Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Meigs County's Aaron Swafford, right, and Jonathan Beeler fire up their fans before the TSSAA Class 2A BlueCross Bowl on Dec. 7, 2019, at Tennessee Tech. The Tigers came up short that day in a 27-16 loss to Peabody, and while the record-setting Swafford has since graduated, Meigs is undefeated this season and about to have a second shot at the Owls in a title game.When the Meigs County High School football team trots onto the Tennessee Tech turf Saturday for the Class 2A BlueCross Bowl state championship game, some of the loudest cheers will never be heard inside Tucker Stadium.
That's because - as he has several times this season - former Tigers star Aaron Swafford will be yelling from nearly 1,000 miles away, inside his Naval Academy Preparatory School dorm room in Newport, Rhode Island.
"Luckily my roommate is from South Texas, so he knows all about big-time football," Swafford said. "I'll be watching the game and not worrying if I'm bothering anybody else in the dorms with how loud I get because it's a Saturday."
Swafford was the cornerstone of Meigs County's football resurgence. When Jason Fitzgerald took over as head coach in January 2014, the Tigers had not had a winning season in six years, compiling a 15-46 record during that span. But in Fitzgerald's third season, he handed the offensive reins to Swafford, and the freshman responded by earning all-state honors and guiding the Tigers to a 10-win season.
Swafford would rewrite every school record for passing and rushing while leading Meigs County to a 48-6 four-year record, two trips to the semifinals and a state runner-up finish last year before signing with Navy. Unable to play this season after undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer, Swafford has concentrated on his academics and, as often as possible, watched his alma mater's football games online.
"I miss being out there, but it still gets my adrenaline pumping just watching them because most of those guys are still some of my best friends," said Swafford, who added that Coach Fitzgerald has even given him a password to be able to access game footage on Hudl. "I know the work they've put in to get back to this point, and I'm really happy for them. I may be their biggest fan.
"I don't believe I would've gotten where I am now without my teammates and the support from my school and the community."
Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Logan Carroll, center, took over as Meigs County's starting quarterback this season after the graduation of four-year star Aaron Swafford, and Carroll and his teammates have helped the Tigers earn a second straight trip to the TSSAA Class 2A Blue Cross Bowl.After losing such a key contributor to the program's success, Meigs County was not among the preseason picks to contend for a state title this fall. Using what they felt was disrespect, the Tigers have played with added motivation to prove doubters wrong.
Picking up where Swafford left off, junior Logan Carroll has taken over at quarterback and accounted for 1,842 total yards and 24 touchdowns, while senior running back Will Meadows has become the team's leader by his work ethic and game-breaking ability.
Meadows, who added about 15 pounds during the offseason, is a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist - the fourth consecutive year the Tigers have produced one of those - with 1,780 rushing yards (8.9 per carry) and 31 scores.
"Our guys have played with a chip on their shoulder after hearing all during the offseason that we would be down with Swafford gone," Fitzgerald said. "We told Logan he doesn't have to do what Aaron did for us at quarterback. He's done a great job of just being his own person and stepping up when we've needed him to, and Will has really filled that leadership role."
The Tigers have been impressive - the offense has averaged 41 points per game, and the defense has limited nine opponents to 17 or fewer points - while compiling an unbeaten record to this point that includes wins over six state-ranked teams. Among them are Class 1A's top-ranked South Pittsburg, Greenback (the 2019 runner-up in 1A), previously unbeaten South Greene and perennial powerhouse Trousdale County, which Meigs County took down with a semifinal road win last week.
Meigs County now faces a Peabody program that has won the past two 2A titles - 27-16 over the Tigers last year - and is led by junior running back Khalik Ganaway, a Mr. Football finalist with 1,860 rushing yards.
The Golden Tide go into Saturday's 4 p.m. Eastern kickoff on a 37-game winning streak and have held nine of 13 opponents this season to 10 or fewer points. Nobody has scored more than 21 on Peabody all season, and the offense has been held to fewer than 34 points just once.
"We've built things to the point that there are expectations now," Fitzgerald said. "Aaron was a big part of getting us to that point, and now he's usually the first person to text me after games to congratulate us. Everybody knows what he did for us when he was here, but the fact that he keeps up with us so close says a lot about what this program still means to him."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.