Christopher hits his stride

For a kid who debated forsaking football, Andy Christopher has emerged as a pretty good quarterback.

"I used to watch him play when he was in middle school, and I thought then that he might just play baseball when he got to high school because he took such a pounding," Red Bank coach Tim Daniels said.

"The difference between now and then is ridiculous. It's pretty much the same people, but the difference is unbelievable," Christopher said of the Lions' offensive line. "I had my doubts at first. I thought I had a better chance of going (to college) in baseball."

Christopher thought, though about being one of those guys middle school kids looked up to, guys such as Tim Benford, Dominique McDuffie, "Ta-Ta" Caldwell and Jake Ledbetter, and the atmosphere that surrounds Red Bank football.

"As a kid in middle school you look up to the guys in your own community," he said, "and thinking about that and the championship banners and those Friday nights when I was younger got me excited about playing football here."

The decision has panned out well for Red Bank, which enters its home game with Greeneville tonight with a 12-0 record and an eye toward Cookeville and the state championship game.

In two playoff games, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Christopher's offense has scored 96 points while he achieved a (NCAA) passer rating of 320.6. He has completed 81.8 percent of his passes (18-of-22, one interception) for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

Daniels described Christopher's postseason performance as "out of body."

"The last five weeks, but especially the last three weeks, Andy has been in complete control of himself and the game," the coach said.

A Red Bank quarterback has more to do than throw passes. He must receive and interpret signals from the sideline in the no-huddle offense. He has to know where every player should be on every play. He has to make reads at the line of scrimmage and then make adjustments. And above all he must be on the same page with the coaches.

Christopher has devoted himself to the execution of those duties, especially as the team began thinking about the postseason.

"I come to practice with a pretty good attitude, but the past couple of weeks I realize what's in front of us and what a chance we have," he said. "It's a unique opportunity, and I think about that every time I step on the grass. I try to kick it up a notch in practice. You know they say you perform like you practice."

"Andy has a good understanding of what we want to do with each play and the things we're trying to accomplish," Lions offensive coordinator Kraig Campbell said. "This year he understood from the get-go where we were coming from with regard to the running game. His numbers -- attempts, completions and yardage -- were higher last year. Like any quarterback he wants to throw the football as much as possible, but he also knows that our goal is that 15th week."

Last week Christopher threw only six passes (completing five, one for a TD), but the week before his 13 completions included three touchdown tosses and covered 211 yards. The 16 attempts was the third-highest single-game total for him all season.

"I guess I've had a pretty good season," he said. "I haven't gotten hit much. We haven't had to throw that much, but I think I have executed pretty well. It helps with all these athletes we have.

"When you have this offensive line and guys like Keon (Williams) and Tim Dews pounding the ball, it really opens up the play-action game. But I really don't care about my stats. At the end of the day we got the 'W,' and that's what it's about. Sure, we joke about not getting enough throws and catches, but it's all about getting the win. When you win, everybody's happy."