With the Sale Creek football team making program history week by week this season, senior standout Hunter Fowler couldn’t care less about his personal accolades.
While the bruising 6-foot, 225-pound Fowler, a running back and middle linebacker, has scored 23 touchdowns on the way to helping TSSAA Class 1A’s eighth-ranked Panthers to their first season with double-digit wins as well as their first postseason victory, he is more worried about what he and his teammates leave behind.
“My biggest goal is to support the younger guys on our team and help them get better,” Fowler said. “When we graduate, we will need them to step up and be leaders and playmakers. We want them to carry on what we think will be a strong program for years to come.”
For him, nothing else compares to playing under the bright lights on a Friday night, especially at home, and Sale Creek (10-1) gets another such opportunity this week as Rockwood (7-4) visits Ron Cox Stadium with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line. Fowler, a team captain, believes the stands will be so packed that some potential spectators could be turned away.
Sale Creek’s offense is being led by a special trio in the backfield that includes Fowler and senior quarterback J.D. Skiles, who have played football together since elementary school. They have combined for 38 touchdowns and nearly 1,800 yards this season while sharing the load with Jayson Booker, a freshman running back who has played well beyond his years with 69 carries for 664 yards and 13 touchdowns.