Eight high school athletes from the Chattanooga area have been named semifinalists for the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football awards in the 2025 season.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association released the list of five semifinalists for each of its nine classifications and the five semifinalists for the overall state kicker of the year award Thursday, with an impressive group of local players among those in the running.
The list will be cut to three finalists in each class on Nov. 25, and award winners will be announced during a Dec. 9 ceremony at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Titans.
Only the regular season is factored into determining both the finalists and overall winners, as playoff statistics and performances are not a part of the selection process. However, all eight of the area semifinalists have helped their teams reach the playoffs, which begin this week and will culminate with the annual BlueCross Bowl state championship games on Dec. 4-6 at Finley Stadium.
The semifinalists from the area are Baylor senior quarterback Briggs Cherry and junior running back David Gabriel Georges in Division II-AAA, Boyd Buchanan senior athlete David Green in Division II-AA, East Hamilton senior athlete Jaden Haywood in Class 5A, Chattanooga Prep senior running back Marquis Gardner in Class 3A, South Pittsburg senior running back Ja’Mychal Buckner and junior athlete Dayon Cooper in Class 1A, plus Notre Dame senior kicker Owen Maddox.