Chilhowie Warriors

Coach: Larry Russell (10th season)

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 2

Last year's record: 7-4 (3-2)

Key returners: Aaron Conley, jr., RB/DB; Scott Pennington, sr., OL; Hunter Testerman, sr., OL; Ammi Fields, sr., DE; Daniel Ashby, sr., LB

Key losses: J-Rod Blevins, WR/DB; Austin Pote, DB; Adam Powes, RB

Promising newcomers: Brett Johnson, jr., RB; Rhett Sturgill, sr., QB; Tim Cline, sr., WR

Outlook: The district's preseason favorite is loaded with talent--both offensively and defensively.

The offense was bolstered with the addition of junior HB Brett Johnson, a transfer from Marion. He will join proven rusher Aaron Conley in the backfield, along with powerful FB Daniel Ashby.

Tyler Austin, who moved from RB to TE, will provide another option for first-year QB Rhett Sturgill.

The offensive line is solid with Scott Pennington, Isaac Testerman and Hunter Testerman anchoring a physical front.

Chilhowie's defense isn't too shabby either with six starters back from last season's playoff team. Ammi Fields, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound DE, is a force and will be joined by hard-hitting returnees like Jacob Shuler, Levi Gillespie and Rhett Sturgill.

With 19 seniors on the roster, this could turn out to be a memorable season for the Warriors.

Coach's Quote: "We think we're going to gel together and we're looking forward to having a productive season. We just hope these kids step up and play ball. They've been working hard and that's all you can ask."

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George Wythe Maroons

Coach: H.S. Ingo (2nd season)

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 2

Last year's record: 7-4 (5-0)

Key returners: Mitch Castanon, jr., RB/DB; Kyle Semones, sr., LB; John David Green, sr., OL; Seth Esqueff, jr., OL/DL; Hardy Lester, soph., TE

Key losses: Brandon Atwell, RB/WR; Drew Lester, OL/DL; Aaron Wheeler, RB/LB

Promising newcomers: Alex Willis, soph., QB; Isaac Young, jr., RB; Hunter Tolley, jr., RB

Outlook: George Wythe has won the last three Hogoheegee titles with a mix of speed and size. The Maroons should be strong again, but the road to a district title will be a little tougher.

Almost all of GW's point production was lost to graduation, so plenty of new faces comprise the backfield.

The good news is that the Maroons have depth at RB and receiver and sophomore Alex Willis earned the starting QB spot during the preseason and looked good in GW's scrimmages.

A tough early-season schedule should help the Maroons mature, so expect them to once again have a major say in who claims the district championship.

Coach's Quote: "We've got a lot of work to do. Obviously, we're young. We've only got eight seniors on the team...Our expectations are high, but the fact is we know we have to go through some growing pains starting out here. We're still figuring out what's going to be this team's identity."

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Holston Cavaliers

Coach: Jason Matlock (4th season)

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 1

Last year's record: 11-2 (4-1)

Key returners: John Dalia, sr., DL; Cody Blevins, sr., RB; Dillon DeArmond., sr., TE; Tyler Harris, sr., RB; Luke Wampler, jr., OL/DL

Key losses: John Pratt, QB/DB; Jordan Blevins, WR/LB; Jeffrey Bramlett, RB

Promising newcomers: Isaiah Thomas, soph., QB; Daniel Applegate, jr., RB; Shane Milhorne, fr., DL

Outlook: The last three years have been anything but normal for the Cavaliers.

The team has compiled a 27-10 record, made three playoff appearances and claimed consecutive Region C, Division 1 titles under the watchful eye of energetic head coach Jason Matlock.

Will the success story continue this fall?

Holston must replace the cornerstones of the recent winning tradition--namely John Pratt, Jeffrey Bramlett and Jordan Blevins--but there still remain some key players in place. Defensive force John Dalia, RB Cody Blevins and TE Dillon DeArmond played key roles in Holston's playoff runs and return for their senior seasons.

Enthusiasm is high in Damascus, where 52 players dotted the preseason roster. Some new heroes must emerge from that talent pool if Holston wants to be a postseason participant again.

Coach's Quote: "The question is just going to be who steps up where and solidifies some of the roles from some of the guys that graduated. I have confidence in the guys we have here to get the job done."

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Northwood Panthers

Coach: Billy Wyatt (13th season)

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 1

Last year's record: 1-9 (0-5)

Key returners: Josh Jennings, sr., WR/DB; Derek Waddle, jr., OL/DL; Morgan Buchanan, soph., DL; Michael Lester, sr., OL; Dustin Clear, sr., RB

Key losses: Ty Frye, RB; Jeremiah Thompson, RB;

Promising newcomers: Jason Prater, fr., QB; Zack Greer, jr., OL

Outlook: Veteran head coach Billy Wyatt is starting from scratch this fall.

He's scrapped the single-wing offense that his teams had ran full-time since 2002 with the power-I formation.

Freshman QB Jason Prater will direct the offense and has several guys to hand off to including Zack Halsey, Dustin Clear and Jonathan Turley. Or when he needs to pass, Josh Jennings and Cody Moore are potential targets.

However, defense is where the Panthers must get better. They allowed at least 26 points in every game last fall and continually were victims of big plays.

Chase Clear, Michael Lester, Morgan Buchanan and Zack Halsey must step up on D to give Northwood a shot at competing within the district.

While there were rumors in the offseason that Northwood might not have enough players to field a team, 28 players made up the preseason roster and many of those comprised a promising freshman class.

Coach's Quote: I've told these young kids, to get things revamped around here and to get it back to where it was once before, it takes dedication, motivation and just a good outlook on life."

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Patrick Henry Rebels

Coach: Mike Compton (3rd season)

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 2

Last year's record: 2-8 (1-4)

Key returners: Jonathan Whitesides, sr., QB; Aaron Fullen, sr., RB/LB; Josh Compton, jr., WR/RB/LB; Hunter Ledford, jr., OL/DL

Key losses: Nick Groves, RB/DB; Steven Pekar, OL; Caleb Frye, WR/DB/K

Promising newcomers: Merrick Mullins, soph., WR; Andrew Groves, jr., RB

Outlook: A disappointing 2-8 showing last fall was marked with inconsistency.

The Rebels would play well for a half, but rarely put a full four quarters together and lost three games by six points or less.

PH will look to remedy that this fall with a solid core of veterans.

QB Jonathan Whitesides is in his third season directing the offense and can inflict damage on the opposition with both his arm and legs. Josh Compton, Aaron Fullen and Andrew Groves will be other offensive standouts.

The defense must improve from last season after yielding 28.6 points per game last season. With not much depth, PH must avoid injuries and hope for better production from the defense if the Rebels hope to compete with the Hogoheegee's top teams.

Coach's Quote: "Our first group has really been working hard and you can see their attitude has improved and them wanting to be out there to compete and win."

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Rural Retreat Indians

District, Region, Division:
Hogoheegee, Region C, Division 1

Last year's record: 4-8 (2-3)

Key returners: Ryan Justus, jr., OL/LB; Travis Foster, jr., WR; Jamie Dunsmore, sr., TE/LB; Zayne Williams, jr., QB; Lukas Langston, jr., WR/DB

Key losses: Terry Fields, OL/DL; Tyler Hash, RB

Promising newcomers: Jacob Lawson, jr., OL/DL; Dominique Epps, soph., WR/DB

Outlook: Christopher Moore has seen the Rural Retreat program thrive from different perspectives. First, as a star player for the Indians and then as an assistant coach for the highly-successful Wythe County school.

Now, he gets a chance to lead the program as the defensive guru prepares for his first season in charge.

He inherits a talented team that improved throughout last season. The team even earned a bid to the expanded regional playoffs and won a first-round game at Covington.

Moore hopes that success carries over as he will boast a crop of capable RB's and a defense that is stacked with returning starters.

Zayne Williams, Travis Anderson, Tyler Caudill, James Marshall and Blake Holman are the standouts at the skill postions. Meanwhile, Ryan Justus, Dillon Crigger, Jacob Lawson and Caleb Whalen will wreak havoc on the defensive front.

Coach's Quote: "(This team is) enthusiastic, mature and wanting to get after it. It's a good bunch of leaders and a good bunch of kids. They've worked very, very hard."

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