CLEVELAND, Tenn. – In one game in 2007, Tucker Bolton – then a freshman at Bradley Central – accounted for all of his team’s scoring in a 41-2 loss to William Blount, as he had a sack in the end zone.
He still prefers defense.
“I’d rather play defense,” Bolton said. “On offense you have to block; on defense you get to lay people out.”
Bradley Central coach Damon Floyd reminisced on that season, noting that “players wouldn’t wear their jerseys to school for fear of being made fun of.”
Three years later, a transformation has taken place at Bradley, and Bolton is the centerpiece of it. The Bears are 7-2 and in line for a Class 6A playoff spot, which would be their first trip to the playoffs since 2000.
Bolton, who was second in the state as a 215-pound wrestler last season, is first or second in the area in tackles for loss (31.5), sacks (10.5) and total tackles (102.5). He also recalls the so-called “bad times.”
“Back then, nobody really cared,” Bolton said. “Everybody wanted to just go home after games. Now I think teams respect us a lot more because they know what we can do.”
The mental part changed after the Bears defeated rival Cleveland 27-26 last year, ending a 13-game, 21-year losing streak.
“I think that game showed us that we can win big games,” Bolton said. “I wish we could have clicked earlier – like my freshman year – but now we’re starting to get it.”
Floyd thinks the main reason Bolton is so hard to block is because he never stops moving. He has gained the attention of Navy, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee, while UT-Chattanooga and Austin Peay have been in contact as well.
“I’ve never seen a guy with a motor like his,” Floyd said. “I’ve never seen anybody play hard or as intense as he does. He does it in practice, and as a result he does it in games.
“He’s exactly what you want as a coach. He’s been a leader in this program – and has been for a long time.”
The seven wins mark a high for the program since the 2000 season, but the current expectations go beyond a playoff appearance.
“We’ re happy with where we’re at right now, but by no means are we satisfied,” Floyd said. “We obviously want to make the playoffs, but we don’t want to be a one-and-out. The guys are humble because they realize it’s been a tough road to get here.”
Said Bolton: “We have more people in the stands because they know we can win. As a team, we used to expect to lose, but now we know we can win.”