Coaches Pick Columbia to Repeat as District 8-AAA Champs

Two things happen every year that lets high school football fans know the season is just weeks away; fall practice begins and Murphy Fair releases his Tennessee High School Football magazine.

Now that both have happened it can only mean that 7-on-7 passing camps, controlled scrimmages, and putting on the pads for the first time are just around the corner. And it means we now have solid information to do a quick preview of District 8-AAA.

During its first two years of existence after the TSSAA reclassification in 2009, the district was a powerhouse in the Class 5A playoffs. The first year Columbia finished runner-up in the state, while Lawrence County advanced to the second round.

The 2010 postseason was even better with Columbia winning the BlueCross Bowl, Tullahoma advancing to the quarterfinals, and Lawrence County once again winning its first playoff game before falling in the second round. All six teams from the district qualified for the playoffs.

However last season was not so kind to the district as Columbia, Tullahoma and Shelbyville, the only three teams to qualify for the playoffs, all lost in the first round. The Lions fell to Lenoir City 34-30, the Wildcats were shut out by Centennial 24-0, and Shelbyville got hammered by Ooltewah 42-20.

The primary question heading into the 2012 season is can District 8-AAA return to its former position as one of the toughest 5A districts in the state, or will it once again be a postseason pretender unable to escape the first round. We will know the answer the first weekend in November.

For now though all we can do is speculate, and the coaches in the district have speculated that Columbia is once again the preseason favorite, as they were two years ago. Tullahoma was the preseason coaches pick last year, ultimately finishing second behind the Lions.

Columbia returns all-state quarterback Matthew Markham and all-district wide receiver Dre Hall, as well as 1,000 yard rusher Chris Martin. All three have started for three years and were key ingredients on the 2010 title team. The Lions are 18-2 since Markham became the starter in 2009.

Howard Stone takes over for departed coach Vance Belew and will have seven starters to replace on the defensive side. Expect there to be an adjustment period for Columbia with a new head coach on board, even though Stone was an assistant on Belew’s staff.

For the first time in its four-year existence, someone other than Tullahoma or Columbia is picked to finish second. The Shelbyville Golden Eagles were just one vote away from sharing the top spot with the Lions, and Shelbyville features the only preseason all-state selection in running back Marquis Morton, last year’s district MVP with almost 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

The Golden Eagles return three starters from the offensive line, including all-district selection Luke Dickson, and have a number of talented sophomores who will make in impact, especially Will Trice.

John Olive heads into his 20^th season at the helm of the Tullahoma Wildcats with one of his least-experienced squads, and the district coaches recognize that yet still pick the Cats third. Replacing a three-year starter at quarterback is only the beginning of Olive’s challenge, as all but two starters on the defense must also be replaced.

Franklin County and Lincoln County, the district’s two Class 6A members, are picked to finish tied for fourth place, although both of them have the talent to challenge for an upper-half finish and a playoff berth.

Franklin County returns extraordinary running back Kelton Nunley, along with fellow backfield mates Layton Wells and Caleb Limbaugh. Nunley and Wells have combined for 4,000 yards rushing in two years, while Limbaugh has a season under his belt at QB. With three starters back on the offensive line, expect the Rebels to try and wear down their opponents with a punishing ground game.

Don Thomas begins his second season at Lincoln County with a number of challenges in front of him, not the least of which is the continued growth of the new Fayetteville City High School. Experience in the skill positions is lacking for the Falcons, although they return four linemen who tip the scales at 270 pounds or more.

Lawrence County is picked by district coaches to bring up the rear in the standings for the second consecutive season. Head coach Davis Marston enters his tenth season in Lawrenceburg with some quality size returning up front, while at the same time a lack of overall team speed is apparent.

If the coaches are correct in their prognostication, then the game-of-the-year should fall in week four on Sept. 14 when Shelbyville travels to Columbia. Both teams have an excellent chance to be undefeated when they meet.

The Changing of the View

My view from the press box has changed. After over 25 years of sports media experience ranging from play-by-play broadcasting to sports editor to college sports information, I have accepted the position of Sports Director at WHMT radio in Tullahoma.

WHMT has been Tullahoma’s only radio station for over 50 years, beginning as WJIG AM 740 in the 1950s. Yes other stations mention Tullahoma when they identify themselves, but there is only one station solely licensed to the city.

The FM signal of 93.3 was added in the 70s, but moved to Huntsville in the late 80s. The format has changed many times, and in 2010 the station was purchased by Coffee County Broadcasting and became WHMT, with a new FM signal of 105.1.

The music is an Adult Contemporary format that includes songs from the 60s to now. We offer local news on the hour, current weather, community bulletin boards, and a great website at TullahomaRadio.com.

My focus is on the sports side of Tullahoma Radio, which we have christened the new Tullahoma Sports Network. Every sports broadcast, blog post, twitter or facebook entry, and video replay will be under the umbrella of TSN.

Our first product drops Monday, July 9 at 6pm central time with Tullahoma Sports Plus. This weekly, two-hour talk show promises to become a meeting place for Tullahoma Wildcats, Motlow Bucks, Vols, Blue Raiders, Titans, Braves, and Predators fans.

You are invited to join us as a passive listener or as an active participant. We will take calls at 454-1005 as well as converse through Twitter @tsn1051.

Tullahoma opens spring practice with many questions

The Tullahoma Wildcats will open spring football practice on Wednesday, May 2 and conclude with the annual ‘Red & White’ Game on Friday, May 18 at Wilkins Stadium. If weather or another school athletic event interferes with Friday then the game will be held Monday, May 21.

Tullahoma has won 17 games the past two years, winning District 8-AAA two years ago and finishing second last season. However, there are very few starters remaining that were on the 2010 team that advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals.

On the other hand, the Wildcats freshman team was very successful last season. There are three returning offensive line starters and an outstanding tailback comes back. On defense there are a half-dozen returnees who played significant minutes, primarily on the defensive line.

Gone is QB Jared Davis, who started 30 games and accounted for 5,271 yards of total offense and 55 touchdowns over the past three years. The Wildcats have virtually no experience returning behind center.

Also graduating this May are most of the skill position players, secondary, linebackers, kickers, and two offensive linemen who were all-district players. There are a lot of holes for head coach John Olive and his staff to fill.

THS has had a tremendous run of talent the last couple of years, adding a district basketball championship and run to the substate, two baseball trips to the substate, region champion track and field teams, state tournament wrestlers, and more to the football success.

It will be interesting to see if Tullahoma can sustain that success during the 2012-13 athletic season. Olive always gets the most from the talent that is available, and although there are some great athletes in the school who don’t play football you can count on the Wildcats to be once again contending for a playoff spot when late October rolls around.

The serious work towards that goal begins May 2.

Division I Prospects Abound at Westwood, Knoxville West

The Top Prospects List, now known simply as ‘The List’, has grown to over 200 high school football players in its infancy. By the time he is finished, The Guru will build that list to 1,000 players on MurphyFair.com. There is nothing else like it in the state of Tennessee.

Each year as the list builds from March to July, its fun to learn which coaches are realistic in the ability of their players and which coaches think their guys are better than they actually are.

I’ll leave it to your descretion to decide which coaches fall on which side of that spectrum. In fact, its always enjoyable at the end of the year to go back to the list and see how close players were accurately judged as far as talent goes.

Two schools that jump out as far as listing a significant number of Division I prospects so far this year are Westwood and Knoxville West.

Westwood has returned its survey to Murphy, and on it are five players who are projected to play on Saturdays at the highest level.

Running back Randolph Zieh is 6′ 200 lb. and has already made a name for himself last year as a sophomore. Twin brother Guei Zieh is listed as a defensive back at 5-10 175 lb.

Wide receiver Nakia Cathey is a 5-9, 175 speedster, who along with the Ziehs is only a junior. Senior quarterback Jerome Gilkey III is 6-1, 185 and classmate linebacker Jereme Glass is solid at 6-2, 225.

Those five Division I talents headline a list of nine total prospects submitted by Westwood head coach Anthony Jones. He believes his Longhorns, who won District 16-A last year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs, are on the verge of contending for a state championship.

Knoxville West has been making significant moves in the Class 5A playoffs since realignment happened three years ago.They barely lost to Powell in the semifinals last year, and this could be the year that Scott Cummings and his Rebels push through to Cookeville.

Three Division I prospects are listed by Coach Cummings, led by 6-1, 195 senior free safety Ryan Francis. His YouTube highlight video is featured right now on MurphyFair;com, and watching it will give you an appreciation of his considerable abilities.

Junior linebacker Cody Underwood is 6-1, 205, while senior linebacker Zack Stuart stands 6-3, 200 pounds. Those three defensive stalwarts are joined by four more players with chances to play on Saturdays, three of them on the defensive side of the ball. The Rebels should have a great defense this season.

As we watch the 2012 season unfold we will keep our eyes on Westwood and Knoxville West. Both are expected to be competing when the calendar begins approaching December.

CAK Early Top Prospects Leader

Ah yes. The smell of spring football is in the air. In five months we will kick off the 2012 high school football season. The countdown is on.

For Murphy Fair, the Guru of high school football in the state of Tennessee, spring means the beginning of the creation of the coming season’s Tennessee High School Football magazine.

The first step in that process is when Murphy begins to receive surveys from head football coaches across the state. Every head coach in the state was recently sent a survey, which upon its return will enter their team in Murphy’s 2012 magazine. If they don’t return the survey then they don’t get in the magazine.

But thankfully most do, and one of the items that Murphy asks them to include is a list of their top college prospects. The coaches are asked to guess as to what level of college football each prospect is expected to advance to, and for the most part history says the coaches are very knowledgeable in their ability to gauge the potential of their players.

The list, which will grow to around 1,000 players by July, is the only list of its kind in Tennessee, and is exclusive to MurphyFair.com. The low subscription price of $15 per year is easily justified by the top prospects list alone, not to mention the coaching changes list, exclusive statewide individual statistics lists during the season, previews and reviews by Murphy, and a whole lot more. The site is the best of its kind in our state.

The top prospects list already has almost 100 players in it, and without question the early leader in both quantity and quality is defending Class 3A state champion Christian Academy of Knoxville. The Warriors list eight top prospects, and Warrior head coach Rusty Bradley believes four of them can play at the Division I level on Saturdays.

Based on the performance of the offense in 2011 there is no reason to doubt Coach Bradley’s assessment. Starting with QB Charlie High, who threw for more yards in a single season than any player in state history, and two of his top receivers who also entered the all-time record book, the Warriors are loaded on the offensive side of the ball.

Josh Smith and Davis Howell will catch a lot of footballs for a bunch of yards this season, especially with players such as 6-5, 300 lb. junior Patrick Dalton, 6-5, 290 lb. senior Brett Kendrick, and 6-3, 260 lb. senior Alec North blocking on the offensive line; the Warriors should be able to provide good protection for High to once again pick defenses apart.

Speaking of defense, CAK also lists a pair of linebackers as top prospects, although they aren’t expected to play on the Division I level. L. J. Goodridge and Camden Winzenburg are both around 5-11, 200 lb. with good speed who can hit.

As the list progresses through the summer there will schools that send in more names than CAK. There might even be schools listing more than four Division I prospects. But considering the kind of numbers that the Warriors offense put up last year and the players they have returning, their might not be another team with as much quality as this CAK bunch has.

Assistan Coaches Getting Their Chance

Although Brentwood hired Mark Pemberton away from Macon County today, the trend this year has been for Tennessee high schools to promote from within when replacing head coaches.

As of now 11 schools have hired new head coaches who served as head coaches at other schools last season. On the flip side, 20 schools have promoted assistant coaches, with a dozen of those promoting assistants who served on staff last season.

The trend of hiring former assistant coaches is not typical of a high school football offseason in the state of Tennessee. More often than not, on all levels of sports, teams want to hire head coaches who have experience running a program. Not this year.

Mark Pemberton is an excellent hire for Brentwood. He is a proven winner at Knoxville Central and will have great resources to win with the Bruins.

The View is Consistently Changing

Until now this blog has been primarily focused on Tennessee high school football and promoted on MurphyFair.com, the state’s premier site devoted solely to high school football. I am the administrator for the site and excited as we move into our ninth season with the guru Murphy Fair.

With the positive evolution of my broadcasting career brings change in how I use outlets such as The View from the Pressbox. The more events I work the more I want to write about them, and this seems the best place to do that writing; the best way to distribute my work.

High school sports has always been a passion for me, but during the past couple of years, based largely on my broadcasting work with the TSSAA, it has become something that I would love to be able to spend all my working time covering. I’m talking full time.

With experience in broadcasting, writing, managing web sites and gathering facts, the time has come for me to make a push to put my 25+ years experience into a job doing all those things in relation to high school sports in the state of Tennessee.