FCS Football Tab 2011

8/3/2019 FCS Football Tab 2011

1/12

Friendship Christian School

COMMANDERSDivision I, Class 2A High School Football2011 State Champions

2011 State Champs2011 State Champs

A Special Section of The Lebanon Democrat and Mt. Juliet News


2/12

2 Friendship Christian State Championship 2011

Well Done,Commanders!

1079 Weston Dr. Mt. Juliet 758-7745

201 Signature Pl. Lebanon 444-7999

Treating you like family!

Aaron Pryor, DDS

P

Pr

ro

ou

ud

d S

Su

up

pp

po

or

rt

te

er

r o

of

fF

Fr

ri

ie

en

nd

ds

sh

hi

i p

p C

Ch

hr

ri

i s

st

ti

i a

an

n

C

Co

on

ng

gr

ra

at

tu

u l

l a

at

ti

i o

on

ns

s o

on

n a

aG

Gr

re

ea

at

t S

Se

ea

as

so

on

n!

!

A

AU

UT

TO

O V

V I

I L

LL

LA

AG

GE

E4

41

14

4 S

S .

. C

C u

um

mb

b e

er

rl

l a

a n

n d

d S

St

t.

.L

Le

eb

b a

an

n o

o n

n,

, T

TN

N 3

37

70

08

87

7

6

61

15

5-

- 4

44

43

3-

-0

09

91

12

26

61

15

5-

- 4

44

43

3-

-2

23

36

66

6R

RI

I C

CK

KE

EY

Y W

WI

IN

NF

FR

RE

EE

E

S

SA

AU

UT

TO

O V

V I

I L

LL

LA

AG

GE

E1

10

01

11

1 W

W.. M

Ma

a i

i n

n S

St

tr

re

ee

et

tL

Le

eb

b a

an

n o

o n

n,

, T

TN

N 3

37

70

08

87

7

6

61

15

5-

-5

54

47

7-

- 4

49

91

11

1

By ANDY REED, Sports Editor

Entering the 2011 football season, FriendshipChristian was on a roll of playoff appearances,having appeared in every TSSAA postseason ofthe 21st century.

The Commanders had size, speed and, at mostpositions, experience. The big glaring question?

Concern is quarterback, not experiencedback there and not having Brennan, said John Mc-Neal on the eve of his 23rd season in charge of theCommanders.

Brennan is Brennan Swindoll, a hard-throwing left-handed junior who earned All-Statehonors in baseball as a freshman after going 14-1

with an earned-run average of just over 1.00. Hemissed his sophomore season due to Tommy Johnsurgery, which isnt uncommon for pitchers. Buthis injury didnt come from throwing a ball. Itcame from making a tackle during the previousyears playoff win over Marion County. He didntstart throwing again until 2011 fall practice.

The other signal callers were seniors TallonMehlhoff and Kyle Wood, the latter a running backin previous years.

Otherwise, the Commanders appeared to be ingood shape heading into the season.

Were going to be big up front and we do have

goodspeed, McNealsaid.Allof theskillguys runwell.Its probably the most speed weve had alltogether.

Week 0: Aug. 19Donelson Christian 28,

Friendship Christian 20Though not in the same league except a six-

year run in the 1990s these schools draw many oftheir studentsfrom the sameMt. Juliet/Hermitage/OldHickory area. Thus, they are rivals despite the off-and-on appearances on each others schedules.

Theyre both usually pretty good, too.The Commanders overcame a first-half safety to

go up 20-8 inthe thirdquarter, a margin theyheld untilthefinal 2:08 of thegamewhen DCAstunnedthe Pir-tleField faithful with three touchdowns on a seriesoffourth-downconversions, an onside kickrecovery anda pick-six for an insurance score.

There were like eight things that happened inthat last three minutes and none of them went ourway, McNealsaid. Ifwe getjustone of theeight,wewin the ballgame.

Week 1: Aug. 26Friendship Christian 21,White House-Heritage 7

The Commanders made their own momentumby recovering a game-openingonside kick, setting upSwindolls11-yard scoring flipto senior receiver Dal-ton Patterson.

Seniorrunning back Dekolas Reevesran for118

yards, includingscorescovering 4 and 7 yards, as theCommanders collected 243 rushing yards.

From early lossesto winning it all

Friendship Christians Ben Dunn (70) brings down Dresdens GatlinHatchel in the first quarter of the BlueCross Bowl.


3/12

Friendship Christian State Championship 2011 3

Week 2: Sept. 2Gordonsville 26,

Friendship Christian 20TheCommandershad a chanceto pull a DCA-type comeback but

came up short as they fell to 1-2 for the first time in years.Friendship scored first as freshman Steven Hollis returned the

opening kickoff 79 yards for a 7-0 lead.Eventually, the Commanders would build an identity as a power-

running team. But on this early-season night, they were stopped cold

by the Tigers in the first half. They still trailed just 14-13 at the breakafter Zach Lo recovered a fumble and Wood, on a halfback pass, hit aleaping Patterson for a 54-yard touchdown.

Two Payton Watson-to-Vincent Escobedo touchdown tosseshelped Gordonsville build a 26-13 lead with five minutes to play.

Friendship fought back with a 15-yard scoring strike from Swin-doll to tight end Drew Hutchison with just under two minutes to play.

Mitchell Lester recovered the ensuing onside kick at midfield andFriendship drove to the Gordonsville 31-yard line. But Watson inter-cepted a pass inside the 10 and the Commanders started their Region4-A schedule in an 0-1 hole.

I was kind of hoping that one might have been in our favor tokind of redeem ourselves from the first game, McNeal said. We did

some things well to be able to have a chance. In the first half in thetwo games were talking about, we havent done a whole lot. In thesecondhalf,weve come outand movedthe football anddid thethingswe needed to do to make it happen.

But the Commanders, a state contender in recent years, had allbut fallen out of the discussion, not that it bothered the coach.

I kind of liked it because our kids never doubted, McNeal saidatthe end ofthe season. Butit got usoffthe radar, torelaxa littlebit.

Week 3: Sept. 9Friendship Christian 55,

Clay County 6More than once upon a time, Celina inflicted playoff disappoint-

ment on Friendship. Now, this trip started a run of three straight get-well victories for the Commanders,who led 20-0in the first quarterand

www.wilsonbank.com

Committed tocommunity banking since 1987.

Still Here, Still Independent, Still Committed to You!

From everyone at yourhometown community bank,

Congratulations,

Commanders!

Member FDICMember FDIC

Friendship Christians Tallon Mehlhoff finds an open route for a touchdown as Dalton Paterson (5) and ConnorGaine (52) help clear a path.


4/12


41-0 at halftime.Reeves racked up 69 rushing yards, including

two early touchdowns. Mehlhoff owned the secondquarter with a rushing touchdown, a passing score toHutchison and a pick-six interception return.

The Commanders compiled 229 rushing yardsand 290 total.

Week 4: Sept. 16

Friendship Christian 45,Jackson County 0The Commanders pitched the first of back-to-

back shutouts as Jackson County was thrown forminus-32 rushing yards.

On the flip side, Friendship thrived with the run-ning game as Reeves racked up 173 yards and fourscores[onruns of79,11, 34and15 yards]in the firstthree quarters for a 38-0 lead.

Because of an injury to Swindoll, Mehlhofftook all the snaps at quarterback until the game gotout of hand and ran for 115 yards and a score.

Week 5: Sept. 23Friendship Christian 55,Pickett County 0

With Swindoll sitting out a second straightweek, Mehlhoff threw a 32-yard touchdown to Ste-fan Remus on the games first play and added a 13-yard scoring run later in the first quarter whichended with Friendship in front 28-0. It was 48-zipby halftime.

Friendship ran just18 offensive plays, includingjust five in the second half as the clock ran continu-ously. That was enough snaps for the Commandersto run for 287 yards.

Pickett County was held to 69 yards, includingjust 20 on the ground.

Week 6: Sept. 29Trousdale County 17,

Friendship Christian 0Forthe firsttime, MyTV30shined itsThursday

Night Lights series on a Class A game as a MiddleTennessee television audience watched the perennialstate powerhousesresume their annual grudge matchon the legendary Creekbank in Hartsville.

Sincea season-opening lossat Kentucky power

Warren Central, Trousdale County was enjoying atypical dominating year.The only dominating in this game was by the

defenses as the teams played to a scoreless first-half tie after Patterson blocked a late Trousdalefield-goal try.

After some halftime adjustments in the Trous-dale locker room, the Yellow Jackets controlled thefootball almost the entire third quarter. DevonTurczyn broke the shutout with a 30-yard run onthird and 11.

DreCrenshaw thenintercepted a passand MackSanders kicked a 28-yard field for a 10-0 lead going

into the fourth quarter.Hunter Murphree picked offanother Friendshippass, then threw one into the end zone where Hollisbatted it into the air and into the arms of receiverGarrett Crafton for the final score.

We didnt help ourselves offensively, and ashard as we fought on defense, we still gave up somebig plays when we had them pinned back a fewtimes, McNeal said.

Week 7: Oct. 7Friendship Christian 54,

Watertown 14

At 4-3, there was no talk of a state champi-onship coming to Possum Town. While muchof Wil-

Congratulates the

FRIENDSHIPCHRISTIAN

COMMANDERS2011 STATE CHAMPIONS!

Congratulates the

FRIENDSHIPCHRISTIAN

COMMANDERS2011 STATE CHAMPIONS!

FIRSTFREEDOMBANK.COM

Congratulations!

You make us proud!

Dr. Aleks Osipchuk, M.D., Ph.D.,

Leta Whited, PMHNP-BC, and staff

Dr. Aleks OsipchukPsychiatric Services, LLC

115 North Castle Heights Ave.Suite 104

Lebanon, TN

615.444.3836www.DrAleks.com

Way to go,

Commanders!from your friends at

1928 Leeville PikeLebanon, TN 37087

rosetire.com

444-8120

Friendship Christians Dalton Patterson picks up yardage on an interceptionreturn during the BlueCross Bowl.


5/12


son County was focused on Mt. Juliets unbeatenBears and on Lebanons final game at Nokes-Lasater Field, Watertown was bringing a 6-0record to Coles Ferry Pike.

We wanted to get in the playoffs, McNealsaid almost two months later. It was as big agame as we had all year that we had to win thatone to set the tone for the playoffs.We came outand played, to that point, probably the best game

wed played all year.We turned the corner right there.The Commanders scored on seven of their

eight first-half possessions in building a 47-0half-time lead. They scored 33 in the second quarteralone.Wood scored three times and Reevestwice.

Our offense played more physical, Mc-Neal said, a foretaste of what was to come fromhis unit. I was pleased with all three aspects ofthe game in the first half.


Red Boiling Springs 6After an open date, the Commanders wel-comed Red Boiling Springs to Pirtle Field forhomecoming.

A frequent homecoming guest at variousschools foryears, RBS was showing signs of im-provement in 2011.

But not on this night as the Commandersrolledto a 21-0 first-quarter lead anda 49-0 half-time margin.

Reeves needed just four carries to gain 164yards, including home-run touchdowns of 61and 86 yards. Wood, a bruising counterpart to

Reeves slashing style, added scoring runs of15 and 25 yards.

Oh, and Ashlynn McNeal, the coachsdaughter, was named homecoming queen.


Monterey 7The Commanders season finale wasnt the

biggest thing happening in Commander Nationthis week.

FCSvolleyballteam wastearing throughitsfirst State Tournament appearance. The footballCommanders took a side trip to Murfreesboroandcheered from the Murphy Center stands as Kait-lynTeeter, Ali Burroughs& Co. buried Summer-town for the schools second TSSAA statechampionship [joining McNeals 2007 baseballteam].

McNeal congratulated volleyball coachRandyAlley on theindoor track, then hustled thefootballteamontothe bus forthe tripto the Cum-berland Plateau.

Climbing the mountain may have been

harder thanconquering theWildcats,who fellbe-hind 30-0 in the first quarter and 51-zip at half-time. Four different Commanders scored in thefirstperiodand Reeves added a secondin the sec-ond.In additionto having a strong arm, Swindoll,who finally hit his stride as a passer after theTrousdalegame, ranfor 114 yards andthe gamesfirst touchdown on eight carries.

Monterey, with just a couple of seniors onthe roster, ran the single-wing offense, the firstsuch attack a Friendship defense had faced sincethe late 1980s. But Duane Lowes unit had noproblems with it, even getting a touchdown on

linebacker Ian Putmans fumble recovery in theend zone early in the second quarter.

Now Accepting Spring RegistrantsJanuary 2nd - February 2nd

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 4-8 p.m.

In-Body-Meant Dance Academy

Bri MontgomeryOwner

107 S. Cumberland St.Lebanon, TN 37087

[email protected]

inbodymeantdance.com

Congratulations Friendship

Christian Commanders!State Champions

Professional, personalizedeye care ... with ahometown touch.

John R. Gallaher O.D.

Doctor of Optometry

401 W. Main St., Suite 102Lebanon, TN 37087

Phone 615-444-9111 Fax 615-444-1040www.gallahereyecare.com

On all your hard work and

your success this year!

From your friends at Gallaher Eye Care

Friendships Cale Mitchell launches a punt into the wind during the third quarter atthe BlueCross Bowl.


6/126 Friendship Christian State Championship 2011

2011 Friendship Christian School

Commanders Depth ChartOFFENSE

QB #9 Tallon Mehlhoff#11 Brennan Swindoll

RB #26 Dekolas Reeves#7 Zach Lo

WR #10 Cale Mitchell#12 Stefan Remus

WR #13 Drew Erie

#1 Parker Pinnell

WR #5 Dalton Patterson#2 Steven Hollis

TE #6 Drew Hutchison#18 Aaron Johnson

LT #52 Connor Gaines#53 Colton Gaines

LG #62 Ian Isbell#54 Jordan Farris

C #72 Austin Defevers#70 Ben Dunn

RG #55 Tanner Martin#60 Blake Petty

RT #74 Gregg Norton#61 Andrew Wood

DEFENSEDT #70 Ben Dunn

#72 Austin DefeversNG #20 Mitchell Lester

#55 Tanner MartinDT #52 Connor Gaines

#62 Ian IsbellOLB #9 Tallon Mehlhoff

#50 Justin Truszkowski


7/12


ILB #21 Ian Putman#26 Dekolas Reeves

ILB #24 Kyle Wood#19 Daniel Watson

OLB #18 Aaron Johnson#17 Zack Erhard

CB #7 Zach Lo#12 Stefan Remus

SS #10 Cale Mitchell#8 Austin Taylor

FS #5 Dalton Patterson#22 Adam Neal

CB #2 Steven Hollis#15 Michael Hawks

SPECIAL TEAMSP #10 Cale Mitchell

#9 Tallon MehlhoffPK #12 Stefan Remus

#80 Hunter Anderson

2011 Friendship Christian School

CommandersNo. Name Height Weight Class

1 Parker Pinnell 6-1 140 Fr.

2 Steven Hollis 5-8 140 Fr.3 Mason Reeves 5-2 120 8th5 Dalton Patterson 6-0 158 Sr.

6 Drew Hutchison 6-3 200 Sr.

7 Zach Lo 5-7 180 Sr.

8 Austin Taylor 5-9 160 Fr.

9 Tallon Mehlhoff 6-0 205 Sr.

10 Cale Mitchell 5-11 180 Jr.

11 Brennan Swindoll 6-3 190 Jr.12 Stefan Remus 5-11 160 Jr.

13 Drew Erie 5-7 155 Sr.15 Michael Hawks 5-9 150 So.

17 Zack Erhard 5-11 155 Sr.

18 Aaron Johnson 6-0 180 Sr.

19 Daniel Watson 5-11 150 Sr.20 Mitchell Lester 5-8 155 Sr.

21 Ian Putman 6-0 185 Sr.

22 Adam Neal 5-9 145 So.

24 Kyle Wood 6-0 210 Sr.

26 Dekolas Reeves 5-7 160 Sr.34 Cody Walker 5-10 200 Fr.

50 Justin Truszkowski 5-9 145 So.52 Connor Gaines 6-3 265 Sr.

53 Colton Gaines 6-2 220 Fr.

54 Jordan Farris 5-11 230 Jr.

55 Tanner Martin 6-0 225 Jr.

59 Jeff Cherry 5-11 205 Fr.

60 Blake Petty 5-10 205 Sr.61 Andrew Wood 6-4 250 Fr.

62 Ian Isbell 6-2 275 Jr.64 Elijah Eatherly 6-0 175 So.

66 Jonathan Luck 5-4 145 8th

67 Joshua Eatherly 5-4 150 8th

70 Ben Dunn 6-1 265 jr.

72 Austin Defevers 6-3 240 Sr.73 Nick Norton 5-5 150 8th

74 Gregg Norton 6-0 240 Jr.

75 Bradley Bates 5-8 145 Fr.

77 Luke Shoulders 5-3 140 8th

80 Hunter Anderson 5-11 160 Sr.

Head Coach: John McNeal

Assistants: Jody Atwood, Shaun Caven,

Sean Corbitt, Josh Derr, Duane Lowe, Ron Welch

President: Jon Shoulders

Principal: Randall Dunn

Athletic Director: John McNeal

Colors: Green, White, Gold


8/12


109 North Castle Heights Avenue Lebanon, Tennessee 37087Phone 615.444.1433 Fax (Legal) 615.443.8775 Fax (Real Estate) 615.443.3846

www.rma-law.com

PLAYOFFSRound 1: Nov. 4

Friendship Christian 42,Jackson County 0

Oneof thecriticismsof thecurrentplayoff format is thenum-ber of rematches of regular-season games. Often, the team whichlost in the regular season wins in the playoffs.

Fortunately forFriendship,this rematch wasa repeat, almost

down to the final score, though it came about quite differently.TheCommandersheld just a 7-0halftimeleadon Lesters re-

covery of a blocked punt in the end zone.The offense cranked up in the second half as Reeves scored

on runs of 5, 75 and 30 yards.Punting continuedto be a nightmarefor Jackson County[not

the last time that aspect of the game would kill a Commander op-ponent] as Remus returned a blocked kick 10 yards to the hoursandPatterson returned a punt 50 yards for the finalscore as Friend-ship won a repeat trip to Trousdale County for another rematch.

Round 2: Nov. 11Friendship Christian 24,

Trousdale County 14This was the sixth playoff meeting between the teams the

most common matchup for the Commanders, who had lost theprevious five since 1994. Some were close, more were blowouts.All were at the Creekbank. Counting regular-season play, Friend-ship had won in Hartsville only once previously, in 2007, whichwas the Commanders last win in the series. FCS had beaten theYellow Jackets just four times through the decades.

All that history was thrown out the window on this night asthe Commanders took it to the Jackets early and often.

Hunter Andersons 25-yard field goal gave Friendship a 3-0start. After Trousdale moved in front, Patterson dove for a fourth-down Wood pass in the end zone between two Jacket defendersand slid out with the ball and a 10-7 lead.

Friendship never trailed again, preserv-ing the lead in the third quarter when Patter-son picked off a Murphree pass in the endzone.

Wood pounded the ball into the endzoneon a 6-yardrun early inthe fourthquar-ter and again froma yardout onfourthdownafter Trousdale scored in between.

Hollis and Cale Mitchell intercepted

passes on Trousdales finaltwo drivesto endthe Yellow Jacketsseason at least a week and possibly three earlier than expected.

Thepassinggame helped us. Lasttime,it hurt us, McNeal said. We hit some bigplays off of it and it made a huge differenceand helped our running game. We just linedup and went downhill, and it helped to usethe passes to be able to loosen them up.

Quarterfinals: Nov. 18Friendship Christian 21,

Boyd-Buchanan 20, overtime

If Trousdale Co. wasnt the top-rankedteam in Class 2A, Boyd-Buchanan was.The Buccaneers had also had their way

with Friendship in previous playoffs, blow-ing out the Commanders in three straightyears. But they hadnt met since 2004 andthis turned out to be a new era.

Friendship led 7-0 and 14-6 at halftimeon a pair of 5-yard runs by Wood.

Boyd-Buchanan tied the game on a 56-yard run and a two-point pass in the thirdquarter.

Then it was on to an overtime to re-

member. Boyd-Buchanan scored on a 10-

yard second-down run by Jim Cardwell. Butthe extra point was blocked and the Bucca-neers werevulnerable whenFriendship cameto bat on the Bucs10-yard line.

It came down to a fourth-down play thatwill be discussed [and possibly cussed inChattanooga] for quite some time.

From the 6, Swindoll scrambled to hisleft and toward the pylon. He was hit and

dove toward thegoalline. Whether he landedwith theballon thelineor bounced over maybe debated forever.

But upon further review, McNeal wasconvinced the score was good.

Our film shows he didnt [bounce],McNeal said the following week. Some-body took a picture and hes right there withhim on the line. Brennans laying on heground with theball over theline looking upat the official. He may have bounced, but hebounced up and down, not forward.

Picture shows he was over and film

shows he was over.Swindoll dislocated his passing thumbon the play, and it became a possible issueafter Anderson kicked the game-winningextra point.

Semifinals: Nov. 25Friendship Christian 39,

Oliver Springs 6With wins over thetop two teams in 2A,

it appeared the Commanders road to theirfirst-ever state championship would rundownhill.

McNeal didnt see it that way.

Friendships Kyle Wood (24) makes the end zone to score during the BlueCross Bowl. Austin Taylor (8) isseen at left.


9/12


CONGRATULATIONSON A

GREAT SEASON!Come to Sports World for all

your team apparel.

We have school Pullovers,Caps, T-Shirts & more!

ScreenPrinting & Embroidery

Bringinthisadtoreceive10%OFF

535 Baddour Parkway(Next to LebanonChemicals)

444-6554

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

State Farm

Providing Insurance and Financial Services

Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710

Carolyn MillerAgent

2614 N. Mt. Juliet Road,Mt. Juliet, TN 37122615-754-4604 Fax: [email protected]

24-HourGood Neighbor Service

Congratulations!

The pressure was kind of moreafter that than it was before, McNealsaid of the Trousdale-Boyd hump. Peo-ple were going You beat one and two.That isnt always how it works. You stillgot to finish it.

And the Commanders, playing pastThanksgiving for the second time inschoolhistory, began to finish it east ofthe

Plateau.Thebig offensive line was toostrongfor Oliver Springs. And if a Bobcat de-fender still got to Swindoll, Wood orMehlhoff, they took care of the tacklerthemselves. And they often didnt catchReeves, who bolted for 130 yards and atouchdown on 14 carries as the Com-manders compiled 434 yards of offense.

And Swindolls dislocatedthumb? Anon-issue as he hit all five passes for 89yards. Three of the completions went fortouchdowns, includinga pairto Patterson.

Ourquarterbacks are physical,Mc-Neal said. They run the ball hard. Wethrew the ball when we needed to. Over-all, up front, its one of the most physicalteams. We have some other people to gowith it.

OliverSprings washeld to 223yardsand didnt score until the final minute asall three phases of the Commandersbought a Black Friday victory, completewith a trip to the BlueCross Bowl.

Our defense has done that all year,McNeal said. Even in the losses, they

played well. Theyve been consistentthroughout the whole year. We told our

guys, Defense, just do what youve beendoing. Offense,help themout. Lets movethe football, lets put some points on theboard. I felt like if we do that, then thedefense can secure the win.

Overall, it was one of the bettergames all season kicking, offense,defense.

BlueCross Bowl: Dec. 3Friendship Christian 34,Dresden 0

A year after FCS 1973 opening, theschools first football team, comprised of7th-9th-graders, played a five-gameschedule under Coach Ken Beck. TheCommanders closedthe seasonwitha tripto Cookeville for a game against PutnamCounty at Tennessee Techs Tucker Sta-dium. FCSdressed just 14 andperhaps 50parents and supporters were in thestands.

Thirty-seven seasons after that

humble beginning, a group of 41 Com-mander players returned to Cookeville toclimb the final rung on Tennessees highschool football ladder winning a statechampionship. FCS Nation appeared tooccupy over 60 percent of the home-sidegrandstand.

A strong southerly breeze sweptacrossthe 24-7 artificial turf. It made foracomfortable early December day forFriendships ground attack but was astormy gale to Dresdens kicking game.

After running eight plays for 57

yards,all on theground, Friendship led7-0 on a 12-yard run by Reeves, who fin-Friendship Christian President Jon Shoulders hugs football coach John McNeal as the teamtakes the field in celebration.


10/12


Friendship Christians football team wasnt the first state champion to call PossumTown home this year. Five weeks before the football Com-manders hoisted the Class 2A championship hardware at Tennessee Tech, the Lady Commander volleyball team completed a title season ofits own at MTSU. Under first-year coach Randy Alley, Friendship rolled to a 47-11 record and a sweep of the Class A State Tournamentbehind tourney Most Valuable Player Kaitlyn Teeter. Like football, this was also the first state title for volleyball.

Lady CommandersVolleyballClass A State

Tournament Champs


11/12


We Are So Proud of You!

Congratulations!

214 N. Castle Heights Ave.Suite A

Lebanon, TN 3707

615-453-9702Wes Dugan

CLU, LUTCF Agency Manager

[email protected]

Chanda HaganAgent

2011

ished with 98 yards on 24 carries to earnOffensive Most Valuable Player honors.

Then the punting game began to be-tray the Lions.

Connor Gaines blocked a quick kickon the Dresden 18-yard line and Mehlhoffran it in on first down for a 13-0 lead.

With the early lead, McNeal saw noneed to take chances with the wind, leav-

ing the game in the hands of the runninggame and rock-hard defense. Patterson,playing safety, was namedDefensiveMVPafter posting 12 tackles andan interception.

Dresdens defense put up a valiantfight against Friendships one-dimensionaloffense [Swindoll was 0-of-2 passing withan interception], even as the Lions werebacked up in their territory most of the af-ternoon.

But it was the punting that was thedifference. Dresdens rugby-style kickerwas cut off and had to kick from a dead

stop, often popping them straight up intothe teeth of the wind. On the other side,theleft-footedMitchellkept hiskicks lowand lined a couple of them inside theLions 20.

Rugby kickers, they want to keeprunning and kick on the run, McNeal ex-plained. Our whole idea was make himpull up and make him stop to punt.

[Mitchell] kicked well, even in thewind, McNeal said of the junior, whoseolder brother Wade was the punter on the2006runner-up teamand a Mr. Football fi-

nalist at middle linebacker. Allyear, punt-ing-wise, hes been as good as anybody

weve played against. In the wind, he gaveus an opportunity to at least not have badfield position.

Down twoscores in thefourth quarter,Dresden coach Scott Hewett could nolonger afford to play the field positiongame. He called a fake punt for ColinKanehl, who was stopped by Mehlhoff atthe 9. From there, Wood took the direct

snap and rumbled across the goal line onthe next play.Kanehlsnextpuntwentstraightup for

minus-7 yards and out of bounds on the 4,from where Wood scored on the next play.

Shortly after Austin Taylors onlycarry of the day went for a 9-yard touch-down, McNeal took a Gatorade shower asthe Commanders counted down the clockfor their first football title after 37 years oftrying.

Its so surreal. Its so exciting, saidWood,in manywaystheface ofthe teamat

middle linebacker, wherehe followed in thecleats of earlierMr. Football finalistsWadeMitchell and Michael Wheeler.

In fact, other than Wood and Reeves,who racked up almost 1,400 rushing yardsand 20 touchdowns, this was a blue-collarteamdevoid of stars.

We dont have a lot of guys with bignumbers, McNeal said.Thatsnot whatwetry todo where wehaveoneguyyougottotry to stop.

We rely on three [facets] ourkick-ing game, our defense and our offensive

line. Were not going to be pretty, butchampionships are won with defense.Friendship Christian football coach John McNeal leaves the field following the Commandersvictory over the Dresden Lions.

CongratulationsCommanders


12/12

FCS Football Tab 2011

Documents

Transcript of FCS Football Tab 2011