BOYD BUCHANAN BUCCANEERS
Head coach: Jeremy Bosken (8-3 here; 34-28 overall)
Returning starters: 7 offensive; 7 defensive
Key players: QB Eli Morris (5-11, 175); RB Matt Stone (5-9, 190); OL Brody Grant (6-1, 220); WR JaMichael McGoy (5-11, 175); LB Luke Stum (6-3, 230); DL David Dixon (5-10, 230); LB Julian Waters (5-10, 180); OL Jabari Johnson (5-10, 275); DB Malachi Powell (6-0, 170); TE Karson Gay (6-6, 225).
Team strengths: Participation has drastically improved since Bosken was hired in December 2018, with more than 60 players on this year’s roster, which should provide some much-needed depth.
Team concerns: Even with the majority of starters back, the Bucs have some big shoes to fill – most notably those of the versatile Eli Evans, who starred not only on offense and defense but also on special teams.
Breakout candidate: Junior David Dixson (5-10, 230), a state wrestling tournament qualifier, is an athletic defensive lineman who’s fast for his size and is poised to help anchor the front.
Season outlook: The Bucs put together one of the biggest turnarounds in the state last season, rebounding from a winless 2018 to win eight games and climb as high as No. 2 in the state poll.
The offense took a gigantic step forward as the Bucs averaged 40 points per game, and now the defense will need to continue to improve – the team allowed 30-plus points five times last year – for Boyd Buchanan to reach the elite status it’s working toward. The offense should once again be a strength, beginning with the return of Morris, a state Mr. Football semifinalist who accounted for more than 2,600 yards.
Stone gives the Bucs a bruising runner, and another factor could be the emergence of Gay, a junior who has added more than 30 pounds while maintaining elite speed for his size and receiving multiple scholarship offers from major college programs this summer. McGoy’s speed – he has been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash – could provide big-play potential as a receiver, in the backfield or on special teams.
The schedule is more favorable this year with seven home games, including region rival Chattanooga Christian and 2019 region champion Knoxville Grace.
Staff file photo / Boyd Buchanan’s JaMichael McGoy, pictured, could help replace some of the production and versatility that Eli Evans supplied to the Buccaneers during the 2019 season.