In preparation for the final season of his prep football career, Marquis “Deuce” Gardner is taking no days off.
With Chattanooga Prep coming off a breakthrough eight-win season in its first year with a senior class, Gardner has been working hard to take his talent and team up several levels this fall.
The Sentinels, who will make the jump from Class 1A to 3A this season, will certainly look to feed their Division I FBS-level prospect, who rushed for 1,455 yards last season despite carrying the ball more than 15 times in just four of 12 starts.
Gardner, who has offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Austin Peay, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State and Wofford, will be called upon even more with the graduation of a strong senior class and several key playmakers who have transferred to schools across the state, including Murfreesboro Oakland, Brentwood Academy and Red Bank.
“Deuce’s vision and speed are what make him an extremely special running back,” said Chatt Prep head coach Joe Banks, who will also utilize the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder’s athleticism at strong safety. “Marquis can read the defense and see the holes. He has the speed to turn a four-yard gain into a 40-yard play. He is a next-level athlete.”
In making the move up, Chatt Prep will help make up a four-team Region 3-3A along with Brainerd, Central and Tyner. Since the top four teams from each region qualify for the playoffs, the only thing to be decided in the region is seeding.
Gardner is certainly in shape to handle 20-plus touches a game following an all-state campaign in which he compiled more than 1,600 yards and scored a team-high 21 touchdowns.
“I am excited for the challenge and facing tougher teams,” said Gardner, who also stars on the track team, where he ran a 10.87 100-yard dash this past spring. “I want to prove myself even more and show that our program can compete with anybody in the city. We want to make another run in the playoffs and make a name for ourselves.”
Gardner is one of several star players in the region as Central returns one of the area’s most accomplished defensive ends in junior MJ Bell.
The Purple Pounders finished the regular season with five straight wins and fought tooth and nail in a second-round playoff defeat to Sequatchie County. Bell finished with 23 tackles for loss, which included 12 sacks and also had a hand in causing five turnovers.
Coach Glen Carter describes Bell as having a “motor that never stops.”
While Central must replace four receivers — including do-it-all Ronye Watson who had 1,100 receiving yards and 1,200 more rushing — as well as its starting quarterback, there is a belief in the locker room that success can be carried over to this season.
Senior Tank Stewart and junior running back Nikarrus Cheaton are two-way standouts who are part of a strong linebacking corps. Cheaton will be used in numerous ways offensively.
“We have a good core of kids who play for each other,” Carter said. “They are priding themselves on making their own legacy and not riding the coattails of last year’s second-round playoff team. It’s all about how hard they are willing to work.”
Tyner is the clear-cut preseason favorite in the region thanks to returning all of their skill position talent from last season while also having one of the strongest safety duos in town with Tyler Anderson and Dion Edwards.
D’Aerion McNealy could be set to have a breakout sophomore campaign after rushing for nearly 700 yards as a freshman. If the offense hits its full stride, he and Anderson could both compile big numbers. Zion Pinkerton, Avery Ford and NyTerrius Lewis also have potential for breakout seasons for the Rams.
Edwards was among the area’s leaders in interceptions last year with five and has received SEC offers already from Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Anderson was the region’s newcomer of the year last year and has all-state caliber potential on both sides of the ball.
“Our job is to take all the talent we have and make sure we play with a chip on our shoulder,” Tyner head coach Christian Mainor said. “Tyner has always been known for that. With the talent, work ethic and leadership we have, it’s hard not to be excited.”
Brainerd rounds out the region and believes a much more promising year is in store, thanks to an experienced defense that returns seven starters.
Emery Foster returns for his senior season after averaging double-digit tackles per game last season for the Panthers, who also have a talented defensive back in junior Brandon Sutton Jr. Other go-to leaders on the team will be Demalkhi Harden, Ka’Darrion Orr, Greg Vinson, Zion McCullough and Demetris James.
With early home games against Howard and East Ridge, Brained has a chance to start the season strong as the Panthers look to be a surprise team this fall.
“We are bringing pride back to 1020 North Moore Road,” Panthers head coach Sammy Seamster said. “Our team is tougher, more focused and more united than ever before. We have a group of kids who show up with fire every single day.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.