Ooltewah High School's Sammy Seamster carries the ball in this file photograph from when he played for the Owls. He went on to shine for Middle Tennessee State and now is on an NFL roster. Ooltewah is retiring his jersey this Thursday.Sammy Seamster, who parlayed two years of high school football into a college career at Middle Tennessee State University and the start of a career in the National Football League, will have his high school jersey number retired in a ceremony Thursday afternoon at Ooltewah High.
"Here's a kid who's done everything the way it was supposed to be done, and I for one am tickled about [the jersey retirement]," said Owls defensive coordinator Doug Greene, who served in a similar capacity under Benny Monroe when Seamster played there (2006-08). "Sammy was an A and B student, a respectful kid, and he was always in the weight room and at practice when he was supposed to be, and he was always working hard."
Seamster, according to Greene, had never played football before his arrival at Ooltewah from Louisiana.
Signed as a free-agent defensive back by the Baltimore Ravens earlier this year, Seamster was picked up by the Miami Dolphins and was described as a "core special teams player." He was placed on the Dolphins' injured reserve list on Sept. 15 after suffering a shoulder injury.
"I'm not surprised he's in the NFL. He's just so fast and so big (6-foot-1, 205)," Greene said. "He has a skill set that not many people have -- that height, that weight and a 4.31 40, and he's long. He's a good cover guy."
Seamster played just two years for Ooltewah, having to sit his sophomore year because his eligibility was in question due of a custody battle.
"He was a two-year starter on defense. He was always defense first. We'd line him up at receiver because he was such a good-looking player, but he couldn't catch a cold," Greene remembered with a laugh. "Going to MTSU was a good move for him because they were able to grow his skills."
Bucs clinch top seed
Todd Ledbetter wanted to coach soccer at his alma mater, Boyd-Buchanan, and he got that chance with this year's girls' team.
He previously had not coached girls in any capacity but has learned a lot in the process -- and so has his team.
The Lady Bucs (7-4-2, 7-0) clinched the top seed in 5-A/AA last week when they won 2-0 at McMinn Central. The focus now is on completing an undefeated district regular season and moving on to the postseason in two weeks.
McMinn County has clinched the top seed in 5-AAA. Hixson can do the same in 6-A/AA with a win over Tyner this afternoon; Notre Dame likewise can seal the 7-A/AA top spot with a win over rival Signal Mountain tonight.
For the usually intense Ledbetter, coaching the girls has been almost therapeutic.
"I laugh a whole lot more with girls than I do when I coach boys," he said Monday. "As much as I'm about business -- I'm here to work -- the girls don't see it that way, and sometimes it helps take the edge off. I'm able to relax and have some fun, which is why you play sports.
"They've helped mellow me out."
After consecutive losses to Walker Valley and Hixson to start the season, Ledbetter made some personnel and formation adjustments and reminded the Lady Bucs of their goal to be the best team in 5-A/AA after the regular season.
"I watch European soccer -- all the time," Ledbetter said. "There the goal is to win the regular-season title, because that proves you've been the most consistent team all season long and anything can happen in one match in a tournament setting.
"Any success we have in the tournament is just a bonus."
Boyd-Buchanan has outscored district opponents 33-4. It has a league match remaining Thursday against Silverdale Baptist Academy.
"I told the girls that we're on the verge of going undefeated. Let's go for it," Ledbetter said.
Heritage GPA high
In addition to success on the field, the Heritage softball program continues to shine academically. The 2013-14 team finished fifth in the nation in the unweighted division with a 3.808 aggregate GPA and had 12 players with 3.5s or higher who were named Academic All-Americans by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
This was the second consecutive fifth-place finish for the Generals and the third straight top 10.
The honored individuals were Katie Pritchett, Lauren Lawson, Shea Headrick, Olivia Tamewitz, Shelby Hammontree, Krissi Prewitt, Hannah Wills, Brooklynn Frazier, Sydney Smith, Ali Roberts, Morgan Parris and Cheyanne Kunkle.