CHATTOOGA INDIANS
Head coach: Shawn Peek (first year here; 50-13 overall)
Returning starters: 4 offensive; 4 defensive
Key players: QB Cash Allen (6-6, 202); RB Lashaun Lester (5-11, 205); OL Eli Hosmar (5-11, 220); OL Nick Hudson (5-9, 230); DE Zander Cook (6-2, 225); RB/LB Ty Veatch (6-1, 212); DB Rowan Burdick (6-0, 175); DB Jaih Underwood (5-11, 155).
Team strengths: The Indians under first-year coach Peek will have the athletes to compete with anyone on their schedule, starting with Lester, a junior who rushed for more than 1,500 yards in 2019 and entered this preseason faster and stronger. The defense doesn’t have much size, but it features several strong athletes, including a pair of wrestlers in Veatch and Burdick plus one of the area’s best hurdlers in first-time football player Underwood.
Team concerns: The lines, and especially on offense, are going to be works in progress and will, according to Peek, feature rotations. Inexperience all around is a concern as only 20 Indians who played last year are on the roster, though several new names have joined the ranks since Peek took over and should contribute right away.