Ooltewah coach Shannon Williams didn’t hesitate when asked how he was going to replace his most recent group of seniors.
“You can’t,” he said.
Hamilton County’s two biggest schools, Ooltewah and Soddy-Daisy, are replacing large football senior classes that had successful runs. Williams’ Owls went 8-4 last season, advancing to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs before bowing out to eventual state runner-up Powell. The Trojans missed the playoffs last season but in 2010 eased into the 6A playoffs with a 6-4 record and likewise reached the second round.
The two schools lost a total of 38 seniors – some in particularly key positions. Ooltewah is replacing a quarterback and its top four receivers, as well as five college signees who played defense.
“The answer is that you just take it one day at a time. Those kids that we lost last year went through the same thing two seasons ago,” Williams said, referring to the 2010 team that went 4-6. “The only way you can get better is to play, find out what you don’t know and try to fix it.