Tri-state high school football fans, meet Skye Wilson.
That's pronounced Sky-E, and get comfortable with the name. He's going to be around for a while.
The 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore running back continued to show skills beyond his years and production beyond the expected as Signal Mountain continued to roll.
"I like to think I'm under control, but I can always improve," Wilson said with a wry smile late in the Eagles' 56-0 7-AA win over Bledsoe County as the reserves finished what he and the rest of the starters began with touchdowns on their first six possessions.
Wilson, who has 328 yards on just 33 carries this season, paused late in Friday's game to cheer for classmate Charlie Gauthier, who scored the final touchdown of the night in the waning seconds. Gauthier and Wilson were part of a flock of Eagles to touch the ball as Signal (3-0, 1-0) used three quarterbacks and had 10 ball carriers in the one-sided affair.
Signal cleared the bench before halftime and cruised.
After Gauthier closed the scoring, Wilson returned to the postgame questions and showed a wisdom that was beyond his years like his speed and his strength.
"You know," he said after running for 153 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, "if it wasn't for my offensive linemen, I wouldn't get anywhere."
And where Wilson and the Eagles dare to venture is to heights not whispered since the 2010 state championship run.
"That's one of the two or three best teams I've coached against," Bledsoe coach Jason Reel said. "Does that make losing like we did something to be proud of? No, of course not, but it is something we can learn from."
The overarching lessons from this one centered on the improvements and the maturation of a Signal team that has balance -- youth and experience; size and speed; offense and defense -- like a team that could make a November run.
Yes, we just closed the books on August, and state-title talk when the temperatures are around 90 can be as hollow and futile as chasing windmills, but the chase starts in August and these Eagles have big goals.
"We want to win state," said Signal senior linebacker Chris Moore, who had two tackles for loss and half a sack as the defense posted its second consecutive shutout. "We've been playing together for so long that we know we have each other's backs."
The connection and the speculation need support, and the Eagles made their case in full Friday.
They have balance. Offensively they were overpowering on the ground in the first 20 minutes and perfect in the air. William Franklin added a short scoring run, and quarterback Jack Teter was 4-for-4 for 67 yards and a score to Corey DeHart before getting an early exit in the second quarter.
They have a defense. Signal forced five turnovers, had 10 tackles for loss and blocked a punt that became a Garland Wood touchdown.
They have size -- the offensive line that Wilson bragged about is big and anchored by Mississippi State commitment Harrison Moon -- and speed.
"We have a lot we can improve on," Reel said after his team fell to 1-2, "but that's a really good football team we played."
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com