Player: Jacob Huesman
Transferring to Baylor from Virginia after his father became the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior quarterback fit right in with the Red Raiders. Huesman accounted for 2,570 yards of offense and 19 touchdowns. He ran for 11 touchdowns and 922 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry, and passed for 1,648 yards, completing 134 of 247 passes (54 percent). “Jacob is an extremely athletic player,” Baylor coach Phil Massey said. “He is one of the fastest guys on the team. His ability provided a dual threat for defenses, and this made our offense so much more effective. Jacob’s character stands higher than his athletic ability, and this in my eyes counts for a lot more.”
Coach: Grant Reynolds
In his fourth season as Boyd-Buchanan’s head coach, Reynolds had his second straight 10-win year and took the Buccaneers to their first state championship game since 2004. They have won league championships three of the last four seasons and went 22-5 the past two. They lost 14-7 to Red Bank in their second game and then reeled off 11 straight wins before falling in the Class 2A state final. Among their victims were 1A state finalist South Pittsburg and playoff participants Marion County, Silverdale Baptist and Copper Basin.
Ben Beasley
Boyd-Buchanan
Senior
Running back
He ran for 1,217 yards and 21 touchdowns while playing only a half in several Buccaneers
.
Mikie Burnette
Red Bank
Senior
Lineman
He graded out at 85 percent for the season with 32 pancake blocks and 25 knockdowns.
Devin Caldwell
Boyd-Buchanan
Senior
Lineman
He graded out at 85 percent as a blocker and had 55 tackles and a fumble recovery as a defensive end.
Barrett Gouger
Baylor
Sophomore
Lineman
The Red Raiders’ young left tackle graded out at 90 percent. Baylor doesn’t track knockdown blocks.
Travis Jones
Tyner
Junior
Athlete
He totaled 1,095 rushing and receiving yards, was 64-of-92 passing for 582 yards and was in on 79 tackles.
John Long
Ooltewah
Senior
Kicker
He made six of nine field-goal tries with a long of 47, and 90 percent of his kickoffs reached the end zone.
Scott Parrott
Soddy-Daisy
Senior
Quarterback
He accounted for 22 touchdowns, throwing for 19 while completing 66 of his passes for 2,250 yards.
Tedarrell Poole
Central
Senior
Lineman
He graded 85 percent despite playing part of the season with a torn ankle ligament; he had 30 tackles.
Josh Robinson
Red Bank
Senior
Receiver
Even with a teammate who ran for 1,500-plus yards, he had 888 yards and eightTDs on 27 receptions.
Eddie Sparks
Howard
Junior
Lineman
He graded out at 87 percent as the Tigers’ right guard and was credited with 16 pancake blocks.
Jermaine Williams
Brainerd
Senior
Receiver
He averaged 20.9 yards per catch in a 1,000-yard season and made 72 tackles as a defensive end.
Keon Williams
Red Bank
Senior
Running back
He scored 32 TDs and ran for 1,506 yards, averaging 8.4 per carry for the state quarterfinalists.
Second team
Daniel Broadway: Silverdale Baptist, senior, lineman
Kevin Carter: Central, junior, lineman
Kelvin Clay: Red Bank, junior, receiver
Joseph Derick: Brainerd, sophomore, receiver
Greg Evans: Red Bank, senior, lineman
P.J. Hubbard: Soddy-Daisy, senior, running back
Makal Kidd: East Ridge, senior, lineman
Luke Locke: Signal Mountain, senior, receiver
Andrew McCurry: McCallie, senior, lineman
Gervel Morgan: Signal Mountain, junior, running back
Tobyus Simmons: Tyner, senior, running back
Hogan Whitmire: Signal Mountain, junior, quarterback
Teams of the year
1. Boyd-Buchanan (12-2): The Bucs reached the 2A state final after a 9-1 regular season. The District 6-A champs’ regular-season loss was to Red Bank, and 1A finalist South Pittsburg was one of their victims.
2. Red Bank (12-1): The Lions had their third undefeated regular season in four years and went three rounds into the Class 4A playoffs before losing to state runner-up Greeneville.
3. Brainerd (8-4): The Panthers rebounded from a 3-7 season to earn their third playoff appearance in four years. They won a first-round game before falling to Greeneville.