When he tries to put a tag on the 2010 football season, East Ridge coach Mike Martin can’t help but think of the “Hee Haw” song with the chorus “Gloom, despair and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair and agony on me.”
“That’s me. That’s us,” Martin said.
When he looked at the TSSAA playoff pairings last Saturday, Martin saw that the Pioneers were going to top-ranked Greeneville. It was fitting, he said, given the way the season has gone after the preseason thoughts he and the East Ridge community shared.
Instead of a district championship, the Pioneers limped home with a 4-6 record, slipping into the playoffs by a side door.
Injuries were devastating from the outset. Two-way tackle O’Shea Caslin (neck), fullback/linebacker Brevante King (knee) and defensive end Ty Hanks (knee) never got on the field. Returning defensive tackle Logan Roberts had a concussion and missed the Pioneers’ first five games. It didn’t end there.