In so many ways, 21 is a magical number.
It’s a winner in blackjack. It’s recognized as the official “coming-of-age” number. It’s the total number of dots on a traditional six-sided die. It is a triangular number (formed by adding the first six natural numbers). It is the number of shots fired to honor a fallen military member.
And in the world of high school football, at least in the Chattanooga area, it’s also very often the difference in winning and losing.
Of course, you have to score points to win a football game, but winning consistently — and achieving greatness as a team — requires the ability to stop opponents from scoring points, or at least too many of them. It’s certainly not a new concept.
Some of the most revered prep coaches in the area hung their hats on defense, considering it key to any championship quest, including Dalton legend Bill Chappell. In 33 seasons, Chappell’s teams held the opposition to a season average of 10 points per game 26 times. The highest points allowed average for any of his teams was 14.9 in 1982.