In his second year at the helm for East Hamilton’s football program, Aaron Nance has undoubtedly become one of the top up-and-coming young coaches in not just the Chattanooga area but the state of Tennessee.
Nance enjoyed an ice-cold shower on the sideline Friday night as his Hurricanes dumped a cooler on him and celebrated the TSSAA Region 4-5A title with their 20-7 victory at Rhea County.
East Hamilton (7-3, 4-1) will be a No. 1 seed entering the playoffs after earning the tiebreaker in the region standings thanks to a 29-28 comeback win at McMinn County earlier in the season.
“I am so thrilled for our kids,” said Nance, whose team will host Karns in the first round. “To see their development from last year to now has been incredible. We have tough kids who have bought into the program and have selfless attitudes.”
The East Hamilton defense, which did not allow a touchdown Friday, was dominant up front while led by senior end Taylor Smith and senior defensive tackle CJ Drake. Meanwhile, senior defensive back Ben Spangler continued strong work in the secondary, where he has 16 pass deflections this season. Junior safety Grayson Maddox also provided great coverage and made several big stops against the run.