Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
Best Player: Marlon Brown, Sr. WR, Harding Academy (Memphis)
Don’t look for gaudy numbers from the 6-foot-5, 205-pound talent, considered one of the top three receivers in the country. Harding Academy isn’t blessed with a potent passing attack, so he’ll likely turn in similar numbers to last year when he hauled in 41 passes for 861 yards and six scores. But expect the team’s coaching staff to keep figuring out ways to get Brown the ball. He carried the ball 58 times for 629 yards and 10 scores last year. Raised by his grandmother, Brown feels an obligation to stay near his home state in college. But don’t be completely surprised if Pac-10 schools USC, UCLA or Stanford don’t woo him out west. Returning state leaders - Passing: Jeff Link (White Station) 158 of 276, 2,544 yards, 29 TDs; Rushing: Gabriel Hunter (Kingsbury) 176 rushes, 2,169 yards, 24 TDs.
Best All-Time Player: Reggie White, DE, Howard
Not long after he starred at Howard in Chattanooga and at the University of Tennessee, White was an absolute terror in the NFL. Playing for the Eagles, Packers and Panthers, he amassed 1,112 tackles and 198 career sacks.
2008 Must See: Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville) at Brentwood Academy
In an Oct. 10 rematch of the 2007 state Division II-AA game, the home team will attempt to gain revenge after incurring a 12-0 defeat last November. Brentwood Academy, ranked No. 28 nationally in the MaxPreps preseason poll, graduated three all-state players but return 16 starters, including nationally-recruited OL Alex Bullard, DL/TE Thad McHaney, DL Barry Dabney, WR D.J. Juna and DB Jeremy Martin. Montgomery Bell returns QB Spencer Wise and seven other starters: OL Wesley Johnson, DL Scott Bubis, TB Patrick Crum, DB Reggie Ford, OL Owen Lipscomb, LB Barrett Jacques and TE Joseph Sloan. These two teams have shared the national spotlight before with Montgomery Bell earning USA Today Top-25 national rankings in 1999 (No. 16), 2000 (No. 19) and 2003 (No. 15), while Brentwood Academy was ranked in 1988 (No. 8), 1995 (No. 6) and 1996 (No. 7).
On The Throne: Smyrna/Maryville
Smyrna, the two-time defending state 5A champions, had an 81-man roster last season and only 27 of them were seniors. Blessed with arguably the best sophomore class in the state, if not the country, the Bulldogs carried a whopping 35 sophomores all of whom figure to make a strong contribution this season. They were the top ranked team in the state’s preseason coaches 5A poll with 17 first-place votes to 11 for Riverdale. Other top ranked teams per division were Brentwood Academy (DII-AA), Maryville (4A), Fulton (3A), Alcoa (2A) and South Pittsburg (1A) 35. Maryville hasn’t lost a game since 2003, a streak of 60 games. Its won four straight state crowns, eight overall, and has won 99 of its last 100. Maryville (15-0) was No. 10 in USA Today’s final national rankings last season.
Best Rivalry: Science Hill (Johnson City) vs. Dobyns-Bennett (Kingsport)
Rivalries run rampant in the Volunteer State, from South Pittsburg vs. Marion County to Morristown East vs. Morristown West, to Germantown vs. Houston. But none has more tradition or standing than Science Hill and Dobyns-Bennett. Just ask Steve Spurrier, who played three sports at Science Hill in the early 1960s.
Future Star: RB Jeremiah Bryson (Smyrna)
No freshman in the state – perhaps country – had a bigger impact last season than the 5-9, 180-pound running back. Smyrna coach Philip Shadowens brought along the talented freshman slowly, but after the fifth game set him loose, helping his team to a state 5A title. Bryson was selected the game MVP with 187 yards rushing. “We didn’t know as a freshman he’d be able to carry the brunt of the running game on the 5A level,” Shadowens told MaxPreps National Football Editor Stephen Spiewak. “But from the first day in pads, you could tell he was able to handle it physically.”
Fun Facts
Dobyns-Bennett leads the state all-time in victories with 700 (208 losses, 28 ties). It is followed by Montgomery Bell Academy (650-310-46) and Maryville (644-213-33). Other Tennessee squads to earn USA Today final Top-25 national rankings: Jefferson County (1987, No. 4), Riverdale (1994, No. 9), Maryville (2007, No. 10), Red Bank (2000, No. 10), Lincoln County (1990, No. 14), Riverdale (2004, No. 15), Gallatin (1992, No. 16), Lincoln County (1993, No. 18), Austin-East (1986, No. 19), Alcoa (1989, No. 24).
MaxPreps Preseason All-State Team
WR – Zach Rogers, David Lipscomb
WR – Marlon Brown, Harding Academy
WR – Corey Jordan, Hillsboro
TE – Thad McHaney, Brentwood
OL – Alex Bullard, Brentwood Academy
OL – Wesley Johnson, MBA
OL – Tyler Eady, Smyrna
OL – Deonte Cruse, Siegel
OL – Austin Long, Briarcrest Christian
QB – Will Gilchrist, Hardin County
QB – Jamal Ramsey, BGA
RB – Gabriel Hunter, Kingsbury
RB – Dominique Allen, Henry County
RB – Darren Gardner, William Blount
ATH – Marsalis Teague, Henry Col
K – Andrew Fletcher, MBA
DL – Barry Dabney, Brentwood Academy
DL – Justin Smith, Maryville
DL – Alex Smithson, Riverdale
DL – Daniel Hood, Knoxville Catholic
LB – Evan Webb, David Lipscomb
LB – Gunner Miller, East Ridge
LB – Cole Tischer, Brentwood
LB – Derrick Webb, Whitehaven
LB – Cole Lail, William Blount
DB – Eric Gordon, Hillsboro
DB – Benjamin Cunningham, Goodpasture
DB – Sammy Seamster, Ooltewah
DB – Jay Fullam, McCallie
P – Sammie Harris, MTCS
