Chattanooga Christian player Mondo Ellison (3) breaks away from Notre Dame player Trea Johnson (25) during their prep football game at Notre Dame High School on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Notre Dame turned back the pages last football season, using a blast from the past offense to find its future. The Fighting Irish switched to the single-wing offense, a scheme more popular during the days of leather helmets, giving it a new-age twist to put up video-game type numbers and reach the Division II-AA state championship game.
The way coach Charles Fant sees it, with nine starters back on an offense that averaged 43 points during an 11-game win streak, there's no reason to change much now.
"When you make a run like we did, it gives everyone a new sense of confidence," Fant said. "We saw what it takes in the championship (game) as far as size, strength and training to take that last step and win it all, and this group has had a work ethic during the offseason that is unlike anything I've seen.
"There is absolutely a difference in attitude as we head into this season. We are a very confident team."
Three starters are back on the offensive line, including Jacob Brigman (6-foot-1, 270) and Dallas Brown (6-0, 230), who doubles as the team's middle linebacker. Among the returners in the backfield will be Mr. Football finalist Cameron Wynn, who totaled nearly 2,000 yards and has college scholarship offers from nearly 20 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
When the Irish decide to go with a more contemporary set, Parker Brock (6-2, 170) will take the snaps at quarterback and has plenty of athletes to get the ball to, including speedsters Tarik Nelson and Jeffrey Watkins.
"There's no shortage of speed," Fant said. "That could help us be a special team."
The biggest question comes on defense, where the Irish are replacing six starters and switching from an odd-front to a 4-3 alignment.
Chattanooga Christian is still building its program to catch up with Notre Dame, but third-year coach Mark Mariakis believes significant ground has been covered. The Chargers return nine offensive starters, including all-state running back Mondo Ellison (6-2, 218), but he won't have to carry as much of the load with the emergence of sophomore sprinter JaMichael Baxter (5-7, 155) and Roderick Young.
The offensive line is the thinnest spot on the roster in overall numbers and young players who are ready to play on Friday nights. How quickly CCS develops depth up front could determine just how much improvement the team shows.
"We're still not where we need to be defensively," Mariakis said. "We'll have to get a whole lot better there, and we'll struggle with teams at the top of our league that can put more speed on the field. But this is the third year in our weight program, and it's really starting to pay off.
"I believe that physicality will transfer onto the field noticeably. It's already created a different mindset, because you can see how the guys believe in themselves and each other more as they get stronger."
Silverdale Baptist Academy is one of the smallest schools in its classification, and that lack of depth showed up last year, especially when 17 of the 33 players on the roster missed at least one game because of injury.
The offensive line returns all but one starter and has good size.
"We only have one returner in the backfield, but those new kids are already confident just because of how well the line is playing in front of them," Seahawks coach Al Rogers said. "I'll be honest, I knew what type talent we were going to see in our first year in D-II, but I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of other people around our program to see for themselves what we're facing in this league."
Boyd-Buchanan must overcome the difficulty of a late coaching change - Kevin Orr Rodriguez was namedthe new head coach a month ago - as well as a diminished roster as it tries to regain the program's status as a league contender.
The good news is that junior quarterback Eli Evans (6-2, 170) is back as the team's key playmaker. However, there isn't much depth around him, especially up front, and the Buccaneers face an unforgiving schedule.
"It's been tough for the kids and there are still a lot of unknowns, but we've grown closer as a team because we all know it's us versus the world," Rodriguez said. "Nobody expects much from us because of the season they had last year and because we've got smaller numbers, but we'll show up every week and compete hard."
The Chattanooga area's only Division II-A member is Grace Academy, which brings back seven starters on both sides. Those include all-state quarterback Cade Tinsley (6-2, 180), who is one of 13 seniors who will start or get significant action.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.