Marion County High School kicker Christian Stephens practices field goals at the school Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, in Jasper, Tenn.JASPER, Tenn. -- Ricky Ross brooded all the way home from Monday's Tennessee Titans-sponsored Mr. Football awards luncheon.
The new Marion County coach was disappointed that Blake Zeman was overlooked for the Class A award, and he was disheartened that Warriors junior Christian Stephens failed to make it as a Kicker of the Year finalist.
"I felt he got ripped off -- when I listened to those guys' stats up there (at the banquet in Murfreesboro) -- and you can put that in the paper," Ross said.
Regardless, Stephens has proved his worth. and his coach would love for the world to know it.
"He's had a 42-yarder, a 40-yarder, a 36-yarder. He's 8-for-8 in field goals this year," said Ross, who'll take the Warriors to Cookeville on Saturday for the Class 2A championship game against Peabody.
Kickoff is at noon EST.
Ross continued building a case for Stephens, pointing out that he has converted 68 of 70 extra-point kicks while putting 80 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone.
"And for most people he would punt, too," the coach added.
It goes beyond the figures for Ross, who has a passion for focus, hard work and sacrifice to accompany a firm belief that nobody is going to stand around during his high-tempo practices.
"I remember early on hearing that 'thump' in practice, and I looked around and it was him. I wasn't going to let him stand and watch during practice, so I gave him a little program in practice to chart his yards and times," Ross said. "What happened is he got better."
It wasn't always that way, though, and Stephens knows it only so well.
"He used to give me a chart, but I stopped asking for it. I learned what to do, what he wanted from me every day," he said of a routine that has him among the state's top kickers regardless of Mr. Football nominations.
When asked how much he'd improved since last season, the kicker responded, "Loads.
"I'm calmer out there, more focused. I actually know what I'm doing. I know that I have a whole community on my side and a coach that trusts me," he said.
He might have been discovered sooner rather than later, but teammates screamed out his name when then-coach Mac McCurry asked if anybody could kick. Stephens won the job as a freshman.
He started punting and kicking before he knew much at all of American football. The son of an American serviceman, he spent his early years in Japan and Germany, and in the latter, he recalled, it was a tradition to have a soccer ball in the yard.
"When I played, they had me at goalie, so it was kicking off the ground and punting," he recalled. "I got into the habit early on."
After retiring from the Air Force following 20 years of service, Stephens' father brought his family back to Jasper and Marion County, where he had played in the band and graduated in 1982. Stephens' brother, Tyler Sweeten, kicked for the Warriors before graduating in 2008, giving his young sibling both example and challenge.
"I challenged him and then after one game I outkicked him, so I went from backyard football and middle school to kicking as a freshman," Stephens said.
"He was our district's special teams MVP," Ross reminded. "He's just such a valuable a weapon for us."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.