By Donovan Stewart
MaxPreps.com
The high school football season begins in less than 50 days and MaxPreps.com’s Donovan Stewart has all the information Tennessee fans will need to get primed for the fall.
This week Stewart begins a six-part look at each classification, beginning with the 1A ranks, where all eyes will be on defending champion South Pittsburg.
Tennessee Class 1A State Preview
Preseason Top Five
1. South Pittsburg Pirates (15-0, defending 1A state champions)
State Titles - 4, 1969, 1994, 1999, 2007
Head Coach - Vic Grider
Top Players - David Jones, RB, Sr., Montrell Mitchell, RB, Sr., Chase Robinson, TE, Sr., Will Maynor, OL, Sr., Trevor Barnes, DT, Sr., Kartrez Bibbs, DB, Sr., Ty Robinson, SS, Sr., Terrell Robinson, FS, Jr.
Strengths - Speed. Speed. Speed. The Pirates have athletes that can score anytime they touch the ball led by the two-headed monster of Jones and Mitchell. Jones is a weight-room beast that has offers from Division I schools while Mitchell is a perfect compliment with his 4.4 speed. Chase Robinson is a stud at tight end while Bibbs and Ty and Terrell Robinson shore up the secondary. Maynor is the glue to a depleted Pirate offensive line.
Concerns - The Pirates will have to replace dependable quarterback Cody Robinson and an offensive line that lost four of five starters.
2. Trousdale County Yellow Jackets (7-4, first round of state playoffs)
State Titles - 6, 1972, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2005
Head Coach - Kevin Creasy
Top Players - Brent Ford, DE/TE, Jr., Jared White, K/P, Sr., Josh Cunningham, FB, Sr., Creigh Hall, RB, Sr., Austin Dillon, LB, Sr., Tacola Seay, WR/LB, Jr., Kyle Gregory, OG/DE, Jr., Craig Brown, S, Jr., Joey Cox, QB, Jr., Dillon Young, QB, Jr.
Strengths - Ford and White are two of the best players in the state regardless of classification. Ford is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who is always around the ball, while White is a field changer as a punter and automatic kicking field goals. The Jackets had success despite a very young team in Clint Satterfield’s final year as head coach. New coach Kevin Creasy was an assistant for several years and knows the Yellow Jacket way of doing things.
Concerns - Obviously, Satterfield not calling the shots could be considered a question mark and that’s not a slap in the face to Creasy. Satterfield won 260 games and five state titles in Hartsville in 24 years and this is Creasy’s first head coaching job. To say he is following a legend is an understatement.
3. Friendship Christian Commanders (8-4, second round of state playoffs)
Head Coach - John McNeal
State Titles - None
Top Players - John Markham, RB, Sr., Trey Walker, OT/DT, Sr., Jonathan Dunn, C, Sr., Jordan Carmen, LB, Sr., Cole Patton, LB, Sr., Lee Maasan, QB/FS, Jr., Parker Teeter, WR, Jr., Aaron Nations, OL, Sr., Jordan Chaffin, OL, Sr., Matt Swindoll, TE/DE, Jr., Mitch Miller, LB, Jr., Peyton Alsup, DB, Jr., Charlie Tumblestone, DB, Jr.
Strengths - Markham and Maasan. Both players are very athletic and Markham has started since the eighth grade. Maasan, according to the coaches, is one of the most athletic kids to ever come through the school.
Concerns - The Commanders lost a lot of senior leadership and you can’t get it back, but Markham, Maasan, Dunn, Carmen and Patton will try to step up in that role. The region schedule could take its toll on this team, just like fellow region foe Trousdale County.
4. Wayne County Wildcats (9-3, second round of state playoffs)
Head Coach - Ricky Rice
State Titles - None
Top Players - Tyler Rice, QB, Sr., Tyler Allen, WR, Sr., Chase Graham, RB/DB, Jr., Colby McDonald, OL/DT, Sr., Dillon Warren, LB/WR, Jr., Jordan Horton, DE/OL, Sr., Kyle Morgan, DE/C, Sr., Lance Crews, LB/RB, Jr., Matthew Bowling, OL/DE, Jr., Kyle Hunt, OL/LB, Sr.
Strengths - Tyler Rice, Coach Rice’s son, had a nice freshman year throwing for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns. His offensive line stayed intact as the Wildcats return four big uglies to protect Rice.
Concerns - The Wildcats’ big-game experience is very limited and trying to unseat region six kingpin Mount Pleasant will take everything they have.
5. Mt. Pleasant Tigers (11-3, state semifinalist)
Head Coach - Walt Smith
State Titles - None
Top Players - Preston Gilbreath, DE, Sr., Kyle Bays, Sr., OL/LB, Sr., Jed Davis, DB/WR, Sr., David Brown, QB/S, Sr., Hugh Johnson OG/DT, Sr., Ryan English, TE/HB, Sr., Antonio Richardson, DT, So., Javaris Holt, FB/DT, Sr., Tristen Tispy, RB/LB, Jr., Ben Butler, LB, Jr., Justin Runions, OL/DL, Sr.
Strengths - Big shock, Mt. Pleasant once again has athletes in Bays, Holt and junior Tispy. But the big meal tickets literally for the Tigers will be defensive end Gilbreath (6-5, 260) and mammoth sophomore defensive tackle Antonio Richardson (6-2, 305).
Concerns - Trying to fill the huge shoes of two-time Mr. Football Back of the Year Marco Dailey. The past two years he had over 4,000 years and 70 touchdowns on the ground. That’s a huge void to fill and Smith isn’t going to have senior quarterback David Brown try to be Dailey.
Five That Could Surprise - McKenzie, JoByrns, Bruceton, Trinity Christian, Gordonsville
Other Class 1A Superlatives
Toughest Shoes To Fill - Clint Satterfield, Trousdale County. Now the Superintendent of Schools in Trousdale County, his body of work consisted of 260 wins and five state titles in 24 years at the helm.
Best Coaching Hire - Phillip Shadowens, Middle Tennessee Christian. When was the last time a coach that led a team to back-to-back Class 5A state titles leave to take over a Class 1A school? Answer: Never. Shadowens will make a difference although the Cougars won’t see it immediately.
Team On the Rise - Wayne County. The Wildcats will have quarterback Tyler Rice at the controls for three more seasons which could make for some magical moments for the folks in Waynesboro.
Best Rivalries - Oneida-Greenback, Trousdale County-Friendship Christian, Collinwood-Wayne County, Gordonsville-Watertown, JoByrns-McEwen, Lake County-Bruceton.
Players Worth Price of Admission - David Jones, RB, South Pittsburg; Montrell Mitchell, RB, South Pittsburg; Brent Ford, LB, Trousdale County; Tyler Rice, QB, Wayne County; Preston Gilbreath, DE, Mt. Pleasant; Lee Maasen, QB, Friendship Christian; Josh Blake, QB, Grace Academy; Caleb Miller, LB, Monterey; Jacob Carkuff, QB, Cascade; Daniel Pugh, QB, Zion Christian; Dalton Phillips, QB, Watertown; Cody Cross, WR, Grace Academy; Derrick Pullam, RB, Lookout Valley; Kartrez Bibbs, DB, South Pittsburg; Jared White, P/K, Trousdale County.
Most Competitive Region - Region 4-1A. Trousdale County was the state champion in 2005 while Friendship Christian was the runner-up in 2006. Add in solid teams such as Gordonsville, Monterey, and Watertown and you have a tough, down-to-the-wire region.
Toughest Places to Play - South Pittsburg, Trousdale County, JoByrns, Bruceton and Mt. Pleasant.
Donovan Stewart can be reached via e-mail at dstew4vu@yahoo.com
