Red Bank remains the team to beat in Region 3-3A

Red Bank's Madox Wilkey (7) goes to pass against Alcoa during the TSSAA Class 3A semifinals at Alcoa High School's Goddard Field on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 in Alcoa, Tenn.
Red Bank's Madox Wilkey (7) goes to pass against Alcoa during the TSSAA Class 3A semifinals at Alcoa High School's Goddard Field on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 in Alcoa, Tenn.

REGION 3-3A OUTLOOK

Team to beat: With most of the starters back from last year’s state semifinal squad, including all-state athlete Calvin Jackson and Maddox Wilkey at quarterback, Red Bank remains the measuring stick.Watch out for: Signal Mountain. It’s taken nearly two years for coach Josh Roberts to rebuild the numbers and the strength needed for the Eagles legitimately to compete, but they are now a threat in the league.Best game: Red Bank travels up to Signal Mountain on Aug. 31 for a key early-season matchup.Dream schedule: Five of Brainerd’s opponents had losing records last season, and the Panthers get Red Bank and Loudon — last year’s region champion and runner-up — at home.Nightmare schedule: Signal Mountain has a five-game gauntlet to open the season, beginning at East Hamilton and at Tyner (last year’s 2A state runner-up), before hosting two-time defending region champ Red Bank and Whitwell, which won 11 games and reached the 1A quarterfinals last season.Players to watch: Red Bank athlete Calvin Jackson is one of the area’s top college prospects, and Lions quarterback Maddox Wilkey threw for about 2,200 yards last season, completing 65 percent of his passes. Signal Mountain receivers Travion Williams and Drew Lowry are two of the city’s top pass catchers, while Brainerd linebacker Robert North (6-3, 220) is poised for a breakout season.

Typically when a high school football program makes a coaching change it's because the team has struggled. That was not the case at Red Bank, however, which replaced Chad Graboswki on the heels of a second consecutive Region 3-3A crown and last year's run to the state semifinals.

After getting close several times but falling short of returning to the state title game for the first time since 2000, the Lions are hopeful that first-year head coach Chris Brown's focus and intensity will be the final ingredients for a championship recipe.

"We have high expectations - first for ourselves as coaches, as well as because of our talent and depth at the skill positions," said Brown, who played fullback at Vanderbilt and coached inside linebackers at Cleveland High last season. "We don't hide from those expectations. I have a lot of reason to believe as long as we stay healthy that we'll be very competitive."

The returns of junior quarterback Maddox Wilkey (6-0, 180) and all-state senior athlete Calvin Jackson (5-10, 190) are two huge reasons for so much optimism. Wilkey completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,200 yards in 2017, and Jackson compiled more than 2,000 total yards and is just as versatile on defense and special teams.

"There is no substitute for big-game experience at quarterback, and we've got a really good one," Brown said. "And I can't stress enough how much Calvin's athletic ability and versatility will help us. He's gotten so much bigger and stronger since last season, and we can move him around to play just about any position we want and he'll be tough to stop."

The Lions return 11 total starters from last year's 11-win team that allowed an average of 17 points per game but also added a solid linebacker in junior Clark Lockerby (6-3, 240), son of new defensive coordinator Teddy Lockerby.

Only two starters return to the offensive line, and that inexperience is one point of concern.

Although Red Bank has the talent to maintain its perch atop the region, there are several teams that might be closing the gap. Loudon won eight games last year to finish second in the league but was hit hard by graduation. Signal Mountain finally has regained the depth and athletes to be a contender, and Brainerd had become a dangerous team by the end of last season, Tyrus Ward's first as head coach at his alma mater.

When Josh Roberts took over last year at Signal, the program had hit a low point in virtually every way - overall numbers, strength and conditioning and confidence. There was improvement last year, but the work in the weightroom, along with the return of 15 starters, should pay off even more this season.

The Eagles bring back four offensive linemen (three of whom are seniors) as well as playmakers on both sides of the ball - receivers/defensive backs Travion Williams (6-1, 190) and Drew Lowry (6-2, 190) and linebacker Jake Woodlief (5-11, 180).

"We've seen guys put on 15-20 pounds over the offseason, so we're finally looking more like a football team," Roberts said. "The line of scrimmage was the issue last year, but that shouldn't be a problem now."

The storyline for Brainerd isn't so much the experience returning but the promise of the talented sophomore class, which will make up the entire starting backfield. Xiyeer Lattimore (6-0, 165) was rushed into starting as a freshman last fall and is now joined by Allen Ware (5-10, 175) and Der'Quantis Wynn (5-8, 150). That trio could become the foundation of Ward's rebuilding project.

"Last year the kids didn't believe they could win," said Ward, who helped the program snap its 12-game losing streak last year and had four other games in which they either led or trailed by less than a touchdown going into the fourth quarter, including Red Bank. "Being close several times helped, because it showed them they can compete with anybody in our region.

"All it's going to take for our program to go to the next level is to beat somebody we're not supposed to. We'll get somebody down this year and we won't let up and let them off the ropes, and then the wheels will be rolling."

McMinn Central will open the season hoping to end its 12-game losing streak, and Sweetwater must replace 14 key seniors to continue its run of four straight playoff appearances.

In Region 4-3A, both Grundy County and Sequatchie County have new head coaches. Tracy Hayworth took over Grundy County just last week and will be looking to turn around a program that hasn't had a winning season in six years. Mark Wattenbarger brings a tough-minded, physical style to Sequatchie, which was very successful under former coach Adam Caine, who's now at region rival Upperman.

The Indians have 19 seniors and 17 juniors on the roster, making them one of the oldest teams in the area. They also bring back bruising fullback Brett Hicks (6-2, 255).

Contact Stephen Hargis at (423) 757-6293 or shargis@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.

Upcoming Events