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This week nine teams will bring home gold balls to their respective schools. Those schools will join a long list of past champions and cement themselves as some of the best teams the state has ever seen.
So we posed the question to our team, who are the five best championship teams you’ve seen in the last five years? As 615 Preps has only been around since 2019 we decided to limit our lists to five years total.
Here’s a look at the teams Cam, Chris, Joe and Scott came up with.
Cam Reid
1. Oakland Patriots, 2021: The Patriots were on a different level in 2021 finishing 15-0 and
defeating 4 teams that made trips to Chattanooga (Lipscomb, CPA, South Pittsburg, and Summit).
2. Lipscomb Academy, 2022: The Mustangs dominated everyone including beating a very
good CPA team twice, both in lopsided fashion. Possibly the most talented team over this time frame.
3. Oakland Patriots, 2020: The Patriots scored 30+ points in every game and outscored
their 5 playoff opponents 242-71.
4. McCallie, 2021: McCallie scored 28+ points in every game on a dominating run to a gold ball.
5. Knoxville West, 2022: 15-0, Perfection. There was no denying the Rebels as they
defeated Alcoa, Maryville, Powell, and Page.
615 Ranks: 5 Best championship games since 2018
Midstate Rankings: Week 16 large, medium, small class rankings
Chris Brooks
1. Oakland, 2021: These Patriots knocked off Lipscomb Academy and CPA in similar fashion and largely dominated everyone else en route to a perfect season. The talent on this team was simply undeniable and would not be denied Oakland’s second straight state title.
2. Lipscomb Academy, 2021: A goal-line stop at Oakland is the only reason the 2021 Mustangs don’t take the top spot. Four games scoring 60 or more points, two with 70-spots dropped on teams and only four of 13 teams scoring 10 or more points against them.
3. Knox West, 2022: Speaking of dominant groups, the 2022 Knoxville West squad would have made significant noise in 6A, let alone what they did at the 5A level. Alcoa and Powell were the only teams that played them close. They won nine games by 35 points or more.
4. Summit, 2020: We’ll remember 2020 for a lot of reasons, but this Spartans team was a good reason. Despite missing Keaten Wade for a good chunk of the season, his return late in the year meant Summit was at its best in the playoffs, and it meant bringing back a gold ball in the end.
5. Alcoa, 2018: Three games were decided by one score, and the rest were not close. The 2018 Tornadoes ripped through their schedule like their nickname insists, scoring 50 or more points seven times and pitching seven shutouts.
Joe Spears
1. Oakland, 2021: By far the easiest choice on my list. In a season that included a narrow win over the state’s second-best team in Lipscomb Academy, the Patriots ran the gauntlet going 15-0 and beating Summit 43-26 for the 6A championship. Jordan James, Isaiah Horton, this team was loaded.
2. Lipscomb Academy, 2021: Had things been reversed in that Oakland game, Lipscomb Academy would be in my No. 1 slot. After that eight-point loss to the Patriots, the Mustangs won eight straight outscoring their opponents 379-44 and capping the year off with a 27-0 win over CPA in the DII-AA final.
3. Summit, 2020: I like to think about just how good this team would have been if Keaten Wade played the entire season. Wade missed most of the year with a foot injury but the Spartans were still dominant thanks in large part to Destin Wade and Brady Pierce. When Keaten came back late in the postseason it all but sealed Summit’s 5A state title run.
4. Knox West, 2022: Admittedly I picked Page to win the 5A state title last year and boy did the Rebels make me look bad. West’s 47-13 win over the Patriots was one of the most dominant championship performances I’ve ever seen at any level.
5. McCallie, 2021: Another out-of-area team, I expected the DII-AAA final between MBA and McCallie to be a classic. The two played a close game earlier in the year but the Blue Tornadoes turned it on at Finley Stadium in front of large home crowd en route to the 28-7 win.
KJ Harris
1. Lipscomb Academy, 2021: XXX
1. Oakland, 2021: Led by star running back Jordan James, Oakland demonstrated an impressive combination of offensive prowess and solid defense that propelled them to an undefeated season. Their remarkable campaign included a notable upset victory over Lipscomb Academy.
2. Lipscomb Academy, 2021: This team showcased an exceptional defense that proved that they were too tough for opposing teams. Complementing their defensive prowess, the team thrived with an outstanding ground attack led by Alex Broome, further solidifying their dominance on the field.
3. Summit, 2020: Under the leadership of the Wade twins, Summit was finally able to knock a team off the mountain with a commanding victory over Oak Ridge. Their dominant performance marked a significant moment in their school’s history.
4. Oakland 2022: This team asserted their dominance in spectacular fashion, holding the explosive Beech offense to a mere 6 points in the state championship game. Oakland’s offense put up an impressive 42 points, turning the title match into a lopsided contest.
5. Powell, 2021: Powell’s 2021 team stood out as the most complete unit, showcasing a once-in-a-generation defense led by the number one defensive line recruit, Walter Nolan.
Scott Burton
1. Lipscomb Academy Mustangs, 2022: This team loaded their regular season schedule against top talent outside the state determined to have a perfect season and did just that, averaging 45 points per game and pitching 5 shutouts in the process. Their final game was a master class in football, downing CPA 42-0.
2. Oakland Patriots, 2020: The revenge tour to put behind the 2019 season that ended in a heart-breaker against Maryville in the semifinals, this Oakland Patriot offense never dipped under 30 points, despite a schedule that included Brentwood twice, Mount Juliet, and Maryville. Touting not one, but two 1,000 yard rushers in Jordan James and Antonio Patterson, and featuring Isaiah Horton at the wide receiver/cornerback spots, this team was loaded with D1 talent.
3. Summit, 2020: The junior years of the Wade twins was a year to remember. Nearly unstoppable offensively, Brian Coleman’s offensive line was a force. Put that together with the defense led by Keaten, Caleb Jolley and Brady Pierce, this team was a runaway train.
4. Alcoa, 2018: Gary Rankin’s team finished the season with shutouts in over half their games. Led by 2018 3A Mr. Football Walker Russell, they waltzed through the regular season before finishing with their closest game of the year, a 21-14 win over Covington.
5. DCA, 2021: The 2021 Wildcats were the team that Paul Wade had been waiting four years to arrive. Led by senior quarterback Bradford Gaines, wide receiver Dayton Sneed and super sophomore running back Ashton Jones, the Wildcats beat a path through Division II-A and won their first championship in 17 years.
