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The 2023 season may have just concluded but we can’t help ourselves. As crazy as it sounds, the 2024 season is only eight months away.
So why not look ahead and project a little bit?
This time we decided to go ahead and do our rankings but with a twist. Here’s a look at the five large, medium, and small class teams we have currently looking ahead to 2024 based on what they have coming back and potential coaching changes.
Large
1. Oakland: An angry Patriots team is what we’re going to see in 6A next year following their ugly championship loss to Houston. Good luck to the rest of the class with Daune Morris leading a team ready to return to the top.
2. Ravenwood: One of the quietest teams in 6A this last year was Ravenwood. Will Hester’s team was young in 2023 but with a lot of that group coming back, the Raptors won’t be quiet in 2024. Expect to see them competing right at the top of 6A.
3. MBA: How good will MBA be after Marcel was the biggest question everyone had for the Big Red entering 2023. While they did go 5-7, MBA made a semifinal run and also beat several of Nashville’s top DII-AAA teams. Hugh Price and Brooklen Davis are only going to get better as is the Big Red defense.
4. Brentwood Academy: This ranking really hinges on who the Eagles bring in as their next head coach. Returning players like George MacIntyre, T.T. Hill, and Shavar Young, the talent is there for the Eagles to contend at the top. It just needs to be utilized right.
5. Gallatin: Year one of the Michael Stroup area at Gallatin was a success. The Green Wave went 7-4 and made the postseason. That’s a solid foundation to build on for a team returning a ton of talent including Stroup’s son Jackson, who threw for 2,400 yards and 25 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Medium
1. Page: Sure the Patriots lose guys like Ronan O’Connell, Ethan Cunningham, and Jonathan Palmer, but they bring back a lot of angry guys. Eric Hazzard and Brenden Anes are sick and tired of silver so expect to see a Page side playing with a lot of anger in 2024.
2. CPA: The Lions lose a coveted group of seniors but they laid a foundation that will be easy to build upon. Hutson Chance, Rawls Patterson, and Owen Cabell will lead a group that many will likely pick to repeat as the Division II-AA champions.
3. Beech: A 7-5 record may not be what Beech fans hoped for in 2023 but a deeper look at the schedule reveals that the Buccaneers were only a few points away from a much better record. Beech will return talent in 2024 including quarterback Kaden Powell. With a year of 5A football under his belt now, expect to see a big season out of Powell.
4. Pearl-Cohn: It could be argued that Pearl loses the most amount of elite talent from any of our area schools. The Firebirds don’t rebuild though, they reload. Javion Kinnard will put himself in the Mr. Football picture next year and expect to learn some names of guys who were just biding their time to shine.
5. Macon County: It may be hard to believe but Gabe Borders is back for one final season. Borders, alongside his brother Zach will lead an experienced and hungry Tigers squad on a mission following an 11-2 year in 2023. The winner of their matchup (potential matchups) against Upperman could decide who’s playing in Chattanooga out of the east.
Small
1. East Nashville: It looks very likely that we’re headed for a fourth straight meeting between Alcoa and East for the 3A title. The Eagles lose key players like Jordan Houston but returning quarterback Martez Lamb and a pair of talented backs in Kelan Anderson and KJ Johnson, they’re hands down the favorite to come out of the west side of the bracket entering 2024.
2. East Robertson: Replacing Elijah Groves won’t be easy. Thankfully the Indians, he’s not the last of the Groves family to play for East Robertson. Leaning on guys like Isaiah Groves, Zach Groves, Cade Brooks, and Kason Young and returning most of their offensive line, it’s hard not to think that East will be the favorite in 2A next year.
3. DCA: With MTCS and Friendship losing a ton, who is the team in Nashville that should compete for the DII-A title? Our bet is on DCA. Mitchell Carey is back for his senior year and Paul Wade knows how to get the most out of his teams year in and year out.
4. Smith County: Riley Martin had a breakout freshman year for the Owls and will only get better. Smith County will need to replace a lot next year. However, Matt Dyer is more than capable of building another team that can make a deep postseason run.
5. Gordonsville: The Tigers were young in 2023 and still made it a quarterfinals run before losing to eventual 1A state champion South Pittsburg. The Jay Foster and Dalton Hancock connection thrived in 2023. Don’t expect that to stop next year.
