make a leap this year. Seniors: Jesse Addison, Evan Ferguson. Juniors: Jacob Winchester, Jaxon Quails, and Blake Ferguson. Sophomores: Christian Chandler will all be key players this year. “All are leaders on and off the field,” stated Coach Stone. Lookout Valley kicks off the season by hosting Grace Baptist Academy in Week One.

Region 3-2A

The Wildcats of Polk County take the field from May 4-24. Coach Rusty Brewer told me, “Spring practice is a time in our program to focus on fundamentals and techniques.  We also try to install basic packages in terms of offense and defense.” Additionally, he is expecting all of his seniors to set the tempo this offseason.

Polk County will have their work cut out for them in 2021. Meigs County was added to their region, which Coach Brewer acknowledged as “Making our region much stronger.” The Wildcats travel to Copper Basin on August 20^th to start their season.

Tyner has had a tumultuous offseason, and it is only May. After legendary coach Wayne Turner resigned, Brainerd’s Tyrus Ward was named to replace Turner, only for Ward to resign this past month. The new-look Rams will start the 2021 campaign by traveling to Howard in Week One.

Region 3-3A

Few, if any, teams were struck as hard by the pandemic as Signal Mountain. Just as the Eagles began realizing their potential, they had to forfeit two games in the middle of the season to East Ridge and Brainerd. But teams coached by Josh Roberts never quit. They clawed their way into the playoffs before coming up two points short of a major upset over Upperman.

This spring, the team will practice from May 10-21. Coach Roberts said of his goals for the spring, “Develop team chemistry, focus on the fundamentals of each position, and develop depth.” Additionally, Coach Roberts is looking at the following players to make the leap this offseason: Logan Farr, Aiden Adkins, Drew Williams, Daniel Odom, and Duncan Cannon.

The Eagles kick off their season by hosting Hixson in Week 1. With Red Bank out of their region, Signal Mountain instantly becomes one of the favorites to win the region championship in 2021.

The Brainerd Panthers struck gold when they hired Stanley Jackson to take over the head coaching duties. In his first stint as Brainerd's head coach, Jackson led the 2011 Panthers to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. This season, Brainerd has their work cut out for them. After getting everyone’s attention with an 8-win season, they travel to Bradley Central in Week One.

Region 3-4A

Let’s start with East Hamilton. Thanks to Coach Grant Reynolds and his dedicated staff, the Hurricanes have transformed into a high-scoring, hard-hitting squad. East Hamilton went 9-4 last season and came up second behind perennial region champion Anderson County. The good news is the Mavericks have been moved to region 2, the bad news is Red Bank, and Soddy Daisy are now in the region.

East Hamilton will practice from April 30-May 20. In addition to working on the fundamentals, they must install their offense and defense. Coach Reynolds expects the following returning players to make a leap this offseason: Jeremiah Flemmons, Kaunyea Burgans, Ethan Beckwith, Walter Lindsey, Luke Bohn, Ramsey Devin, and Collin Johnson. East Hamilton is squaring off against neighborhood-rival Ooltewah on August 20th at Larry Henry Stadium to set the tone for this season.

Soddy Daisy is looking to build off their 2020 playoff run. The Trojans practice from May 10-21 which will be a lot different than last spring. Coach Justin Barnes stated his spring goals were “To get a lot of base offense and defense taught along with focusing on fundamentals. That is something we didn’t get a chance to do with no spring last year and no June activities with a ball. With no scrimmages, we can slow down and do more teaching.”

As is always the case with Soddy Daisy football, the expectations are high. Coach Barnes knows what he needs out of his players, saying, “We return a majority of our offensive and defensive lines. We will look for those groups to set the tone for our team. We return one starter at WR from 2020. We will need some guys to step up and prove they are go-to guys and can make big plays for us. We are also replacing our QB. Slater Hickman is looking to take over. He just needs to be himself, get the ball to our guys, and let them make the play. He needs to play within the system and be a distributor.”

If you think 4A football for Soddy Daisy will be easier, think again. “Even though we are dropping classifications, our schedule does not get any easier. Some of our traditional rivals are now in our region. This will make for some great region games. We’ve always played tough schedules, and this year is no different” said Coach Barnes. The Trojans are playing in multiple scrimmages throughout August before kicking off against Loudon in Week One.

The 2020 season disproportionately affected Red Bank. The Lions cremated every team they played up until the State Semi-Finals. But due to Covid-19, Red Bank forfeited three games: South Pitt, Rhea County, and Brainerd. This spring, they pick up where they left off with ten practice sessions spanning May 3-14.

Coach Chris Brown prioritized his goals in the following order: “First, install and uphold our culture. Second, become academically eligible and move letter grades. Third, keep getting faster and stronger through our weight room. Fourth, teach our players HOW to practice. Lastly, offensive, defensive, and special teams install and technique.”

As always, Coach Brown is looking for the next man up. “We graduated several offensive and defensive linemen. Young guys like Jacob Valovcin, Noah Echard, Colt Reese, Jackson Winters, and Kobe Smith are expected to make a big impact. Jaden Baccus and Josh Blackmon should emerge as quality receivers and defensive backs.”

Red Bank has steamrolled through region 3-3A for the past few seasons, but in 2021 they’re making the jump to 4A. Coach Brown said, “We feel prepared to handle the move into 4A. Our aggressive scheduling and playoff runs from the last three years will help the transition.”

The aggressive scheduling doesn’t stop this season. The Lions are playing 6A Cleveland, 5A Ooltewah, 5A Rhea County, and State Champion Fayetteville for their non-region games. Red Bank kicks off the season on Tom Weathers Field against Cleveland in Week One.

Coach Josh Owensby has Hixson on the field this spring from May 3-14 with the goal of developing depth. Specifically, Coach Owensby needs his O-line to step up this offseason. The second-year coach told me, “As a whole, we rely on our Offensive line where we bring back four players that have started upfront for us at some point last year.”

The Wildcats will need depth and a strong line as they face an even tougher region in 2021. Additionally, Hixson has gone out of its way to schedule some challenging non-region matchups against Notre Dame, Howard, Lenoir City, and their season-opener at Signal Mountain.

Central ended their 2020 season with a dramatic 34-33 victory over Clinton. They begin building on that momentum on May 10. Coach Curt Jones has clear intentions for this spring, stating, “We want to work on the fundamentals of the game. Blocking, tackling, and learning how to finish.” Additionally, he is looking for all of his upperclassmen to step up this offseason.

As for the new-look region, Coach Jones isn’t letting it disrupt his game plan, “The new region won’t change things much. Our region will be super competitive and will probably come done to the closing weeks of the season.” The Purple Pounders host Campbell County in Week 1, and hopefully, things look a little bit more normal this season. “After all the hurdles we encountered the past season, and offseason I am hoping to see things get stabilized so these kids athletes can enjoy a smoother season.” Amen to that, Coach!

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Keep an eye on the Chattanoogan.com as we will be releasing part two of the spring football tour in the coming days.

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Pat Benson is the author of 'Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)' which was named a #1 New Release on Amazon. He has covered the NBA for Forbes.com, and interviewed some of the biggest personalities in the sport. Tweet him @Pat_Benson_Jr.