McMinn County Cherokees

McMinn County's Xavier Abernathy (10) runs the ball for the Cherokees. The McMinn County Cherokees visited the Ooltewah Owls in TSSAA football action Friday night.

Pedal to the metal

A couple of weeks ago, Xavier Abernathy was locked in a battle to be McMinn County's starting quarterback.

The junior wasn't overly concerned whether the starter - and replacement for Corbin Powers, who graduated - would be Bradley Hays or himself.

"Well, that's one of the things I'm striving for," said Abernathy, who already was penciled in as a starting safety. "Corbin set an example and the bar, but I think either Bradley or I can do a great job of leading the team."

In Abernathy's opinion, though, it wasn't the most fleet-footed player or the one with the strongest arm who would win the job.

"The biggest thing about being the quarterback here is leadership," he said. "It's a thing we've been lacking the past few years."

The Cherokees went 3-7 last year, with all seven losses coming to playoff teams, including Alcoa, McCallie, Oak Ridge and Ooltewah. That followed a 4-6 season that included losses to those same four teams.

Critics would say it was overscheduling, but Cherokees coach Bo Cagle had to take what he could get after some Knoxville schools of similar enrollment and caliber backed out of contracts at the behest of their school superintendent.

Yet part of the woes, as Abernathy remembers it, had to do with a lack of both quantity and quality.

"Character was the biggest problem, and we need somebody to lead the players in the right way on and off the field," he said. "Everybody wants to win. We're doing what we have to do to get it done."

Capsule by Ward Gossett; contact at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @wardgossett