Friday, August 16, 2013
Hixson Wildcats
Coach: Jason Fitzgerald (7-4 in one year here; 73-52 in 26 years overall)
Last year: 7-4, lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs; first winning season since 2006, first playoff appearance since 2005.
'13 dreams: The Wildcats were selected by 6-AA coaches to win the district. They finished second to East Hamilton a year ago with a team that had very few seniors. There are eight returning starters on offense and seven on defense. The biggest concern for Fitzgerald is his team being the hunted rather than the hunter in a relatively balanced district.
13-for-13 contenders: Charles Franklin (6-foot-4, 285) is a converted tight end now playing as a two-way tackle. Tennessee State is among the college programs looking at him. Kedrick Bradley and Isaiah Robinson are running backs/linebackers with very similar size - Bradley 5-11, 190 and Robinson 5-11, 200 - and there's a good chance that sophomore speedster Tarik Twitty-Humphrey will get a shot.
Number of interest: Fitzgerald, who had spent most of his life as a player and coach at Rhea County, is the 13th head coach at Hixson, joining such notables as legendary Tony Martino, Chip Kell and Angelo "Nubby" Napolitano.
13 years ago: The Wildcats went 6-5 under coach Dan Duff. His assistants included current Baylor assistant Julian Kaufman and current Brainerd principal Uras Agee. Fitzgerald's 2000 Rhea County team got three games into the playoffs before losing 21-6 to eventual state champ Maryville
1-through-3: Quarterback Gill Brown
Q. What were the differences in last year and previous seasons?
A. In other years we fought a lot, played around and goofed off. Last year we goofed around a little but everybody got along. Last year was a great feeling. It is the best team I've played on.
Q. You're coming off a seven-win season. What's the mindset now?
A. The same [as last year]. People picking us [to win the district] doesn't mean a thing. The only thing that means anything is when you play on Friday night, but things are more positive this year. There's more pressure because of the expectations, but I don't think anybody's worried. We have been going out and working hard every day to improve.
Q. Who is Hixson's best athlete?
A. Kedric Bradley. He can do anything. He's smart, he can run and catch, and he also plays linebacker. He's a hard-working guy.
2013 Schedule
Aug. 23 Soddy-Daisy
Aug. 30 @South Pittsburg, 8
Sep. 6 Tyner *
Sep. 13 Bradley Central
Sep. 20 @Howard *
Sep. 27 @Livingston Academy
Oct. 4 East Ridge *
Oct. 17 Red Bank *
Oct. 24 @Central *
Oct. 31 @Brainerd *
2012 Stats
Passing C-A-I Pct. Yards TDs
Gill Brown 81-168-8 1,229 13
Rushing Att. Yards TDs
Kedric Bradley 128 757 6
Isaiah Robinson 99 479 3
Eric Jones 72 309 5
Gill Brown 68 104 8
Receiving No. Yards TDs
Allante Novene 43 780 8
Kedric Bradley 22 211 2
K.J. Yates 7 102 0
Allan Diaz 6 105 0
Isaiah Robinson 2 41 2
Roster
No. Name Class
1 Allen Diaz Senior
1 Hunter Doyle Freshman
2 Nic Beatty Junior
3 Tre Coleman Sophomore
4 Justin Nicholson Sophomore
5 Isaiah Robinson Senior
6 Tarik Twitty-Humphrey Sophomore
7 Darion Nicholson Senior
8 Zach Zimmerson Senior
8 Jalen Pryor Freshman
9 James Cole Junior
10 Keyshun Bradley Freshman
11 Gill Brown Senior
13 Elijah Hiatt Senior
16 Preston Wilkey Junior
17 Quinton Russell Senior
18 Eric Threat Freshman
20 Jordan Johnson Junior
24 Preston Steele Senior
25 John Ferris Sophomore
26 Dylan Bargerstock Sophomore
28 Blake Oakley Sophomore
29 Justin Moore Junior
30 Hunter Coblentz Sophomore
31 Spencer Waites Senior
32 K.C. Shelton Senior
33 Marshall Cooper Junior
34 Kendrick Bradley Senior
36 Konnor Ziegler Sophomore
37 Austin McAfee Sophomore
38 Myles Ratliff Freshman
39 Ryan Sekenski Freshman
40 Connor Atwood Junior
42 Austin Gilkey Senior
43 Brandon Leffew Sophomore
46 Austin Clark Freshman
48 Sam Hunter Senior
50 Drew Weaver Senior
50 Miguel Vega Freshman
51 Charles Franklin Senior
52 Keegan Green Junior
53 McKenzie Martin Junior
54 Earl Baumhardt Sophomore
55 Will Webb Sophomore
56 Jared Armour Junior
57 Matthew Bone Sophomore
58 Kamryn Jones Freshman
59 Drew Keith Freshman
60 Jacob Byrd Junior
61 Rodney Jones Sophomore
62 Dakota Frase Senior
63 John Green Junior
64 Zach Mahoney Freshman
65 Tyler Weaver Freshman
66 Travis Tate Sophomore
67 Rasaan Sanders Senior
68 Brett Gardin Freshman
70 Brodie Gregory Freshman
71 Matthew Morrison Sophomore
75 Corey Evans Senior
76 Ryan Turner Junior
77 Garrett Wheeler Junior
78 Anthony Kring Senior
78 Bubba Palacio Freshman
80 Abraham Viar Freshman
81 T.J. Norman Senior
82 Austin Slifko Freshman
83 Luke White Senior
85 Jacob Rogers Senior