A preview of Region 4-5A prep football
Possible champs include experienced Mustangs, Owls, Eagles
“It could be any of four or five teams and, yeah, I think we’ll be one of those.” — RHEA COUNTY COACH MARK PEMBERTON
The race for Tennessee’s Region 4-5A football championship may be more open than it has been in a while.
“It could be any of four or five teams and, yeah, I think we’ll be one of those,” Rhea County coach Mark Pemberton said Thursday. “You’d have to think maybe Walker Valley (is the favorite) because they return more starters than anybody else.”
Walker Valley coach Glen Ryan is looking beyond the top of the depth chart, though.
“Yeah, we have some talented starters returning,” Ryan said, “but there’s quite a drop-off between our number ones and number twos, and our number twos haven’t quite shown the desire to push the number ones like I would love to see and which we have to see if we’re going to reach our goals.”
Quarterback Kolton Gibson is the Mustangs’ catalyst, but the dual-threat junior also has a veteran offensive line, running back Alex King and receivers Bryce Nunnelly and Cooper Melton.
Like Ryan, Soddy-Daisy coach Justin Barnes has a dual-threat quarterback, Justin Cooke, but Barnes is seeking to replace his top receivers from 2015 and running back Christian Bell. Barnes said Bell’s spot likely will be the hardest to fill and the Trojans probably will do so by committee.
“I know Ooltewah will have the athletes and that Rhea County will be hard-nosed and well-coached. They always are,” Barnes said. “Like us, Walker Valley is going to be well-coached with good players and experience coming back. Cleveland will be better. But this may be the first year since I’ve been here that somebody besides Ooltewah or Rhea County takes (the championship).”
Ooltewah’s offensive line is the biggest it has been in Mac Bryan’s four years as head coach, and the Owls also have the region’s largest roster (including freshmen, there will be between 140 and 150 players on the list). While they’re replacing nine starters from a very salty defense, Ooltewah coaches are blessed with numerous athletes and a lot of speed. “They just reload,” Ryan said. Said Bryan: “We have talent. We have some playmakers. We can run on defense. The thing is we haven’t done it yet, and people that are going to have to carry a load haven’t