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| The Best High School Football Program in Tennessee is... |
| From HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DATABASE Staff |
| December 5, 2005 |
| After hours upon hours of painstaking research, the results are in. We've looked at the all-time records, we've looked at state titles - mythical and otherwise. We've looked at every piece of information available to analyze. And the answer is now clear. The best high school football program in the state of Tennessee is... Brentwood Academy. And Dobyns-Bennett. And Maryville. And MBA, Oak Ridge, and Riverdale for that matter. OK, so much for waffling, but when it comes down to picking the "best" program in the state of Tennessee, it's just too difficult to do.
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Sure, in all reality, there are probably 300 or so programs that could be eliminated from contention for one reason or another, but the point remains there are easily five to ten programs worthy of serious consideration for top billing - each with its own positive and negative attributes. Let's take an alphabetical look at six programs that we have isolated as worthy candidates (and this is certainly not a be-all, end-all list, but these six programs boast a list of accomplishments not easily rivaled by any other six programs in the state): |
Brentwood Academy. With an all-time winning percentage over 82% and nine TSSAA state football titles since the program's inception in 1970, Brentwood Academy remains one of the state's most talked-about programs, on a variety of levels. Detractors will point out the school's relative lack of success in Division II since 1997 (0 titles, but 6 championship game appearances), but the Eagles' accomplishments on the field prior to 1997, which includes impressive wins over quality out-of-state competition, may serve the test of time. A Division II football title would certainly serve the Brentwood Academy program well, and with Carlton Flatt - the state's all-time wins leader - at the helm, that elusive Division II title may come very soon. Dobyns-Bennett. Forty-five years. That's how long it's been since the Indians captured its last state title in 1960 (excluding a 1964 title claimed by the school), one of 13 titles the school claims. However, the school's recent lack of success in the state championship department by no means diminishes what Dobyns-Bennett has accomplished in 84 years of football. Dobyns-Bennett remains the state's all-time wins leader with 682 wins, and has a significant cushion over the field. With a prideful, well-supported program and what are still quality teams being produced on an annual basis, the Indian program rightfully can lay its claim as one of the Volunteer State's best. Maryville. The superlatives are endless for the Rebels. Maryville just captured an unbelievable sixth state title since 1998, and tenth overall (including a 1964 title claimed by the program). The program will enter its 80th year of football in 2006, and has logged enough wins over its impressive history to rank fourth in the state in all-time wins. George Quarles, who has orchestrated five state titles of his own since 1999, is widely regarded as one of the finer offensive minds in the state. Tireless questions about the benefit of open zones and the school's desire to play up to the Division I-5A level continue to follow the program, but the Rebels have demonstrated tremendous discipline and will-to-win that would likely benefit them on any level of Tennessee high school football. Montgomery Bell Academy. One has to go all the way back to the 19th century (1899) to find the origin of the Big Red football program. Such longevity has led MBA to eight TSSAA-recognized state titles (plus five the school claims from the early 20th century) and 633 wins, which places the school in second place in all-time wins in Tennessee. MBA had a significant dry spell (0 titles) between the implementation of the playoff system in 1969 through the 1996 season, but five Division II titles and a very difficult schedule over the years (MBA is the only Tennessee school to have played Valdosta (GA), the nation's all-time wins leader, and the Big Red scored impressive wins over nationally-ranked programs in Bolles (FL) and Trinity (KY) in 1999 and 2003, respectively) solidifies MBA's place as one of the state's elite programs. Oak Ridge. Eight state titles, including a mythical national championship in 1958, and over 540 wins place the Wildcats among the state's top programs. Oak Ridge needs just one state championship over this decade to give the Wildcats at least one state championship in every decade since the 1950s. Oak Ridge just missed out on an opportunity to extend the championship-every-decade-since-the-1950s streak with a loss to upstart Ravenwood in the 2005 Division I-5A finals, and the Wildcats' current 14-year drought of state titles is the longest in the school's history since the 1950s, but with what is always a solid nucleus of talent, Oak Ridge is always a threat to add a ninth state title to the ledger. Riverdale. Murfreesboro keeps growing and growing, and the wins keep piling up for the Warriors, despite the opening of various new schools in Rutherford County over the past couple of decades. As with Brentwood Academy, Riverdale has been playing football only since the early 1970s, but still has managed to amass 309 wins and a 75% all-time winning percentage. Riverdale's nine state title game appearances over the past 13 years is unprecedented on the Division I-5A level, and the Warriors have four state titles to their credit over that period and recognition from various national rating services. Coach Gary Rankin has been instrumental in the success of the program and will ensure that the Warriors remain among the state's high-profile programs in the years to come. Of course, there are plenty of other programs in the state with impressive credentials; for example, Alcoa (7 titles) and Trousdale County (6 titles) proved their merit once again in 2005 in the lower levels of Division I and have programs that are certainly worth mentioning when discussing the state's best. So, take your pick on which program is the "best". There's really no wrong answer, and regardless of your answer, Tennessee has quite a few programs of which to be proud.
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