One of the area's most successful high school football programs will have a completely new staff next season after North Jackson head coach Shawn Peek and four assistants resigned.
Aside from a thrilling finish to the girls' championship game in the annual Best of Preps basketball tournament, the folks who packed the gym Saturday night at Chattanooga State also witnessed what could be the beginning of the city's next elite program.
It isn't clear when, but at some point Reggie Upshaw Sr. underwent an identity change.
Ooltewah wasted little time assuring itself a spot in the Best of Preps tournament semifinals.
It's one of the oldest schools in the city, but what Brainerd may lack in state-of-the-art facilities is overcome by the fact that no other program can match its athletic foundation.
While the venue has changed and there are seven new teams competing, both the boys' and girls' champions from last year's Times Free Press Best of Preps basketball tournament have returned to defend their titles.
Taking more than four months to complete, this was the longest high school football season in tri-state area history.
Ooltewah running back Desmond Pittman started the 2012 high school football season as a backup. He didn't take over as the Owls' starter until the sixth game of the season, and then only because of injury. But the 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior responded by rushing for more than 1,300 yards, helping lead Ooltewah to the Class 5A quarterfinals and becoming an all-state player.
The best season in the fledgling program's history has been capped by East Hamilton placing five players on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's Class 4A all-state team.
WACO, Texas — Brittney Griner scored the first six points of the game and the third-ranked Baylor women's basketball team had the first 17, extending its home winning streak to 45 with a 76-53 victory over 10th-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday night.
Three players each from Boyd-Buchanan and South Pittsburg were named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association 2012 all-state football teams for their respective classifications.
Of Baylor School's four all-state players, two will return for next season.
ATLANTA — It was a simple equation, and a championship formula Sandy Creek had followed before. And Saturday evening, talent plus experience equaled another state championship for the Patriots football program.
They opened the season on opposite sides of one stadium, cheering against one another.
On the day he interviewed for the job more than nine years ago, Mark Mariakis allowed himself to gaze into the future at the football program he believed he could build at Ridgeland High School.
It was a moment that defined the importance the Ridgeland High School football coaching staff places on Darrell Bridges.
Unlike some of his peers at the position, Ridgeland quarterback Trevor Long would rather go almost unnoticed during games.
Just hours after being presented as the University of Tennessee's new head football coach, Butch Jones hit the recruiting trail.
Mark Mariakis had seen enough. After Ridgeland's offense had dabbled with balance by — gasp! — attempting a forward pass in the early stages of last week's state quarterfinal game, the Panthers coach gave a very direct order from the sideline.
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — Vic Grider built a successful career by knowing when to make the right call. Even when it wasn’t the one most people expected.
ATLANTA — Crimson shakers began waving more than an hour before kickoff when the first few guitar chords of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" began blaring over the Georgia Dome sound system.
ATLANTA — Five yards on Saturday were all that kept Georgia from getting to travel 700 miles in January.
While boys should never hit a girl, Ridgeland's football team had no issue with punching Mary Persons in the mouth Friday night.
After a source close to Jon Gruden said Thursday that the Super Bowl-winning coach still was considering the vacant University of Tennessee football coaching job, the reported courtship apparently ended quickly.
The decision about the new University of Tennessee football coach is in the hands of the man most Volunteers fans seem to want.
The foundation for the best season in program history actually was laid one year ago.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Like Michael Keaton's classic 1980s movie character "Beetlejuice," there is one name on the list of University of Tennessee football coaching candidates that very few journalists want to say aloud.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Austin Sanders felt calm as he stood behind the curtain, waiting to be introduced as a finalist for Tennessee's Class AAA Mr. Football Lineman of the Year award. But once he was on stage, in front of more than 500 people at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center, the second time his name was called caused the nerves to kick in.
Regardless of who the University of Tennessee's next football coach is, the rebuilding project won't be limited to on-field schemes or issues with current players.
LEBANON, Tenn. — For more than 23 minutes of the first half, Boyd-Buchanan stood toe-to-toe with defending Class 2A state champion Friendship Christian.
Grant Reynolds came to Chattanooga with a plan to work in business.
It was a case of the rich hitting the jackpot again for Friendship Christian School.
While the powers in charge of hiring the University of Tennessee's new head football coach must be diligent in their search, athletic director Dave Hart admitted the program can not afford to allow the process to drag on.
When Derek Dooley became the University of Tennessee's third head coach in as many seasons in 2010, he took over a program in shambles.
STEVENSON, Ala. — Top-ranked Oneonta gave North Jackson a brief ray of hope early.
The news from Thursday's TSSAA board of control meeting was expected but still disappointing for the Chattanooga area.
JASPER, Tenn. — The future of Marion County football is in the hands of a kid who actually conjures memories of the program's proud past.
STEVENSON, Ala. — If North Jackson is to continue its playoff run and extend the football season for its seniors, it will need a nasty night from its most experienced lineman.
After one of the most successful stretches in program history, Chad Barger has stepped down as Sequatchie County's football coach. Barger resigned Monday following the first losing season (2-8) in his five-year tenure with the program.
The TSSAA has released its proposed new district alignments, and while there were few changes it proved to be yet another reason for area football coaches to vent.
GORDONSVILLE, Tenn. — After driving 99 1/2 yards to get to the brink of the upset, South Pittsburg came up about a foot shy of completing it, falling 14-13 to top-ranked Gordonsville in a Class 1A second-round football playoff Friday.
As each playoff week passes and teams are done or advance closer to their ultimate goal, seniors begin to realize the amount of effort and emotion they have invested into their high school football careers.
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — Around here, the biggest man on campus is Little Man.
