2019 Union City (TN) Messenger Football Preview

SLOW STARTS TOUGH TO OVERCOME IN

UPHILL ROAD TORNADOES BATTLE BACK TO REACH QUARTERFINALS

Union City went from a bad start to another solid playoff run.

For a program accustomed to double-digit win totals and playing in December, though, last sea son’s early finish was a disappointment.

Entering the 2018 campaign as the defending Class 2A state champions, the Golden Tornadoes lost four of their first five games to mark the worst start to a season since 2003, then won four of their next five and eventually reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

Union City battled perennial Kentucky power Mayfield before wearing down late in a seasonopening loss, struggled to a 7-6 setback to Jackson South Side and was hammered at home by Trenton before getting back on track with a 34-7 win over Oakhaven.

A trip to New Jersey resulted in a 41-12 loss to Penns Grove, which would go on to win a state title.

After the slow start, UC put itself in the thick of the playoff hunt by beating Region 7-2A opponents

Trinity Christian, Gibson County and Adamsville in consecutive weeks. A loss at McKenzie was followed by a big shutout win over Halls to close the regular season with a 5-5 record.

In the playoffs, Union City opened by knocking out Douglass 49-13 and then came up with big plays on both sides of the ball to defeat Fairley 35-28 in Memphis.

A trip to Trenton was the last stop, however, as a 35-0 loss closed the curtain on the season.

Senior Kaleb Craig earned all-state honors after rushing for 2,165 yards and 16 touchdowns on 330 carries, becoming the latest in head coach Darren Bowling’s line of sterling fullbacks.

Jay Ramsey and Sam Theobald led the Twisters with 64.5 tackles, while Craig had 55 stops, including a game-ending tackle for a loss against Fairley.

UC’s midline-veer triple option attack put up big rushing numbers again as the team gained 3,991 of its 4,087 yards on the ground, averaging 307 rushing yards per game and six yards per carry.

ONE GIANT STEP UPSET WIN AT MID-SEASON SECURES PLAYOFF SPOT

South Fulton overcame a bad start only to have an ugly finish.

The Red Devils lost their first five games of the season, then won three of their last five to earn a playoff spot. A trip to Memphis, however, did not go well in a season-ending loss.

SF began the season with five losses, giving up 50 points to both Ballard Memorial, Ky., and Gibson County while suffering a 62-16 to Fulton County, Ky.

It was a low-scoring one-point loss, however, that hurt the most as Greenfield beat the Redmen 19-18 to put SF in an early hole in the Region 7-1A race.

After that bad start, South Fulton posted its biggest win with a 14-12 decision over Dresden at home.

Scoreless until the fourth quarter, South Fulton twice took a lead in that period — Greg Davis gave the Devils a 7-6 lead on a two-yard run, and then Davis scored on a seven-yard run for a 14-12 lead with 2:33 to play.

Dresden then reached the Devil two-yard-line before SF’s defense tightened, Dylan Ransom mak

ing the game-ending tackle.

After that, SF gave up 67 points in a loss to Lake County, bounced back to blow out Humboldt 54-12, was routed 42-8 by West Carroll and then clinched a playoff spot with a 52-8 win over Gleason in the final week of the season.

In the playoffs at Memphis, a talent-loaded Freedom Prep squad scored early and often in a 67-14 win.

Finishing with a 3-8 record, the Red Devils were outscored 430-240 and outgained, on average, 353.4 yards per game to 252.4.

Davis rushed for 1,229 yards and scored 112 points, while Bryce McFarland threw for 431 yards to lead the Red Devils. Dalton Gray pulled in 15 passes for 244 yards, while Brock Brown added nine catches for 149 yards.

Each of those players returns, giving the Redmen belief for a bright future.

South Fulton has advanced to the playoffs in four of the last five years.

In what was ultimately a down year for Obion County Central, there were some high spots and one big win.

The Rebels finished with a 3-7 record, missing the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven years. OC began the season with five straight losses before winning three in a row, including the biggest game of the season with a 21-14 upset over Crockett County.

The highlight to the season came in the seventh week, when the Rebels used a trick play and a stingy defense over the final three quarters to rally past No. 8-ranked Crockett County 21-14 in Troy.

In that game, Central gave up 14 points in the opening quarter but did not allow the Cavaliers to cross the goal line again while coming back with a touchdown in each of the final three periods.

Harland Courtney scored in the second quarter,

in the third period. Then, facing a fourth down on their own 44 midway through the final period, Central ran a fake punt to perfection as Colby Priest threw a 56yard TD pass to Luke Garrigan with 6:33 to play.

That win was sandwiched by a 28-14 victory over Westview, breaking a five-game losing skid to begin the season, and a 37-22 verdict over an injury-riddled Dresden team.

While the Rebels were eliminated from the playoff race in a 42-15 loss to Haywood in the final week of the season, the big blow to OC’s playoff hopes came in the fifth week when Ripley earned a 26-22 win.

In that back-and-forth game, the Rebels took a 2220 lead on Blake Wilson’s short run, but the Tigers came right back behind its passing game to move 59 yards on just four plays.

Courtney and Wilson each rushed for over 600 yards, while Austin Cavin had nearly 60 tackles for a

LEFT OUT BIG WIN OVER CAVALIERS NOT ENOUGH FOR CENTRAL deserves a EVERYONE FINANCIAL CHAMPION

All-stater Kaleb Craig rushed for over 2,000 yards in leading Union City to the Class 2A quarterfinals.

The Red Devil defense gave up big numbers in 2018 but had a big stop in a win over Dresden.

Jaxon Jones made some big plays as a receiver

Comprehensive coverage of all three Obion County high school football teams?

Check.

Feature stories, a look back and an up-close look at our three cover boys?

Yep.

Roundups of area prep teams?

Sure thing.

In-depth stories on local, regional and national colleges as well as the Tennessee Titans?

Yes, yes, yes and yes again.

This season’s football preview section certainly covers the renewed spirit in the prep football camps of Obion Central, South Fulton and Union City, as well as their oppo nents. In addition, UT Martin, Murray State, the Tennessee Volunteers, the Southeastern Conference and the Titans are also featured.

The full-color, 32-page section accomplishes its mission of provid ing the best and most thorough coverage of football in rural West Tennessee.

Personally, the preview tabloid is a labor of love that is a full year in the making.

I began working on ideas for the 2020 section as soon as this year’s edition hit the streets.

Last season’s section was a critical success, earning hon

City’s Darren Bowling — as well as UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson — all took time from their daily schedules to accommodate my interview requests, sometimes requiring several visits.

I’d sure love to follow this sec tion with four months of champion ship coverage, culminating in three gold footballs being raised at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville and even an FCS national title trophy held aloft by Skyhawk players.

In addition, each local head coach was the subject of a feature story on why they love the game of football.

There are quick looks at the teams in Region 7-1A, 2-A and 4A, as well as previews of several other area teams that pop up on local schedules this season.

In this year of milestones and memories, where 100 years of the NFL and the 150th anniversary of the first college football game are being recognized, we take a look

And, the biggest “thanks” goes out to our readers. There’s simply no point in putting in the time and effort if the readers don’t appreciate and approve.

If the teams are chronicled on a daily basis as well as they all are here, then fans will get plenty of information all season.

This year’s section again includes in-depth previews of all three local prep teams and UT Martin and

back over 50 years of some local highlights.

This season marks the 50th anni versary of high school football play offs in Tennessee, so we also look back at the big playoff moments in Obion County.

Today’s 32-page, all-color section — there might be a black-and-while photo in here somewhere, too — is put together with the love of the game and of those who play it.

It takes teamwork to win.

At Commercial Bank and Trust, we’re here to handle all your banking needs. Stop by today and let our winning team help you score your financial

CITY

TORNADOES UNION CITY GOLDEN TORNADOES

RETURN TO GLORY BEING GOOD NOT ENOUGH AT UNION CITY

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

Winning seven games and advanc ing to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs would be a good season for most high school football teams.

Union City isn’t like most teams.

Within the Golden Tornadoes’ pro gram, the 2018 season is considered a let-down .... and something no one associated with the team wants to see happen again.

“It was a disappointing year,” said head coach Darren Bowling, who enters his 12th season at UC with a 109-33 record. “A lot of people say, ‘Hey, you made it to the quarterfi nals. How can that be disappointing?’

There’s a lot of people out there who don’t even make the playoffs. But it was just one of those years where a lot of things went bad early and, when things go bad early, sometimes it’s hard to climb back up.”

The Twisters finished with a 76 overall record, placed second in Region 7-2A behind eventual state champion Trenton Peabody and won their first two games in the playoffs.

Prior to last season, Union City had a five-year run of unprecedented success, winning at least 10 games in each season with three state cham pionships and a 38-game winning streak.

The ‘18 team had to fight through some injuries and also battle a mur derers’ row schedule in the first half of the season that resulted in a 1-4 start to the season.

The Tornadoes held the lead before wearing down in the fourth quarter in a loss to eventual Kentucky Class A state runner-up Mayfield to open the season, caught some bad breaks in falling to Class 4A Jackson South Side and were overwhelmed by Peabody before getting the first win of the sea son against Memphis Oakhaven.

After an open date, UC traveled toNew Jersey to play Penns Grove, falling to a Red Devil team that won its state’s 3A championship.

Union City won four of its final five games in the regular season and then won twice in the playoffs before losing to Trenton again.

“It was tough because we got some bad luck early, but I do think the guys were resilient in making a run for it

at the end and then trying to take it one week at a time in the playoffs,” Bowling said. “So, on one hand I’m proud of them for continuing to be resilient amidst all the adversity that we faced early, but at the same time, I think they felt disappointed. And that’s good. That’s what we’re looking for here — a culture where the quarter finals is not enough. Hopefully, that’ll kick-start these guys this year.”

Bowling says the entire season, not just one part or the other, has served to motivate the returning players to be better. It started with the returning seniors and worked down throughout the team as the off-season went on.

“To a lot of these guys, the whole season was a disappointment,” the coach said. “It wasn’t okay that we started slow and came on strong because we didn’t end strong, didn’t end where we wanted to be. Going into the off-season, these guys knew they were going to have to get stron ger, get faster, get bigger. Everybody uses those terms, but that’s what the off-season is for.

“Every senior class knows the pres sure that’s on them, so these guys took it seriously and knew they have to step it up. We have senior leaders that work hard and lead by example, and the leadership they displayed in the off-season spilled over to the other guys and kind of won me over, too.”

This Union City team will have a tough road in its journey to improve on last year.

In addition to the top-to-bottom tough Region 7-2A schedule, the Tornadoes will play two strong Class 4A schools in Jackson South Side and Dyersburg.

JSS won 10 games and reached the second round of the state playoffs, while the Trojans were unbeaten until the quarterfinals in finishing 12-1.

UC starts off Friday night with a Lake County team that could be a contender for the 1A state title.

The following is a look at the 2019 Golden Tornadoes: OFFENSE

Line An experienced group returns to open holes for the Twisters’ tripleoption attack out of the veer/midline offense.

D.J. Gray (5-10, 305) has been in

the program four years and anchors the line at the center spot.

Sophomore Carter Bondurant (5-9, 240) and senior Alex Rodriguez (6-4, 243) line up on the left side at guard and tackle, respectively.

On the right side, sophomore Harris Cagle (5-9, 220) is at guard with Carson Corley (5-7, 200), a senior, also seeing time there.

Neil Brown (6-4, 265), a junior, is a prospect at the right tackle spot.

“Every spring we go out, and the first thing we do is try to find our five linemen,” Bowling said. “Those guys have some experience there, and they seem to work well as a team. I’m real ly pleased with the progress they’ve made from last year to this year.”

Slots/Backs

The Golden Tornado offense has trended toward the fullback since Bowling came in and has produced back-to-back 2,000-yard rushers and all-state selections from that spot.

Senior Justin Wiggins (5-8, 180) is the next man up at fullback, taking over following Trey Jones and Kaleb Craig from the past two seasons.

Travon Westbrook (5-10, 190), a junior, is set at left slot, while class mate Wes Tilghman (5-9, 155) is designated for the right slot position.

Sophomore Kyrell Littleton (5-7, 170) will see action at slot as well — all three can play either side, which give Bowling a good rotation.

While the slots will carry the ball, trying to spread the defense and get outside, the top priority at those spots is to block.

“If you can’t block, you can’t be a slot. That’s just the bottom line,” Bowling said. “So, the first thing they have to do is show us and prove to us that they can block. And, those three are very athletic, have gotten stronger in the off-season and have the speed to cut the corner and hit the edge when we need them to.”

Westbrook had only 34 carries last season but averaged 10 yards per try.

Quarterback

Three-deep at that spot last sea son, the Golden Tornadoes needed all three as injuries took their toll during

Being

2018 season.

Now, with Conner Hurt and his 601 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing hav ing graduated, senior Sam Theobald (5-10, 170) takes over a position that is still a strength of the team.

Theobald had 92 carries for 359 yards and five scores in 2018.

Tilghman, who had 49 carries for 413 yards and five scores, can move over from slot and play there as well, something he was called on to do on occasion last season.

“Going into last year, I really felt we were deep at quarterback,” Bowling said. “I felt like that may have been the best group of quarterbacks since I’ve been here, and we had to dip down into it really quickly. I still feel like we have two starting quarterbacks.”

Wide Receivers

Under Bowling, this position has been little more than a downfield block er spot, but the team has been capable of throwing the ball with the right per sonnel in place.

And, while the Twisters don’t plan on filling the skies with footballs again this fall, the unit led by junior Jonathon Stone (5-7, 150) and freshman Kolby Craig (5-6, 135) are both good passcatchers who could help loosen up defenses.

“Sam throws a good ball, a very catchable ball, and we have people who catch the ball as well, if not better, than any group we’ve had,” Bowling said. “And, these guys watch football and they play football. They’re out here on Saturdays playing pick-up football, and they’re not out there running the midline.”

DEFENSE Line

The Tornadoes’ four-man front has a good group up front, led by Brown — a legitimate college prospect — at one end spot.

“Neil definitely passes the eye test when college recruiters come in, but he also has the skills to go with it,” Bowling said. “He started as a fresh man and has gotten better, and bigger, every year. He’s a multi-sport athlete, so he’s not just a big kid. He’s athletic and moves well.”

Gray is at tackle with senior Mancel McElrath (5-8, 240) and sophomore Amare Robinson (5-5, 200) able to come in and give Gray a breather.

Rodriguez lines up at the other end spot, while Cagle will also see time up front.

Gray is the anchor and has good moves for a big body, while Rodriguez is a hard worker who understands the game. Linebackers

Corley and Wiggins will see time inside and junior Donovan Martinez (57, 165) will be in that mix as well when he returns from a broken collarbone.

Westbrook, Littleton and Kevin Van Brocklin (5-9, 195), a sophomore, will all see action on the outside.

Wiggins and Corley know the game and are big bangers, while Westbrook and Littleton are good hybrid guys who are physical and fast, both traits nec essary at a spot that comes up to stop the run and drops back in coverage.

Backs

Stone, Tilghman and Craig all play at the corners, while Theobald sees time at free safety. Freshman Durell Littleton (5-8, 150) will also take on a safety position.

Similar to their role as QB on offense, Tilghman and Theobald are smart players who will call the back field. They also cover a lot of ground.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Miguel Sanchez (5-8, 170), a fresh man, has made a smooth transition to high school football. With a strong leg and a good work ethic, Sanchez has a lot of upside as the team’s kicker on extra points and field goals as well as kickoffs.

Two good-hands people will set up the kicks, Theobald as the long snap per and Tilghman as the holder.

Van Brocklin will serve as the team’s punter.

In addition to putting up points, UC’s kickers are good at pinning oppo nents deep with strong and well-placed boots.

Westbrook, Tilghman and Kyrell Littleton give the Twisters good speed as return men.

“We put a lot of time into our spe cial teams, and the special teams are important,” Bowling said. “Your good teams are going to have good special teams, and that’s just part of it.

“Field position is the name of the game. If you can pin them deep on kickoff or punt, or you can get good ground on kick return and punt return, those are all momentum-changers. It can shift the game.”

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

Personal issues within Darren Bowling’s family when he was a young boy turned him toward a life of coaching.

The special challenges he has faced being a father led him to make his coaching personal.

Bowling grew up around athletics and began playing organized base ball when he was six years old.

Just before entering junior high school, however, his world was turned upside down.

“My parents got a divorce, and that was a pretty tough time for me,” he said. “They kind of went their separate ways, and the kids get lost in the shuffle of that sometimes. I was one of those kids who got lost in the shuffle of them trying to live their own lives — trying to, I guess, fix their own problems.”

At that point, coaches became father figures for Bowling and the teams became his family.

“My coaches really took me under their wing, mentored me and tried to help me be a better person,” he said. “And, all of a sudden with a team, it’s more than just going out there and playing ball. So, at that time, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Fast forward. Bowling has married Dawn, and the two have son Chase. Meri-Morgan, a special needs child, is then born into this fast-moving, athletic-minded family, with twins Tyler and Taylor soon to follow.

“When Meri-Morgan was born, my whole world changed; every thing changed,” Bowling said. “And that’s, to me, when I became more of a father figure as a coach instead of just the guy out there busting their humps. I was, ‘What can you do for me? How far can you take me? Can you get me the next job? Can I be successful with you so I can move up to this one, move up to that one and then go to the college level?’ That was my ambition when I first got into this, to be a college coach.

“When she was born, I became a family man. I became, ‘Hey, I want to be a father.’ She taught me a lot about life, about caring for others.”

Bowling gives a lot the credit for his success to Dawn, saying she’s a great coach as a wife.

She has sat in the stands and listened to fans complain and not brought it home, and she’s been willing to uproot everything when a new job came along.

And, many did.

Bowling has made numerous stops in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

He landed at Union City 12 years ago. In that span, Bowling has guid ed the Golden Tornado program to unprecedented success that includes four state championships and a school-record 38-game win ning streak.

Bowling has a 109-33 record at UC; a 216-95 overall mark in 25 years.

Those are just numbers, though. Bowling wants the people behind those wins and losses to be suc cessful in life.

“These guys are the reason I’m here,” he said. “It’s not about me. We all have bad days. As a coach, every now and then, you wake up and wonder, ‘Is this what I’m sup posed to do at this time in my life?

Am I still supposed to be doing this?’ But when you come in here, and these kids respond to you and have a great attitude, and then you see a kid like that being part of a team and part of a program meant so much, then yes, it definitely pushes you through. It’s those kids to me. That’s what it’s all about.”

Bowling has shoeboxes at his home full of letters and notes he has received from past players.

Throughout his career, at the many stops he’s made, he has made connections with players and played a role in changing their lives.

When Bowling was the head coach at Obion Central, some of his

coaches

past players from his previous stops would come up and cook crawfish for the team.

All those relationships are mean ingful but, every once and awhile, one will stand out.

Bowling remembers one player who never missed a day in the weight room or practice during his four years.

He was at every game, but he rarely played.

The kid was a career scout team player.

The coach, who preaches to his players that they will ultimately get more out of football than they put into it, wondered if that was true in this case.

Four years later, Bowling got his answer.

“He came up to me one day, and he was in the military,” Bowling recalled. “He said, ‘Those were the best days of my life. I’d do it again tomorrow if I could. Man, I just loved it, every minute of it.’ That made me feel good, knowing this kid who I didn’t play as much as I should have felt like he got a lot out of it.”

Bowling wants everyone involved with his teams — players and assis tant coaches — to get something out of what he’s doing.

He tells coaches that family comes first.

So, if an assistant has a child involved in another sport during practice time, he encourages the coach to go see his kid.

Bowling’s children were raised in a fieldhouse and on a practice field, and his coaches have that same opportunity.

He remembers when Wes Kennedy, now Union City’s direc tor of schools, joined his staff in Dyersburg. Kennedy had young children at the time.

“I said bring them up here every day,” Bowling said. “We’ll make this a day care here. So, we’re fam

ily oriented. If a coach needs to be with his family, I’m never going to say, ‘No, we need you here.’ I let these guys know that you can be ambitious and I want them to be ambitious, but number one has to be your faith and then family.”

The coach always tries to pass on some fatherly advice to his players, too. The biggest thing he teaches is overcoming life’s adversities.

“One of these days, something bad is going to happen in your life,” Bowling said. “How you handle that situation tells me where you go from that point forward in your life. Guys have told me, ‘Man, I was down on my luck and I just kept hearing you say, what are you going to do from this point forward?’

“You have two choices: You can sink down and let the world swallow you up, or you can rise above it and move forward because the world doesn’t stop.”

John Smith, a common name for a most uncommon man, was the biggest influence on Bowling’s coaching career.

A Mississippi College legend and member of the school’s Hall of Fame, Smith brought Bowling back to the young coach’s high school alma mater as an assistant and taught him football.

In fact, Smith has always thought so much of Bowling, that he actually joined the staff at Obion Central for a year.

“If I’m considered successful at all, I’d have to give him the credit for that,” Bowling said. “He taught me a lot about the game and a lot about how to get more out of kids.”

Somewhere, there’s a for mer high school football player from Mississippi or Louisiana or Tennessee who gives Bowling simi lar credit.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be con tacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger. com.

Union City head coach Darren Bowling tries to put family first and be a mentor and father figure to his players.

three teams have been piling up postseason memories

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

South Pittsburg, Loudon and Morristown East made history in 1969.

At the end of that football season, those three teams won the firstever TSSAA football state champi onships, ushering in the playoff era in Tennessee.

For historical record, South Pitt beat Tennessee Prep 26-6 in Class A, Loudon blanked Humboldt 300 in Class AA and East edged Memphis South Side 15-12 in Class AAA.

Since then, the playoffs have been the goal of every prep football team in the state. From eight teams in three classifications, to a full split of public and private schools that has 32 teams making the playoffs in each of the six public classi fications, the playoff picture has changed many times in 50 years.

Some things have been constant through each era, though. Alcoa, Maryville and Brentwood Academy top the list of state champions, Alcoa with 17, Maryville with 16 and BA with 14. Each team won its first title in the 1970s and their most recent within the last two years, Alcoa and Brentwood Academy winning last season.

In Obion County, all three local teams have made some playoff memories as well.

UC has had the most playoff success, posting a 51-23 all-time record with four state titles and three runner-up finishes. South Fulton is 7-20, while the Rebels are 2-10 all-time.

On the occasion of the 50th anni versary of the first TSSAA state playoffs, we take a look back at the notable players and the big games for South Fulton, Obion County Central and Union City.

FIRST TIME

South Fulton — With Terry Beadles in charge, the Red Devils became the first county team to make the playoffs when SF capped the 1972 season with a berth.

SF won nine straight games fol lowing a season-opening loss to Heath, Ky., and claimed the Reelfoot Conference title.

The joy of a championship sea son was short-lived, though, as South Fulton dropped a 35-0 deci sion to Lake County in the opening round of the Class A playoffs, that game played at Union City.

Sonny Shepherd had 67 of the Red Devils’ 82 rushing yards, while Steve Adkins was in on numerous tackles.

Obion Central — In 1985, Jim McPeake capped what would be the final season in an eight-year run by leading the Rebels to their first playoff game and third postseason game all-time.

In the first year under the TSSAA’s expanded playoff system where district champions and run ners-up advanced to the playoffs, OC clinched the No. 2 spot from District 13AA with a 16-6 win over Union City in the final week of the regular season.

In the opening round at 14AA champ Lexington, Troy Boucher kicked a 26-yard field goal and threw touchdown passes of 50 yards to Chris Underwood and 85 yards to Rich Montgomery.

It was not enough, however, as the Tigers scored late in the first half and carried that momentum to the first-round win.

Union City — In Larry Shanks’ second year as head coach, the Golden Tornadoes rolled through the regular season with nine wins and only one loss, found them selves in the playoffs based on a complicated point system and faced Memphis Mitchell on a frigid night in Martin.

UC was plagued by turnovers in the first half with three fumbles and an interception all coming on the Mitchell side of the field.

Bart Dilday scored on a one-yard run with eight seconds remaining in the first half, but the Twisters trailed 22-6 with 10:50 to play in the game.

Union City then mounted a big comeback, getting two Dale Logan

touchdown passes to get within 2218. He hit Mark Speed for 18 yards and Tony Hunt for 20. Mitchell took a safety late in the game to account for the final score of 22-20.

UC outgained the Memphians 348-235.

FIRST WIN South Fulton — In 1979, the Red Devils were on top of the Class A world. SF finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. Then, in the first round against Old Hickory, the Redmen put together one of the greatest comebacks in TSSAA history.

The Red Devils led 14-0 at the half but then trailed 20-14 with five minutes to play in the game.

Kris Lowry, who had three touch downs on the night, scored on a two-yard run with 42 seconds remaining, triggering a fantastic fin ish. Edward Labry followed with an 80-yard kickoff return to put Old Hickory ahead 28-21.

Taking over at its own 40, SF found itself initially pushed back

ward when Jimmy Fishel was sacked to make it 2nd-and-33 with eight seconds to play in the game.

Fishel then found Mike Hutchens along the sideline for a completion, Hutchens pulled in the pass, head ed upfield and lateraled to Craig Coley at the OHA 25.

Coley covered the rest of the dis tance to pull SF within 28-27 with no time remaining.

Hutchens then took a two-point conversion pass from Fishel for the win.

SF dropped a 30-20 decision to Lake County the following week.

Obion Central — After six trips to the playoffs, OC picked up its first win in 2003 — Darren Bowling’s first season as head coach.

Switching to a run-oriented offense to begin the season, the Rebels produced 263 of their 315 total yards on the ground in beating Kingsbury 24-14.

After a Wes Moore score, the Memphians came back for a 10-7 lead. Brian Kissell put OC ahead

14-10 at the end of the first quarter on a two-yard run. Tarez Bacon then scored on a five-yard run, and Garrett Grady kicked a 30-yard field goal in the second period. Grady also kicked three PATs. Moore had 10 carries for 99 yards, and Morgan Cruce added 95 yards on 18 rushes. Defensively, Jeremy McBride and Joe Key each had 13 tackles, while Daniel Pardue had three sacks.

Union City — The Twisters’ third playoff appearance came in 1991, and UC made history by beating McNairy Central in a thriller at War Memorial Stadium.

After losses against Mitchell in 1976 and Lexington in 1988, the Golden Tornadoes rallied late and then clinched the win with an inter ception to beat McNairy County 2621 at War Memorial Stadium.

Marcus Lewis threw a 39-yard TD pass to Blake Caudle with 3:26 to play in the game, and then Brian Sadler stopped the Bobcats with an interception at UC’s 17-yard-line

with 58 seconds remaining.

Earlier in the game, Lewis and Sadler hooked up on a seven-yard TD pass, while Jason Baldwin scored on a 21-yard run and Eric Gregory added a nine-yard scoring burst.

BIGGEST GAME

South Fulton — That 1979 win easily goes down as the biggest playoff game in Red Devil history.

It was, quite simply, one of the most exciting playoff games in TSSAA history. The teams com bined for 37 points in the fourth quarter, 23 coming in the final 42 seconds.

And, SF’s final eight points on a touchdown pass-and-lateral and ensuing two-point conversion all came with no time left on the clock.

Obion Central — The only real highlight of the Shawn Jackson five-year run (22-32 overall record) came in the fourth season as the Rebels opened the 2011 playoffs by whipping Fairley 46-22 in Memphis.

The Rebels dominated the game, gaining 410 yards and picking up 21 first downs while racing out to a 26-0 halftime lead.

LaDevin Fair ran for 232 yards on 23 carries, while Trey Phipps completed 11-of-20 passes for 142 yards and a TD, that score com ing on a 16-yard pass to Mason McGrew.

A week later, the Rebels came up one point short in a 42-41 loss to Covington in what was one of the most exciting games in the state that season.

Union City — With four state titles, all since 2009, it’s practically impossible to pick one. So, let’s pick one — the first one. Playing tradi tion-rich South Pittsburg and going in as a heavy underdog, UC capped an amazing season with a drive for the ages.

After SP took a 29-28 lead with 3:25 to play in the game, Union City embarked on a 12-play, 68yard drive that ended when for eign exchange student Jorge Guerri kicked a 22-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.

That game-winning drive capped a stellar offensive performance as UC used its grinding running game to eat up minutes and keep South Pitt’s athletes off the field. UC had three scoring drives covering 12 or more plays and kept possession for 32:18 compared to SP’s 15:42.

Josh Nicks set a state title game record with 47 carries, piling up 201 yards and a touchdown, while Kendrick Price had 96 yards and two scores on eight carries.

UC gained all of its 355 yards on the ground, posting 69 rushes.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be contacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.com.

Union City’s four state championships highlight Obion County’s history in the TSSAA state playoffs.

OBION CENTRAL REBELS OBION CENTRAL REBELS

NEW LOOK, SAME PLAN REBELS SPREADING BALL-CONTROL MESSAGE

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

Obion Central has a new look, and Paul Decker is taking on a new role.

Coming into the 2019 football sea son, the Rebels have scrapped the veer/midline offense in favor of a spread attack.

And, Decker — the OC alum now entering his fifth season as head coach — will take over calling the offense after being more involved with the defense in previous seasons.

“The kids are excited about it, and I’m excited about it,” Decker said. “I’ve been doing this about 25 years now, and I’ve always been on the defensive side, so I’m excited about it, the assis tant coaches are and I think the fans will be, too.”

Decker emphasizes the philosophy is basically the same: Methodically move down the field, eat up the clock and keep the opponent’s offense off the field. The triple-option of the veer/ midline is still the concept. It is not a hurry-up offense, and it’s not designed to throw the deep ball.

“They’re basically alike, except from the standpoint that we’re in the shotgun and spread out. A lot of it is RPO (run-pass option), so you’re passing instead of running,” Decker said. “The midline has been very good to us. I believe it has made it possible for us to compete.”

There are some practical and signof-the-times reality reasons for making the change as well.

One reason is to, hopefully, bring out more kids to the program. The 2019 roster has 38 players listed, a disappointing number for a school with an enrollment over 800.

Another reason: Generate a buzz about football within the community.

“We’re fighting numbers — every body is, I know,” the coach said. “I’m not getting people to come out for football who I think should come out for football, so we’re trying to make it more exciting. We’re trying to make it a little more appealing, not only to our fans but also to our school — to the kids that aren’t playing.

“The veer/midline is a very good offense, and the people who run it really well have a lot of success with it. But, it’s not very exciting. So, we’re

just trying to build some excitement around the football program.”

The Rebels certainly would like to get off to a better start than last sea son, where an 0-5 start that included two critical losses in 7-4A (Dyersburg and Ripley) had the team fighting an uphill battle to reach the playoffs. Injuries played a major role in that five-week stumble as Central quar terback Blake Wilson and lineman Landon Starks both missed several games.

Central took a big step toward that with a 21-14 win over state-ranked Crockett County as part of a threegame winning streak, but a seasonending loss to Haywood eliminated OC from the postseason.

Pulling out of those early struggles and frustrations — three of those first five losses were by seven points or less — was all about a positive attitude.

“We had some devastating injuries, but you just keep coming to work every day and keep on going, keep on working,” Decker said. “We got a big win against Crockett County and put ourselves right back in it. So, a disap pointing start, but you can’t get down on the kids. They could’ve hung their heads and said, ‘Hey, it’s over.’

“That’s happened here before. There’s been several 0-10 seasons where they were 0-5 and said, ‘To heck with this,’ and gave up. Hats off to the senior group that didn’t want to do that, and then the underclass men fell in there with them and just kept plugging. It made a respectable season out of it. It wasn’t great by any means, but we did come in there and win some games.”

A brutal schedule awaits the Rebels in 2019. Beginning with a trip to Gibson County on Friday, the Rebels will play seven teams that reached the state playoffs last season, including 2A state champion Trenton and 4A runner-up Haywood. Central’s open date comes on Oct. 18, the week of Fall Break.

The following is a look at the 2019 Rebel team: OFFENSE Quarterback

Colby Priest, a 6-0, 180-pound senior, takes over fulltime after filling

in at times last season, where he ran for 188 yards and threw for 165. He was also the team’s second-leading receiver in yards gained with 85 on just four catches.

“Colby can do a lot of things for us,” Decker said. “He’s a running threat at the quarterback position, and he has a really good arm. We’re hoping this offense showcases his talents. He’s important to this football team, and I think he embraces it. I think he likes being that guy.”

Freshman Jamaad Mosley already has good size at 6-0 and 160 pounds, and he is a member of a freshman class that Decker and his staff have been waiting on to arrive on cam pus. He will serve as Priest’s backup while building game experience on the junior varsity team.

Backfield

With the QB lined up in the shotgun formation, there are three candidates to be there with him at the tailback spot.

Austin Cavin (6-1, 185) had 30 touches for 157 yards last season while also leading the team in tackles with 60. A versatile athlete, Cavin will also play some at slot receiver, while junior Seth Mangold (5-11, 175) and classmate Devon Kerns (5-8, 160) will also battle for playing time. In the veer, Kerns would have the vital fullback spot.

Two freshmen, Drake Hamilton (58, 165) and Johnny Light (6-1, 170), are also part of what Decker says is the best freshman group since he’s been at Central and will give the team depth in the backfield.

Receivers

At the right slot position, called the wide slot in OC’s playbook, junior Nick Chappell (6-2, 165) has everything a receiver needs — a good frame, long arms, leaping ability to go up and get the football and, most importantly, sure hands.

When Cavin is in the backfield, sophomore Hunter Burpo (5-8, 160) fills the other slot. He also has good hands and is not afraid to get the ball in traffic. He had a solid spring prac tice, highlighted by six catches in a

The

scrimmage with Liberty.

Lining up wide will be junior Cameron Lennox (5-10, 160), a new comer to football with deceptive speed who has shown the coaches he can make catches, and sophomore Preston Correa (6-0, 160).

Jackson Southerland (6-0, 180), a junior who broke his thumb early in preseason workouts but could be ready for the opener, and fellow junior Ethan Buchanan (6-3, 185) will also be used as wide-outs.

Line Decker is excited about his linemen on both sides of the ball, praising their effort for winning the lineman chal lenge at Dyersburg’s 7-on-7 camp.

In the middle, junior Dokata Petty (511, 200), returns as the starting center, while sophomore Brennan Finnell (6-0, 235) holds the right guard post.

Filling out the right side will be senior Hunter Lucy (6-3, 300). Probably the team’s best offensive lineman, Lucy could get a shot at playing in college.

John David Kersey, another senior, doesn’t look like the typical lineman at 6-0 and 205 pounds, but Decker likes his work ethic and grit at the left guard spot.

Classmate Tripp Sharp (5-10, 250) is coming back from a knee injury to take the left tackle spot.

Several players can step in for a few plays and give the starters some rest, including senior Jed Jenkins (6-2, 275), junior Chase Sheppard (5-10, 200) and sophomores Tavion Alexander (5-10, 180) and Chris Baker (6-1, 185).

DEFENSE Line

Lucy will line up at the nose guard and will be expected to tee off on the opposing center each play. Sharp can come in and give Lucy a rest at times.

Finnell will line up at left tackle with Kersey as his back-up. Both Lucy and Finnell are among the strongest play ers on the team, giving some good muscle to that side of the line.

OC can use both Jenkins and Sheppard at the right tackle spot. Jenkins is quick for his size and has good feet, while Sheppard has the quickness needed for the slanting and gap-shooting Central wants to do.

Linebackers

Alexander is a student of the game and play from A-gap to C-gap, which he will be needed to do at the middle spot.

Warren Malone, a 6-0, 180-pound sophomore transfer who did not play as a freshman, has been a pleasant surprise filling the “Will” spot, with senior Brandon Green (5-11, 180), another transfer, looking for time at that spot, too.

At “Sam” is Buchanan, back after getting a lot of time last season.

Sophomore Chris Baker (6-1, 185) will see action at all three spots.

The outside spots will be manned by Southerland and Mangold, Kerns seeing action on the strong side as Southerland heals.

Light and fellow freshman Colton Rudd (5-6, 150) will serve as backups.

Backs

Cavin fills a big role at his safety spot. Having led the team in tackles last season, he is expected to be among the leaders again in a defense where the safety is expected to stop passes and make quick reads on run plays in order to get in on tackles for short gains.

Priest will have to play there some as well, although Decker would prefer to keep his starting quarterback off the field on defense.

Chappell and Correa will start at the corners with Lennox and Burpo ready in reserve. Burpo, not one to shy away from contact, can fill in at safety and even come down and play outside linebacker.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Priest’s name comes up a lot on special teams as well as his athletic ability fills a variety of roles.

Priest is the team’s punter, giving the Rebels not only a reliable leg but also someone who can make plays in fake kick situations.

Chappell, meanwhile, will handle the kicking duties. On kickoffs, his job will be based on precision rather than power, putting the ball in certain spots. He will handle extra-point and field goal chores, too, having kicked seven PATs a year ago. Priest can serve in those roles as well.

Mangold will be the team’s longsnapper.

Priest and Cavin are tabbed as the return specialists, Cavin likely to be used more to reel in punts and both on the field for kick returns.

Best Wishes to all our area athletes on an injury free season!

“No athlete is truly tested until they’ve stared an injury in the face and come out on the other side stronger than ever!”

a baseball player, then businessman, Decker couldn’t resist Friday Night Lights

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

Paul Decker was a baseball player first and a football player when it was football season.

There was something special about football, though, that pulled him closer to the game.

Now, the Obion County Central alum and current Rebel head coach is trying to pass that feeling on to new generations of high school stu dents.

“I played in some really big high school baseball games,” Decker said. “But nothing, no baseball game I ever played here or even at the junior college level, ever made me feel like I felt during a football game.

“There’s something about a foot ball game, and I try to relay that to my guys. You just have to get your self in a different state of mind. You know for 48 minutes you’re fixing to sacrifice your body. You know what’s coming. That’s where my love of the game comes from. It’s from the mental standpoint and the getting fired up part.

“That’s what I love about the game, and that’s why I love coaching the game. Even though I was prob ably a better baseball player, I love the game of football. You need that mental attitude that, I’m going to go out there and sacrifice my body for 48 minutes. That’s why it’s the great est game out there.”

A lot of highly successful area coaches have influenced Decker in his coaching career, which actually began as a head coach at Fulton City before he took assistant positions at his alma mater and Dyersburg before returning home as a head coach again.

He coached under Chris Hill and Darren Bowling at OC and worked under Bowling, James Counce and Bart Stowe at Dyersburg.

All of those coaches, Decker said, put a priority on winning but made it more important to produce good, solid young men who were better prepared to be husbands and fathers.

“When I see some of these guys now, it’s funny because you don’t find yourself talking about the big games you won,” Decker said. “You’re catch ing up on their lives, and they’re excited to tell you about their families and the things they’re doing. That’s what is really important.”

While all those coaches were big influences on Decker as a coach, someone else was even more impor tant in making Decker a coach in the first place — his wife Kim.

An all-star basketball player at OC, Kim Whipple — as she was known then — went on to play col lege basketball and then got into coaching.

Decker, who was running a busi ness on Reelfoot Lake when they were first married, saw the impact his wife was having on young girls.

Then, he accompanied his wife to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event at St. Simons Island, Ga. Two things happened there: He gave his life to Jesus Christ, and he decided that coaching was his future.

“I was taking people hunting and fishing, trying to make a living,” he said. “It wasn’t a good living, but that’s what I was doing, and she was coaching girls’ basketball. Then, we went on that FCA trip, and that’s when I gave my heart to Jesus, with a thousand kids there. I came back and put a “For Sale” sign in front of our lodge.”

He made enough money on the sale to go back to college and get a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and was hired on the spot when he interviewed at Fulton City.

“What a way to make a living, and what a great way to raise your fam ily,” Decker said. “I’ve been fortunate that my wife is a coach and all my kids are involved in athletics.”

Baseball, basketball and volleyball have been just some of the sports the Decker family has been involved with over the years.

But, for the father and husband, it all comes back to Friday nights.

“We’re a Friday night football fam ily,” he said. “All over the United States, there’s just something spe cial about it. You can’t beat Friday night.

“I think it’s maybe because you only play once a week. Football,

more than any other sport, is a game of preparation. You know you have 10 games in football, and you’re preparing all year long to play those 10 games. You get one chance, one Friday night, and you get a week to prepare for it. That’s what I like — the preparation, the game plan, breaking down film, the chess match of trying to exploit someone else’s weaknesses.”

Decker is a “rah-rah” coach in the spirit of former Rebel coaches Larry Shanks and Jim McPeake, the latter he played for at OC.

He’s been around many who aren’t, and he says that style is fine, too, as long as the lesson is the same.

He remembers when he worked for Jim Counce Jr. — that father and son coaching twosome were also big influences for Decker — when the team was in the locker room prior to a game. The countdown clock is running, and Counce called the team together as it got closer to kickoff.

“Everybody’s quiet, you could hear a pin drop, and I’m just thinking, ‘Oh, man, when that clock gets to zero, I’m going to hear one of the best fired-up, come-out-and-play speeches I’ve ever heard.’ I’m sitting there watching that clock, and it hits zero, and coach Counce says, ‘Let’s go, boys.’

“We tore out of there, and the excitement was there, but I’m think ing that I was going to hear some thing great. But, coach Counce is one of those who wants to keep things on an even keel.”

Decker learned life lessons from the coaches he played for growing up and the men in the commu nity who made baseball possible at Central. He had teammates like Mike Grady, Richard Petty, Mike Mathena and John Robert McCullough, whose parents were involved.

Now, as a coach as well as a father, Decker tries to be involved with his players on a level beyond the Friday night lights.

“We try to relate everything to real life, and football is a mirror of life,” he said. “If you get knocked down, you have to get back up. Things aren’t always going to go right, but you can’t duck your head and just give up. It’s a shame that life is like that, but it is. You’re going to have some good times, but there will always be bad times, too.

“I think football helps you get through those bad times.”

Football changed Decker’s life. Now, he’s just trying to pay it for ward.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be con tacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.

Have a Safe, Fun & Winning Season!

Kyle Agee,

Obion Central alum and current head coach Paul Decker left the business world to pursue his passion: Coaching football.

Gold balls, upset wins scattered over half century of history

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

In this year of anniversaries and milestones, The Messenger takes a look back at high school football in the county from 50, 40, 20, 10 and five years ago.

50 YEARS AGO: 1969

The season marked a new era at both Union City and South Fulton and a raising of the bar at Obion Central.

Jim Graves and Terry Beadles were in their first seasons as head coach of the Golden Tornadoes and Red Devils, respectively, while Jerry Gage’s third — and final — season at OC was the most successful in his short tenure and in the nineyear history of the school’s football program.

The Rebels posted a 6-4 record, the most wins to that time. Meanwhile, SF posted a 4-6 mark and UC was 3-7. Although those records were nothing to celebrate, they marked big improvements over previous years and served noticed that better years were coming.

South Fulton picked up the first win of the season by a county team, beating Dyer County 20-6. Freshman quarterback Bob Winston completed 7-of-7 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

After two losses to open the sea son, Obion Central reeled off three straight wins by beating Alamo 32-22, Fulton County 24-6 and Bruceton 28-16. Greg Hamilton had three touchdowns, including a 68yarder late in the fourth quarter, and Joe Dale Killion scored on a 65-yard run to lead Central to its first win.

Union City lost two more games, starting 0-4, before getting all three of its wins in consecutive weeks — 39-12 over Lone Oak., Ky.; 32-8 over Obion Central and 26-21 over Fulton City.

Beating Central on the Rebels’ homecoming night was the high light of the season for Union City. Quarterback Jim Glasgow scored two touchdowns, while Lee Thomas Harris, Gary Hill and Jim Beach each added a score. OC scored on a 30-yard pass from Sam Pryor to Gary Haynes.

Central closed the season with three straight wins, including a 13-7 decision over South Fulton, while that loss to OC was the only loss for the Redmen over their final four games.

The next several years were bet ter for Union City, highlighted by the 1971 season that saw the Twisters post a 9-2 mark, end Westview’s 42-game winning streak and best Lexington in the Civitan Bowl. Beadles stayed four more years at SF before Kerry Curling took over. The Devils were 9-2 in 1972, reaching the Class A state playoffs. After Gage left OC, the Rebels were 6-22-2 over the next three seasons before Charles Akers led the team to back-to-back Civitan Bowls in 1973 and ’74.

40 YEARS AGO: 1979

Union City closed strong to earn a bowl berth, while Obion Central began the long climb back up from a winless season. At South Fulton, meanwhile, the 1979 season was one for the record books and was highlighted by one of the most fan tastic finishes in TSSAA state play off history.

The Twisters were 3-3 six games into the season but then won their last five games — a stretch that included a 21-0 verdict over Milan and capped with a 34-14 win over McNairy County in the Civitan Bowl.

Clint Wilson, Tommy Mathis and Eric Maddox all scored a TD as UC outgained Milan 259-76 in UC’s big gest win of the season.

Following an 0-10 season in 1978, running its losing streak to 16 games, OC beat Westview 20-18 in the season opener and then fol lowed six straight losses with wins in two of its final three games in Jim McPeake’s second season.

Jeff Rudd’s 34-yard run, helped by two key blocks from Kevin Whipple, proved to be the decid

ing score in that victory over the Chargers. The Rebels dedicated the season to Terry Quinn, who lost a leg as a result of serious medical problems in the summer.

South Fulton was the talk of Obion County all year, though, roll ing through an undefeated regular season that included three shutouts and then using a miracle finish to beat Old Hickory in the opening round of the Class A playoffs.

Maddox was named honorable mention all-state by the Associated Press.

Craig Coley and Mike Hutchens were AP all-state honorable men tion picks for the Red Devils.

Coach Larry Shanks stayed two more years at UC, going 10-10.

The Rebels won four games in 1980, including a 23-20 decision over a Munford team led by future Tennessee tailback Johnnie Jones, and then won seven games and played in the Civitan Bowl in 1981.

SF continued to win, closing the 1981 season with a victory in the Casey Jones Bowl in Jackson.

20 YEARS AGO: 1999 South Fulton and Union City were in the midst of unprecedented suc cess, while Obion Central embarked on its best season in several years during the 1999 season.

The Red Devils went to the play offs for the fourth of six consecu tive seasons, their 10-2 record the best of that run. SF won its first seven games, five by shutout, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before suffering a heart breaking loss to Bruceton.

UC’s 1999 season was the third of four straight seasons where the Golden Tornadoes advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals, including two trips to the state championship game.

The Twisters won their first five games, running their regular sea son win streak to 14, and scored over 40 points in seven of their 12 wins.

At 5-0, Union City was ranked No. 1 in the state when that win streak came to an end in a 17-14 loss to Obion Central, marking one of the biggest wins in the history of the Rebel program.

Waylon Matheny kicked a 20-yard field goal in overtime to give Central the win. Steve Johnson scored on a pair of one-yard runs for the Rebels, while Jeremy Bonds pulled in a 34yard TD pass from Ben Glasgow and Mario McElrath had a 43-yard scoring run for the Tornadoes.

Larry Shanks put together his best season in seven years as the Rebel head coach, OC posting a 65 record and a spot in the Class 3A state playoffs.

Central gave up a touchdown or less in five of those six wins.

Josh Johnson, McElrath and Bonds were Tennessee Sports Writers Association and Associated Press all-state picks, Johnson and Bonds consensus first-teamers and McElrath a TSWA first-team selection and AP honorable men tion pick.

Justin Ingram was a Class 1A Mr. Football finalist as well as an all-state pick by the TSWA and the AP. Craig Dame was a TSWA firstteam pick and was joined by Charlie Wieber and Steven Wright on the AP honorable mention list.

South Fulton went back to the playoffs three of the next four sea sons, winning in the opening round again in 2000. UC put together another 14-game regular season win streak, reaching the state finals before losing to Alcoa in 2000, and then advanced to the state play offs two more times before Randy Barnes wrapped up his Hall of Fame career. Shanks stayed one more season at OC, the Rebels winning five games but missing the playoffs in 2000.

10 YEARS AGO: 2009

A gold ball, finally.

After coming home with silver on three previous trips to the state

finals, Union City won its first foot ball championship in a thrilling 31-29 win over South Pittsburg in Cookeville.

That highlighted a successful season throughout the county as South Fulton reached the second round of the 1A playoffs and Obion Central ended a five-year playoff drought in Class 4A, both teams winning six games.

In his second year as UC’s head coach, Darren Bowling was an instant success with 22 wins in his first 26 games. The Golden Tornadoes closed the ’09 season with nine straight wins, four in the playoffs.

South Fulton’s Kelly Spivey and OC’s Shawn Jackson were also in their second seasons at their respective schools, and both put their teams back in the playoffs after five years on the outside.

SF won six games for the second straight year, winning in the first round of the playoffs over Gleason before getting caught in UC’s title run.

Central ended a 20-game losing streak by beating Fulton County in the season-opener and won four of its final regular season games to reach the 4A playoffs before losing to Fairley in Memphis.

Josh Nicks rushed for 1,631 yards and 32 touchdowns, while Kendrick Price had 1,100 yards and 11 scores to pace UC’s powerful rushing attack. Nicks set a record for rushing attempts with 47 in the state title game, which was won of Jorge Guerri’s field goal with two seconds remaining.

Chase Bowling added 883 yards rushing with 11 TDs while also throwing for 334 yards for the sea son.

Nicks, Ronnie Fair and Will Arnold were all-state selections by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

SF was good on the ground and the air during the season. Jared Fowler (731), Jonathan Avent (688)

and Chance Barnes (679) all rushed for over 600 yards and combined for 31 TDs, while JaQuay Garmon threw for 736 yards. Cody Tatum had 101 tackles.

Patrick Haskins had a stellar season for the Rebels, rushing for 1,471 yards and 22 touchdowns and completing 67-of-139 passes for 1,002 yards and seven scores to earn 4A All-State honors. Lucas Fulbright and Steven Patton both had over 300 yards receiving.

While UC made the playoffs the next three seasons, those years were mostly mediocre. Then, in 2013, UC opened with a loss to McKenzie and then reeled off 38 straight wins with two more state titles. A fourth crown, this one in Class 4A, came in 2017.

Both Spivey and Jackson stayed three more seasons before mov ing on, and both programs have struggled to be consistent winners over the past 10 years.

5 YEARS AGO: 2014

The winning streak reached 27 games, and the gold ball count reached three.

Union City capped a perfect 14-0 season with its third state champi onship, and second in a row, by roll ing over Coalfield in the BlueCross Bowl in Cookeville.

The Twisters didn’t just win in 2014; they dominated. UC scored over 60 points five times, includ ing a 70-0 win over Halls, and counted a 35-0 win over a Nashville Christian team that featured current Tennessee standout Daniel Bituli in the semifinals among its three shutouts.

South Fulton had an up-and-down year in Eric Knott’s second season, finishing 5-6 and reaching the state playoffs where Lake County beat the Red Devils for the second time in three weeks.

The ’14 season was Kevin Goltra’s last at OC, the Rebels fin ishing 2-8, scoring 56 points against Memphis MLK Prep and 54 against Calloway County, Ky.

Ricky Henry led the Twisters’ offense with 1,838 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns, while Jovante Moffatt ran for 89 yards and 18 scores, Garrett Walton added 791 yards and 19 TDs while throwing for 391 yards and Alex Reid had 597 yards and 12 scores rushing. They paced an offense that scored 756 points.

Henry, Moffatt, Tristan Jernigan, Cace Cook, Jamie Pirtle and Jamison Blackwell were TSWA allstate picks.

The Red Devils were led on the ground by Hunter Wade with 672 yards, while Kody Davidson threw for 468 yards. Hunter Hamilton posted 74 tackles.

Central had a 1,000-yard rush er, Bryce Warner putting up 1,243 yards and 16 TDs. He was also the team’s top tackler with 61 stops.

Union City won 11 more games in a row in 2015 before being stunned by Trenton in the second round of the playoffs and then ran its streak of at 11 wins in a season to an unprecedented five in row with another state title in 2017. SF went to the playoffs in three of the next four years, posting two six-win sea sons. Paul Decker took over at his alma mater in 2015 and struggled for two seasons before leading the Rebels to five wins, including a playoff victory, in 2017.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be contacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.com.

Roger Alexander Senior Health Benefits

Will David Coleman led Obion Central to a 17-14 upset win over No. 1-ranked Union City in 1999.

SOUTH FULTON RED DEVILS SOUTH FULTON RED DEVILS

AIR RAID TO GET BETTER, SF TOSSES OUT OLD STYLE

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

South Fulton saw the losses mount up in the first half of the 2018 season and then lived off one win in the sec ond half.

Not good enough, says Eric Knott.

The Red Devils’ head coach believes his 2019 team is fueled more by the eight losses last season.

“They still have the bad taste from what happened last year,” Knott said. “Nobody was happy with 3-8, even though we beat Dresden. They don’t really even talk about that. The only thing there that’s said is, ‘Yeah, we beat Dresden but we also only won three ballgames.’ Then they talk about how they basically picked and chose which games they were going to play hard and which games they wouldn’t.

“We’re not going to have that. You’ve got to have that mentality that no matter what it is and who’s in front of you, I’m going to win. That’s why we’re going to have as many scrimmages as we’re going to have, because you’re going to have that mentality that I don’t care who it is, you’re going to play as hard as you can play or I’m not going to play you. So, that’s the thing that I’m trying to get across to them. The next thing is, they’re hungry to win. We’ve got a little bit of nastiness in us.”

The Red Devils lost their first five games of the season, giving up 62 points to Fulton County and 50 to both Ballard Memorial and Gibson County.

While SF broke the streak with a 14-12 upset win over Dresden at home, the Devils followed that by allowing Lake County to score 67 and West Carroll to put up 48.

A playoff berth was clinched with blowout wins over Humboldt (54-12) and Gleason (52-8), but then South Fulton closed the season with a 67-14 loss to Freedom Prep in Memphis.

As a result, change is coming to South Fulton this season. Some will be in style of play, while another change will be in the team’s mental attitude.

And, Knott believes change will be good.

His plan is to make South Fulton’s playmakers on offense as good as they can be.

So, a new look is in store for the Red Devil offense as SF switches to a spread offense based on getting outside and making the defense cover a lot of ground.

“If people want to pack the box, then we’ll throw the ball outside,” Knott said. “If people want to go out side, then we’ll run the ball inside. It’s helped us. It’s not soft. It’s not soft at all because we’re still running first. And, it’s also helped us defensively to understand angles because we’re practicing against those things.”

Defensively, the Devils are simplify ing the playbook and working on being tougher and more aggressive.

“Our philosophy won’t change, but 99 percent of anything you do is effort,” Knott said. “When we watched film of last season, we had people running, getting about nine feet and then doing the diving, fake trying thing or running up and throwing a shoulder. The problem on defense is not the scheme, and the problem on defense is not the kids. The problem on defense was the effort.”

The following is a look at the 2019 Red Devils:

OFFENSE Quarterback

Bryce McFarland, a junior, returns and will get plenty more opportunities to pass the ball after completing 30-of77 for 431 yards last season.

Junior Drew Barclay and freshman Blake Rodehaver back up at that spot.

“With this air raid, we’ve gone from 18 different run schemes to two,” Knott said. “We have two pass protec tions. All that helps Bryce make better decisions. I’ll call the play, and Bryce has the option to change the play. Every play basically has four different plays in it.”

While there will be run-pass options out of a no-huddle look, the Red Devils still want to run the ball.

Backfield

Greg Davis is back for his senior year and will be the main man in the

ground game.

Davis rushed for 1,229 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and the new-look offense is expected to soften defenses and give him more room to roam.

He has lost weight since the end of high school baseball season in May, and Knott praised his after-practice work ethic.

Dylan Ransom, a junior, backs up Davis. Ransom is an athletic player who has made big strides from last season.

Receivers/Tight Ends

The Red Devils have good hands at every pass-catching position, and the top three in receptions and yard age return.

The leader of the group is senior Dalton Gray at slot. He had 15 catch es for 244 yards last season.

Rider Whitehead, a junior, has good size at 6-3 and 170 pounds on the right side, while Barclay has grown on the left side.

Conner Allen, a freshman who might be the third best receiver on the team, is a little undersized at 115 pounds. He and fellow freshman Cody O’Bryan will back up Whitehead, while classmates Rodehaver and Bryant Kimmons are also working as backups.

Brock Brown, a junior who had nine catches for 149 yards last season, is also at slot. If Dalton Morris, a junior, becomes eligible, he will join the rota tion at slot.

There will be good size at the tight end spot, where junior Eli Carlisle (6-2, 220) will start and sophomore Mason Gaskins (5-9, 235) will be the back-up.

Line

“This should be the best offensive line we’ve had,” Knott said.

It will certainly be a big line.

Senior Jordan Brown (260 pounds) will start at center, junior Mason Harper (260) is the left guard, junior Jaden Knott (270) will line up at right guard, sophomore Moses McKnight

Dalton

is the left tackle and then junior Garrett Slaughter (220) will be at right tackle when he returns from a shoulder injury.

Corey Applewhite, a 220-pound senior, is filling in while Slaughter heals.

“For a single-A football team, when you’re starting line averages over 200 pounds and your running back is over 200, you should be able to run the ball,” Knott said.

Zach Cannon, Dylan Ruddle and Braden Costello, all freshmen, will get time up front as well.

Overview

With talented skill players and big men up front, the Red Devils will still look to run first despite the new look.

Knott would like to see Davis be a 2,000-yard rusher, and that is a legiti mate possibility if the passing game is able to spread out defenses.

McFarland has the green light to look downfield and throw deep if a play is there.

One of the top priorities of the offseason has been working to cut down on fumbles — the Redmen had 38 last season, losing 20.

DEFENSE Line

Brown is an outstanding athlete and will start at end on the strong side with Costello backing him up.

Harper has a starting spot up front as well, while junior Tyler O’Neal (6-2, 250) has decided to play football this year and will back up Harper. The staff is coaching up O’Neal in hopes that he can help out on the offensive line as well.

McKnight will line up at the nose guard position, while Slaughter will be the weak side end, or bandit, when he returns from injury.

Applewhite is filling Slaughter’s spot, and both Knott and Ruddle are back ing up every position up front.

Linebackers

Senior Austin Maldonado (6-0, 230) will be the middle linebacker, backed up by Davis even though the plan is to keep Davis off the field on defense as much as possible.

Gaskins and Ransom also have starting spots locked up with Carlisle and Morris giving them breaks.

Backs

Brown and Whitehead, at the cor ners, give SF people who can lock up in man coverage and challenge the deep throws.

Barclay and Gray line up at the safe ties. Barclay shows no fear in coming up to make tackles, while Gray is another solid athlete in the secondary.

Rodehaver, Allen, O’Bryan and Kimmons are the back-ups, and each can play every position in the defen sive backfield.

Overview

The Red Devils have a lot of room for improvement on defense after giv ing up 353.4 yards and 39.1 points per game last season.

South Fulton will stay in its 4-2-5 alignment, but Knott said the scheme has been streamlined in order to allow the players to be aggressive rather than react.

Special Teams

Brown will take on the place-kick ing duties, which have been a point of emphasis in the off-season after the staff took a look at how many games had been lost due to poor special teams in recent years — eight games in the past five seasons.

Specifically, the inability to kick extra points was costly in a 19-18 loss to Greenfield last season, as well as a game in 2009 against Lake County.

In addition to trying to get his team an extra point (or three points), Brown will be charged with pinning teams a little farther back on kickoffs. The cov erage team will need to be more lane disciplined, too.

Rodehaver will also handle some kicking chores.

Gray and Brown are getting in punter work, putting sure-handed skill people in that spot to handle poor snaps and turn bad plays into big gains.

Slaughter and Gaskins are the team’s long-snappers.

“You never know how important that is until you don’t have one,” Knott said.

Sure-handed people will be the returners as well, as Brown, Gray, Barclay and Davis can all pull in kicks and punts.

While advancing a kick for better field position is the primary objective, simply catching the ball to keep from losing ground provides hidden yards that make it easier on the offense.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be contacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.com.

to make impact, Knott lured to coaching

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

When Eric Knott first began play ing football, it was simply something to do.

Then, it became something to learn.

Now, it’s something he teaches.

All of that goes beyond the old cliché of “Xs and Os” for the South Fulton football head coach.

Knott learned how to grow up through football, and he wants his players to get that from the game as well.

“Most of the time, kids my age were playing because, if you weren’t play ing, you were home doing chores,” he said. “You still had chores to do when you got home, but football broke up the routine. And, we didn’t have anything exciting to do, so it was something to do.

“After that, you started develop ing a sense of self-worth. You were accomplishing something and you were able to do something that was hard.”

All of that stuck with Knott, even when he moved away to be a law yer.

“I wanted to contribute to some thing that was larger than myself,” he said. “When I was in law school, I didn’t feel like that was something I was being led to do.”

Sitting down with his wife, Jamie, and telling her that he had chosen the wrong career path and wanted to go home to start over as a coach was a difficult one. But, she was on board.

While in Michigan studying law, Knott would sometimes go to area high schools to watch football prac tice.

And, so it began.

“There were two or three coaches up there that were nice to me and let me come in and watch,” he said.

The same happened when he came home, Hal Blackman among those who let Knott hang around to learn and eventually help out.

Moving on to be on the staff of Don Coady at Westview, Knott said, opened his eyes to an entirely new world of what coaching was about.

Some of the things he learned while playing for Keith Frazier and Jerry Gage were reaffirmed by those coaches he studied and worked under.

Knott grew up playing the game in Greenfield with people who have stayed around in order to give back to their community — Steve McAllister, Randy Huffstetler, Brian Garner, Terry Capps, Cory Scates and Thomas Tansil.

“It was mainly the camaraderie that you had with your teammates,” Knott said of what was the most appealing about the sport. “Being around other people who had a common goal of wanting to be something and wanting to do something with their lives and for their schools — they wanted to be part of something that was bigger than themselves.”

Knott admitted he didn’t always understand what the coaches were doing when he was playing. He had a bad attitude at times and did some things as a teenager he would love to go back in time and correct.

But, the lessons ultimately began to catch on, leading him back to the football field as an adult.

Knott’s memories of playing are more about practices and those les sons instead of the games them selves.

“The games are a blur,” he said. “Because your heart’s racing so fast. Even now before a game, I have to control my breathing. You get that rush and you feel that adrenaline flowing right before a game.

“And, most of the time now, I can’t hardly remember what happened during the game.”

Knott mentioned using football as a life lesson about bouncing back from adversity.

He’s certainly been through more than his share of that since becom ing the head coach at South Fulton seven years ago.

Knott has battled through some severe eye troubles, as well as throat cancer that kept him off the sidelines the better part of two different sea sons.

“You learn that every second is important,” he said. “As a young per son, you feel like you’re going to live

forever, and so you do lots of stupid stuff. And, I did lots and lots of stupid stuff. I try to teach our players that regret is a terrible thing to live with.

“Now, what we try to get through to our players is that in football you’re only as good as the sum of your parts. And, everyone is important, but no one is necessary. The world is going to keep going. The team is going to keep playing. We saw that every time I was out. So, we have to teach them to give everything they have while they’re here. Then, they can have something to look back on and be proud of. Yes, you’re impor tant, but your contribution is going to be your legacy. That’s what will be the most important thing.”

For Knott, leaving a legacy in coaching is when past players come back to share memories.

“That lets you know you’re making an impact, and that maybe the things you taught them, like the persever ance it takes to get through two-adays, has helped them to do better in their careers, in their lives and with their families.”

Those lessons were so important to Knott that he uprooted his entire life just to have the chance to teach them.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be con tacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.

Through it all, South Fulton head coach Eric Knott still loves to teach and learn football.

FUTURES VARY FOR LOCAL TRIO

boys” for this year’s

interests,

As has become our custom, we asked the three players — select ed by The Messenger because of their commitment and contribution to their respective teams, schools

communities — some fun

on a variety of topics in order to get to know them a little better.

There was a lot of depth in their

Obion County Central’s Colby Priest, Greg Davis of South Fulton and Union City’s Sam Theobald showed up for an 8 a.m. photo shoot earlier this month, ready for their close-ups.

Prior to posing, they were given a series of questions on their daily lives.

We found out that the beaches of south Alabama, different places in the Lone Star State and even the country of Greece are favorite spots to visit.

Favorite football memories go back as far as pee-wee league games to as recent as last sea son, with some gold hardware also included.

The toughest opponents?

Well, they picked some of the top teams in the state.

Prior to a game is a time for relaxation and reflection, while a good meal to start the day is a necessity, too.

All three see college in their futures — career choices include a business major, a future football coach and a path that still has all the options open.

With all that is going on in their lives, though, all three know who to call for any reason at any time: Mom.

GREG DAVIS South Fulton

• Most memorable football moment: Scoring my first touch down in pee-wee football.

• Pregame routine: Wake up early and eat a good breakfast.

• Favorite non-football activ ity: Hanging with friends.

• Favorite athlete: Lebron James

• Favorite class in school: P.E.

• Inspirational quote: “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.”

• Favorite song right now: “Successful,” by Drake

• Last movie you went to a theater to see: “Aquaman”

• Most-called number in your cell: My mom

• Toughest team to play against: Dresden my sophomore year.

• Favorite vacation destina tion: Texas.

• Plans after graduation: Go to college.

COLBY PRIEST

Obion County Central

• Most memorable football moment: Throwing the fake punt pass to Luke Garrigan to put us up 21-14 against Crockett County last year.

• Pregame routine: Lying around in the locker room and listening to music.

• Favorite non-football activ ity: Having fun, doing whatever there is to do.

• Favorite athlete: Bo Jackson

• Favorite class in school: History

• Inspirational quote: “Be your brother’s keeper.” — Paul Decker

• Favorite song right now: “Fishin’ In the Dark”

• Last movie you went to a theater to see: “Men In Black: International”

• Most-called number in your cell: My mom

• Toughest team to play against: Haywood Tomcats

• Favorite vacation destina tion: Santorini, Greece

• Plans after graduation: Go to college and get a teaching degree so I can coach football.

SAM THEOBALD

Union City

• Most memorable football moment: Winning the state championship in 2017.

• Pregame routine: I sit in the turf room and mentally prepare for the game.

• Favorite non-football activ ity: Playing basketball or base ball.

• Favorite athlete: Mike Trout

• Favorite class in school: U.S. History

• Inspirational quote: “If you sit back and spend too much time feeling good about what you did in the past, you’re going to come up short next time.” — Bill Belichick

• Favorite song right now: “Some Of It,” by Eric Church.

• Last movie you went to a theater to see: I honestly don’t remember.

• Most-called number in your cell: Mom

• Toughest team to play against: Trenton

• Favorite vacation destina tion: Orange Beach, Ala.

• Plans after graduation: I plan to attend Mississippi State and major in business.

Local standout players (from left) Union City’s Sam Theobald, Greg Davis of South Fulton and Colby Priest from Obion County Central showed up earlier this month for a morning photo shoot and to share a little about their lives off the field.

IT’S TIME

UTM needs play on field to match stats on paper

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

NASHVILLE — One year ago, UT Martin averaged over 28.9 points a game on offense and ranked third in Ohio Valley Conference in defense.

Good stats.

The Skyhawks’ final record was 2-9.

Bad season.

Sure, there were injuries — quar terback Dresser Winn went down with a shoulder injury that required surgery, five offensive linemen were hurt at different times and five other players were out before the season even began.

“First and foremost, you have to discover the why,” UTM head coach Jason Simpson said recently. “Other teams improved, and we had injuries. When you’re down some guys, you have to value practices. As a head coach, I have to do a great job in a leadership role, and I’m responsible for that. We didn’t do those things.

“What I’m excited about is that we’re in a better place as a team.”

Being in a better place can be translated into being more mature as a team.

“When you say it was a weird 2-9, that’s very weird,” Simpson said in looking at last season’s team sta tistics. “In the two wins, we won by 25-plus points, and one was against Austin Peay (37-7). I’ve tried to drive this message home: There’s still tal ent there. But, if it’s not motivated and coachable and paying attention to detail, then against teams that maybe we had better talent than, we didn’t finish those games out. You still have to play better than your opponent. So, that’s what we’re try ing to emphasize this year.”

UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS

A. 29 Northwestern St. 6:30 p.m.

S. 7 at Florida 6:30 p.m.

S. 14 at Southern Ill. 6 p.m.

S. 28 Murray St. 6 p.m.

O. 5 at Eastern Ky. 2 p.m.

O. 12 at Tennessee Tech 6 p.m.

O. 19 Eastern Ill. 2 p.m.

O. 26 at SE Missouri 1 p.m.

N. 2 Jacksonville St. 2 p.m.

N. 9 at Austin Peay 3 p.m.

N. 16 Tennessee St. 2 p.m.

N. 23 at Kentucky TBA

Winn has been throwing since June and is close to his pre-injury form. Simpson said the junior from Dresden will continue to progress at a steady pace during preseason in an effort to be at full strength when Northwestern State visits on Aug. 29.

Winn was 154-of-234 for 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

Behind him are several capable quarterbacks, led by Joe Hudson. A redshirt senior, Hudson completed 90-of-152 passes for 1,028 yards and five TDs with six picks.

Jaylon Moore is likely to be the top target, no matter who is lined up under center, after catching 52 passes for 799 yards and eight TDs last season.

Linebacker T.J. Jefferson, a red shirt senior, could be a breakout star on defense after posting 35 total tackles, including 11 solo stops, last season.

Jefferson said the lack of respect that comes from a disappointing season has fueled the team through out the off-season.

“We’re taking steps to be more motivated and to be more focused in our weight room preparation, film room work, on the field and off the field,” Jefferson said.

“We just want to come out and prove to the conference and people nationally who have written us off because we were 2-9 that we’re still UT Martin.”

In looking at the league’s pre season poll of media members that has UTM seventh in the nine-team league, Simpson shrugs it off.

“It goes on last season,” he said. “We know we have a quality team.

People don’t know who T.J. is or know about his leadership. And, there will be another team with a transfer who makes that team better. They’re voting on last year. You have to put everybody some where.”

UTM returns seven starters on offense and six on defense with 63 players back in all. In addition, Simpson and his staff brought in one of the top FCS recruiting class es in the country.

Still, any improvement by the team might not be seen in its record early in the season.

Following the home opener with Northwestern State, UTM travels to Florida — one of two money games against an SEC school; Kentucky is the other — and Southern Illinois before hosting Murray State on Sept. 28.

Trips to Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech follow for the Skyhawks, who play back-to-back road games twice in the first six weeks of the season but do not have consecutive home dates all year.

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be contacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger.com.

to All the Teams

UT

For Love Of The Game Gridiron, not diamond, makes up Simpson’s DNA

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

Jason Simpson was a baseball talent, but he’s always been wired for football.

The veteran UT Martin football head coach says there is simply something different about those Saturdays on a college campus that is like nothing else in athletics.

He noticed that in himself, which led him away from baseball after his playing days at Southern Mississippi, he sees it in the play ers on his Skyhawks teams ... and he now sees it in his son, a highlyrecruited sophomore quarterback at Westview.

“When I was through playing at Southern Miss, I thought I was going to coach baseball, because I’d had a lot more success there than I had on the football field,” Simpson said. “But to be honest, there was a lot more turnover in baseball, espe cially back then.

“There wasn’t the same intensity as football. The pageantry of col lege football, the Xs and Os are so much more intense and there’s a lot more time and effort that goes into one game because you only play 11 instead of 56 in college baseball.”

Simpson has been a lot of plac es and has been around plenty of coaches during his college coaching career.

He’s seen even more while tak ing his son Ty on recruiting visits to some of the top programs in the nation.

Those head coaches talk about “the process” and hire assistants who bring more to the table than the ability to teach the playbook. Recruiting, motivation and culture are all a part of that process.

“When you’re able to come up with a plan or create an atmosphere and culture of the sacrificing that your players are asked to do, being a good teammate and all those things, there’s really nothing like it when you see it happening,” he said.

On an individual level, he wants to see it in his own players, and he is seeing it in his son.

“The ones who love it are the ones that 200-something baseball games can’t make up for those 11 Saturdays,” Simpson said. “They enjoy the work that goes into prepar ing for those Saturdays. They enjoy those film sessions, they enjoy the weights, they enjoy being sore when they wake up on Sunday.

“You’ve got to be wired a certain way for this to be your love.”

That love for Simpson started in high school playing for a young, intense defensive coordinator named Wayne Graves.

“He used to get himself so worked up before games that he’d almost make himself sick,” Simpson said. “But as I got older, I realized that it wasn’t because he was a nervous person. It’s that he was so invested in the team.”

Graves helped Simpson get a graduate assistant job at Delta State, beginning a career that has made several stops on the way to Martin.

A stop at Southwest Texas State was particularly eye-open ing for Simpson, who joined the staff of long-time college coach Bob DeBesse.

A former assistant at Minnesota and Texas Christian, DeBesse was then the head man at SWT — a position he held from 1997 through 2002.

“In how to run a program, I prob ably learned the most from Bob DeBesse,” Simpson said. “He was a real stickler for details, from how the team dressed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to how he called his formations. Everything was detailoriented, and a lot of that carries over today.”

And, it will carry over to the next generation.

Simpson has two former players coaching in Martin, one on his staff and one at Westview, who have that familiar sound on the field.

Tyler Rice had a similar play ing career as Simpson and is now

on the staff as the wide receivers coach.

Chris Coleman, now coach ing defensive line at Westview, is another former player who says the same things on the practice field that current Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott said during his two-year stint (2013-14) as a UTM assistant.

When observing his players as they go through drills or work in the weight room, Simpson sees the par allels to the real world that awaits.

“The conversation I had with the team (recently) was, ‘What’s going on in that weight room right now: Are we letting each other skip reps? Are we not putting enough weight on the bar on certain lifts? Whatever our leaders are allowing in the weight room are going to be the habits we play the season on.’

“It’s the same way in life, with your family. If you take shortcuts now, cheat now, then it’s going to be very difficult once you become a husband and father to start living your life differently. Your habits are your habits.”

Simpson has learned good hab its throughout his coaching career. He’s dedicated to passing on those same habits to another generation.

It’s just the way he’s wired.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

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UT Martin veteran football coach Jason Simpson was a baseball player at the college level, but his passion came out in football, leading him in that direction for a career.

MURRAY STATE RACERS

At long last, Racers part of conversation to claim OVC crown

By KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

NASHVILLE — Mitch Stewart believes his Murray State football team is on the verge of becoming a championship caliber program.

Some of the things he does to remind his squad of what needs to be accomplished are done in fun.

“We have to take the next step,” he said recently. “It was a good season and step in the right direc tion. So, now how do we get to that championship mindset. We’ve worked on that all off-season. Some of it’s kind of kooky. I’ll sometimes text the guys when I’m filling up my car that I’ve put in $40.01. We’ll have meetings at 7:31 or 2:31.

“It’s all about developing that championship mentality. How do we become great and be the team everyone else is chasing? It’s been really fun. We haven’t won a con ference championship here since 2002, but now we’re having those conversations.”

While the Racers are coming off a 5-6 season, one of those losses was to Kentucky, another to nation ally-ranked Central Arkansas and yet another to perennial OVC pow erhouse Jacksonville State. At one point during the season, MSU was 4-0 in the league before finishing 5-3.

MURRAY STATE RACERS

been at running back and receiver during his tenure.

“A lot of production was lost — and good kids, too,” he said.

“The big thing is cultivating a cul ture where the cupboard is never bare. This year, it’s going to be awesome because we have people like Preston. We have linebackers whose time it is to step up. We lost Quincy (Williams; 78 solo tackles), but what we want as a staff to never have holes. We have dents, but we don’t want to have holes.”

The preseason media poll has the Racers picked sixth in the nine-team league. As has been his nature at Media Day, Stewart’s response was basically, “So what?”

“I’ve never once seen a pre season poll that wound up being exactly right come the postseason,” he said. “I don’t take it back and use it as fuel. We don’t even talk about it. The only people we care about is us.”

Sports editor Kevin Weaks can be con tacted by email at kweaks@ucmessenger. com.

A.

S.

S.

S.

S.

O.

O.

O.

Pikeville 6 p.m.

at Georgia 3 p.m.

at Toledo 6 p.m.

Morehead St. 6 p.m.

at UT Martin 6 p.m.

Eastern Ill. 1 p.m.

at Tenn. State 2 p.m.

Eastern Ky.

p.m.

at Jax. State 3 p.m.

Tenn. Tech 1 p.m.

Austin Peay

at

p.m.

Missouri 1 p.m.

Stewart says the successes from last season have carried over to this season, where season ticket sales are up and certain special seating areas, including Racer Reserved and the new end zone suites, have sold out.

“It’s a completely different atmo sphere,” the coach said. “We’ll come out of meetings, and three former players are there wanting to talk about the program. There’s a renewed sense of purpose. It’s still a work in progress, but to see where we are from where we started is very gratifying.”

The Racers head into the 2019 season, which begins Aug. 29 at home against Pikeville, with some big numbers to replace.

Gone are the team’s top passer and rusher from last year, as well as four of the team’s top 10 tacklers.

The biggest name gone is quar terback Drew Anderson, who threw for 2,864 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

Preston Rice, the coach says, is ready to step in despite only com pleting 6-of-12 passes for 121 yards in 2018.

“Preston has his team hook, line and sinker,” Stewart said. “He’s their guy. He’s everything you could have at that spot. He’s a tremendous leader. When he got to campus, he wanted the keys to the car on Day 1.”

Similar words could be used throughout the roster, where new starters will step in.

“My staff did, and does, a tre mendous job in recruiting in building our depth, building talented depth,” Stewart said. “We feel really good about where we are. We lost some key people, but we feel we’re as good or better at those spots.”

That depth certainly shows up along the line on both offense and defense, while Stewart also believes this team is as deep as it’s ever

ON THE COVER

Four players are on the clock to do something special in 2019, each in his own unique way.

• UT Martin quarterback Dresser Winn is looking to return to his starting role after suffering a season-ending injury last year. The Skyhawks were just 2-9 in 2018, so a return to form for Winn could help lead a turnaround for UTM.

• Murray State wide receiver James Sappington could play a bigger role in the Racers’ air attack after catching 24 passes for 439 yards and two touch downs last season. The Racers are looking to win their first OVC championship since 2002, despite preseason polls that believe oth erwise.

•Tennessee senior receiver Marquez Callaway has 62 recep tions for 1,011 yards in his career with the Vols. But, Tennessee finished 5-7 overall last season and will look to new coordinators to become relevant again in the SEC.

• Tennessee Titans’ running back Derrick Henry rushed for 1,059 yards and 12 TDs last sea son. The team barely missed the playoffs, though, finishing with a 9-7 record.

Michael D Calfee,

Racer

Quinaz Turner

Rest of region won’t let Tide roll to repeat

How loaded is Region 7-2A?

Well, at least one playoff-caliber team — which would likely make the playoffs in any other region across the state — will be left at home.

Trenton, Union City, Adamsville, McKenzie and Gibson County will certainly be in the playoff hunt, each one capable of making a deep run.

How tradition-rich is the region?

The last two Class 2A state champions have come from this league. In fact, dating back to 2007, one of these five — UC, Peabody, McKenzie, Adamsville and former member Trinity Christian — has reached the semifinal round, including nine championship game appearances and six state titles.

UC won state titles in 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2017, Peabody won championships in 2014 and 2018, Adamsville was a runner-up in 2012 and 2013 and TCA was runner-up in 2010.

While TCA is now in the private schools division, 7-2A should still be as competitive as ever.

Defending state champ Trenton is loaded with talent and experi ence, Union City, Adamsville and McKenzie hope to return to full strength after battling injury issues last season, Gibson County looks to be a program on the rise and Halls has a new coach and new attitude.

Adamsville CARDINALS

Quick Hits: As the injuries piled up last season, so did the losses.

The Cardinals started the season with a pair of wins but finished up 4-6 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The bright side, if there is such a thing, for veteran head coach Brandon Gray is the amount of experience numerous youngsters got during the disappointing year.

Lathan Morris was among the play ers thrown into the fire, taking over the quarterback spot.

Blake Buntyn, a three-year starter at linebacker, is now poised to be a big threat in the team’s multiple-I offense, while Brodie Austin is a solid player at wide receiver and defensive back.

In all, 16 starters return, and that could translate into a return to the playoffs.

Big Names: Brodie Austin (WR/ DB, 6-1, 175, Sr.), Blake Buntyn (RB/LB, 5-10, 180, Sr.), Lathan Morris (QB, 6-0, 190, Jr.), Hunter Vires (OL/DL, 6-1, 210, Sr.).

All-time playoff record: 20-18 Best season(s): 2012, 2013 — 2A state runner-up.

Gibson Co. PIONEERS

Quick Hits: The Pioneers have made big strides under head coach Cody Finley, last year pulling off one of the most shocking upsets of the season across the state by handing eventual state champion Peabody its only loss with a 14-10 decision.

Gibson County finished 7-4 and made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, losing to Memphis Fairley in the opening round. Two of last season’s losses were by eight points (36-28 to Lake County and 30-22 to Union City).

The Pioneers have versatile ath letes in Will Cantrell, Jake Patterson and Adam Smithson but return just five players on the offensive side of the ball.

While last year’s successes have gone a long way in changing the culture in the GC program, main taining a playoff caliber team in the region will be tough.

Big Names: Jake Patterson (RB/ LB, 6-1, 205, Sr.), Adam Smithson (QB/S, 5-6, 160, Sr.), Hayden McGuire (RB, 5-6, 190, Sr.), Will Cantrell (QB/DB, 5-8, 160, Sr.).

All-time playoff record: 1-6 Best season(s): 1997 — Class 2A second round.

Halls TIGERS

Quick Hits: Jason Curtis moves up a spot to the head coaching posi tion after serving as an assistant last season, and he knows the chal lenges of coaching at Halls.

He is also confident in the steps he has taken to change the culture

and make the program competitive. While results on the scoreboard ultimately matter the most, Curtis wants his players to focus on the progress, show improvement and be competitive in a tough region. Helping with that will be a roster that returns nearly all the starters from last season. There will also be a simplified playbook as Halls will show a split-back look on offense and a 3-4 base defense. The Tigers are big up front and experienced in the backfield.

Big Names: Joseph Meeks (RB/DB, Sr.), Marc Parr (RB/LB, Sr.), Gage McCommon (OL/DL, Sr.), Brecken Beasley (OL/DL, Sr.), Harrison Belton (OL/DL, Jr.), Andrew Moore (OL/DL, Jr.), Brandon Jones (OL/DL, Jr.).

All-time playoff record: 9-18 Best season(s): 1984 — Class A semifinals.

McKenzie REBELS

Quick Hits: McKenzie’s injury problems started in the opening weeks when quarterback Evan Jarrett and lineman Chris Barnett went down.

As a result, the Rebels played a lot of young kids and missed the playoffs for the second straight season. It wasn’t all bad, though, as McKenzie made a strong push late in the season, beating defending state champ Union City at home.

Jarrett and Barnett are back, while senior Kyle Maxwell will lead the team up front. Head coach Wade Comer has talented sopho more and freshman classes, those frosh coming into the program on the heels of an undefeated season as 8th-graders.

Two of those freshmen have earned spots in the starting lineup on both sides of the ball.

McKenzie opened preseason scrimmage work against Camden, which was an eye-opener for the youngsters but also showed Comer that this team is ahead of last year’s squad at the same juncture.

Big Names: Kyle Maxwell (OL/ DL, 5-8, 250, Sr.), Evan Jarrett (QB, 6-6, 160, Sr.), Logan Lyles (TE/LB, 6-1, 180, Jr.), Chris Barnett (DL, 63, 224, Jr.).

All-time playoff record: 28-23 Best season(s): 2007 — Class 1A runner-up.

Peabody GOLDEN TIDE

Quick Hits: While fans and foes alike are looking at a loaded senior class as the reason Peabody has a chance to repeat as state cham pion, head coach Shane Jacobs is lamenting the loss of an unheralded group who helped make last season possible.

Jacobs says that senior group,

Good

16 in all, was the glue that held the team together and provided leader ship the rest of the team followed. This year’s senior class has 11 but is followed by large junior and sophomore classes.

And, while Jacobs knows that each team develops its own chem istry and that this year won’t be the same as last year, there’s also no reason why it can’t be better. Cooper Baugus leads the way at QB after earning state title game MVP honors last year. Three-year starter Rafe Hannah and two-year starter Tony Walters lead the way up front.

Jarel Dickson, Jacquez Wilkins, Noah Halbrook and Eli Hammonds give Baugus plenty of options on offense. Bryce Franks, who moves to end from linebacker, anchors the defense.

Jacobs says it was good for the kids to get those post-champion ship perks all off-season, and he believes the team has done a good job of re-setting the clock for the upcoming season as well.

Big Names: Cooper Baugus (QB, Sr.), Jarel Dickson (RB, Sr.), Jacquez Wilkins (RB, Sr.), Noah Halbrook (WR, Sr.), Eli Hammonds (WR, Sr.), Bryce Franks (DE, Sr.), Rafe Hannah (OL/DL, Sr.), Tony Walters (OL, Sr.)

All-time playoff record: 32-21

Best season(s): 2014 and 2018 — Class 2A state champion.

Union City GOLDEN TORNADOES

Quick Hits: While Union City will be replacing a 2,000-yard rusher for the second straight year, the team returns 15 starters from last season’s state quarterfinal team.

UC is big up front, has some experience at the quarterback spot despite graduating last season’s starter and will be good in the back field again.

Don’t be surprised if another bigtime rusher at the fullback steps up again. After all, that has become a UC tradition under head coach Darren Bowling.

Sam Theobald takes over at quarterback after getting plenty of time there last season due to inju ries, and Travon Westbrook and Justin Wiggins could be big in the running game.

Neil Brown, a legitimate college prospect who started on the 2017 state title team as a freshman, is a big blocker on offense and a load to stop at defensive end.

For more on Union City, see pages 4 and 5.

All-time playoff record: 51-23 Best season(s): 2009, 2013, 2014 — Class 1A state champion; 2017 — Class 2A state champion.

QB Cooper Baugus is back after leading Peabody to a 2A title.

Loaded league will be weekly battle to playoffs

Region 7-4A was a wild ride for 11 weeks last season.

Want examples? Try these:

• Dyersburg routed Haywood in the regular season, and then the Tomcats turned the tables in the postseason. After losing 48-14 to the Trojans in during the season, Haywood hammered Dyersburg 4714 in the quarterfinals of the 4A state playoffs on the way to a run ner-up finish.

• Crockett County took a big step to the playoffs by beating Ripley; the Tigers then made their playoff push by beating Obion Central; and, finally, the Rebels upset Crockett County in the second half of the season.

• All four playoff teams won their first-round games, setting up league rematches in the second round.

The league is likely to be just as competitive this season. Chris Smith takes over a loaded Haywood team.

Crockett Co. CAVALIERS

Quick Hits: The Cavs have plenty of talent back from a team that fin ished 6-6 last season, winning five of their first six games before losing the last four in the regular season.

Luke Pratt has a word beside his name that will make other teams in the region happy: Senior. He’s back to lead the Crockett flex-bone offense, which also shows some wing-T looks. Pratt will spend more time under center than in the shot gun but will still look to throw some.

Classmates Josh Owens and Nate Sarver will be his help in the back field, Sarver also serving as the leader of the defense as he returns for his third year to start at inside linebacker. Zach Stephenson is a three-year starter up front.

Big Names: Luke Pratt (QB/P, 6-3, 160, Sr.), Josh Owens (RB/LB, 6-0, 225, Sr.), Nate Sarver (RB/LB, 5-11, 215, Sr.), Zach Stephenson (OT, 5-11, 240, Sr.), Tyler Riggsbee (OG/OLB, 6-1, 215, Sr.).

All-time playoff record: 23-18 Best season(s): 2001 — Class 3A finals

Dyersburg TROJANS

Quick Hits: Entering his 11th year as the Trojans’ head coach, Bart Stowe has built a program that reloads rather than rebuilds. That needs to be the case this season as Dyersburg looks to replace a more than 20 seniors from last year’s squad, including the starting quar terback, three of the starting line men and all but one starter across the defensive front. The Trojans are talented at running back, though, with Trae Taylor, Israel Barbee and Darius Harris. Taylor started last season until he was benched by an injury. Barbee then came in to fill the spot, while Harris played a lot late in the season. Sean Harris is a three-year starter and preseason all-stater on the offensive line, while Bell started last year and returns to the center spot. Their presence, as well as some talented receivers, will lead the wing-T attack until a quar terback steps up. Dre Welch is the lone returner up front in the team’s even-front look on defense. Still, Dyersburg is strong on that side as the linebacker and defensive back positions are loaded with talent and experience.

Big Names: Sean Harris (OL, 6-3, 285, Sr.), Jacob Bell (OL/LB, 5-10, 185, Sr.), Trae Taylor (RB/LB, 5-10, 175, Sr.), Israel Barbee (RB, 5-8, 170, Jr.), Brandon Miller (RB/ DB, 5-9, 165, Sr.), Darius Harris (RB/LB, 6-1, 255, So.), Trevino King (WR/DB, 5-9, 155, Sr.), Tyler Lee (WR/DB, 6-2, 175, Sr.), Dre Welch (DL, 5-8, 275, Sr.), Christian Fisher (TE/LB, 6-0, 195, Sr.).

All-time playoff record: 21-24

Best season(s): 2006 — Class 3A semifinals

Haywood TOMCATS

Quick Hits: Head coach Chris Smith is new to the Tomcat pro gram, but he’s not new to West Tennessee football or to success, having guided Germantown to a winning run that included a berth in the 6A quarterfinals last season and

a 23-2 overall record the past two years. The Haywood team he takes over is again blessed with talent and experience, perhaps good enough to make another trip to Cookeville in early December. Darion Williamson has committed to Tennessee and is one player on yet another Haywood roster packed with talent and skill. The new-look spread offense will showcase the talents of Williamson and a loaded Tomcat roster. Andrew Reed will make a bigger impact on defense.

Big Names: Atlex Evans (RB, 60, 180, Jr.), Andrew Reed (WR/DB, 5-11, 185, Sr.), Darion Williamson (RB/LB, 6-3, 195, Sr.), Kendall Bond (OL, 5-10, 265, Sr.)

All-time playoff record: 27-28

Best season(s): 1994, 1995, 2018 — Class 4A finals

Obion Central REBELS

Quick Hits: Head coach and OCCHS alum Paul Decker takes over calling the offense this season as the Rebels switch to a spread look while still focusing on short bursts and ball control.

For more on the Rebels, see pages 8 and 9.

All-time playoff record: 3-11

Best season(s): 2003 — Class 3A second round; 2011, 2017 — Class 4A second round

Ripley TIGERS

Quick Hits: The Tigers made some noise last season by mak ing the playoffs and then winning their opening game. With 14 start ers returning, Justin Cruse’s squad could be ready to challenge Crockett County and Dyersburg for a home game in the opening round of the postseason this year. In fact, Cruse says the culture change within the locker room and the community has taken place, and that a winning attitude is in place following a 2018 season that was a lot better than the final 4-8 record looks. On the field, the Tigers switch to a wing-T look to take advantage of Hunter Crowder’s skill set and also to find more ways to get the ball to Corterrion Moore, Gage Barham, Ke’Darius Currie and big-play threat Trevon Anderson. Ripley also has a key intangible in kicker Caleb Hawkins.

Big Names: Corterrion Moore (RB/LB, 5-9, 165, Jr.), Hunter Crowder (QB, 5-11, 182, Sr.), Gage Barham (WR/DB, 5-11, 162, Sr.), Ke’Darius Currie (WR/FS, 5-9, 158, Sr.), Caleb Hawkins (K, 6-3, 205, Sr.), Trevon Anderson (RB/DB, 5-9, 163, Sr.), David Owen (OL/DL, 6-6, 360, Jr.)

All-time playoff record: 8-15

Best season(s): 1982 — Class AA quarterfinals; 1985 — Class AAA quarterfinals

Atlex

UC skipper: Involvement fuels success

BY KEVIN WEAKS Messenger Sports Editor

A visit to what Union City bills as its “media day” where football player

cheerleader team and individual photos are taken gives a good indica tion of parent involvement within the program.

Head coach Darren Bowling says the more, the merrier.

Bowling wants as many parents as possible to be involved in the Golden Tornado program in as many ways as possible.

He’s seen it pay off on the field.

“I’ve noticed that when you have a group that has good parents, good par ent participation and kids who love the game, that always seems to be good,” he said. “When you have parents that are involved as well, those are the successful teams. The parents that are gung-ho and wanting to be involved in everything you’re doing, those teams seem to be better for some reason. But, when you have a team coming along, and you really rarely ever see the parents, they’re not really doing a whole lot, they’re not excited about anything, then I think that bleeds over into the kids.”

Bowling believes one of the rea sons numbers are down across the country stems from a lack of guidance at home, where youngsters are not encouraged to play.

“There’s so much negativity out there about concussions and people getting hurt,” he said. “A parent might say, ‘Well, I don’t discourage my kid from playing football.’ You might not be discouraging, but are you encourag ing? That’s a thing, too.

“I still say football is the greatest laboratory for life. There’s no other sport that teaches as much about life. All the other sports are great, too — I played them all and learned a lot from them. But in football, you’re going to get knocked down, you’re going to get banged up and you’re going to have highs and lows. Those are lessons that young people need to learn, and I think parents are missing out when they don’t encourage their kids to play football. I didn’t say make them play. I don’t think you need to make a kid play, but I think parents should at least encourage it to get them around teachers and coaches who care about them and try to make better people out of them.”

FULL STAFF: The South Fulton sideline will have its full roster of coaches this season.

That wasn’t the case last year when head man Eric Knott underwent thera py for throat cancer.

While its head coach was fighting the disease, missing practices and games as a result, the Red Devil team was learning a life lesson in persever ance and being able to adjust and improvise a daily schedule.

“We make a plan, and then we adjust the plan,” Knott said. “We always plan to have our coaches here, just like we plan to have all our players here. But, we also have a plan if somebody’s sick or hurt or somebody has a family emergency. If a subordinate, whether it’s a teacher or player or whoever, sees their superior start making excus es, then that leaves excuses open to them and it trickles down.”

FULL SPLIT: There will be no pri vate schools on the path to any of the six Division I state championships.

A decision by the TSSAA goes into effect this athletic year that puts all private schools in Division II.

Many private schools made the move prior to the last two-year sched uling cycle, and the nine remaining schools begin Division II play in all sports this season.

Locally, that will affect Union City immediately as Trinity Christian moves out of Region 7-2A, leaving the league with six teams. In addition, Columbia Academy is also gone.

That likely will have an impact throughout the school year as Union City and South Fulton have played TCA in the softball postseason, while UC has also faced the Lions in the postseason of both baseball and ten nis.

While those schools are gone, the team that knocked out South Fulton from the football playoffs last season — Freedom Prep — is still a Class 1A program.

LC poised to be force across state

Lake County sits atop Region 71A, and it looks like the Falcons are firmly situated there.

Loaded with talent and experi ence, LC looks to take the 2019 season at least one step further than in ’18 when the team reached the 1A semifinals before losing to Cornersville.

West Carroll is possibly the stron gest contender for the top spot as Josh Wolfe has built a strong pro gram in Atwood. Dresden, under first-time head coach Wes Johnson, looks to get back on top of the dis trict after falling all the way out of the playoffs last season.

South Fulton is strong up front and has experience at the skill spots, so another playoff spot — maybe even a postseason game at home — is in the plans.

Dresden LIONS

Quick Hits: The Lions had a down year last season after Drake Yates suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4, and then more injuries kept popping up the rest of the season, including to Zach Crawford, who is a gifted athlete. Levi Estes turned in his resignation as the head coach and now the Lions will have Wes Johnson guiding them in his firstever head coach job.

Big Names: Divers Lockhart (WR/FS, 6-0, 165, Sr.)

Gleason BULLDOGS

Quick Hits: It appears to be a recurring theme for head coach Noah Lampkins — low numbers and young players. Head coach Noah Lampkins only had 22 players during the early summer workouts.

Big Names: Dawson Arnold (WB/ DB, 6-0, 165, Jr.)

All-time playoff record: 2-11 Best season(s): 2008 and 2011 — 1A second round.

Greenfield YELLOWJACKETS

Quick Hits: Nyrail Jackson and Grant Huffstetler led the Yellowjackets to an 8-4 record and a second-round appearance in the state playoffs. They were seniors and are no longer in high school.

Big Names: Keylon Thomas (RB/ LB, 5-8, 150, Jr.)

Humboldt VIKINGS

Quick Hits: The Vikings could be on the on the way up with Anthony Ballard entering his second season as the head coach, and he has 13 returning starters to help him out. Key returners for the Vikings will be senior quarterback Malik Cox and senior running back CJ Webb.

Big Names: Nakail Williams (OL/ DL, Sr.)

Lake County FALCONS

Quick Hits: The Falcons unseated Dresden from the top spot in Region 7-1A last season, even though they gave up 60 points to the Lions when they met in Week 3. Puckett’s team is loaded once again with senior quarterback Tanner Snyder, senior tight end Campbell Puckett, and senior running back Larry Tubbs leading the way.

Big Names: Tanner Snyder (QB/ LB, 6-3, 240, Sr.)

South Fulton RED DEVILS

The Red Devils return a big and experienced line on offense, plenty of statistical leaders on both sides of the ball .... and Greg Davis.

For more on South Fulton, see pages 12 and 13.

West Carroll WAR EAGLES

Quick Hits: The War Eagles were vastly improved last season and fin ished with an impressive 8-4 record. Head coach Josh Wolfe, entering his fifth year, only has 10 starters back from a team that had 18 returning starters in 2018. The running game should be the strong point for the Eagles this season with two seniors carrying the ball and one junior.

Big Names: Jeremiah Bryant (RB/SS, 5-10, 200, Sr.)

No weeks off scheduled for area teams

There aren’t many ‘off’ weeks

the local football

Looking ahead at some of the non-region games Obion Central, South Fulton and Union City will be playing in 2019, some of the area’s best teams and top talent will be across the line of scrimmage.

Union City will play two Class 4A schools in Jackson South Side and Dyersburg (see the Region 74A preview), while Obion Central will take on a Westview team that features one of the most highlyrecruited players in the state as quarterback Ty Simpson is drawing national attention heading into his sophomore year.

Fulton County will be South Fulton’s second opponent of the season, and the Pilots could make a serious push for a state champi onship in Kentucky’s Class A ranks this season.

Westview CHARGERS

Quick Hits: The one question on the minds of the Westview fans is will the Chargers end their four-year playoff drought? New head coach Matt McConnell certainly hopes so. McConnell is used to winning and he will not accept anything less. That is why the workouts and prac tices are intense, which is also getting the players stronger. The tempo of the offense is going to be quick — really quick — and the Chargers have the players to execute it. It will be up to quarter back Ty Simpson to see that the offensive line, wide receivers and running back get to their set position as soon a possible to keep the flow of the game going at the fast pace that McConnell wants. The defense is based on 3-4 schemes, which should give some rest to linemen who have to play both ways. Getting the Chargers into the playoffs will not be easy. Region 7-3A is tough with teams like Covington, which made it to state championship the last two seasons.

Big Names: Ty Simpson (QB, 61, 180, So.), Garrett Byrd (WR, 6-1, 170, Sr.), Marquis Taylor (RB, 5-10, 165, Jr.).

All-time playoff record: 28-23 Best season(s): 2001 — 2A run ner-up.

Dyer Co. CHOCTAWS

Quick Hits: Senior quarterback Dain Patterson returns to lead the offense after suffering an injury late last season, and he will need to be the leader as the Choctaws look to replace most of the line and backfield in the spread set. While the backfield will be new, senior LaQuinton Wells is powerful and has good field vision and is likely set to take over the bulk of the work.

Patterson should have plenty of experienced receivers, led by senior Garrett Sawyer. Kemani Lewis pro tects Patterson from his left tackle spot. Remi Halliburton, a starter since his freshman year, is a proven talent on defense, good at closing off the edge while also strong at rushing the passer. Sawyer is a tal ent in the defensive secondary and has started since his sophomore year. Head coach David Whittle’s troops advanced to the Class 5A state playoffs last season, losing in the first round and finishing 6-5.

Big Names: Dain Patterson (QB, 5-11, 175, Sr.), Jake Willis (LB, 6-2, 218, Sr.), Garrett Sawyer (WR, 510, 165, Sr.), Remi Halliburton (DE, 5-10, 248, Sr.).

All-time playoff record: 10-16 Best season(s): 1973 — Class A state champion.

Jackson South Side HAWKS

Quick Hits: After posting a 10-2 season in 2018 and advancing to the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs, it might be expect ed that head coach Tyler Reeder simply tweak his team’s style to account for those who graduated and the players replacing them. Not so on offense. With former UT Martin quarterback Derek Carr now running the offense, the Hawks scrapped their two-back, power run ning attack for a more open pro-

style spread that features RPOs (run-pass options). While the senior class is large with 17 players, only three have any real experience. The team returns three starters and will play numerous juniors and sopho mores. JSS has big shoes to fill on offense, but Harold Ingram and Timothy Douglas are poised to do that in the backfield while Tyrelle Turner and Desean Pope should be able to display their pass-catch ing abilities in the new look. A 3-4 defensive set needs tough players up front who can take on doubleteams and athletic linebackers who can roam and make plays. With Jadarius Neely and Douglas, the Hawks can check both boxes.

Big Names: Harold Ingram (RB/S, Sr.), Timothy Douglas (FB/ OLB, Sr.), Tyrelle Turner (Slot/CB, Sr.), Jadarius Neely (OL/DL, Sr.), Desean Pope (WR/S, Jr.).

All-time playoff record: 13-19

Best season(s): 2000 — 3A semifinals.

Fulton Co. PILOTS

Quick Hits: James Bridges has a junior-dominated roster and a program on the rise, and that could translate into a deep playoff run for the Pilots. While Bridges admits he’s not a big fan of 7-on-7 camps, he felt participating in as

many as possible over the sum mer was necessary as FC switches to a multiple offense that will fea ture spread, empty backfield and power-I sets. The skeleton crew was successful, too, beating the likes of Marshall County, Paducah Tilghman, McCracken County, Graves County, Lake County and Portageville, Mo. Caleb Kimble is a cut above, garnering plenty of pre season attention and will be used as a ball-carrier and pass-catcher. Rod Beard is ready to step in at the fullback spot after playing some at the line on both sides last season. The defense is big and tough, led by the front four in the 4-3 base look. In addition, junior cornerbacks Josh Cole and Devin Turner are big hitters in the secondary. While the Pilots are loaded with talent, their biggest rivals in the First District have a lot of new faces. Crittenden County graduated 17 players, while Russellville graduated 12.

Big Names: Caleb Kimble (RB, 5-10, 185, Sr.), Rod Beard (FB, 6-3, 250, So.), Dylan Hammond (DE, 64, 225, Jr.), Broc Bridges (DE, 6-4, 210, Jr.), Tyler Love (DT, 6-2, 330, Jr.), John David Swain (DT, 6-1, 280, DT).

All-time playoff record: 8-23

Best season(s): 1993 — Kentucky Class A semifinals.

Vols hope familiarity breeds success

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt believes his team can benefit from the lessons he learned in his debut season as a head coach.

Pruitt said he spent so much time last year concentrating on big-pic ture issues for the long-term health of the program that he didn’t build close enough relationships with the players. He made an effort to cor rect that problem this offseason.

“Just based off time naturally you’re going to have more of a rela tionship,” Pruitt said. “We know each other. I’m satisfied that our players know the expectations every single day with whatever presents itself in our program.

“We know our guys. We know where their strengths are, where their weaknesses are and we’ve been able to build on that in the offseason.”

Tennessee is counting on that improved familiarity with Pruitt to help the Volunteers return to rel evance.

Tennessee went 5-7 in Pruitt’s debut year while posting a sec ond straight last-place finish in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division.

The Vols are still dealing with change. Pruitt brought in new coor dinators on both sides of the ball and also brought in new receivers coach Tee Martin, the quarterback of Tennessee’s 1998 national cham pionship team.

Pruitt and his staff have com bined to either play or coach on 16 national championship teams.

“Having Pruitt here a second year here makes me even more hungry because I know what he wants as a coach,” wide receiver Jauan Jennings said. “This whole coach ing staff is nothing but winners. We just need that to carry on through the whole team.”

Tennessee’s fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons is Jim Chaney, who held the same position at Georgia the last three years.

Derrick Ansley is Tennessee’s third defensive coordinator in the last three years.

Even amid all that upheaval, Tennessee believes it will benefit because players have a better idea what to expect from Pruitt.

Outside linebackers coach Chris Rumph uses a real estate analogy to make that point.

Rumph said when he bought his house last year, he would turn the lights off and bump into walls because of his unfamiliarity with the place. Now that he’s had a year to adjust, he’s more comfortable at home.

“It’s the same thing with those guys,” Rumph said. “They know

what to expect. Now we can really coach and teach ball instead of just the little things we had to do last year.”

Here are some things to watch with Tennessee this year:

MISTAKE-FREE QB: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano gets sacked too often and is only 6-12 as a starter, but his ability to avoid turnovers gives Tennessee reason for confidence.

Guarantano has just five intercep tions in 385 career pass attempts. Guarantano will be throwing to an experienced receiving corps featur ing Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer.

TAYLOR’S RUSH: Outside line backer Darrell Taylor had eight sacks last season, the highest total of any returning SEC player.

Seven of those sacks came

against Georgia and Kentucky. Tennessee has nobody else who collected more than two sacks a year ago.

LINE QUESTIONS: Tennessee has no returning starters on the defensive line and lost its most experienced player at that spot when Emmit Gooden tore the ante rior cruciate ligament in his right knee during preseason camp.

More season-ending injuries and issues have occured during pre season camp.

The offensive line has plenty of experience but a poor track record over the last two seasons.

CHANEY’S IMPACT: Tennessee’s new offensive coordinator has a rep utation for getting the best from his quarterbacks, including stints work ing with Drew Brees at Purdue and Nathan Peterman at Pittsburgh.

Chaney’s presence could help Guarantano produce a big season.

“Me and him have a good rela tionship,” Guarantano said. “He’s always joking around, but when it’s time to get serious, I tell him to coach me as hard as he can.”

NEW DEFENSE: After making all the defensive calls last year, Pruitt says he’s ceding those responsibili ties to Ansley this season.

Ansley was Alabama’s defensive backs coach in 2016-17 when Pruitt was the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator.

Vandy ready to become

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE (AP) — Derek Mason has reason to be excited about the upcoming football season with the Southeastern Conference’s top returning rusher and receiver back along with his top tight end back at Vanderbilt.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Kalija Lipscomb and Jared Pinkney all believe they can help the Commodores reach higher goals.

“I had a lot of goals that I didn’t achieve so personally, team-wise,” Pinkney said. “I feel that we can be better as a team, and I definitely feel that I can be better as a player.”

They helped Vanderbilt go 6-7 in a season capped by a 45-38 loss to Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

The Commodores have won at least five games each of the past three seasons under Mason, who got a contract extension in February, and reached two bowls in that span. They’ve also won three straight against in-state rival Tennessee for their longest winning streak in this series since the 1920s.

Mason must replace quarterback Kyle Shurmur after four seasons.

The Vanderbilt coach does have Vaughn who ran for 1,244 yards last season and averaged 7.9 yards per carry and 103.7 yards per game to help along with Lipscomb, who caught 87 passes for 916 yards and nine touchdowns.

Vaughn is back because he didn’t like what he heard about his NFL draft grade, and he also will gradu ate in December.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Vaughn said.

Lipscomb didn’t reach the goals he set with his parents to trigger a decision to leave college.

“I didn’t do that and I like to con sider myself a man of my word, so here I am,” Lipscomb said.

How high were his goals?

“They were pretty lofty,” Lipscomb said. “And you know they’re higher this year, so we’ll keep pushing.”

BEST TEAM: Mason has not hid his expectations that this is the best team he’s had since arriving at Vanderbilt as he goes into his sixth season. He’s 24-38 overall and 9-31 in SEC play as only the second Vanderbilt coach to take the Commodores to more than one bowl game.

WHO’S AT QB: Mason is looking for a starter at quarterback and let ting Riley Neal, a graduate transfer from Ball State, compete with Deuce Wallace during fall practice before making a choice.

Neal threw for 7,393 yards and 46 TDs in 34 games at Ball State, while Wallace backed up Shurmur in 2017 before being suspended last season. Mason isn’t letting his quar terbacks talk to reporters until he picks his quarterback. Either Neal or Wallace should give new offensive coordinator Gerry Gdowski more options with their abilities to run in an offense that will be a bit more spread out.

LINE CHANGES: Mason also must find three new starters on the line with center Bruno Reagan and left tackle Justin Skule gone. Devin Cochran is expected to move to left tackle. But the Vanderbilt coach sounds pretty confident in his options, which includes graduate transfer Rowan Godwin who played last season at South Alabama. Mason says Godwin solidified for him where the Commodores will be on the line with at least nine linemen available.

BOOSTED DEFENSE: Two of Vanderbilt’s five graduate transfers for this season are on defense in cor nerback Cam Watkins, a Nashville native who started 16 games at Illinois, and defensive tackle Eddie Zinn-Turner, who had three sacks last season at Marist. Watkins can help fill the void left by New England drafting Joejuan Williams in the sec ond round in April.

Vandy running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn is among the SEC elites.

’Bama still sits atop league, but Georgia eyeing throne

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)

— Alabama is still king in the Southeastern Conference, if not nationally.

Nothing that happened in the national championship game changed that, beyond serving as a heartening reminder that Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide isn’t in fact invulnerable.

The pursuit continues in the SEC, with Georgia again leading the chase pack after coming ever so close the past two seasons — in league and national championship games.

So Tide players are motivated by the mantra “never be satisfied.”

For Georgia, the catchphrase is “do more.” Meanwhile, both can eye each other throughout the regular season just in case they meet again in the SEC title game.

An Alabama team that won every regular-season game by at least 22 points, had to rally to beat the Bulldogs in Atlanta with the SEC title on the line before ultimately getting pummeled 44-16 by Clemson in the national championship game.

“Our mantra now for our guys that we have as a leadership group is to never be satisfied,” said Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, last season’s runner up for the Heisman Trophy. “Early in the season, we’d been beating teams by a lot. Of course you’re going to get satisfied, because you feel invincible as a team. But never being satisfied is the way to go for us. We’ve just got to keep going until we get what we want.”

Georgia safety J.R. Reed says the Bulldogs can’t focus on a poten tial SEC title game rematch with the Tide.

“We can’t look ahead way down the line, because we might not make it there if we look way down there,” Reed said. “We can’t count our eggs before they hatch.”

Teams like Florida, LSU and Texas A&M are ready to pounce if either favorite falters. All three, like Georgia and Alabama, have high hopes and veteran quarterbacks .

In fact, eight SEC quarterback starters return and four other teams could start graduate transfers.

While Alabama’s nonconference schedule is less formidable than usual, other potential SEC contend ers have some big ones. Auburn opens with Oregon in Arlington, Texas. Then on Sept. 7, Texas A&M visits Clemson and LSU is at Texas before Georgia hosts Notre Dame on Sept. 21.

So there should be plenty of drama on the road to Atlanta.

Here are some things to know about the SEC this season: THE FAVORITES

East: If any team is threatening the SEC supremacy of Alabama’s program, it’s Georgia. The Bulldogs have not only challenged the Tide on the field but on the recruiting trail.

Led by quarterback Jake Fromm, Georgia is the clear favorite to win a third consecutive division title. The Florida Gators are coming off Dan Mullen’s 10-win debut season and Missouri is boosted by the addition of quarterback Kelly Bryant, a for mer Clemson starter.

West: Alabama remains the favorite, as usual. But LSU’s Ed Orgeron and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher are trying to build on solid 2018 seasons when the Tigers won 10 games and the Aggies went 9-4. Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State are breaking in new quarterbacks.

TOP PLAYERS

Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn: Opted to return for his senior sea son though he’s a highly rated NFL prospect. Centerpiece of what could be one of the nation’s top defensive lines.

Grant Delpit , DB, LSU: A unani mous All-American and finalist for the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender. Delpit led the league with five interceptions but also had

74 tackles and five sacks.

Fromm, QB, Georgia: One of the nation’s most efficient pass ers, ranking fifth last season. Has 54 touchdown passes against just 13 interceptions in two seasons as starter.

C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida: The latest standout defensive back for the Gators. Has six interceptions over the past two seasons and returned a pair of them for touch downs in 2017.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama: Tagovailoa’s favorite target won the Biletnikoff Award last season and is a big-time deep threat. Hard to double team because the Tide has many weapons.

Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: Was the SEC offensive player of the year and lost out on the Heisman to Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray in his first season as the starter. He set Alabama single-season passing records with 43 touchdowns and 3,966 yards.

Andrew Thomas, LT, Georgia: A second-team AP All-American last season, he’s one of the nation’s bet ter offensive lineman. Helps protect Fromm and pave the way for a run ning game led by D’Andre Swift.

Quarterback

Stops bigger than sacks for Titans

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee expects more sacks from coordina tor Dean Pees’ defense.

The goal is part of the defense’s anticipated overall improvement, but it’s not the Titans’ primary focus.

“We get so caught up sometimes in like, well, if a guy didn’t have a lot of sacks that he must not be playing particularly well,” Pees said. “Well, the team that led the league last year in sacks was also 31st on defense. Between me, I’d rather be eight on defense and midway in the sacks, just me personally. ... Guys who have a lot of sacks doesn’t mean they’re playing great defense. It means they got a lot of sacks.”

Tennessee had 39 sacks in 2018, tying for 16th in the NFL. The Titans would like to be better in that cat egory.

Nonetheless, Pees is more wor ried about the Titans doing what’s asked of them within the defensive scheme, even if that means sac rificing sack numbers. Tennessee made a few personnel changes on a defense that ranked third in few est points allowed, eighth in fewest yards allowed and sixth against the pass in 2018.

TENNESSEE TITANS

S.

Brian Orakpo had 11 2 sacks in his final season, and the Titans didn’t bring back veteran linebacker Derrick Morgan, who managed only a half-sack. Tennessee’s big offsea son move came with the free agent signing of Cameron Wake who has 98 career sacks but turned 37 in January.

Four-time Pro Bowl lineman Jurrell Casey led Tennessee with seven sacks, and veteran linebacker Wesley Woodyard had 41 2

The Titans are also counting on some young players for an improved pass rush.

Jayon Brown, going into his third season, had a career-best six sacks last season, and Harold Landry III, expected to start opposite Wake, had 41 2 sacks.

Linebacker Rashaan Evans, the first-round pick out of Alabama last year, missed last preseason with an injury and still is looking for his first sack and might get more chances to rush quarterbacks this season.

Landry, who was a second-round pick out of Boston College last year, is up to 255 pounds after playing around 240 pounds at times as a rookie last season.

He’s worked to add strength and explosiveness with the Titans hiring his old BC strength coach Frank Piraino.

LAST YEAR: Vrabel just missed the playoffs in his debut season despite enough issues to distract any veteran head coach. They opened with longest game (in overall time) in NFL history, losing top pass catcher TE Delanie Walker to season-ending injury in the process. Most experi enced receiver Rishard Matthews was released at his demand, and DC Dean Pees was in the hospital for a loss in Indianapolis. QB Marcus Mariota also missed three starts, including season finale.

NFL:

season!winning