District 5-A at a glance• Team on the rise: Grace Academy returns eight starters to both sides of the ball, including its offensive backfield and top receiver Corey Nelson. Two of the Golden Eagles’ losses last year were by a touchdown or less, so the returning experience could give them the needed boost to break even or better this year.• Nightmare schedule: Four of Boyd-Buchanan’s first six games are on the road, and the Bucs have only four home games all season. Their nondistrict schedule includes road trips to perennial playoff contenders Howard and Donelson Christian Academy as well as a home game against South Pittsburg. There also is a four-hour road trip to Unaka late in the season.• Dream schedule: Silverdale Baptist plays just two opponents (Boyd-Buchanan, Copper Basin) that had winning records last season. The Seahawks’ nondistrict opponents’ combined record last year was 13-43.• Best game: When Boyd-Buchanan travels to Copper Basin on Oct. 28, it could determine the district title. The Bucs blasted their two other district foes by a combined 72-0 but had to hold off the Cougars late in last year’s meeting.• Biggest shoes to fill: Copper Basin quarterback Eric Sisson, a four-year starter, totaled more than 2,400 yards and 31 touchdowns in leading the team to the quarterfinals last season.• Playoff bound: Boyd-Buchanan, Copper Basin, Grace Academy
Grant Reynolds is growing impatient.
One of the most accomplished young football coaches in Chattanooga, Reynolds has guided Boyd-Buchanan to district titles and at least the quarterfinals of the playoffs each of the last three years. The Buccaneers narrowly lost in the Class 2A state final two years ago and fell in the semifinals to eventual champ Signal Mountain last year.
“We’ve been very close the last few years,” Reynolds said. “We always say our goal is to get to a state championship, but we’ve done that. Now I want to win one. That’s the goal, and I’m not satisfied until we get there.”
The Bucs return eight starters on both offense and defense, making them prohibitive favorites to earn the District 5-A title again. Among the reasons for optimism is senior running back Chase Reed, who gained more than 1,200 yards in 2010, and quarterback Jim Cardwell, who grew up before coaches’ eyes as a rare freshman starter last season.
Junior linebacker Rance Harden is the leading tackler returning from a unit that allowed one touchdown or less nine times last season.
Copper Basin was the only district foe to put a scare into the Bucs last year, and the Cougars return seven offensive and six defensive starters from a team that lost by just two points in the state quarterfinals.
The Cougars lost 12 seniors and gained only three freshmen, so with 22 players on the roster, depth is a big concern. But if they stay healthy, a return to the playoffs is a very attainable goal. Matt Ray has a good arm at quarterback, Stephen Spargo was the team’s leading receiver last year and Britton Kennedy will be a four-year starter on the offensive line.
Grace Academy also rhas a strong returning group of starters — eight on each side — and should show improvement in second-year coach Bob Ateca’s system. Junior Josh Smith is solid at quarterback and has one of the best receivers in the city in Corey Nelson (6-foot-4, 185). The Golden Eagles’ first five opponents had losing records last season, so early success could equal a return to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Al Rogers takes over as head coach at Silverdale Baptist Academy after three seasons spent coaching the middle school program. Rogers spent 12 seasons as an assistant at Ooltewah and brings with him a lot of experience in running the wing-T offense.
He inherits a team with four offensive and five defensive starters returning, including junior quarterback Spencer Mossburg, who is in his third year as the starter. Receivers Garrett Howard and Reid Clements lend speed to the offense, and Josh Mackey anchors both sides of the line.
“We’ve got a good group of kids who really want to get things going in the right direction here,” Rogers said. “We’re working on building something solid here.”