Poised for a potential breakthrough in last year’s playoffs, Chattanooga Christian School’s football season was instead ended days before the team was due to take the field for a state quarterfinal. The heartbreaking memory of having such a promising season ended by COVID-19, not an opponent on the turf, has been a motivating factor throughout the offseason.
And now, with the start to a new season just more than a week away, those who return from that team will continue to carry the life lesson to build on.
“That was an incredibly tough way to lose your season,” said CCS coach Mark Mariakis, who had to tell the Chargers just four days before the game that the school was shutting down all activities due to several students testing positive for the coronavirus. “It still stings, especially for last year’s seniors. I think it has served as motivation for the kids coming back to not take any day or game for granted.
“They give us their full attention and effort every day because they realize it could all be taken away any time.”
It was the second straight year the Chargers’ season ended in the quarterfinal round with the eventual Division II-AA state champion opposite them, and while the team must replace 96% of last year’s offensive production and its two leading tacklers on defense, there is enough talent among the underclassmen to expect no dropoff in what has been built.