The Region 3-4A race went down to the wire last football season as Central, East Hamilton and Red Bank all finished 5-1 in league play for a share of the title.
The Purple Pounders, Hurricanes and Lions are expected to battle for the top spot again this season as all three appear loaded for stellar runs.
Central went 6-3 overall in 2021, losing 28-26 in the first round of the playoffs to Macon County to wrap up a season that ranked as one of the program's best this century.
"We woke up the city last season," said senior defensive lineman Chris Nichols, one of 16 returning starters - eight each on offense and defense - for the Pounders.
"We take a lot of pride in playing together as a team. I always knew we were going to have a breakout season because we had so much talent and we put it all together. We have been working hard to take things a step even further this year."
The 6-foot, 255-pound Nichols' ox-like strength combined with a burst of quickness allow him to break through the line and into opposing backfields in a hurry. He had 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks and forced five fumbles last year, when one of his biggest plays was against Red Bank - a forced fumble the Pounders returned for a touchdown in a memorable 23-21 victory in which the home fans stormed the field.
In addition to Nichols, the defense will count heavily on middle linebacker Londen Martin, the team's returning leading tackler with 114 stops plus four tackles for loss and two takeaways as a junior.
Central's offense is in good hands, too. Senior athlete Donovan Smith totaled 1,124 yards (777 receiving, 347 rushing) and scored 10 touchdowns last season while building a rapport with dual-threat quarterback Ronye Watson, who had 18 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 total yards as a freshman. Watson's protection should be exceptional as Perry Armour, McKenley Bacon, Jamison Johnson and Tyler Patillo are all four-year starters on the offensive line.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / The return of Red Bank running back AD Crutcher, left, is one reason why the Lions should have another successful season this fall.Despite the loss at Central, Red Bank secured the region's No. 1 playoff seed last year via a points tiebreaker and advanced to the state quarterfinals in an 8-4 season. As former assistant Ted Gatewood takes over as head coach at his alma mater, he has the backfield horses to hope for an even deeper run.
AD Crutcher has more than 2,400 rushing yards in his Lions career, turning in six 100-yard games as a junior, and sophomore Daune Morris is a star in the making after scoring 12 touchdowns in 2021.
"Running backs at Red Bank know what it takes to be dominant, so we focus more on the little things like ball security, proper body movements, attitude and effort," Crutcher said. "Stats will forever be a bonus in our books. I learned a lot from (former Red Bank running back) Lumiere Strickland on how he played with so much heart and put in so much work. I am just trying to carry on that tradition."
Crutcher and Morris should allow Red Bank to control the clock, but the Lions will also have to dominate on defense to find ultimate success in their first season under Gatewood - who has also been a head coach at East Hamiton and Ooltewah - as he takes over for Chris Brown, who went 40-8 in four seasons but is now the defensive coordinator at Division II-AAA Baylor.
Red Bank's defensive line has a potentially elite pass rushing duo in junior Kobe Smith (6-3, 185) - an all-state wrestler who had 21.5 tackles for loss in 2021 - and sophomore Cordarrius Moore (6-4, 190). Junior Malik Rizer will help set the tone at linebacker, while seniors Jaden Baccus and Tyler Wright will lead the secondary.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / East Hamilton running back Juan Bullard, right, will again be a key player for the Hurricanes.Like Red Bank, East Hamilton won eight games last year, but the Hurricanes fell to the Lions for a third straight season by a tight margin. In order to break the trend, Grant Reynolds' squad will count on Juan Bullard Jr. (6-1, 215), who rushed for 1,800 yards and 29 touchdowns last season but expects to be even better as a senior.
"I am more agile and have smoother and faster feet," Bullard said. "I also built more muscle mass all while maintaining my speed this offseason. I embrace the bell cow role. All of my teammates look to me as the leader because I am competitive and encourage every teammate on the field."
East Hamilton newcomer David Cole (6-4, 190) is expected to fill the void at receiver left by Kaunyae Burgans and Jeremiah Flemmons, standout seniors last season. Cole, who had seven touchdowns and a pair of 100-yard games last season for Georgia's Dade County, can turn a screen pass into a long score or make a living deep through the air.
On defense, the Hurricanes will have to replace a star and leader in Mel McFarland Jr. who had 36 tackles for loss in his final prep season, but seniors Joshua Brewer, Ben Cole, Ramsey Devine and Tex Lewis are expected to step up.
The region is stocked with area teams, with East Ridge, Hixson and Soddy-Daisy also in the ranks.
At Soddy-Daisy, the Trojans have a new coach in Carter Cardwell but return quarterback Slater Hickman, who threw for 1,810 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. Hickman will be fronted by a stout offensive line led by Jameson Koch, and he also has a key target returning in Trevor Alexander. Soddy-Daisy linebacker Dakota Clayton was the region's co-defensive MVP last season after totaling 89 tackles and eight sacks while forcing or recovering 10 fumbles.
Hixson will lean on junior running back Michael Kendricks - a 1,000-yard rusher and the region's co-athlete of the year in 2021 - and offensive linemen Richard Burney and Chase Packer. Brandon Burke is a key leader on both sides of the ball, and Nisaiah Fredrick could be a breakout candidate at defensive end.
East Ridge's trio of Jalen Ellis, Cadion Harris and Hasani Jackson are all capable of big plays for an offense that expects to improve considerably after dealing with its fair share of injuries last fall. Chad Barger is in his first season as head coach of the Pioneers after working as their offensive coordinator the past three years.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.