Marion County's Hunter Zeman (11) hurdles two Trezevant defenders after a pass reception. The Marion County Warriors faced the Trezevant Bears in the Division I Class 2A Tennessee State Football Championships in the BlueCross Bowl at Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium on Saturday, December 5, 2015.Region 3-2A at a glance
› Team to beat: With 16 total starters returning for a team that has ended each of the past two seasons in the state-title game, Marion County is the team everyone else will be chasing. The loss of five all-state players from last year’s Boyd-Buchanan team only cements Marion as the favorite.› Watch out for: Tyner, which won nine games and reached the state quarterfinals last season and welcomes back experience at every key position. The Rams are typically one of the hardest hitting and most athletic teams in the area.› Best game: When Marion County travels to Tyner on Sept. 30, the region title likely will be on the line. These two teams had a pair of physical meetings last year, including the quarterfinals.› Dream schedule: Silverdale Baptist Academy’s nonleague schedule includes 1A teams Grace Academy, Lookout Valley and Sale Creek, which had a combined record of 7-24 last season. And the Seahawks play Boyd-Buchanan, Marion County and Meigs County at home.› Nightmare schedule: Brainerd gets only two home games this season — Boyd-Buchanan and Polk County. The remaining eight games, including nonregion games against Baylor, Chattanooga Christian and East Ridge — which had a combined record of 29-8 — will be on the road.› Players to watch: Marion LB/TE Kirkendoll is among the area’s top prospects and Brainerd LB/TE Tyler Thapa (6-2, 220) is a load on both sides of the ball. Boyd-Buchanan’s Kohl Henke is already one of the top DBs in the area and will also add more offensive work this year. Meigs County’s Zy Moore (6-0, 195) is a basketball player who has realized his athletic ability could make him a football prospect.› Predicted order of finish: Marion County, Meigs County, Tyner, Boyd-Buchanan, Bledsoe County, Silverdale Baptist, Brainerd, Polk County.
The most consistent theme throughout Region 3-2A since last football season has been change.
There were offseason head-coaching changes at the top two programs - Boyd-Buchanan and Marion County - and nearly a dozen all-state players from three teams that made deep playoff runs must be replaced.
But while there will be new names in key roles, one thing that remains similar are the expectations atop the league, where Marion County is favored not only to regain the region title but also to make a third straight appearance in the 2A state-title game.
Despite surrendering the region crown to Boyd-Buchanan with a narrow regular-season loss, the Warriors rebounded with a dominant playoff run that ended in a second consecutive runner-up finish. With nine starters back on defense and seven returning to an offense that averaged 44 points per game, there is plenty of reason for confidence.
Joey Mathis, who had been the offensive coordinator the past two seasons, takes over as head coach, and that consistency is another key reason to believe this team will remain the region standard.
"We've got a lot of kids who have played in some pretty big games the past two years, and that kind of experience is really big," Mathis said. "They know what it takes to get to where we want to be, and they're willing to work to get there. Those players are the biggest reason for optimism here."
The biggest questions for Marion heading into the season are finding replacements for an all-state quarterback as well as Josh Henderson, one of the most versatile players in the area as a running back, defensive back and kick returner.
Senior Hunter Zeman takes over at quarterback and will be surrounded by playmakers ready to step up, including fullback Hunter McClain (5-foot-11, 195) and receiver Kane Hale (6-3, 200). Senior linebacker Alex Kirkendoll (6-3, 220) is one of the area's top college prospects and the leader of a Warriors defense that held 10 opponents to two touchdowns or less last season.
Coming off an unbeaten regular season and the region title, Boyd-Buchanan also promoted its offensive coordinator - Carter Cardwell - who faces a much tougher job, needing to find replacements for five all-state players. The Buccaneers lost their leading passer, leading receiver, two leading rushers, two leading tacklers and their most experienced and consistent offensive lineman.
"You'd love to have those guys back one more year, but that's just part of the never-ending cycle of high school football," Cardwell said. "This is an opportunity for some of our younger guys, who've been in our program long enough and know what's expected, to step up and contribute."
Junior Kohl Henke, who was among the area's leaders in interceptions last year, will try to add quarterback duties to his role as a defensive leader. He is in a battle with senior Ross Wortman to see who'll take snaps. Whoever wins that job will be joined in the backfield by a deep rotation of runners, including seniors Jeremy Borders and Tyler Walker as well as junior Mike Mincey. The return of four starters up front will make that transition smoother.
Tyner returned to its usual place as one of the top teams in the region last year with nine wins and a run to the playoff quarterfinals. With loads of experience returning, the Rams, along with Meigs County, look to be the most serious challengers to Marion.
"I really like this bunch of kids we've got because they work well together and they play with a lot of heart," Rams coach Wayne Turner said. "And we've got some kids who are pretty physical and will hit you."
Shaylan Bailey (6-1, 200) is back at quarterback for Tyner, along with shifty runners Ke'un Webb (5-11, 170) and Keionta Halfacre (5-10, 175) and two-way linemen Malik Coleman (6-1, 260) and Jaylon Beaman (6-2, 225). Although he's undersized, Rah'le High (5-9, 150) has quickly become one of Turner's favorites at practice.
"That kid is hard as nails," the longtime coach said.
Meigs County appears to be the team poised to make the biggest jump with nearly 30 seniors from a team that lost three games by one touchdown or less and narrowly missed the playoffs. Brainerd, which lost three region games by a total of just 12 points last year, also will be a dangerous foe each week.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.