Independence coach Scott Blade guided his Eagles to a 15-0 record and 5A state title.
What a coach or player has to say after a tough football game can be both insightful and entertaining. Here’s a list of some of the best quotes during the 2015 high school football season.
”My goodness, he’s had a great year. I can’t say enough about him. He played terrific tonight.” – Independence coach Scott Blade on senior quarterback Andrew Bunch, who threw for 313 yards and 5 TDs in the 5A title game and finished the season with more than 3,300 yards passing despite missing more than four games with an injury.Read more
“Not a lot of people said this rematch would even happen, but these kids played their guts out. These 36 (seniors) refused to have their senior season defined by what they did as juniors.” – Ravenwood coach Will Hester, whose squad upset Maryville 26-17 in the 6A title game, ending the Rebels’ 44-game winning streak. The Raptors lost to Maryville by a point in the 6A title game a season ago.Read more
“They got momentum and you can’t give Independence momentum. We talked about just staying together as a team, staying with C.C.C. — courage, commitment and character. That’s what we tried to do, but hats off to Independence for kicking our tails.” — Centennial senior standout Tyrel Dodson, a Texas A&M commitment, after the Cougars’ second loss to Independence this season, 56-15, in the Class 5A semifinals. Read more
Ravenwood Head Coach Will Hester led his squad to the 6A state title.
“I was going to punt the ball, he came up and grabbed me by the arm, and said, ‘Coach, I feel like I’ve got it.’ I said, ‘Do it, dude, do it,’” — Ravenwood coach Will Hester, on placekicker Crews Holt’s career-long 55-yard field goal that aided a 20-13 win over Whitehaven in the 6A semifinals. Read more
“We knew he was a special player. We thought if we could just get one stop we could really put some pressure on them with our offense. But every time we got them in a position to make a stop, he bailed them out. Just a heck of a player.” — South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider, referring to Columbia Academy wide receiver Taylor Thompson. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Thompson, who will make an official visit to Wisconsin in two weeks, had 167 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Read more
Friday night (high)lights: Top performers of 2015
“He’s pretty tough. He’s like Larry Csonka back in the day.” — Stratford coach Maurice Fitzgerald on CPA running back Chip Omer, who rushed for 198 yards and 2 TDs and had an 82-yard kickoff return for a score in a 31-12 win. Read more
“They’re as good as advertised.” — Hendersonville coach Bruce Hatfield on unbeaten Independence, which beat the Commandos 38-7. Read more
Hendersonville coach Bruce Hatfield.
“Maryville, that’s all I’ve heard about since I began playing high school football. I’m glad I finally get to play against them.” — Blackman running back Taeler Dowdy, whose 288 yards rushing in a win over Siegel helped the Blaze advance to play nationally ranked Maryville in the 6A quarterfinals. Read more
“It was a pretty emotional win. That was probably one of the most emotional wins I’ve ever been a part of. We videoed us singing, and sent it to them. That was big for our kids to be able to do that.” — Siegel coach Greg Wyant, whose squad pulled a 6A playoff upset over Bearden on the birthday of Baylor Bramble, who suffered a head injury during a game earlier in the season and has been hospitalized since. After recently being able to go off a ventilator for a week, Bramble will be transferred to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, which specializes in brain injuries, this week, according to a tweet by his father, David. Following the win over Bearden, the team sang “Happy Birthday” and sent it via video to the Bramble family (Nov. 6).Read more
“This is the second week in a row that we’ve gotten out butts kicked. We’ve gotten hit in the mouth and I hope it woke us up because we have a very good Stratford team to get ready for next week.” — Whites Creek Coach Tyrus Ward, whose squad fell at White House-Heritage 47-8 (Oct. 16). Read more
2015 Nashville area prep football review: Top moments
“It’s kind of like pulling a pickle out of a jar. Once you get that first one, hopefully it will be easier after that. This wasn’t easy.” — Oakland coach Kevin Creasy, whose squad won its third straight Battle of the ‘Boro (and Creasy’s first) with a 43-14 victory over Riverdale (Oct. 16). Read more
“We were driving and, shoot, I made a bad call. I shouldn’t have called that play, and it turned the momentum around.” — MBA coach Marty Euverard, whose squad fell to Brentwood Academy 48-14. An interception in the second quarter helped change momentum (Oct. 9). Read more
MBA coach Marty Euverard
“Really, it doesn’t help us. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose and something inadvertent. I’ve had it happen to me. I feel for those guys up there. I know they’ve worked hard and nobody wants to see that. In my mind we lost that game by one point.” — Station Camp coach Shaun Hollinsworth, whose squad earned a forfeit win over Clarksville, which used an ineligible player in a 21-20 win over the Bison earlier in the season. (Oct. 9). Read more
“We’re everybody’s homecoming. I’m most proud of the fact that despite all the adversity that our kids have had this year, they fought. When you’ve been as low as we have been over the last four or five years, you don’t have problems getting a game; everybody wants a game with you.” — Hunters Lane first-year coach Thomas McPhail, following a 12-0 win over Glencliff on the Colts’ homecoming. It was the first win for the Warriors this season (Sept. 25). Read more
“I fired everybody after last week, to be honest with you. We needed the change. We hadn’t been really good at stopping the run. I thought we did really good at stopping the run tonight.” — Rossview Coach Ron Lambert, joking about his defense. The Hawks forced seven Dickson County turnovers in a 12-7 Rossview win (Sept. 25). Read more
“He’s never rushed it that many times. He wanted it. He kept telling the backups to stay on the sideline.” — MBA coach Marty Euverard, on running back Ty Chandler, who rushed 41 times for 270 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-27 overtime win over McCallie (Sept. 18). (Read more)
“I think our guys played their everlasting rear ends off. But, we had some penalties that caught us at certain times, and a time or two we turned the ball over. We turned it over twice and almost did it twice more. Against a good football team like Lipscomb, you just can’t do that.” — Northwest coach Vernon Wright after a 21-19 loss to Lipscomb Academy (Sept 4). Read story
“We’re just at the point now in Week 2 where it is painfully obvious to us that we have to go back to square one.” —Centennial coach Brian Rector. following a 49-6 loss at Independence (Aug. 28). See story