Gossett blog: McMinn Central Chargers continue turnaround

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

McMinn Central continues to surprise in football, and the Chargers pulled out their second biggest win of the season Friday with a 27-26 victory over Grace Christian in Knoxville.

The biggest, at least to folks in Englewood, will remain that season-opening win over McMinn County.

That said, there were a whole lot of people including many in Knoxville who were elated to see Central win. Maybe it has something to do with their perception of Grace Christian, and then again maybe it goes deeper than that.

Grace was undefeated and ranked atop the state's Class 2A rankings while Central (4-0) remains unranked in Class 3A. There was some payback involved last Friday. The Rams embarrassed the Chargers 42-0 last year.

The toughest thing about beating Grace is having to turn around and jump back into District 5-AA play against Polk County, which might be as big a rival as McMinn County. Last time Polk lost to the Chargers? It was in 2008, 16-0.

It hasn't been that long since the Chargers started a season with four wins. In the second year of the short-lived Brandon Derrick tenure (2009), Central actually reeled off nine straight before losing the regular-season finale to Howard (33-14). Prior to that, though, there were more 0-4 starts than 4-0s. As a matter of fact, the only other 4-0 start we could find was Eddie Rich's 1977 team that finished the year 8-3.

• The list of unbeatens was pared once again with Marion County falling to 3-1 on a 7-0 loss at Chattanooga Central. The Warriors, who still should make a run deep into the 2A playoffs, were victimized by Class 4A Central's strong defense.

It's no real shame, though. Central's defense has yet to give up a TD and the Purple Pounders, despite a less than stellar offense, are 3-1.

• Among those teams still without a blemish are Ooltewah, 4-0, 1-0 in 5-AAA; Rhea County, 3-0, 1-0 in 6-AAA; Signal Mountain, 4-0, 1-0 in 7-AA; the aforementioned Chargers, 4-0, 1-0 in 5-AA; Baylor and McCallie, each 4-0, 1-0 in Division II/East-Middle; Southeast Whitfield, 3-0 in Georgia's 5A-7; Calhoun 3-0, 1-0 in Georgia's 3A-6; and Trion, 3-0 in Georgia's 1A-6A.

Each of the Alabama schools in the circulation area has at least one loss.

Scottsboro remained undefeated in Class 6A Region 7, but it took two touchdowns in overtime to do it. They bested previously unbeaten Albertville 41-40. DK Billingsley scored three TDs, one in OT, and Malik Talley added an 80-yard kickoff return and a 39-yard TD reception.

North Jackson scored early and often -- 37 first-half points -- in a 58-13 win over Priceville.

• Hats off to Lookout Valley, which removed the winless yoke with a hard-fought, 38-33 victory over Grace Academy.

The tough one for me to figure out is Boyd-Buchanan, now 0-4 following a lopsided loss to Notre Dame. The Bucs have a proven head coach and a good coaching staff. They returned most of their offensive line, and although they have been breaking in a new quarterback, the kid has talent and decent size, and they have a couple of good running backs. I figure it this way -- the only team they've played thus far that's close to their size is Franklin Road Academy, and the Bucs lost to them 28-21 on the road two weeks ago.

• The way they're headed now, Baylor and McCallie could enter their game on Oct. 3 at McCallie both undefeated. The Red Raiders and the Blue Tornado are currently unbeaten three games into the season. Should each make it to that game unbeaten, it would be the first time both entered the game without a loss since 1978.

Another top duel that week and within a couple of blocks of the Baylor-McCallie battle is Signal Mountain visiting Notre Dame with the 7-AA championship likely on the line. You think Wally's on McCallie Avenue won't be busy with pregame chowing?

• Did you see where McCallie's Alex Trotter tried to repeat that 374-yard performance against Pope John Paul II of nine days ago? The senior sat out the fourth quarter after rushing for 264 yards and three TDs on 14 carries.

• While offenses most often provide the headlines, we take time here to note that Ooltewah has now provided back-to-back shutouts (kudos to defensive coordinator Doug Greene).

Too, Central defensive coordinator Cortney Braswell has the Pounders playing well. They have yet to give up a touchdown, and last Friday they got their second shutout of the season against Marion County while holding Mr. Football finalist Blake Zeman below the 100-yard mark. The Pounders are the first to accomplish that this season.

And Signal Mountain, with Troy Boeck calling the defenses, has two shutouts already this season. The Eagles have accomplished that only once previously -- last year against Bledsoe County and Red Bank. This year the two shutout victims are Tyner and Bledsoe.

• On the subject of Tyner, the Rams have fallen on hard times and have managed to get shut out twice and score only seven points in their first three games. It's almost a carbon copy of last year when they started 0-4 and then forfeited their next two games.

This week's opponent is unbeaten Knoxville Catholic, which is averaging 48.7 points per game. Among their victims are state-ranked Coalfield and Christian Academy of Knoxville.

• You have to go back to 2005 to find the last McMinn County team that started the year 0-4. That one won in Week 5, beating Rhea County. The Cherokees' task this week, though, is anything but a slouch. After absorbing a pummeling last Friday at Alcoa, they return home to host unbeaten Oak Ridge (3-0 and coming off a 42-0 shutout of Knoxville Halls).

So if you're wondering about the last time a Cherokees bunch went 0-5 to open a year -- try 1981. According to our records, they opened the year with a 7-6 win over McMinn Central but later had to forfeit that game. It was John Grubb's fourth and final year as McMinn's head coach.

• In case you missed the tweet Friday night late, quarterback Nick Tiano did not play in the Red Raiders' victory over Brainerd. No, he wasn't suspended or being punished or anything like that. He got banged up the previous week against Montgomery Bell Academy -- hard to imagine a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder getting banged up -- and coaches wanted to allow him an extra week to heal if possible. He was dressed and could've played if necessary.

Gage Upshaw, most often a receiver, played in his stead.

• There was some debate about the last time Sequatchie County beat South Pittsburg. The Indians did it Friday, pulling out a 21-18 victory after a 21-6 advantage. According to our record books, that honor goes to the 2004 Indians, who beat the Pirates 49-26 in Kevin Saunders' first season as coach.

• Now that they've paid the bills with money games against Ooltewah, Ensworth and Baylor, Brainerd's Panthers can get back to playing football. They're 0-1 in District 6-AA, losing to Red Bank 21-7 between games at Ensworth and at Baylor, and they're tackling district preseason favorite East Ridge at East Ridge this week.

Another good game this week -- and maybe Central's biggest challenge to date -- finds Red Bank visiting the Pounders.

• Do the Georgia prep standings confuse you? There are some regions that have sub-regions, and the standings for those with sub-regions do not count wins and losses in region games out of their sub-regions. Those count only in tiebreaking situations, according to Lindsey Young, our North Georgia ace.

• I've tried my best and tied my fingers to keep from commenting on officials and officiating and the sideline Nazis. I don't intend to start now, either, but it is surely obvious to even the untrained eye that the TSSAA, at the behest of the national federation, is trying to force seven-man officiating crews on all of its teams.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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