The best season in nearly five decades has also produced an impressive list of postseason honors for the Bradley Central High School football team. The Bears, who won their first region championship in 43 years and reached the semifinals for the first time since 1976, placed four players on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state team for Class 6A.
There were also four Chattanooga-area players named all-state in Class 4A and 5A as well.
The Bradley Central foursome were quarterback Kaleb Martin, offensive lineman Luke Keith, athlete Boo Carter and defensive back Marcus Goree Jr.
The four area players making the 4A team are Signal Mountain receiver Blake Wolfard, Red Bank defensive lineman Kobe Smith, Hixson linebacker Adam Billingsley and East Ridge defensive back Javonte Pullom, while the 5A team included Walker Valley offensive lineman Ty Parker and defensive lineman Conner Phillips, plus Rhea County offensive lineman Maurice Shirley and McMinn County linebacker Landon Feggins.
Martin totaled more than 3,500 yards of offense and an incredible 51 touchdowns — including 2,629 passing yards and 31 TDs — while Carter, who is already enrolled at the University of Tennessee along with Goree, had around 1,800 all-purpose yards and 27 TDs and Goree finished with 62 tackles. Keith graded out as an 88% blocker with 12 pancakes and allowed just one sack in 14 games.
Signal Mountain's Wolfard had 56 catches for 813 yards and eight TDs, Red Bank's Smith — a Duke University signee — totaled 62 tackles, nine sacks and blocked four kicks. Hixson junior Billingsley finished the season with 72 tackles, including eight for loss and five sacks, while East Ridge's Pullom ranked among the area leaders with 118 total tackles, including five for loss and forced five fumbles. Rhea County's Shirley, a two-way line starter, was named the Region 4-5A Defensive Player of the Year and also graded out as an 82% blocker.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.
CLASS 4A
OFFENSE
QB — Keshawn Tarleton (Nashville Pearl-Cohn), Carter Smith (Hardin County), Izaiah Hall (Anderson County), RB — Rhyan Brown (Melrose), Nick Moog (Anderson County), Camarion Miller (Haywood), WR — A.J. Jones (Marshall County), Blake Wolfard (Signal Mountain), OL — Richard Bell (Northview Academy), Judd Taylor (Carter), Kameron Lester (Greeneville), Evan Briggs (Upperman), ATH — Carson Quillen (Greeneville), K — Logan Lewis (Lexington).
DEFENSE
DL — Clayton Harris (Upperman), Kobe Smith (Red Bank), Mason Ball (Elizabethton), Evan Poticher (Northview Academy), Dawson Carson (White House), LB — Zeion-Lafredrick Simpson (Nashville Pearl-Cohn), Adam Billingsley (Hixson), Amanuel Dickson (Greeneville), Chris Sanders (Haywood), Javonte Pullom (East Ridge), Cameron Miller (Melrose), Joshua Sims (Nashville Pearl-Cohn), Gabe Borders (Macon County), P — Wyatt Joyce (Marshall County).
CLASS 5A
OFFENSE
QB — Kelvin Perkins (Southwind), Mason Baker (Hendersonville), Joshuah Keith (Clinton), RB — Kayden McCoy (Columbia Central), De'Jauvis Dozier (Oak Ridge), Dominic Reed (Centennial), WR — Kaiki Baker (Hillsboro) Isaiah Cobbs (Munford), Brandon Heyward (Oak Ridge), OL — Jacob Rathbone (Page), Ty Parker (Walker Valley), Otto Van Rensburg (Sevier County), Britton Carver (Knoxville West), Hayden Collett (Nolensville), Maurice Shirley (Rhea County), ATH — Trey Wilhite (Lenoir City), K — Grant Chadwick (Tullahoma).
DEFENSE
DL — Kavion Benton (Southwind), Steven Soles Jr. (Knoxville Powell), Jhrevious Hall (Columbia Central), Conner Phillips (Walker Valley), C.J. Smith (Knoxville West), LB — Eric Hazzard (Page), Antoine Keefer (Southwind), Caden Marshall (Henry County), Landon Feggins (McMinn County), Ryan Scott (Knoxville West), DB — D'Mon Marable (Clinton), Jordan Lee (Beech), Kollin Collier (Munford), Bryson Headrick (Sevier County), P — Owen Taylor, Knoxville Halls, Sr.
CLASS 6A
OFFENSE
QB — Braden Graham (Murfreesboro Riverdale), Kaleb Martin (Bradley Central), Chandler Day (Houston), RB — Daune Morris (Murfreesboro Oakland), Damon Sisa (Houston), Geron Johnson (Bartlett), WR — Brock Montgomery (Murfreesboro Riverdale), Ben Hubbard (Ravenwood), Joakim Dodson (Collierville), OL — Duce Hewitt (Murfreesboro Oakland), Robert Bourdon (Collierville), Austin Hoane (Cookeville), Luke Keith (Bradley Central), Alex Boyd (Maryville), Trent Tatum (West Ridge), ATH — Boo Carter (Bradley Central), K — Daniel Echeverria (Mt. Juliet).
DEFENSE
DL — Daniel Anderson (Germantown), Atticus Fiorita (Mt. Juliet), Kam Frierson (Rockvale), D.J. Allen (Germantown),LB — Korey Smith (Murfreesboro Oakland), Max Orefice (Brentwood), Emmit Newman (Jefferson County), Jack Alley (Farragut), DB — Devin Rutherford Jr. (Bartlett), Quentin Groves (Siegel), Nigel Maynard (Stewarts Creek), Marcus Goree (Bradley Central), P — Andrew Bingham (Independence).