Ooltewah High School's Rashun Freeman (11) runs the ball in this September 4, 2014, photo.Another year of experience was only going to benefit the Ooltewah secondary. And it has, on some of the biggest stages the Owls have performed this season.
The defensive backfield of cornerbacks Tyson Sylvester and Adrian Hall and safeties A.J. Diggs and Rashun Freeman have equaled Ooltewah's nine-interception output from last season. Only this season when they get pickoffs, they're returning them for touchdowns, with four through six games this season.
The Owls are 6-0 going into tonight's District 5-AAA game at Bradley Central.
"These guys have come out every day, worked hard and played fast," Ooltewah secondary coach Brandon Fields said. "They do extra work and have put in the work to be a successful defense.
"If the secondary isn't doing its thing, you can't survive as a defense."
Fields prepped at Cleveland, earning all-state honors before a standout career at Tennessee Tech and a two-year stint with the Chicago Rush in the Arena League. The defensive coordinator, Doug Greene, is in his second term with the program, having spent 2006-10 in that role before two years as Rhea County's head coach. He also has experience at the college level, having coached linebackers at West Alabama and defensive backs at Carson-Newman.
"This secondary is fast, but they're physical. They've bought into what we're trying to do, and it's paid off," Greene said. "We want those guys to attack, but as a coach my job is to make them feel free to make plays. They've been playing with confidence because they've been prepared, and when you are prepared for something, you're confident in doing it."
Hall has four of the interceptions, while Freeman and Sylvester have two apiece. Hall also leads the touchdown competition with two. Their ability to change coverages on the fly requires communication, but whether they're in zone or in man-to-man coverage, they feel confident in what they're trying to do.
"We talked about it before the season, that we need to make more plays this year than we did last," Freeman said. "We're just trying to make plays. Even if we give up a score, we just know we can't think about it; we've been through it all, so we know to keep fighting and not make the same mistake."
The defense has two shutouts so far and allowed a combined 19 points in wins over East Hamilton and Brainerd. But the highlight of the season has been victories on the road at Siegel and Dobyns-Bennett, games in which Ooltewah had to rally late to win.
"We're happy we got those wins, but the key has been not to let that go to our head," Sylvester said. "We have to come out with the same mentality every game."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.