With everything working together in perfect harmony, Chase Stephens directed Walker Valley’s offense to a mesmerizing showing in last Friday’s Region 4-5A home victory over McMinn County.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior quarterback zipped passes to a towering trio of wide receivers: Roman Eulo (6-foot-3), Sawyer Boyd (6-foot-4) and Luke Hayden (6-foot-4) in a statement win for the team. By the end of the night, the Mustangs had put up nearly 700 yards of total offense, with their passing game having piled up 461 yards on 25 completions. Five of those connections went for touchdowns.
For his effort, Stephens is this week’s Times Free Press Player of the Week.
Instead of boasting about his career night, Stephens directed praise to others who helped make the magic possible as Class 5A’s tenth-ranked Walker Valley scored 54 points in its region opener.
“Coach (Drew) Akins does an awesome job leading the whole team and making sure our offense is set up for success,” Stephens said. “But he also trusts his staff. He let (Tyler) Pope call the plays, and Coach Pope really put us in great spots Friday night. Then (assistant coaches) help make sure our receivers’ routes and timing are sharp. It all works together, and that’s what makes it so good for me as a quarterback.