The 6th annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard stopped at the Volunteer State for the third and final time. Exact destination on this 50-stop tour on the evening of February 15th -
Ensworth (Nashville, Tenn.) High School in Nashville, TN. The tour was looking forward to recognizing Head Coach Ricky Bowers and his State Championship football team at halftime of the girls' basketball game. The Ensworth football team finished ranked #28 in the country according to the MaxPreps Freeman poll. Repeat, #28 from over 15,000 teams across this great land!
A good crowd was on hand for the Army National Guard national ranking trophy presentation. The Ensworth public address announcer welcomed MaxPreps representative, Leland Gordon, who reminded the fans what an incredible year Ensworth had in 2010. After describing the remarkable on-field accomplishments of the 10-2 Ensworth football team, he turned the microphone over to Tennessee Army National Guard Sergeant First Class Timothy Pickel, who presented trophy, an actual Minuteman symbolizing perseverance, dedication and readiness, to the team. Coach Bowers, who is also the head boy's basketball coach, was busy preparing his team for their game so he allowed key members of the football team to actually receive the trophy. The crowd roared with excitement as they were reminded of the accomplishments of their beloved team. With the award in hand, the players posed for pictures and media interviews afterwards.
SFC Pickel and Staff Sergeant Christian Castillo then presented to each player their commemorative Tour of Champions t-shirts. It was a great night at Ensworth, and the team, administration and fans were very thankful to be recognized nationally for their outstanding efforts. Congratulations Ensworth and best wishes in 2011!
