Football time in Tennessee is nearing once again, as evidenced by Tuesday's District 5-AAA Media Day, held at the Athens Convention Center.

Coaches from Bradley Central, Cleveland, McMinn County, Ooltewah, Rhea County, Soddy-Daisy and Walker Valley high schools gathered to discuss their strengths and shortfalls for the upcoming football season.


Rhea County

According to Rhea County High School Head Coach Jason Fitzgerald, the Eagles will be focused on improving this year from their 2-8 finish in 2009.

"We weren't happy with how we finished last year. Defensively, we were horrible. Horrible. I'll make no bones about it, we didn't stop anybody," Fitzgerald said.

Rhea County gave up an average of 31.3 points per game last year, and the coach said this season's fate will depend on how they improve in that area.

"It's all going to start with defense - whether we can slow anybody down or stop them,"  Fitzgerald said.

The Eagles' twins-open offense will once again be led by three-year starter Cameron Tallent under center. Sophomore speedster Desmond Sharp will play tailback, while classmate Jacob Revis is slated to anchor the offensive line. School-recordholding senior receiver Chris Johnson is also returning.

As with last season, Fitzgerald said there's a strong possibility several freshmen will see playing time.

"This is as crazy a year as there's going to be in this district. Who knows what will happen," concluded Fitzgerald, whose Eagles were picked in the preseason coaches poll to finish sixth out of seven teams.


McMinn County

The reigning district champions have been picked to win it all again this year. Head Coach Bo Cagle said he, along with the rest of the region, is contending with a number of personnel losses.

The Cherokees are coming off a 9-3 season in which they were spotless in region play. They were knocked out of the second round of TSSAA playoffs by powerhouse Maryville High
School in a close 28-20 game.

They will return four starters on offense and five on defense.

The coach touted his offensive line, though inexperienced, as a strength in the year to come.

"On defense, we'll play 11 men to the ball and tackle well. Our M.O. is still big on turnovers," Cagle said. "We were supposed to have two returning cornerbacks, but both received season-ending injuries in our Black and Gold game."

In the quarterback slot, the Cherokees will have senior Drew Masingale, 6'0", 205 lbs.,who has verbally committed to play baseball for the University of Tennessee.

"He might be the only quarterback in the region to also play linebacker," Cagle quipped.

McMinn County faces a stout non-district schedule with Maryville, McCallie, Cookeville and McMinn Central High Schools.


Ooltewah

A new era is starting this year for the Ooltewah High School Owls with the departure of hall of fame coach Benny Monroe.

Assistant Coach Shannon Williams will be tacking over the reigns and faces the daunting task of replacing All-State, Mr. Football defensive lineman Jacques Smith as well as a number of talented athletes.

"The guys are gone, the coaching staff is gone. I told the principal we ought to just go ahead and change the name of the school because everything else has changed," Williams said.

Nonetheless, the Owls, coming off a 9-2 season, were picked to finish second in the region by the preseason coaches' poll.

"Our strength is our skill guys. The defense is young up front, but we expect to hang our hat on it," Williams said.

Ooltewah has an overloaded road schedule with six away games this year, including two trips to Nashville to face Franklin and Maplewood high schools. Other non-district opponents are Tyner and Austin-East.


Soddy-Daisy

Coming off of a 5-5 year in which they failed to make the playoffs, the Soddy-Daisy High School Trojans are hoping to achieve some lofty expectations.

"We are quicker, faster and our defense is stronger," Head Coach Kevin Orr said.

The Trojans will return five starters on defense, including a four-man receiving corps. Hoping to capitalize on that experience is senior quarterback Trevor Card.

Defensively, Soddy-Daisy has no starters returning to the same position, according to Orr.
The coach said they will run a 4-3 base defense.

One advantage the Trojans have in their schedule is its proximity to home. Their farthest road trip is to Walker Valley High School in Cleveland.


Bradley Central

The Bradley Central High School Bears finished 2009 with a 5-5 record, but four of those loses came by nine or fewer points.

The Bears hope to build off that season, returning nine defenisve and five offensive starters, the highest numbers of anyone in the region.

"We've got to replace a lot of linemen, but that just means it's someone else's turn to step up," said Head Coach Damon Floyd.

Floyd plans to stress kicking the ball to the end zone to avoid costly return yards this year.

He hopes senior defensive end Tucker Bolton can draw on his four years of starting experience to lead the defense.

The Bears were voted to finish fourth in the preseason poll.


Cleveland

Cleveland High School Head Coach E.K. Slaughter started off by saying 2009 was one of the most valuable seasons he'd ever had as a coach.

The Raiders had a below average 3-8 season, which Slaughter said he hopes an off-season focused on building character and leadership can help improve.

One highlight for the Raiders, who were picked by coaches to finish fifth in the region, is returning quarterback Chad Boyd.

According to Slaughter, Boyd has "put on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and an inch or two of height."

Cleveland plans to use a halfback this season and boasted about the strength of its kicking game.

"Our front seven will be the strength of our team this season," Slaughter added.
Walker Valley

Rounding out the bottom of the region predictions was Walker Valley High School.

The Mustangs finished 2009 with a 1-9 record, their only win coming over Rhea County. According to Head Coach Ted Lockerby, they were plagued by injuries, a fate they hope to avoid this year.

Walker Valley plans to run the I on offense, relying on running back Brad Davis.

"Brad is a scary player. He is extremely fast. He can flat out run and is a game changer. He will also handle kick returns," Lockerby said.

Non-region opponents for the Mustangs include Bearden, Brainerd, McMinn Central and Polk County high schools.

Cathy Barnes can be contacted at cathy.barnes@rheaheraldnews.com.