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SALE CREEK PANTHERS
Head coach: Ron Cox (21-72 here and overall)
Returning starters: 9 offensive; 9 defensive
Last year's record: 5-6 overall, lost in first round of Class 1A playoffs
Key players: Nick Hall (5-9, 175) Sr. WR/DB/LB, John Carlock (6-1, 235) Sr. OL, Trey Bennett (5-9, 190) Sr. OL, Ridge Morgan (6-0, 220) Jr. FB/LB, Lucas Mathis (5-8, 170) Jr. WR, Justin Griffin (6-1, 190) Jr. WR/DB
Season outlook: The return of 18 starters and the confidence gained by winning five of their last eight games last year - scoring an average of 52 points in those wins for a program-best overall record - could be the combination needed for the Panthers to take another big step.
"We finally feel like we've got our feet under us as a program," said Cox, who has led the team to the postseason four straight years. "The standard is going to the playoffs, so now we feel like we're ready to challenge for one of the top two spots in the region, which would give us our first home playoff game."
The midseason home game against Whitwell could go a long way in determining one of the coveted home playoff seeds.
The strength of the team will be the return of its entire offensive line, which paved the way to more than 4,000 total yards last year. Carlock, a three-year starter and all-region selection in 2021, is the team's strongest player and anchors that group.
Morgan will get most of the carries and will be counted on even more early in the season as the battle between junior Jackson Moore and sophomore Kyrie Escobar for the starting nod at quarterback is settled.
Hall, an all-region defender, fifth-year starter and last season's leading tackler is back to set the pace on defense.
Sale Creek's roster is up to 43 players, which means better depth.
"We can two-platoon in a lot of areas, which is huge at our level because it allows us to keep guys fresh late in the game," Cox said. "The biggest question is at quarterback, but both of those guys can do the job so we're expecting to have our best season yet. Having our own stadium, a place to call home, was a big boost last year and our community really shows up to give us a lot of support.
"It's up to us to give them something to cheer about."