Kickoff: A publication of Herald Citizen

2019

A publication of the Herald-Citizen

Not Done Yet

Tennessee Tech Cookeville Upperman Golden Eagles

Monterey Wildcats

Cavaliers

White Co. Warriors

Bees

Livingston Wildcats

Good luck to all local football teams as they enter their respective 2019 gridiron campaigns.

Herald-Citizen 1300 Neal Street • 931-526-9715 • www.Herald-Citizen.com

2019

Contents

6 PUBLISHER SPORTS EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER EDITORS CONTRIBUTORS

ADVERTISING

AD COMPOSITION

BUSINESS MANAGER CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

Jack McNeely Scott Wilson

All-Preseason Team

Don Foy Lindsay McReynolds Kate Cook Ben Craven Tony Marable Jacob Dodd Overton County News Tennessee Tech Sports Information Roger Wells Shaina McNeely Dusty Smith Stephanie Garrett

Tennessee Tech

Sandy Malin Keith McCormick Ronda Dodson

16

Kickoff is a publication of the Herald-Citizen, a division of Cookeville Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. Kickoff is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. Kickoff is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher. © 2019 Herald-Citizen P.O. Box 2729 Cookeville, TN 38502 931.526.9715 Email: sports@herald-citizen.com

Cookeville High

22

Upperman High

26

Monterey High

on the

Cover

4 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Jimmy Maynord: Still Going Strong

10

Jody Webb Becky Watkins David Carvajal

Cookeville High School football coach still going strong as he begins his 40th year of coaching high school football.

8

30

White County High

34

Ben Craven

Livingston Academy

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2019 Putnam County All-Preseason Team

Offense

K—TREY KROLICK SR, UHS

RB—JACOB STAMPS SR, CHS

RB—ANTHONY SOBERANIS, JR, MHS

RB—ZACH STEWART SR, UHS

OL—SAM BILBREY SR, MHS

OL—CAMDEN JONES SR, UHS

OL—ALEX DELK JR, CHS

OL—WES DELK JR, CHS

OL—JAKE BUTLER JR, UHS

WR—KEVIN BORJAS SR, MHS

WR—BRAYDEN NIVENS, SR, CHS

MVP

Donoven McCallister Senior QB, Upperman

- Completed 61% of passes (74 of 121) - 1,509 yards passing, 13 touchdowns - Rushed for 1,198 yards — 8.5 ypc - TSWA All-state 6 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Presented By:

Defense

P—RENE TELON SR, MHS

DL—TAVAROUS COLLINS, SR, UHS

DL—DENVER SMITH JR, MHS

DL—TYLER BILBREY SR, UHS

LB—NICK STACEY SR, UHS

LB—ROB BONTRAGER SR, CHS

LB—MARCUS BANKS JR, CHS

DB—JORDAN KEY SR, MHS

DB—JAKE DUTCHESS SR, UHS

MVP

Cameron Harris

Senior DE, Cookeville - 40 tackles, 32 solo - 11 tackles for loss - 4 sacks, 1 safety DB—CARTER SHANKS SO, UHS

DB—B.J. BILLEN JR, CHS

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

7

Still Driven Cookeville’s Jimmy Maynord reflects on four decades of coaching high school football

J

BY SCOTT WILSON HERALD-CITIZEN

Jimmy Maynord wants to watch a game in some of the collegiate football cathedrals in the south and at every Southeastern Conference campus.

However, at age 63, the veteran high h igh school football coach shows no n o signs of slowing down, so those dreams d reams will have to wait. He still has eenergy nergy in his step, and he still gets excited as a new season approaches.

“I am sure there is going to be a time when I step down, but I am still driven. I still enjoy the kids. I think I still have pretty good energy,” said Maynord, who sports 222 career wins. “I am not sure what else I would do. I don’t want to go home and just sit around. I don’t fish, and I don’t play golf. I just want to work.

“Every year, I evaluate things after the season. They say you know when it is time, but as long as I am healthy, as long as I feel like I can still relate

8 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

to the kids and the coaches, (I am still going to coach). When you can’t do that, it is probably time to step down.”

Maynord begins his 40th year on the gridiron when his Cavaliers take on Upperman Aug. 22 at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium.

THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Maynord never doubted he would have a career in athletics. Growing up, he played practically every sport available and was a three sport star – football, baseball and basketball – at Livingston Academy. After graduation, he played quarterback for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.

“I have been in athletics basically my entire life, and I knew I wanted to be a coach since I was in the seventh grade. I was a pretty good basketball player, so I didn’t really know which sport I was going to coach,” Maynord explained. “However, my family is sports oriented, and football is a game I really like.

“I like what it teaches kids. You’re going to get knocked in the dirt, and you have to be able to pick yourself up, just like in the game of life.”

A SUCCESSFUL CAREER

After graduating from Tech in 1979, Maynord began his coaching career at White County High School as an assistant under Donnie Farley.

Six years later, Maynord took over as head coach and stayed with the Warriors until 1989. He left for Riverdale High School as defensive coordinator for legendary coach Gary Rankin.

RHS was the state runner-up in 1993 and state champion in 1994.

Maynord took over as head coach at Upperman High School in 1995 and took the Bees to the state semifinals in 1996. After four years at Upperman, he coached 14 years at Smith County, where he averaged nine wins a season. Maynord came to Cookeville High School in 2013.

“I kind of enjoy rebuilding a program, and that’s been the norm ev-

erywhere I have been,” said Maynord.

“Turning a program around, starting to win, is not as difficult as trying to maintain that success. I enjoy putting my stamp on it. However, to me the success of a coach is maintaining the success of the program.”

LESSONS LEARNED FROM FOOTBALL

For Maynord, football is a lessonbook for life. He said the sport allows you to develop relationships with not only your players, but other coaches on your team and coaches on the other sidelines.

“The thing I have seen about football is the camaraderie within the sport. It takes so much work that I think there is an appreciation from everyone involved,” the coach said. “There’s a feeling on Saturday morning when you’ve played on Friday night and you’ve had success.

There is a feeling you can’t describe to someone who hasn’t played. I can’t describe it either. If you’ve played, you know that feeling.”

Maynord said football differs from many sports such as basketball and baseball. Those sports can be dictated by a few good players, he said. In football, it takes all eleven players on the field to help the team win. Everybody has to do their job.

KEEPING UP WITH THE CHANGES

Football has changed since Maynord first stepped on the sidelines 40 years ago, and he believes if you don’t change with it, you will be left behind.

“When I first started coaching, you didn’t really have to coach the secondary because hardly anyone threw the football. Now, everyone is throwing it all over the place,” Maynord said. “As a coach, you have to stay abreast of what’s going on. To me, the big thing is you have to adapt to your talent.

“That’s kind of exciting to me. You have to have a philosophy of what you’re going to do, coach what you know. You can go to clinics, and everything sounds good, but you want to be simple and know what you are.

If you want to throw the ball, you better know the passing game. Don’t try too much.”

The veteran mentor makes sure everyone knows what he wants, but lets his assistant coaches work.

“You have to have confidence in who you have. I want them to coach,” Maynord said. “I tell them all the time if you’re responsible for the running backs, then you’re the head coach of the running backs. That doesn’t mean I don’t get upset when little things don’t get done, or aren’t noticed and corrected.”

Maynord’s coaching tree includes head coaches Chuck Gentry at Lebanon, Derik Samber at Stone Memorial, Mark Pemberton at Rhea County and Ron Crawford at Brentwood High School.

WHAT PLAYERS SHOULD REMEMBER

Through it all, he wants his players to know how much he cares.

“I know I am tough on them, but they know I care about them,” he said. “I would like for them to say ‘he was fair, he was honest.’ I may not always tell you what you want to hear, but I am going to be honest. That is because I want them to be better people when they leave our program - good fathers, good husbands, hard workers.

“It is a good feeling to know those kids, that maybe don’t get as much attention as some others, that you had an impact on them. A lot of these kids need football more than football needs them. We’re here to help them.”

SUPPORT OF FAMILY

Maynord says part of the reason he is able to do what he does has been the support of his wife, Wanda, and their family.

“Support at home is so important to a coach, and my wife and my daughters have been great. My mother never missed a game,” the coach explained. “(I try not to do it, but) I think in coaching you can spend all your time with everybody else’s kids and not enough time with your own. I have had great support from my family, and I tell my coaches that their families are always first. That’s most important.”

Maynord says players know what’s right and what’s wrong, and he expects them to do what’s right.

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GOOD LUCK TO ALL UPPER CUMBERLAND TEAMS! Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

9

Golden Eagles

TENNESSEE TECH

Golden Eagles bigger, faster, stronger for 2019

BY BEN CRAVEN Tennessee Tech coach Dewayne Alexander enters his second season at the helm of the program trying to prove the league wrong.

His Golden Eagles were predicted to finish last in the league at OVC Media Day. Alexander is confident that a year with the program has allowed him to identify and address some needs.

“I do feel that when we line up this year, we will have a bigger team, a faster team, and a team that’s going to play together as one,” Alexander said. “I was very proud of our team for hanging in there last year because we had some tough weeks.

“That first year is always tough. The best way to describe it is a year of transition and evaluation. The guys that are here are here

for what the program can be and not what it has been in recent years.”

Some of Tech’s main problems in 2018 were youth and depth, but Alexander and his staff hit the recruiting road hard. He’s added veterans like senior wide receiver Austin Hicks and graduate transfer offensive lineman from Miami of Ohio Ian Leever and key newcomers like freshman wide receiver Justin Oden and freshman defensive tackle Kail Dava.

“Offensive line, defensive line, and speed.

In a nutshell, that’s what we needed to work on,” Alexander said. “If you look at our recruiting, we got four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, and five defensive backs or wide receivers, and they can all run.

“We had a really good spring session. We had a really good semester in the weight room, and this summer, we added 28 new guys. Right now, I’m excited about the atti-

Schedule

Last Year

HERALD-CITIZEN

Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23

10 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Samford at Miami (Ohio) Virginia-Wise at Western Illinois at Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri UT Martin Bye Austin Peay at Murray State Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky Tennessee State

at Chattanooga Kennesaw State at Utah State at Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State at Austin Peay Murray State at UT Martin Eastern Kentucky

L — 34-10 L — 49-10 L — 73-12 L — 48-20 L — 52-38 L — 70-38 L — 41-14 L — 41-10 W — 27-24 L — 38-13 L — 37-6

Quick Hits Ohio Valley Conference Head coach: Dewayne Alexander; 2nd season at TTU, 1-10; 9th season overall, 42-43 Last playoff appearance: 2011, OVC Cham Champions, 34-14 loss to Central Arkansas in first round Players to watch: Andrew Goldsmith (Sr, RB), Bailey Fisher (So, QB), David Gist (So, RB), Darrius Stafford (R-Sr, WR), Shannon Fayne (Sr, DB)

QB Bailey Fisher

Overview:The Tennessee Tech football team is looking to turn heads in 2019. The program has been a constant state of change over the past five years, causing some less than satisfactory seasons. However, head coach Dewayne Alexander is confident the program is on the right path in his second year.

Sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher returns for his second year under center after being selected as the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2018, and he’s backed up by senior running back Andrew Goldsmith and Cookeville native David Gist. Big play threat Darrius Stafford returns at wideout, and Alexander recruited some help in Justin Oden and Austin Hicks. On the defensive side, seniors Shannon Fayne, Aderick Moore, and Andrew Swicegood will look to lead a young squad.

‘I do feel that when we line up this year, we will have a bigger team, a faster team, and a team that’s going to play together as one.’

Coach Dewayne Alexander Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

11

RB Andrew Goldsmith

12 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

tude and the morale of the team. I feel like we had an outstanding offseason and a consistent offseason.”

Another big storyline for the Golden Eagles is that it’s sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher’s second year leading the offense. In 2018, Fisher was selected as the OVC Freshman of the Year and was a finalist for the STATS Football Championship Series Jerry Rice Award recognizing all FCS freshmen. He threw for 1,681 yards and 11 passing touchdowns, which is best among all TTU true freshman quarterbacks. He was also the team’s second leading rusher with 346 yards on 106 carries and two rushing touchdowns.

“Execution-wise we’re going to do a lot of the same,” Fisher said. “We’re going to play fast, we’re going to play with effort and we’re going to play physical. I feel like we addressed the needs we needed to on the offensive side of the ball. We needed speed, and we got that at the running back and receiver positions. Up front, we’ve got four guys returning, so I feel really confident.”

“There’s no doubt when they go out there that (Fisher

Roster No. 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 13 13 14 15 15 16 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Name Dami Adekunjo Austin Hicks Aderick Moore Cam Singletary Quintavious Boyd John Jones Bailey Fisher Justin Oden Josh Reliford Willie Miller Jamaal Singleton Shannon Fayne Metrius Fleming Jamal Boyd Brad Clark Myles Spurling D.J. Wilkes Cameron Hudson Quinton Cross Drew Martin Ethan Cobb Brian Puckett Adam Browner Marcus McMeans Luke Ward Jackson Guy Christian Watson Darrius Stafford Seth Carlisle R.D. Ford Tai Carter David Gist Cole Huner Andrew Goldsmith Blake Metzgar Xavier Washington Branson Kramm Jamaal Thompson Aidan Raines Slater Howard Adam Swayze Clay Massengille Luke Maynard Miles Younger Chris Stevenson D.J. Worthy Heath Rexroat Jared Howell Weston Landry Jake Huner Nathaniel Love Sam McAuley Andrew Swicegood Christian Cantrell

Pos. DB WR LB WR DB RB QB WR DB QB DB DB WR DB WR DB TE DB RB QB QB DB TE DB QB QB DB WR LB WR DB RB DB RB RB LB DB DB DB DB DB LB P DE LB RB RB DB K DB DB LB DE DE

Ht. 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-8 5-10 5-9 5-11 6-3 5-10 6-0 5-6 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-11 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-4 5-11 6-3 5-11 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-11 5-9 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-1 5-8 5-11 5-11 5-10 5-9 6-1 5-5 6-0 6-0

Wt. 187 223 232 155 172 167 205 174 195 177 142 198 173 185 208 185 248 175 175 201 222 160 243 186 225 200 186 193 221 202 188 190 175 211 205 192 194 187 195 195 193 207 193 199 205 206 190 185 155 175 190 186 241 241

Cl. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. R-Jr. Fr. So. Fr. R-So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. R-Sr. So. Sr. So. So. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. So. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr.

Hometown/Previous School Clinton, Md./Glen Burnie HS Gardendale, Ala./North Alabama Selma, Ala./Selma HS Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County HS Murfreesboro/Oakland HS Waycross, Ga./Pierce County HS Clayton, Ga./Rabun County HS Columbia/Spring Hill HS Fitzgerald, Ga./Hutchinson (Kan.) CC Pinson, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS Buford, Ga./Buford HS Nashville/Donelson Christian Elberton, Ga./Elbert County HS Athens, Ga./Cedar Shoals HS Lakeland, Fla./Victory Christian Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS Jackson/Liberty Tech Magnet Athens, Ga./Cedar Shoals HS Clarksville/Northeast HS Franklin/Battle Ground Academy Murfreesboro/Eagleville HS Memphis/Memphis Central HS New Hope, Ala./Garden City CC Talladega, Ala./Winterboro HS Decaturville/Riverside HS Englewood/McMinn Central HS Duluth, Ga./Northview HS Memphis/Kirby HS Red Boiling Spgs./Macon County HS Huntsville, Ala./Buckhorn HS Spring Hill/Summit HS Cookeville/Cookeville HS Thompson’s Stat./Independence HS Jackson/Trinity Christian Academy Cookeville/Upperman HS Knoxville/Knoxville Central HS Springfield/White House-Heritage HS Hendersonville/Pope John Paul II HS Mt. Juliet/Mt. Juliet HS Brentwood/Nashville Christian HS Spring Hill/Independence HS Cookeville/Cookeville HS Bannockburn, Australia/Belmont HS Duluth, Ga./Johns Creek HS Knoxville/Austin-East HS Kennesaw, Ga./Sprayberry HS Jamestown/York Institute Franklin/Franklin HS Thompson’s Stat./Independence HS Thompson’s Stat./Independence HS Lynchburg/Moore County HS Gallatin/Goodpasture HS Fletcher, N.C./Reynolds HS Murfreesboro/Oakland HS

42 43 44 45 46 47 47 48 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 86 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 98 99

Bryson Tolley Blake Alberts Josh Lee Storm Williams Sam Oldham Jayden Bowman Tate Sloan Mitchell McClurg Heath Price Jack Warwick Kurt Huff Justin Scott Trevor Stephens Daly Cull Chris Tucker Michael Scavo Mike Rhoades Colby Long Norman Hand Michael Dixon Joe Dennis Aidan Panni Cody Cantrell Connor Huff Xavier Schlueter Bryce Martin Riley Bodine Taylor Burns Manny Aviña Jarrett Key Mackenan Thompson JayQuan Coles Ellis Adams Schaefer Almoyan Spencer Stachrya Bryson Garrett Ian Leever Nathan Counts Hunter Coleman Demetrien Johnson Seth Huner Landon Miller Clint Zierke Kolby Alonzo Travion Williams Tavin Kilpatrick Matthew McClurg Henry Karimu Kail Dava Haidar Zaidan Richie Koons Drew Williamson Demarious Stoudemire Jale’n Gladney

LB P DL LB DE RB LB TE LB LB OL LB/LS OL OL DL LB OL LB OL DL OL LS OL OL DL OL OL OL OL LS OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE WR DB TE DL DL DT K DL DL DL DL

6-0 5-11 6-2 5-11 5-11 5-10 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-4 5-10 6-3 6-0 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-0 6-3 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-4 5-11

218 202 262 201 229 195 201 213 210 224 300 215 301 266 270 222 295 205 272 248 283 212 341 307 315 284 274 305 330 224 283 273 352 276 301 282 293 285 192 185 180 185 238 165 191 244 250 238 281 204 237 235 220 304

Jr. R-So. R-So. R-Jr. So. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. R-So. Fr. R-So. Jr. So. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. R-So. R-So. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. R-Fr. So. Jr. Fr. So. R-So. R-Fr. Gr. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. R-So. R-Fr. Fr. Jr.

Erwin/Science Hill HS Murfreesboro/Oakland HS Kathleen, Ga./Georgia Southern Milan/Milan HS Cookeville/Cookeville HS Crossville/Stone Memorial HS Westmoreland/Westmoreland HS Alcoa/Appalachian State Watertown/Watertown HS Alcoa/Alcoa HS Camden, N.J./Camden HS Acworth, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain HS Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock HS Hendersonville/Memphis Jackson/Temple Cookeville/Cookeville HS Jacksboro/Campbell County HS Gainesboro/Jackson County HS Walterboro, S.C./Colleton County HS Kennesaw, Ga./North Cobb HS Maryville/Heritage HS Birchwood/Ooltewah HS Livingston/Livingston Academy Clarksville/Rossville HS Petersburg/Lincoln County HS Reading, Ohio/Elder HS Signal Mountain/Baylor School Moncton, New Brunswick/Episcopal Chino, Calif./Riverside City College Cookeville/Livingston Academy Calera, Ala./Calera HS Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland HS Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS Clarksville, Ga./Habersham Central Harbor, Ind./Snow College Knoxville/Karns HS Loveland, Ohio/Miami (Ohio) Lebanon/Lebanon HS Roswell, Ga./Bowling Green Knoxville/Knoxville Central HS Thompson’s Stat./Independence HS Clinton/Anderson County HS Wayne, Ill./Bartlett HS Franklin/Franklin HS Signal Mountain/Signal Mountain HS Greenback/Greenback HS Alcoa/Appalachian State Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Citrus Mississauga, Ontario/Clarkson Dearborn, Mich./Henry County HS Maryville/Maryville HS Columbia/Columbia Central HS Murfressboro/Eagleville HS Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

13

RB David Gist

14 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

is) the leader of the offense,” Alexander added. “The guys look to him, and even the older guys have tremendous respect for him. He earned a lot of it from a toughness aspect severafter taking sever al big hits last year.

He also earned it by overcoming a lot of adversity.”

Tech’s schedule expands to 12 games instead of 11, giving the Golden Eagles the opportunity to non-conferplay four non-confer ence games at the beginning of the season.

Alexander remains a game-to-

game type of coach who doesn’t focus as much on large, overall season goals and expectations. He simply wants his team to get better every day.

“The number one goal we have is to win our first game,” Alexander said. “I’m serious, you get a year to prepare for it, you know who you’re playing way in advance, and some of those games in November are a million miles away. I’m excited about our schedule, and one thing I’ll say is that it’s nice to have all of our in-state, Sgt. York Trophy games at home this year. Obviously, we want to win more games than last year, and every week, we’re going to have a chance to compete.”

www.townandcountryoverheaddoor.com

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

15

Cavaliers

COOKEVILLE

16 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Returning skill players look to lift Cavaliers

BY BEN CRAVEN Two years after the Cookeville High School football team made history with a trip to the Class 6A quarterfinals, head coach Jimmy Maynord is hopeful they can do it again.

“In the offseason, our biggest thing was getting stronger and faster,” CHS head coach Jimmy Maynord said coming into his 40th season of coaching. “We had a great spring session, and going into it we wanted to figure out who our players were going to be, who was ready to step up, and to create some depth. I think we accomplished that. And then our next thing was to get all of our systems in offensively and defensively.”

The Cavs lost some big names last year, including quarterback Blaine Espinosa and defensive leader Clay Massengille.

“We lost three offensive linemen, and

obviously, that’s where it all starts,” Maynord said. “It’s probably going to be all juniors in our starting offensive line this year. The good in that is that they will all be returning starters next year. The bad is that only Trip Wallace and Wes Delk already have valuable game experience this year.”

As for the quarterback position, Stockton Owen has taken over the role after placing second on the team in all purpose yards (697) at wide receiver as a sophomore in 2018. Owen played quarterback in his middle school days at Avery Trace, and Maynord feels it has made the transition that much easier.

Maynord also believes the bright spot on offense is the returning skill players.

The Cavs have All-Region 3-6A wide receiver Brayden Nivens coming back, along with track sprinter Izuka Ikedionwu.

Jacob Stamps, who Maynord called one of his most dynamic players in 2018, will

Schedule

Last Year

HERALD-CITIZEN

Aug. 22 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Upperman @ TTU at Livingston Academy Riverdale at White County Oakland at Coffee County at Warren County Bye at Siegel Rockvale at Blackman

At Upperman Livingston Academy Warren County White County at Pearl Cohn at Coffee County Riverdale at Blackman at Oakland SiegeL at Mt. Juliet

L — 23-7 W — 28-7 W — 42-3 W — 55-0 L — 42-14 W — 54-7 L — 40-34 L — 45-14 L — 45-7 W — 42-8 L — 42-7

Quick Hits WR Brayden Nivens

Region: 3-6A Head coach: Jimmy Maynord, 7th season at CHS, 48-23; 29th season overall, 222-107 Last playoff appearance: 2018, 42-7 loss to Mt. Juliet in first round Players to watch: Stockton Owen (Jr, QB), Jacob Stamps (Jr, RB/DB), Brayden Nivens (Sr, WR/DB), Cameron Harris (Sr, DL/ RB), Rob Bontrager (Sr, OLB).

Overview: The Cookeville High School football team graduated 19 seniors from a 2018 team that was already starting from scratch. The 2019 Cavaliers do have some good returning firepower at the skill positions.

On offense, 2018 All-Region selec selection Jacob Stamps will anchor the run game, while 2018 All-Region selec selection Brayden Nivens leads the receivers.

The biggest question mark for the Cavs’ offense is junior quarterback Stockton Owen in his first year under center since middle school. On defense, Cookeville will try to replace Clay Massengille’s 101 tackles with two of its top five tacklers from 2018 in Stamps and Rob Bontrager.

Helping them on the line will be 2018 All-Region selection Cameron Harris. The CHS secondary probably has the most experience returning on the defense with Stamps, Nivens, B.J. Billen, and Izuka Ikedionwu.

‘In the offseason, our biggest thing was getting stronger and faster.

We had a great spring session, and going into it we wanted to figure out who our players were going to be, who was ready to step up, and to create some depth.’

Coach Jimmy Maynord Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

17

QB Stockton Owen

18 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

take over the bulk of the running game for the Cavs after rushing for 326 yards under Jaedan McAllister in 2018.

On the defensive side, the Cavs will try to replace Massengille’s 101 tackles with a few returners and some promising younger guys at linebacker.

However, the biggest returner is All-Region 3-6A defensive lineman Cameron Harris. He finished 2018 with 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass breakups, and one safety. Harris was also selected as the Herald-Citizen’s Preseason All-Putnam County Defensive MVP. Rob Bontrager returns at linebacker after finishing third on the team in tackles with 68, and Markus Banks returns after adding 22 tackles in six games.

The two combined for eight tackles for a loss and two sacks, but Maynord also praised newcomers Drew Dyal and Roger Tinker for their work this offseason.

CHS may have an even tougher road this year as a new team was added to the region.

Rockvale, which was a Kindergarten-8th grade school that fed into Riverdale and Blackman, has now built a new high school in Murfreesboro with around 1,700-1,800 students.

“Rockvale drew some kids from Riverdale, Blackman, and Eagleville, so they will have some great talent too,” Maynord said. “I suppose it spreads the talent around those Murfreesboro teams, but there’s still a lot of talent to be spread. I don’t think it’s going to hurt

Roster 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24

Lucas Reeves B.J Billen Marcus Banks Jacob Stamps Brayden Nivens Stockton Owen Drew Dyal Evan Whited Cade Apple Adam Farris Harris Cravens Dontay Dillard Jackson Ray Skylar Lassiter Donovan Sullivan Izuka Ikedionwu Waylon Whited Samuel Durand Jack Baker Brock Taylor Roger Tinker

WR·DB WR·DB RB·LB RB·DB WR·DB QB RB·LB RB·DB RB·LB QB WR WR·DB TE·DL WR·DB WR·DB WR·DB WR·DB RB·DB WR K RB·LB

6’ 1” 5’ 7” 6’ 5’ 10” 6’ 1” 6’ 1” 6’ 5’ 11” 6’ 1” 5’ 11” 6’ 2” 5’ 9” 6’ 1” 5’ 10” 5’ 10” 6’ 5’ 11” 5’ 9” 5’ 11” 5’ 10” 6’

190 lbs 155 lbs 185 lbs 175 lbs 190 lbs 190 lbs 200 lbs 170 lbs 185 lbs 145 lbs 170 lbs 150 lbs 195 lbs 150 lbs 155 lbs 180 lbs 170 lbs 135 lbs 165 lbs 150 lbs 200 lbs

JR JR JR SR SR JR JR SO SO SO JR SO SO JR SO SR SO JR JR FR JR

25 26 27 28 31 32 33 35 37 38 39 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 51 52

Austin Davenport RB·LB Rob Bontrager LB Cameron Harris RB·DL Hayden Eschelbacher WR Reed Hall WR·DB Ethan Ayo RB·LB Seth Kincaid WR·LB Nathan Holmes RB Malik Jimmerson RB·LB Clayton Barrett TE·DL Nathan Bowling RB·LB Tay Cook RB·DB Carter Ratunde RB·LB Ty Bohannon LB Kene Ikedionwu DL David Weidner DB Talis Newman P Cameron Groves DL Trip Wallace OL Chris Davis DL Alex Lundholm DL

6’ 6’ 2” 6’ 2” 6’ 1” 5’ 10” 5’ 7” 5’ 11” 6’ 5’ 8” 6’ 2” 5’ 7” 5’ 7” 5’ 9” 6’ 1” 6’ 3” 6’ 6’ 2” 6’ 1” 6’ 2” 6’ 5’ 11”

175 lbs 195 lbs 215 lbs 170 lbs 150 lbs 155 lbs 165 lbs 210 lbs 155 lbs 205 lbs 180 lbs 160 lbs 160 lbs 195 lbs 270 lbs 135 lbs 195 lbs 225 lbs 265 lbs 225 lbs 235 lbs

SO SR SR SR SO SO SO SR SO SO JR SO SO SR SO JR JR SR JR SR JR

54 55 56 60 61 62 64 69 71 72 77 78 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

Levi Reagan Sam Harness Tanner Rector Dalton Hammons Jack Jones Jasai Maddux Matthew Dutton Gael Romero Reece Wilkerson Malachi Williams Alex Delk Wes Delk Dustin Caten Hunter Rinehart Logan McCarter Carlos Alexander Wesley Bowling Fort Hunter Ethan Cumby Chance Kolath

OL OL OL OL DL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL TE K·P LB LB OL·DL TE·DL TE·DL DB

6’ 1” 6’ 2” 5’ 8” 6’ 6’ 5’ 9” 6’ 2” 6’ 2” 6’ 3” 6’ 3” 6’ 4” 6’ 4” 6’ 3” 5’ 11” 6’ 6’ 2” 6’ 2” 6’ 4” 6’ 2” 5’ 9”

225 lbs 270 lbs 225 lbs 250 lbs 260 lbs 210 lbs 205 lbs 315 lbs 275 lbs 285 lbs 300 lbs 285 lbs 205 lbs 175 lbs 155 lbs 175 lbs 220 lbs 220 lbs 220 lbs 135 lbs

SO SO SO JR SR SO JR JR JR JR JR JR JR SR SO SR JR SR JR SO

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anybody very much.”

However, the biggest game on every Cavaliers’ mind right now is the season opener against Upperman. The two schools have opened their seasons against each other for the past four years, but the Bees grabbed their first win (23-7) in 2018.

This year, the game will be played one day before everyone else on Thursday, Aug. 22 at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium.

“Upperman returns a lot of players, and obviously, they hurt us pretty bad last year,” Maynord said. “That gave them a lot of confidence, and they ended up going 13-1.

They’re going to come in with a lot of confidence and a good football team that’s well-coached. You would think that our mindset is that we have to play hard every game.

Last year, we did not play well at Upperman, it was the first game of the season, and we had replaced 23-25 starters from the year before. This year, our guys just have to have the mindset that we’re ready for the challenge.”

And Maynord believes his team is ready for the challenge. Still, like most coaches, Maynord is of the “onegame-at-a-time” mentality.

“Just like every year, we want to win every football game,”

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Maynord said. “We want to make sure we’re prepared every week, and as the season progresses, we want to get better.

Hopefully, we can get enough wins to be in the playoffs and go as far as possible.”

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Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

21

Bees

UPPERMAN

22 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Bees set lofty goals for 2019 campaign

BY NOAH MCKAY The Upperman High School football team is in a unique position, coming off the most successful season in program history — a 13-1 record, a region championship and a trip to the TSSAA playoffs semifinal round.

This year’s team boasts a senior starting quarterback, several returning starters on the offensive and defensive lines and is entering its second year under head coach Adam Caine.

The Bees success in 2019 will largely rely on the arm and legs of senior quarterback Donoven McCallister, who is entering his third season as UHS QB. The dual-threat QB rushed for 1,198 yards in 2018 while also passing for 1,509 yards and 13 touchdowns.

With the graduation of running back

Blake Metzgar, who rushed for 1,959 yards and a school-record 40 touchdowns in 2018, Caine said McCallister will be asked to do more this season.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that he’s kind of what makes us go,” said Caine.

“The one thing I know about him is he’s going to do everything he can do to be successful. I think he understands this is his last go-round and he wants to do it right.”

Senior running back Zach Stewart appears poised to join McCallister in the UHS backfield. Stewart backed up Metzgar in 2018, and has seen the bulk of the starting carries so far in preseason practices. Caine said while Stewart’s runs will look different than Metzgar’s, the UHS coaching staff believes he is a capable runner.

“As of right now Zach would be the starter,” said Caine. “The one thing I

Schedule

Last Year

HERALD-CITIZEN

Aug. 22 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Cookeville @ TTU DeKalb County Smith County Livingston Academy at Cannon County at Oneida at York Institute Bye Grundy County Watertown at Sequatchie County

Cookeville at DeKalb County at Smith County at Livingston Academy Cannon County Cumberland County York Institute at Grundy County at Macon County Sequatchie County Loudon York Institute Red Bank Alcoa

W — 23-7 W — 43-0 W — 36-12 W — 21-0 W — 49-0 W — 63-0 W — 35-14 W — 49-20 W — 35-7 W — 19-7 W — 44-14 W — 44-14 W — 50-21 L — 27-14

Quick Hits Region: Region 4, Class 3A Coach: Adam Caine 2nd year — 13-1 Overall —4 years — 39-11 Last Playoff Appearance: 2018 - Lost to Alcoa 27-14 in state semifinal.

Players to watch: Donoven McCallister (Sr., QB/DB), Ty Dutchess (So., QB/WR), Zach Stewart (Sr., RB/LB), Alex Brown (Sr., OL/DL), Tavarous Collins (Sr., OL/DL), Tyler Bilbrey (Sr., OL/DL) Overview: The Bees will be looking to follow up a 13-1 state semifinal season with a successful encore in 2019. Leading the offense with be all-state quarterback senior Donoven McCallister. Last year, he threw for 1,509 yards and rushed for another 1,198, while scoring 13 touchdowns.

The key question to answer for the Bees is who will replace all-state running back Blake Metzgar (1,959 yards/39 touchdowns). Defensively, the Bees will be without defensive coordinator Dustin Williams who moved to an another position in the program.

Upperman was very stingy on opponents last year, allowing only 143 points on the season for an average of 10 points per contest.

Tavarous Collins is expected to an anchor the defense at linebacker.

WR Jake Dutchess

‘Football isn’t a whole lot of fun if you’re not winning, so that’s one of our goals.’

Coach Adam Caine Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

23

know about Zach is he’s a really tough football player. I don’t think you’re going to see all the spin moves you saw out of Blake but as long as you’ve got a certain toughness about you I think you’ve got a chance to be successful as a running back.”

The largest change for the UHS defense in the offseason occurred off the field. Former defensive coordinator Dustin Williams became the new head coach at Upperman Middle School and former UMS head coach Greg Phillips moved to the high school staff.

The defensive front this year will be led by senior defensive tackle Tavarous Collins, who tallied 23 tackles and five sacks in 2018.

“On the defensive line, we’ve got a lot of kids who have played a lot of ball coming back,” said Caine.

“Tavarous is one of them. He really started coming on at the end of last season. The one thing about Upperman is they’ve always played hard on the defensive line, so that wasn’t a big transition coming in.”

The UHS defensive front seven is rounded out by a pair of dominant linebackers, Nick Stacey and Stewart. Stacey tallied 81 tackles and four sacks in 2018. Stewart had 77 tackles and six sacks. Both are entering their

24 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

LB Thomas Ensor

Roster Varsity

senior seasons.

The defense is capped by a secondary anchored

by McCallister. McCallister tallied 81 tackles and four interceptions in 2018. Caine said his team needs to find a “couple of corners” before the start of the season to complete his defense.

The Bees have been ranked in the top five teams of virtually every preseason 3A poll. Caine said he wants his team to be focused on accomplishing their goals and getting better rather than outside expectations.

“The way I look at it is ‘what are your goals?’

Obviously, you want to win. You want to win every game you play, and if you win every game you play then you’re going to end up winning a state championship,” said Caine. “Every team right now probably goes into the season thinking that, and we’re no different. Football isn’t a whole lot of fun if you’re not winning, so that’s one of our goals.”

“It’s great to have goals, but my whole thing is, ‘what are you going to do to achieve those goals?’

I think you have to break it down into doing the little things that make you successful. You have to focus on each day trying to get better.”

The Bees will start their 2019 season Aug. 22 against rival Cookeville. The Bees ended a streak of blowouts at the hands of the Cavs with a 23-7 win in 2018.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium.

2 3 4 5 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 21 22 29 33 34 42 46 51 52 53 55 62 63 64 65 66 79 80 88 89

Terrence Dedmon Thomas Ensor Daniel Metzgar Donoven McCallister Ty Dutchess Dylan Derosit Dalton Barney Trey Krolick Solomon Strode Nick Stacey Caden Nash Carter Shanks Eli Randolph Levi Wilken Zach Stewart Jyron McCllelan Mason Lawson Trenton Bilbrey Wes Boles Tyler Bilbrey Jackson Neal Camden Jones Alex Brown Hunter Booker Alvin Gentry Matthew Degroat Jake Butler Tavarous Collins Jake Dutchess Kolby Gehring Trey Snider

Fr. Jr. So. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr.

RB/DB QB/LB WR/DB QB/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB/K WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB WR/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DE FB/LB RB/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/LB WR/DB WR/DB

5-11 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-9 5-8 5-9 5-8 6-0 5-11 6-1 5-10 5-11 5-10 6-4 5-9 5-11 6-1 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-8 6-3 6-3 6-1 5-8 6-5

175 190 165 175 160 150 155 150 135 215 205 180 165 210 185 240 175 180 205 215 240 200 195 240 270 195 285 275 180 155 200

RB/DB

5-9

150

WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB

5-6 5-6 6-0

130 125 170

WR/LB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB

5-8 5-4 5-8 5-9

135 115 200 165

RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB

5-9 5-9 5-8 5-11

165 140 145 165

WR/DB

5-9

125

OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL

5-4 5-8 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-2 5-11 6-0 6-1

210 220 170 195 210 260 180 250 185 230 250

Junior Varsity 1 6 9 11 17 19 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 35 36 37 40 41 43 47 50 54 56 58 60 61 68 69 70 73 74 76 81 85

Aiden Perry Elijah Petty Jeremy Newell Wesley Jackson Marcus Campbell Dane Melton AJ Mangrum Jaxson Bush Blake Henley Ryan Leonard Romeo Candelario Daniel Tucker Kaiden Williams Justin Rushing Dylan Dobbs Chris Caudill Ben Vincent Carter Bilbrey Zack Butler Hayden Petty Lane Nelson Matthew Mullins JT Bowman Nic Fields Michael Foster Keaton Skipper Luke Butler Will Penland Elijah Burgess Bo Harrell Clayton Jones Diego Lopez Trey Stapleton Roman Riddle Aiden Bennett

Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. So. So. Fr. So. So. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr.

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

25

Wildcats

MONTEREY

26 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Wildcat veterans look to lead team to success

BY BEN CRAVEN HERALD-CITIZEN

The Monterey High School football team is headed into its sixth year under head coach Scott Hughes, and, again, the Wildcats are dealing with familiar issues.

“We lost a really good senior class,” Hughes said. “They got us back in the playoffs, and they were able to sustain that culture that we’ve created over the last five or six years. Those guys will ultimately be missed.

“I always feel like you should continue to learn how to be better as a coach and not always schematically. Sometimes, people feel like they’re trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to football, offenses, and defenses. You’ve got to find out what your team can do. The one focus that I try to maintain is making sure we take care of our young men.”

Schedule Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Sale Creek at Lookout Valley at Red Boiling Springs Harrriman Pickett County Jackson County Jo Byrns at Bledsoe County Bye Clay County at Gordonsville

The Wildcats finished 2018 third in Region 4-A with an overall record of 5-6 and a region record of 4-2. The Wildcats also made it to the playoffs for the second year in a row, but like in 2017, they were eliminated by South Pittsburg. The Wildcats have made the playoffs four of the last five years.

MHS has several new faces, but also experienced veterans.

“When you look at our roster, we’ve got some juniors and seniors that have started every game of their high school careers,” Hughes said. “Those guys have stepped up and are not only leading by example, but they’re continuing to push that focus in every period.

“We’re getting there. We’ve got some new faces in our program that are still learning our methods and what we do.

They’re trying to fill the roles that were left whether it’s on one side of the ball or both. There’s a little pressure on them

Last Year Mt. Pleasant at Midway at Jo Byrns at Huntland Clay County Jackson County Gordonsville at Pickett County at RePublic Red Boiling Springs at South Pittsburg

L — 34-7 L — 40-12 L — 21-13 L — 28-14 W — 50-6 W — 23-0 L — 29-27 W — 43-12 W — 30-20 W — 46-6 L — 53-15

Quick Hits Region: 4-A Head coach: Scott Hughes 5th season at MHS, 29-27 5th season overall, 29-27 Last playoff appearance: 2018, 53-15 loss to South Pittsburg in first round Players to watch: Jordan Key (Sr, QB/DB), Kevin Borjas (Sr, WR/DB), Anthony Soberanis (Jr, RB/LB), Denver Smith (Jr, OL/DL), Sam Bilbrey (Sr, OL/DL)

WR Kevin Borjas

Overview:The Monterey High School Wildcats are a team dealing with familiar obstacles, such as a small roster and plenty of talented players graduating. The Wildcats still have a good bit of experience returning in skill positions.

Jordan Key will anchor the offense in his second season at quarterback after racking up 2,137 total yards in 2018. Anthony Soberanis will shoulder the ground game in the trenches, and out on the

edges, Kevin Borjas will look to lead the Wildcats’ receiving core in his fourth season as a starter.

On the defensive side of the ball, Key and Borjas will patrol the secondary, while Soberanis locks down the middle of the field. Up front, Denver Smith and Sam Bilbrey will have their work cut out for them, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines.

‘If we can focus and get better every day, we’ll feel good about the product we put on the field Friday nights.’

Coach Scott Hughes

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

27

RB Anthony Soberanis 28 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

having to come in and be counted on early.”

The good news for the Wildcats is that they return a lot of their offensive firepower in wide receiver Kevin Borjas, running back Anthony Soberanis, and quarterback Jordan Key. Key led the offense in his first year under center with 2,137 total yards.

He led the rushing attack with 831 yards on 100 carries and 15 rushing touchdowns. He also completed 49 percent of his passes for 1,306 yards and 11 passing touchdowns.

Borjas led Monterey’s receivers with 26 receptions for 479 yards and five touchdowns, and Soberanis backed Key up in the run game with 349 yards and five touchdowns on 85 carries.

“Jordan (Key) is a young man that is the epitome of what you want,” Hughes said. “He doesn’t miss, he does exactly what you ask him to do, he’s a guy that loves the game, and what you see from Jordan on Fridays is what you see Monday-Thursday. He doesn’t understand walkthrough speed, half speed, or any speed other than go. He’s also more of a leader this year, and I’m really proud of him in that regard.”

Another positive is that Hughes believes his team has had a very successful offseason.

“This group has worked extremely hard, attendance has been great, and I can’t think of very many days where we didn’t improve in some area,” Hughes said. “Our workouts

Roster 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 10 12 13 15

Chandler Bowden Eli Saylors Mason Bowman Kennedy Garrett Michael Allred Jordan Key Shiloh Walker Carter Charlton Byron Borjas Nic Wiley Antony Soberanis

So Fr Fr So Fr Sr Sr So Fr So Jr

this offseason were very good with high intensity and high focus. A lot of guys have put on some good weight physically. Mentally, they’ve gotten better and learned how to compete better. Since we’ve come back from the dead period, our practices have been really focused, and we’ve been really sharp.”

Looking at Monterey’s schedule, the only glaring difference is RePub-

18 20 21 24 38 42 44 52 53 54 58

Matthew Montgomery Logan Sparks David Walker Kevin Borjas Jaylen Bryant Isreal Roth Braden Hogue Hudson Thompson Grant Hoover Denver Smith Kevin Perez

Fr So So Sr Sr So Sr Fr So Jr Sr

lic is no longer a part of the region, giving the Wildcats five region games and five others. Their non-region opponents are Sale Creek, Lookout Valley, Harriman, Jackson County, and Bledsoe County. However, if you ask Hughes, all he knows about them is when he plays them.

“To use an old adage, we never put our cart before the horse in any regard,” Hughes said. “We’re

59 60 65 66 70 72 74 75 77 78

Jojo Wright Logan Davis Takota Harris Sammy Webb Trent Blaylock Rene Telon James Henry Sam Bilbrey Dustin Hernandez Austin Hunt

Jr So Jr Sr Jr Sr Fr Sr So Sr

not to the level where we look at a grand picture or have specific games circled. For us to be successful, we have to worry about today. If we can focus and get better every day, we’ll feel good about the product we put on the field Friday nights.”

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29

Warriors

WHITE CO.

30 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

New coach brings new hope to Warriors

BY SCOTT WILSON HERALD-CITIZEN

SPARTA — Forget the past.

That’s the message White County football coach Mark Frasier has for his team.

“I am from here, I played here and I know the program hasn’t been successful recently,” Frasier said. “Success is possible here, it can be done. I think the biggest thing is getting the kids to believe. We as coaches believe, but when you haven’t won a ton of games it is difficult.”

Frazier, who takes over a program that was winless last year, says the Warriors received a fresh start when he was hired to take over the program.

“We’re trying to do some things to highlight a new, fresh start. We want to forget about things in the past and keep focused on the future. We want to make the kids believe what they can do. That will be a task, but that’s what we’re trying

Schedule Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 17 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Cannon County at Cumberland County Christ Academy-Knoxville Cookeville Walker Valley at York Bye at Livingston Academy Clay County Macon County Goodpasture

to accomplish.”

Frasier said changing the focus of a program involves work on and off the field. The new coach wants his players to become weightroom Warriors in an effort to become bigger, faster and stronger. But he is also working on the mental side of the game.

Preseason workouts have been going well and Frasier has been impressed with the effort his players are showing.

“My coaching philosophy will be like everyone else, we’re going to try and be physical up front and run to the ball,” Frasier said. “We can’t turn the ball over.

It’s no secret that’s how you win.

“It will be slow process to get there, but in the short time we’ve been here, I think the kids are buying in. We’ve still got some we have to pull in, but when we get to that point, I feel like we have a chance to be successful.”

The Warriors’ schedule could be formi-

Last Year At Livingston Academy Warren County at Summit at Cookeville Franklin County at Shelbyville at Page Lincoln County Columbia at Coffee County

L — 35-0 L — 20-13 L — 48-0 L — 55-0 L — 48-6 L — 62-8 L — 55-7 L — 59-20 L — 43-0 L — 20-8

Quick Hits Region: The Warriors have gone independent and will not be competing in a region for the next two seasons.

Head Coach: Mark Frasier At White County: First season Overall: First year.

Last Playoff Appearance: 2013 — 42-8 loss to Cleveland in Class 5A playoffs Players to watch: Sedrick Leftwich (Sr., QB), Will Griggs (Sr., RB) Kade Clark (Jr., WR), MarKeese Coleman (Sr., DE), Dustin Guy (Sr., DL), Eric King (Sr., DL) Overview: Former White County High School star and former Tennessee Volunteer Mark Frasier has come home to turn the Warrior football program back into a contender. Frasier will be looking to create a more po potent offense after the team averaged six points a game last year. Leftwich returns at quarterback with Will Griggs and Jayden Richmond back to carry the ball.

Defensively, the Warriors hope to be more stingy after allowing an average of 44 points per contest. Look for Marquise Coleman, Dustin Guy and Eric King to set the tone.

QB Sedrick Leftwich

‘Success is possible, it can be done. I think the biggest thing is getting the kids to believe.’

Coach Mark Frasier

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

31

dable. School administration decided to leave the fifth region in Class 5A before Frasier was hired, but still put together a challenging 2019 ledger.

“The administration did a good job of trying to get us to play teams that are basically the same size we are. Even back to 25 or 30 years ago, we’ve been the smallest team in every district, region we’ve played in,” Frasier explained. “It is about time we play some teams that are our size.

“There are some teams on the schedule that are smaller than us, but we went non-region this year. Unfortunately, some of those teams are really good right now. Clay County is really good, York is really good. (With this new schedule) we should now be able to walk onto the field in a fair fight.”

Offensively, Frasier believes the Warriors have the potential to move the ball down the field on the ground or in the air. He has some experience returning on that side of the ball.

“We’ve got Sedrick Leftwich back at quarterback and Noah Hamilton is his backup. They’ve had a great camp,” Frasier said. “Will Griggs and Jayden Richmond will be at running back with Caleb Bailey.

We have several guys at wideout that can make plays. Look for Kade Clark, DJ Paul and Ethan Light to contribute.

“With all that said, it always starts with the offensive line. Those are the guys that don’t get the credit they deserve. I have told them we’re going to

32 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

TE Kade Clark

Roster 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 20

Noah Hamilton Matthew Hunt Markeese Coleman DJ Paul Jayden Richmond Tony Lewis Hunter Pope Adam Hitchcock Sedryk Leftwich Travis Parrish Quentin Horne Brenton Hunter Jackson Guy Garrett Nash Will Cheek Houston Scrimpsher Will Griggs

Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr.

QB RB DL/WR DB/WR RB/LB WR LB/FB WR QB/DB DB TE LB QB/LB RB/DB K/WR WR WR/DB

go as they go. We’ve got two seniors and a couple of sophomores there that actually played as freshmen.

“If they perform, we will be fine.

If they don’t perform, we won’t. I am excited because they’re working hard right now. The guys up front are

21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 35 40 42 45 47 51 53

Ethan Light Tyler Fox Tyrone Harris Bradley McBride Nathan McCallister Noah O’Shields Caleb Bailey Josh Rogers Austin Kirby Bryan Zalewski Javyn Strode Kade Clark Bryson Cole Dustin Guy Nicholas Cox Jacob Rittenberry Eric King

Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.

WR/DB LB RB/DB DB/WR WR LB/RB RB/LB LB WR DL RB/DB TE/LB LB/FB DL/FB WR OL DL

buying in.”

Defensively, the Warriors are looking to get stronger. Last year, White County gave up 445 points on the year for an average of 44 points per game.

Frasier is really excited about what

55 57 58 62 63 64 68 71 72 74 75 77 78 79 82 84

Hunter Slone McKinley Franklin Isaiah Butler Jeremiah Miller Keaton Steele Tyler England Maliki Billings Colby Lowery Nick Plunkett Trevor Hurst Simon Ogletree Tyler Payne Kyle Erickson Braden Brewington Christian Kelso Cameron Stephens

So. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. So. So. Jr. So. So. Jr.

OL OL OL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL/DL WR/DB TE/DL

he’s seen from his young team this early in the preseason. He promises the work won’t stop. Frasier said it is full steam ahead.

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33

Wildcats

LIVINGSTON

34 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

Expectations high for Wildcats in 2019

BY SCOTT WILSON LIVINGSTON — Confidence is high, and so are expectations surrounding the Livingston Academy Wildcats.

LA returns most of the starters from last year’s 5-6 campaign, and that experience has folks in Livingston talking about a long run into the TSSAA playoffs.

Veteran head coach Bruce Lamb is not so quick to talk about playoffs.

“We have the potential to be very good, but all of the stars have to align for us,” Lamb said. “For us to be successful, we have to be able to run the ball. We need to be able to throw the ball, too. We need to be fundamentally sound, we have to come out and play the way we’re supposed to play. And, whether you’re Livingston Academy or the Tennessee Titans, we have to stay away from injuries.”

The Wildcats had a lot of experience

coming back last season so a first-round departure in the playoffs was a dissapointment. Lamb says his players and coaches have put that behind them and are focus ed on the new season.

“I didn’t really have a single focus coming out of last year into this season. I just want us to focus on everyone trying to get better at every position. If we get better at every position, that makes us better as a team,” Lamb said. “I would love to block better, I would love to run better and I would love to tackle better. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Wildcats lost a good group of seniors from last year’s squad, but because the 2018 Wildcats suffered several key injuries, younger players were able to pick up substantial playing time. Those players will now be called on to step into starting roles.

Lamb said the first official week in pads and helmets raised the level of intensity in

Schedule

Last Year

HERALD-CITIZEN

Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Westmoreland Cookeville Cumberland County at Upperman at Stone Memorial at Smith County DeKalb County White County Bye at York at Macon County

White County at Cookeville at Cumberland County Upperman Stone MemoriaL Smith County at DeKalb County at Westmoreland at York Institute Macon County at Tullahoma

W — 35-0 L — 28-7 W — 41-3 L — 21-0 L — 34-28 W — 24-14 W — 27-6 W — 42-14 L — 28-21 L — 27-21 L — 37-23

Quick Hits DL Cole Spears

Region: Region 3, Class 4A Head Coach: Bruce Lamb At Livingston: 12th year — 71-54 Overall: 12 years — 71-54 Last Playoff Appearance: 2018: 37-23 loss to Tullahoma Players to watch: Will McDonald (Sr., QB), Nate Neely (Jr., RB), Cole Spears (Sr., OL), Aubrey Hollars (Sr., WR), Wesley Smith (Sr., WR), Westyn Clouse (So., DL), Xander Cantrell (Sr., LB), Tee Beaty (Sr., K) Overview: The Wildcats return 13 seniors from a team that finished 5-6 last season. If they’re looking to recover this season, they certainly have the offensive weapons including Will McDonald at quarterback, Nate Neely at running back with Aubrey Hollars and Wesley Smith at wideouts.

There is also a lot of experience on the defensive side of the ball with Cole Spears and Xander Cantrell leading the pack. Hollars and Smith will highlight the secondary, one of the stingiest units on the Livingston squad. Lamb will also be able to call on his special teams when needed as senior Tee Beaty, deadly from within 50 yards, will handle the kicking duties.

‘The kids are going to have to be prepared and come out ready to play every week.’

Coach Bruce Lamb

Herald-Citizen — Kickoff 2019 |

35

WR Wesley Smith

practice. He said the players have shown how hard they’ve worked over the summer, how much they’ve improved, and how good they are now.

“The biggest thing I have seen from this team so far is senior leadership,” Lamb said. “We have 13 seniors, and I only have to say things once, and it is taken care of.

The seniors make sure everything is done, and that’s a really solid group.”

Those seniors will be looked to for guidance right away as the Wildcats work their way through the schedule.

“This year’s schedule is pretty tough.

Our non-region games are Cookeville, Up Upperman and York, and those are going to be extremely tough,” Lamb explained. “We go into every game with a positive outlook, but that’s a very hard non-region schedule. You need to play those kind of teams because that’s what you’re going to see in the playoffs.”

LA will also battle non-region teams like Smith County, Westmoreland and White County.

36 | Kickoff 2019 — Herald-Citizen

District and region games will also be difficult. Livingston will face Stone Memorial, DeKalb County, Macon County and Cumberland County.

“It is going to be a fight every week, whether it is a region game or a non-region game,” Lamb said.

The Wildcats, behind quarterback Will McDonald, had a potent offense in 2018, averaging more than 25 points a game, scoring at least 20 points in nine of its 11 games and scoring more than 30 points three times. Lamb hopes this year’s offense can keep the pace, if not improve on it.

“You always believe you have the potential to be an offense that can put points on the board,” Lamb said. “We will with McDonald back at quarterback. Wesley Smith and Aubrey Hollars are great receivers. Bryer Mosley and Raven Carpenter have stepped in there to help. Nathan Carwile is right there, while Ayden Coffee, just a sophomore, has really come on.”

Nate Neely and Kaleb Robinson will handle most of the ball-carrying duties. They will run behind an experienced line with four seniors — Donnie Phillips at center, Cole Spears and Bailey Johnson on the right side and Dusty Parrish on the left side.

Several young players are vying for the other spot in that unit.

The Livingston Academy defense will be anchored by a solid secondary with Hollars, Smith, Mosley and Robinson manning the four positions on the back end of the unit.

QB Will McDonald

Roster

All four have a lot of game experience and should provide, Lamb is hoping, a stability on the field.

Lamb also highlighted the importance of kicker Tee Beaty and what he provides the Wildcats on special teams. The coach said he’s been going to camps over the summer and has the leg, this year, to hit from 50 yards.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 27 30 31 32 33

Ayden Coffee Chris Gonzales Lucas Roberts Aubrey Hollars Nate Neely Bryer Mosley Xander Cantrelll Tee Beaty Trevor Brown Wesley Smith Lochlan Hammock Nathan Cowgill Westyn Clouse Cameron Jackson Raven Carpenter Jon Storie Will McDonald Lannah Taylor Curtis Johnson Kaleb Robinson Nathan Carwile Jaden Lawrence Dylan Woodall Josh Ramsey Zack Oliver Parker Bohannon Clay McDonald

So Jr Fr Sr Sr Jr So Sr Fr Sr Fr Fr So Fr Jr Jr Sr Sr So Jr Jr So So Fr Sr Jr Jr

WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K RB/DB WR/DB RB/DB QB/DB RB/LB TE/LB QB/DB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/DE RB/LB

34 35 44 45 50 51 53 54 55 57 60 61 63 65 66 67 68 71 72 76 77 79 80 81 82 85 88

Noah Sliger Jr Thomas Pennticuff Jr Daniel Hill Jr Kyle Kernell Sr Logan Johnson Fr Dexter Wright Jr Donnie Phillips Sr Dustin Parrish Sr Austin Reeder Jr Lucas Daniels Fr Robert Robinson Jr Zack Presley Jr Lane Presley So Bailey Johnson Sr Logan Abston Fr Ethan Rumancik Jr Cole Spears Sr Carson Smith Jr Jordan Brown Jr Mason Evans Jr Connor Bilbrey Fr Jonathon Langley Fr Kyle Blodgett Fr James Walker Fr Cody Garrett Jr Joseph Dees Sr Cody Blodgett Fr

RB/LB WR/DB TE/DL RB/LB OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB P WR/DB

Good luck in 2019!

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BLEDSOE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX Correctional Officer Contact Human Resources at (423) 881-6180

Join TEAM TDOC and be a part of the largest law enforcement agency in Tennessee and our efforts to be recognized as the best correctional agency in the nation.

Apply online www.tn.gov/hr or onsite Monday through Friday.

• • • • •

Starting Salary: $2,710/month Salary After 1 Year: $2,845/month 12 Hour Shifts with 12 Hours of Overtime per Month Built into the Schedule 3 Day Weekend Every Other Week, Off Friday, Saturday & Sunday High School Diploma or GED Required

Employees and eligible dependents are offered Health, Dental, Life, Pharmacy and Vision Insurance. Paid-Time-Off (Sick, Annual, Military, etc.), 401K, Retirement Plan and Tuition Assistance are a few of the benefits afforded to state employees. Eligible Veterans, Service Members, can use Post-9/11 or Montgomery GI Bill benefits for participation in the 12 month Correctional Officer Training Program. www.tn.gov/correction Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) is located on top of the Cumberland Plateau covering approximately 2,500 acres. The prison is a level 3 facility which houses approximately 2,539 offenders in three separate facilities: Site 1; Site 2 (formerly Southeast Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility); and Unit 28 (houses female offenders.)

Site 1 is the intake diagnostic center for all male offenders sentenced to the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). All offenders receive a comprehensive diagnostic assessment which will determine their medical, mental health and programming needs.

Site 2 houses approximately 999 offenders, which includes a 152-bed male annex. This site is a time-building prison where offenders are offered the opportunity to take vocational programs, including barbering, carpentry, culinary arts, and small engine repair, to help with a successful re-entry into the community. Self-improvement opportunities, like the Adult Basic Education classes and the 108-bed TCOM program, are offered to help the offender better themselves and open new doors to success.

Unit 28 houses approximately 300 female offenders. These offenders are offered the opportunity to take vocational programs, which include CAD (computer-aided design), Cosmetology and Landscaping/Gardening, to assist them with opening doors for a successful re-entry process.

Department of

Correction

2019

HOME SCHEDULE S jectt to chang Subj chang ng ge

Aug. 31

*Con *C Con nfer ference fere nce nc e Game Game Ga Gam

vs. Samford

Sept. 14 vs. Virginia-Wise Oct. 12

vs. UT Martin*

Oct. 26

vs. Austin Peay*

Nov. 9

vs. Jacksonville St.*

Nov. 23

vs. Tennessee State* FULL SCH HEDULE E: ttusports. s com