Here’s a look at TSSAA Region 4-5A for the 2024 football season.
REGION 4-5A OUTLOOK
Team to beat: McMinn County. The ground-and-pound Cherokees’ old-fashioned offense will easily surpass 3,000 rushing yards this season. Jacob Sharp and Taylon “Tarzan” White should provide nice Christmas gifts to their offensive linemen, who will help each of them exceed 1,000 yards. Camden Goforth, at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds with two high school seasons still ahead of him, is one of the scariest linemen in the state for opposing defenses.
Watch out for: Rhea County. After helping Walker Valley reach record-setting heights over the past five seasons, Taylor Harvey will bring a winning formula and energy boost to the Golden Eagles as their head coach. The defensive-minded Taylor should have Evensville soon rocking again on Friday nights, and the team should be in good hands on that side of the ball with Clark Lockerby and father Ted Lockerby also part of the new staff.
Best game: McMinn County at Walker Valley on Nov. 1. Walker Valley’s 11-win showing in 2023, which was historic for the Bradley County program, included a thrilling 17-14 victory at McMinn County in the final week of the regular season to secure a share of the region title for the Mustangs. So the Cherokees will surely have revenge on their minds when they travel to “The Corral” to wrap up the 2024 regular season as the calendar flips to November.