Whitehaven Tigers
Photo by Chris Evans
The
Whitehaven High School Tigers had a year to remember as their football team not only recorded a perfect 15-0 season, but also secured the Tennessee 6A state championship to finish ranked as the 54th best football team in the nation according to the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.
The 8th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions visited the Memphis area school, the first of fifty stops, to present the Army National Guard national ranking trophy to the championship team with parents, teachers, administrators, and of course students in attendance. Coming off a previous season in which they only recorded one loss, the Tigers entered this season with a mission to win, as Coach Rodney Saulsberry calls it, the "gold ball."
And they did exactly that. Now it's time to celebrate their achievements.
During the pep rally, Whitehaven's band filled the auditorium with the spirit that has supported this nationally-recognized team throughout its season. As the players made their way to the stage to receive their Tour of Champions commemorative t-shirts, an endless chant of "TIGERS! TIGERS! TIGERS!" rang from the crowd. Staff Sergeant Paul Gilbert of the Tennessee Army National Guard then addressed the crowd and presented the prestigious trophy to Coach Saulsberry and his team.
Winning the Tennessee 6A state championship was quite an achievement for Coach Saulsberry and the Whitehaven Tigers football team, allowing the school and community to celebrate something that it never has before.
