Cosby reaps rewards following stellar season
COSBY-It was certainly a football season to remember. The Eagles rebounded from a 2-8 season in 2007 to finish 8-2 during the regular season for a share of the Region 1-1A championship, a first for Cosby, and another trip to the playoffs. Despite an opening round loss to Midway, Eagle head coach Tyler Shelton couldn’t be prouder of his bunch.
“We practiced hard and we played hard,” said coach Shelton, “and you can’t ask for much more than that. The coaching staff put in a lot of long hours getting game plans together, and the players paid attention and listened. We would have liked to win that District championship outright, and getting past the first round of the playoffs. But, we’re working on those. We’re trying to build a successful history here, and it takes time. But, we’re making progress.”
Fellow coaches in Region 1-1A have seen Cosby’s growth and improvement since coach Shelton took over the program four years ago, and heaped praise on the program by voting five Eagles to the All-Region team and five more as honorable mention.
Named to the Region 1-1A All-Region team were seniors Mitch Miller, Spencer Grooms, Trenten Dunn and Matthew Hester, and sophomore Robert Herzog.
Named as honorable mention were Jordan Cates, Matthew Lane, Danny Raines, Cody Butler and Robbie Whitted.
“I think we should have more,” said coach Shelton. “This was a real team effort on our part this past season. We had different guys stepping up each and every week. They played together as a team, and we certainly had more guys that deserved the recognition. But I’m proud of those who were named.”
Grace Christian had the most players named to the All-Region team (six) including Frank Atticus, Phillip Hester, Patrick Green, Jordan Bel, Tyler Richardson and Blake Hester. From Cloudland were Matt Tipton, Nick Sluder and Jon Shell. From Unaka were Dustin Taylor and Drew Chambers. And from Jellico were Ryan Morress and Josh Kennedy. The players from Hampton were unavailable.
The Region 1-1A Most Valuable Player award went to Grace Christian tailback David Amos.
“I thought that should have gone to Mitch (Miller),” said coach Shelton. “What he did this year was incredible, and we played a much tougher schedule that Grace.”
Miller had nearly 1,300 yards rushing for the Eagles this past season, and they were tough yards against not only the Region 1-1A teams, but four schools higher in classification.
The Region 1-1A Offensive Player of the Year went to Randell Johnson of Cloudland while the Defensive Player of the Year went to Josh Peters of Unaka. The Special Teams Player of the Year went to Jacob Teetezman of Jellico.
That only leaves the Region 1-1A Coach of the Year, and here’s where the other Region coaches sat up and took notice. The Coach of the Year went to coach Shelton.
“I certainly didn’t expect that,” said coach Shelton. “I mean Grace and Hampton had the coaches I though it would go to. But, I was told that going from 2-8 to 8-2 and a share of the Region championship was the reason. You need a lot of help when you get this kind of award. It’s not just me. It’s my assistants and my players, not to mention the support from the school and our fans.”
Coach Shelton is far too humble. Since taking over the program four years ago, there has been much he has done. Coach Shelton is now 25-18, becoming Cosby’s winningest ever football coach with the Eagles’ victory over Cloudland early in the season. More importantly, he has three seasons with winning records and three trips to post-season play. And that’s with just four seasons under his belt.
BANQUET SET
To celebrate another successful season, the Eagle Football Banquet and awards presentations have been set.
The Football Banquet will be held on Saturday, December 13, at the Cosby School cafeteria starting at 6 p.m.
There will be great food, and, as always, some great stories and celebration over an outstanding season. Awards will be presented after the food has been served.
2009 SCHEDULE RELEASED
No sooner than the season finishes and the post-season banquet is set, Coach Shelton has already released his 2009 Cosby Eagle Football Schedule.
“It’s a little different,” said coach Shelton. “With us moving up to Class 2A and the new classification handed down by the TSSAA, we changed things up a bit. We still have our traditional rivals from our old Region (Hampton, Cloudland and Unaka), but we’ve added some new teams that should make it interesting.”
Those new teams on the schedule include Claiborne County, Gatlinburg-Pittman, North Greene, Hancock County and Cumberland Gap. Gone are Kings Academy, Jellico and Knox Gibbs. Back on the schedule for 2009 are Pigeon Forge and Chuckey-Doak.
“The reclassification was supposed to cut down on travel,” said coach Shelton. “But it really doesn’t do that. I’m really not thrilled with the new classification, but you have to take it and deal with it. I think we’ve set up a pretty good schedule. It’s a tough one, but that’s the way we like it.”
Tough in deed considering the Eagles will have to face Gatlinburg-Pittman at the Highlanders home. They’ll also be on the road at Class 3A Pigeon Forge, and at Hampton, Chuckey-Doak and North Greene. Of particular interest is the set of games following their season-opener on August 21, 2009, at home against Claiborne. The next three games on the schedule are on the road at Gatlinburg-Pittman, Hampton and Pigeon Forge. That’s just plain brutal.
With the new classification, only Cosby and Hancock County are in the same District.
“It’s kind of difficult to figure out at first,” said coach Shelton. “What you really have to do is put it up on a board, and then branch off the teams according to class and you get a better picture. We’re still in a tough Region, so no changes as far as tough is concerned.”
Cosby’s new Region has old foes Hampton and Unaka, and new foe North Greene. Only the top two teams will advance to the playoffs under the new system.
Here’s Cosby’s 2009 Football Schedule:
Week 0
Friday, Aug. 21: Claiborne County (Home), 7:30 p.m.
Week 1
Friday, Aug. 28: Gatlinburg-Pittman (Away), 7:30 p.m.
Week 2
Friday, Sept. 4: Hampton* (Away), 7:30 p.m.
Week 3
Friday, Sept. 11: Pigeon Forge (Away), 7:30 p.m.
Week 4
Friday, Sept. 18: Hancock County* (Home)(Homecoming), 7:30 p.m.
Week 5
Friday, Sept. 25: Chuckey-Doak (Away), 7:30 p.m.
Week 6
Friday, Oct. 2: Cloudland* (Home), 7:30 p.m.
Week 7
OPEN
Week 8
Friday, Oct. 16: North Greene* (Away), 7:30 p.m.
Week 9
Friday, Oct. 23: Cumberland Gap (Home), 7:30 p.m.
Week 10
Thursday, Oct. 29: Unaka* (Home) (Senior Night), 7:30 p.m.
*Denotes Region Game
(New Region includes Cosby, Hampton, North Greene, Unaka. The top two teams at the end of the regular season will go to the Class 2A playoffs)
By PAUL MEADOR
NPT Sports Editor
Countdown to Tennessee Football
A new ERA in Tennessee is coming and I cant wait! Lane Kiffin brings youth and excitement into BIG ORANGE COUNTRY!!! So how much longer do we have to wait to see what will happen? Well the spring Orange and White game may give us a little peek at the new Vols but the real test will be in September of 2009 when the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers come to K-town.
Lane Kiffin: A New Era In Tennessee Football
The wait is over and I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975), was named the 21st head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers on December 1st. He was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and also the offensive coordinator of the University of Southern California Trojans.
Lane becomes the youngest active head coach in Division I FBS, surpassing Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald by about 6 months. Kiffin is a 1994 graduate of Bloomington Jefferson High School in Minnesota and a 1998 graduate of Fresno State University. He played backup quarterback for the Fresno State Bulldogs and gave up his senior season to become a Student Assistant Coach at Fresno State University, where his position coach was current University of California Head Coach Jeff Tedford. He earned his bachelor degree from Fresno State in 1998 where in addition to football, he played basketball and baseball.
Kiffin also worked as a Graduate Assistant for one year at Colorado State University. In 1999, working with the offensive line, the Rams played in the Liberty Bowl that season. Kiffin’s dad helped him secure a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as a quality control assistant for one year. Lane was then hired by one of his father’s former assistant coaches, Pete Carroll, as a tight ends coach.
Kiffin joined the University of Southern California staff in 2001 as a tight ends coach and became the wide receivers coach in 2002. In 2004, he added the duties of passing game coordinator and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2005. Kiffin also took the reins as recruiting coordinator that year, after offensive coordinator Norm Chow left USC for the same position with the Tennessee Titans. Along with these duties, Kiffin continued as the wide receivers coach.
During Kiffin’s tenure with USC, he was instrumental in the development of several wide receivers and tight ends in the program. While he was there, USC produced noted talents such as NFL draftees Mike Williams, Keary Colbert, Kareem Kelly, Alex Holmes and Dominique Byrd. In addition,Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett of the 2006 Trojans football team were both selected in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft by the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers, respectively. Patrick Turner, Fred Davis and several other young new recruits such as Vidal Hazelton, Travon Patterson and Jamere Holland seem likely to continue the trend of excellence at this position. Notably, Lane Kiffin also helped amass the number-one recruiting class in the nation, the past several years.
In 2005, USC head coach Pete Carroll selected Kiffin to replace Norm Chow as offensive coordinator. Despite being new to the role, Lane Kiffin helped guide USC to a 23-3 win-loss record during his tenure in this capacity (an 88% win percentage). During the previous four years under Norm Chow’s play calling, the Trojans achieved 41 wins and 9 losses (82%). Under Kiffin in 2005 the USC offense produced school records in virtually every dimension, averaging 49.1 points and 579 yards per game. USC’s potent offense that season became the first in NCAA history to have a 3,000 yard passer (Matt Leinart), two 1,000 yard rushers (Reggie Bush & LenDale White), and a 1,000 yard receiver (Dwayne Jarrett). Steve Smith fell a few yards short of also surpassing 1,000 yards in receiving. With an all new offensive cast at the skill positions and in what was generally viewed as a rebuilding year for USC the offensive totals fell off to 30.5 point, and 391 yards per game, and 11 wins overall, he was promoted to offensive and recruiting coordinator while continuing as the wide receivers coach. In Kiffin’s three years as recruiting coordinator at USC, the Trojans had the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in college football every year. Under Kiffin leadership in 2006, the Trojans finished first in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency by averaging 142.8 yards per game, produced two, 1,000-yard receivers - Dwayne Jarrett (1,105) and Steve Smith (1,083) - and a 3,000-yard passer John David Booty, with 3,347 yards. Despite losses and key injuries the team produced top 20 statistics in most NCAA offensive categories and concluded with an impressive 32-18 win over the the University of Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Raiders’ owner Al Davis hired Kiffin on January 23, 2007, making him the youngest head coach in Raiders history, and the youngest head coach since the formation of the modern NFL. Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach John Madden was 32 when he was elevated to the head post by Davis in 1969. Davis has been known to select young, up-and-coming coaches in their thirties; those hires who fared well include Tom Flores, John Madden, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden. All have won Super Bowls, though Madden and Flores are the only ones to win a championship with the Raiders.
Kiffin signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Tennessee on November 30, 2008. The tentative deal will pay Kiffin $2 million in 2009, with additional performance bonuses, including a $300,000 bonus if UT competes for the national championship. His salary increases over the six-year-deal, reaching a high of $2.75 million in 2014. The average salary of the deal is $2.375 million. If Kiffin is fired in 2009 or 2010, the school will have to pay him a buyout clause of $7.5 million; after the 2012 season, the buyout clause decreases to $5 million. If Kiffin resigns his position, he will have to pay UT $1 million in 2009, with the sum decreasing by $200,000 each year of his contract. He is the son of veteran college and NFL coach Monte Kiffin, who currently serves as defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His wife’s name is Layla (whose father is John Reaves, former assistant for the University of Florida football team). They have two daughters: Landry, 3 and Pressley, 1. His brother, Chris, was a defensive lineman at Colorado State (2001–04).
SOURCE: Wikipedi
New Coach for the Vols?
Hey everyone I know i have been absent for a while been getting a lot of other stuff done but now i have returned and will post every week. Will we have a new Head Coach for the Big Orange as early as next week? Multiple sources are saying that former head coach of the Oakland Raiders who was fired earlier this season has been offered the job.
The Guy is only 33 years old will this be a new ERA for the Big Orange? Lets hope so, also I hope he does a better job in the college ranks then he did in the NFL.
High School Sports- Fulton going back to state March 9, 2010
- Redden being pursued by national powers March 8, 2010
- Goff Tees Off March 6, 2010
- 2012 Intro: Marcus Parr March 5, 2010
- Grooms is a dual-threat talent March 4, 2010
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Please Vote In Our Poll
How many games will the Tennessee football team win in the 2009 season?
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