The Five: Class 2A Top Title Contenders

Wrapping up our preseason preview of Class 2A, here we look at the teams who have the best shot at playing their way to Chattanooga and competing for a state championship. All five of the teams listed below have the talent, coaching staff and senior leadership to walk away as champs but it’s a long season with plenty of road bumps ahead. 1. Westview Chargers …#WestTN Head Coach: Jarod Neal - The defending Class 2A state champs lost one of the best quarterbacks in the country off last year’s team but these Chargers still have enough talent and enough veteran pieces to earn yet another title. This year’s version will be a little different compared to last year as the Chargers coaching staff will be relying more heavily on their defense while their offense learns and gels together. Everything on defense starts with their linebackers where they have two possible All-State performers in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="102335" first="Hayden" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="150377" first="Omarion" last="Harris"] and they added a nice looking junior to that core as well this summer in junior Nathan Wykoff. Sitting behind the linebackers is a solid secondary with multiple guys who could possibly have college future’s in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="102241" first="Quincy" last="Hamilton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="102325" first="Drew" last="Shanklin"]. There is also a junior in [player_tooltip player_id="150298" first="Cam" last="Davis"], who might be their best overall player on the entire team. This Chargers defense is talented and a group of kids that will be leaned upon to help push towards another state title run. The offense will be given a chance to come along slowly during the preseason and if they gel together fast enough, watch out as the Chargers could be competing for back to back 2A championships. 2. Tyner Academy Rams …#EastTN Head Coach: Scott Chandler - Could this be the year that the Rams football program breaks through as the top team from the Class 2A ranks? It’s very possible as this year’s team is loaded and sporting a big senior class that has multiple college prospects and others ready for breakout seasons. Looking over the roster, the biggest key towards a successful season is the play of the Rams backfield in quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="201074" first="Josh" last="Jackson"] and new running back [player_tooltip player_id="185563" first="Markel" last="McKinley"] as well as the big men up front blocking for them. The O-line is probably the biggest question mark on the entire team and if the Rams receive good play up front, points galore could be had, especially behind the arm of Jackson. Another strong area of this team is their D-line. The Rams have some dudes up front in [player_tooltip player_id="372199" first="Jamarion" last="Varnell"], [player_tooltip player_id="196989" first="Journe" last="Norwood"] and senior Jonah Chapman that should cause a lot of damage this season and get off the field quick, giving the ball back to their offense. Not to be outshined by the big men, the Rams secondary is quite talented as well with [player_tooltip player_id="284468" first="Marcus" last="Lewis"], Jr, [player_tooltip player_id="208673" first="ZaShun" last="Hubbard"] and [player_tooltip player_id="372218" first="Rayshaun" last="Hinton"] leading the way. This is the best collective group of prospects and team for these Rams in some time, so they have a great opportunity to compete for a state title this season and leave this senior class as one of the best in program’s history. It will be a tough road but the Rams looked stacked and poised for a big year. [caption id="attachment_294415" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-294415" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/02/jjackson.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Photo: stateoftennesseehsfb.com[/caption]   3. East Robertson Indians …#MidTN Head Coach: Chase Brooks - The Indians have been a consistent football program over the years, placing themselves in the playoffs multiple seasons but this year might be the best overall team they have had with enough talent to compete for a 2A title. Everything starts for these Indians with their offensive backfield. They have a quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id="150318" first="Colin" last="Cook"], who spins it really well as well as a running back in [player_tooltip player_id="201100" first="Zechariah" last="Prince"] that can be a problem for opposing defenses. Both Cook and Prince have the talents and upside to help lead their team to Chattanooga but also play their way into Mr. Football consideration by season’s end. Those two aren’t the only guys on this year’s Indians team to watch out for this season. Over on defense, the Indians have a talented secondary, led by junior [player_tooltip player_id="372585" first="Shaun" last="Groves"] and a pair of underclassmen in [player_tooltip player_id="332217" first="Elijah" last="Groves"] and Isaiah Groves, who is also a running back and natural athlete that can play a variety of positions. The biggest key towards a successful season on defense is within the front seven where they have a solid senior in Tanner Cheatham but others who have yet to establish themselves. It won’t be easy for East Robertson as they are in a tough region with Trousdale Co. and Watertown but this might be the year they finally breakthrough and find themselves competing in Chattanooga for a 2A state championship. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382042" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/07/ccook-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />   4. Forrest Rockets …#MidTN Head Coach: Eli Stephenson - Many around the state may not look at Forrest and think state champions but they need to look again as this team has pieces and senior leadership to take them to the promised land and possibly give their school and town their 1st football title. Coming off a successful 2021 season, this year’s team brings back a lot of pieces and guys who have won a lot of football games, including two-way athlete [player_tooltip player_id="250836" first="Tayton" last="Swift"], who is a prime candidate for Mr. Football. Swift is an athletic, high football IQ guy who can be leaned upon for leadership and playmaking. He has a pair of O-linemen up front blocking for him this year in senior Mikey Stoddard and junior stud [player_tooltip player_id="323147" first="Spence" last="Tankersley"] that will push for All-Region and All-State honors. The one area that will need to step up this year and help these Rockets towards a title run will be the front seven on defense. If they have some guys step forward and establish themselves as game wreckers, the Rockets become the team to beat in their region and a prime contender for a deep playoff run. People won’t look at these Rockets as a top team headed into the season but that’s ok because they enjoy flying under the radar and if all goes well this season, that radar will be busted with Forrest fighting their way to Chattanooga and competing for their first ever 2A championship. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382043" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/07/stankersley-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />   5. Trousdale Co. Yellowjackets …#MidTN Head Coach: Blake Satterfield - Looking through all the teams from the Class 2A ranks, nobody has more tradition with winning state titles than these Yellowjackets and they have pieces to yet again compete for another championship. This year’s team looks to be led by their backfield with senior [player_tooltip player_id="372168" first="Brian" last="Banks"] starring as the Yellowjackets lead back and rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="362081" first="Kobyn" last="Calhoun"] running the show at quarterback. Both of these guys are considered Mr. Football candidates headed into the season and will be key cogs towards pushing the Yellowjackets on another state title run. While the offensive backfield has the stars, it will be the Trousdale Co. defense that will be a major factor in having a successful 2022 season. There are several unknown parts surrounding the Yellowjackets defense, especially up front in the trenches where multiple new guys will need to step up and take on significant roles. The secondary appears to be the area where the most talent resides on defense and they will need to play at a high level at the start of the season as the rest of the defense comes along. Overall, this program knows how to win and compete at a high level. There is no reason to think that this year’s team won’t make a deep playoff run and place themselves in contention for another state title. It won’t be easy as Trousdale Co. sits in a tough region but their tradition and winning ways will keep them in the championship mix. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382044" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/07/bbanks-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />   Three Others to Know: Monterey (EastTN), Marion Co. (EastTN), Mt. Pleasant (MidTN)