It was a loss that lingered for David Brainerd football coach Tawambi Settles. All that was needed to finish with a .500 record was a win over a struggling Tennessee Temple team. The Wildcats had whipped Temple in a preseason scrimmage but were outplayed in the season finale and finished 4-6.

“I was so upset, I didn’t go to bed until 4 a.m.,” Settles said. “We didn’t take the game seriously, and the game just got away from us. I’m not used to that mentality.

“But last year we were knocking on the door to having a successful season, so this program has come a long way in a short period of time. We’re headed in a new direction. My first year here, I was dealing with kids that didn’t know a football stance. We’ve reached the point now that we’re not starting from scratch.”

In the program’s fifth year, numbers have climbed to an all-time high of 28, which will allow the team to have intra-squad scrimmages. The senior class is still small, but of each of those seven has been with the program for four years, and quarterback Brooks Thedford threw for more than 1,700 yards in the Wildcats’ spread attack.

Patrick McCullough ranked among the area’s top 10 receivers in total catches, and classmate Will Keebler had nearly 700 yards in receptions. Keebler (6-0, 185) attended several college camps this summer, and his 4.5 speed has helped catch the eye of several recruiters.

“The only thing that hurts Will is that he’s at an unknown program,” said Settles, a former McCallie star who played at Duke University. “He can play at the next level at either receiver or cornerback. We’re going to throw the ball quite a bit because we’re still not strong and deep enough up front, and Will is going to be our deep threat.”

The return of Thedford, McCullough and Keebler alleviates any concern over offensive production. Settles admitted the key to not only the program’s first winning season but to contend for a playoff berth lies on the defensive side. Those improvements, and the memory of last season’s final game have become reasons for higher expectations.

“We’re definitely reminded of the last game, it was a huge disappointment to play that way,” Keebler said. “We have to learn how to finish plays, get the extra yards and do the little things it takes to win games.

“We’re going to put points on the board and our defense is in better shape so we’ve got more confidence about what we can do.”