TN Prep Football

Storylines/Questions I have going into the season...... How will Eagleton fare in it's first season? This team won't be on alot of people's radar, but I feel like Eagleton is a program that could have alot of potential and is led by a HC that's widely respected in coaching circles (Stephen Childs). Not expecting instant but in 3-4 years, I feel like this team could be a regular in the playoffs. Is East Robertson the favorite in Region 3-2A? Coach Brooks didn't waste any time at East Robertson, going 11-2 and setting a school record for wins in the process. The Indians do face tough competition within their region with teams like Smith Co, Trousdale Co and Monterey,  but with the Groves Brothers all back you have to like their chances. Can Smith Co overcome losing Kaden Powell to Beech? Smith Co took a big when starting quarterback Kaden Powell transferred to Beech. With him,  Smith Co was in the conversation of teams expected to contend for a state championship. W...

 Questions/Storylines in Class 3A that interest as we approach the 2023 Season.... Can Gatlinburg-Pittman improve on its 11-2 record this season? GP took a big step forward in 2022, improving on its 7-5 record in 2021 with a 4 win improvement. Both losses came at the hand of juggernaut Alcoa. The schedule is very favorable, but they still have to do with the Alcoa roadblock and its hard to see them being prepared to face them when there isnt really anyone on the schedule that is close to being on their level. Not out of the question for GP to go unbeaten in the regular season Does ANYONE pose a threat to Alcoa? Since 2004, Alcoa has been the most dominant program in the state and one of the most dominant in the country, winning a state championship in 16 of their last 19 seasons, including 8 consecutive championships. With a strong nucleus coming back as well as some talented, it seems unlikely that trend stops any time soon. Alcoa does face a stiff non-region schedule with games a...

 Taking a look today at the questions I have for Class 4A entering the 2023 season...... Who will advance to the semifinals bewteen Anderson County, Elizabethton and Greeneville? Since the expansion to the current 6 class system in 2009, the state champion from Class 4A has been from East Tennessee all but 3 times. Anderson County finally broke through last season after years of wondering what could have been and claimed a state title of their own. Barring a major upset, we should expect to see 2 of these 3 teams in the quarterfinals. Elizabethon is looking to bounce back from a rebuilding season and fully expect them to be right there. AC has enough talent returning where a successful defense of their title is possible. Can Red Bank still be successful after the transfer of Daune Morris? Red Bank is coming off a successful 2022 campaign that saw them advance all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Anderson County. The Lions seemed primed for another...

Today we take a look at some of the storylines/questions heading into the 2023 Season..... Can Knoxville West repeat? Since the TSSAA went to 6 public school classes in 2009, the state champion from the previous season has only successfully defended their title once ( Knox Central in 2019) . Their defense from a season ago is mostly intact and reports are their offense has made strides up to this point. A very challenging non-region schedule will give us a good idea if West is up to the task in 2023 Will Powell make another deep run in the postseason? If it wasnt for Knoxville West, Powell might have very well repeated as 5A champions. Powell made it all the way back to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion by 7. Week 1 contest against 4A Champion Anderson should be a game to circle for the opening week of the season. How will Oak Ridge fare in Year 1 under Derek Rang? Following the contraversial ouster of Scott Cummings after just 1 season, Oak Ridge looks to hit the r...

In this post we look at 10 Coaches that have less than 10 years of experience, but have been very successful early in their careers as a Head Coach...... Shane Jacobs ( Peabody, 93-16 with 3 State Championships): Jacobs is easily the most successful of the coaches on the list, compiling a .853 winning percentage in his 8 seasons with 3 consecutive state championships from 2018-2020. Peabody has failed to advance to the quarterfinals only once with Jacobs at the helm Randall Boldin ( Whitwell & Waverly, 61-15 with 1 State Chammpionahip): Boldin hit the ground running at Whitwell, going 11-2 in his first season at Whitwell and took them to even greater heights next season, winning the 2018 Class A title. Boldin parlayed that success into a move to AA Waverly where he has won 35 games in 4 seasons. Thomas Osteen ( Marshall Co., 82-30): Osteen doesnt have a state title to his name, but he has racked an impressive 82-30 record with 3 semifinal appearances in 9 seasons. You can always co...

Today I'm talking about the storyline in 6A that intrigue me the most. This isn't a preview, more like a glance at most of the teams that will contend in 6A this year.... Can Maryville continue its 2-6A dominance? For the last 25 years Maryville has been not only one of the most dominant programs in the state, but the country as well, winning an incredible 14 state championships over the last quarter century, with 6 of those titles occurring after they jumped up to Class 6A. While Maryville hasn't won a state championship since 2019, they've still been nearly automatic in region play, winning 22 league championships in a row, but that could all change in 2023. Bearden, Bradley Central and Cleveland all could challenge the Rebels for the region crown. Bearden boasts a young but talented team that showed improvement over the course of the 2022 season. Bradley Central has added some key players this off-season, most notably UT commit Boo Carter. Cleveland made a splash by ...

The 10 Coaching hires that caught my eye this off-season (in no particular order) Jamaal Stewart ( Centennial ): Not sure alot of people expected Centennial to hit a home run in their search for a Head Coach, but that's exactly what they did in hiring Stewart. He comes by way of East Nashville where he took them to heights they've never gone before finishing runner-up each of the last 2 seasons.  He takes over a Centennial team that had a nice bounce back season, going 8-3 and making the playoffs for the first time in 5 seasons. They will move down to 5A , competing in District 6, which features tough programs like Page and Nolensville Matt Kriesky ( Blackman ): it always seemed inevitable that Kriesky would make his way back to Rutherford County, a place that he spent alot of his years as an assistant.  Kriesky had an up and down tenure at Centennial (which has never been an easy job), but he will bring a toughness and stability that Blackman has sorely lacked in recent yea...

Welcome to my humble little blog where I'll talk about anything pertaining to high school football in state of Tennessee. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject and gladly welcome debate if you have a differing opinion on the topic