Preps Preview: Lookout Valley Yellow Jackets

Friday, August 17, 2012

photo Lookout Valley High School head football coach Tony Webb

Fan's guide to this year's Lookout Valley Yellow Jackets

Coach: Tony Webb (Ninth year here, 49-38 here and overall)

Stadium: Joe L. Bean Field

Address: 350 Lookout High St., Chattanooga, TN 37419

Three strengths

1) Good senior leadership. Although there are only six on the roster, most of the seniors have been three-year starters and have substantial big-game experience.

2) Depth up front. Four of the five offensive linemen are returning starters.

3) Big-play potential. The Yellow Jackets have good speed in the offensive backfield with quarterback Vann Scribner and running backs Jamal Jones and Toney Summerow all running sub-4.7-second times in the 40-yard dash.

Three concerns

1) Depth in the backfield. Aside from the senior trio of Scribner, Jones and Summerow, the rest of the Jackets' potential ball carriers are sophomores.

2) Overall numbers. The Jackets battle the numbers game every year. This season they have 25 on the roster, including nine sophomores.

3) Tougher schedule. Lookout Valley plays three nondistrict games against teams in higher classifications, and six opponents are likely playoff contenders.

By the numbers

7 - Games in 2011 when the Yellow Jackets scored 30-plus points. They averaged 32 points in 12 games.

7 - Consecutive wins over district foe Whitwell.

6 - Winning seasons in Tony Webb's eight years as coach. In the 10 years before he took over, the Jackets had just two winning seasons.

Recent history

The Yellow Jackets rolled to easy wins in their first two games last year, then lost in back-to-back weeks and early in the second half of the season stood 3-3. A narrow home win over district foe Marion County, the first time in school history Lookout Valley beat the Warriors, began a run to the playoffs. The Jackets held on for a three-point win in the first round of the postseason before losing at Coalfield. That was only the fourth time the program advanced to the second round.

Here's a look at the regular-season win total for the last five years:

Season

2011-------(8)

2010---(2)

2009------(7)

2008-----(6)

2007--------(10)

Three questions with ...

TONEY SUMMEROW

(Senior running back)

Q: What did it do for the team's confidence to make it to the second round of the playoffs last year?

A: It was huge. Now we have really high expectations and we believe we can go at least another round deeper in the playoffs this year.

Q: What's the most difficult part of playing on a team with so little depth?

A: The conditioning before the season. We know we're all going to have to play both ways, so we do a lot of running to be ready.

Q: What's the best part of Friday night football?

A: The whole week. I like getting ready at practice every day and waiting for the game all day Friday. And when you walk out to the field and the lights are on and the fans are there, it's a great feeling.

Schedule

Aug. 17 at Midway

Aug. 24 Chattanooga Christian

Aug. 31 South Pittsburg*

Sept. 7 at Grace Academy

Sept. 14 Whitwell*

Sept. 21 Notre Dame

Sept. 28 at Marion County*

Oct. 12 at Silverdale Baptist

Oct. 19 Copper Basin

*District 6-A game

2011 stats leaders (returning players in bold)

RUSHING Att Yards Avg TD

*Jamal Jones 164 1358 8.3 14

*Vann Scribner 91 432 4.8 5

Delaney Heathington 53 410 7.7 3

PASSING Comp-Att Yards Int TD

*Vann Scribner 57 97 913 4 15

RECEIVING Att Yards Avg TD

Chris Walton 30 583 19.4 10

*Jamal Jones 8 160 20.0 3

TACKLES Solo Assists Total

Delaney Heathington 55 29 84

*Levi Wallace 44 27 71

  • returning player

Roster

1 Morgan Sexton Junior

2 Toney Summerow Senior

11 Adrian McGhee Sophomore

13 Vann Scribner Senior

14 Evan Walker Eighth grade

20 Gavin Thacker Sophomore

21 Jaylen Wynn Sophomore

22 Javonte Epps Sophomore

25 Jamal Jones Senior

26 Hudson Bledsoe Sophomore

32 Pascual Aranda Sophomore

50 Kyle Smith Freshman

51 Kendall Parham Junior

54 Ben Lowrance Freshman

55 Ian Scribner Senior

60 Michael Minnick Freshman

62 Hurley Wallace Sophomore

64 Levi Wallace Senior

65 Austin Yarbrough Sophomore

70 Earth Reed Junior

72 Cole Brewer Junior

75 Peyton Cook Sophomore

76 Josh Jones Freshman

77 Quederrius Cotton Senior