SULLIVAN EAST PATRIOTS
Coach: Dillon Faver
Last season: 14-18, (4-4)
Key returners: Drake Fisher g, sr.; Tyler Cross g, sr; Corbin Laisure c, jr.
Other key players: Zachary Johnson g/f, jr.; Ben Lowe g, sr.
Key losses: Elijah Grubbs, Jacob Witcher
Outlook: While seniors Drake Fisher and Tyler Cross, along with junior Corbin Laisure, had huge seasons on the gridiron for Sullivan East, all have shown the same capability on the hardwood, helping the Patriots pick up the slack last season after Dylan Bartley graduated.
“I’m very excited for the upcoming season. Every season has its own challenges/battles and that’s what makes the journey fun as a team,” Sullivan East head coach Dillon Faver said. “We have fantastic returning players, including the addition of Zach returning to our team. Our guys love competing and being together as a team.”
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Fisher earned Upper Lakes Conference co-player of the year honors, providing 19.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists, including a scoring high of 43 points in one game. Laisure contributed 14.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, breaking Dayne Davis’ school record on the boards.
“Drake and Corbin had an unbelievable year last year on the court,” Sullivan East head coach Dillon Faver said. “Drake, Corbin, and Tyler are coming off a fantastic season on the football field and have transited into basketball superbly. We expect them to continue to do great things on the court as well.”
Not only are those three back for the Patriots, but Zach Johnson has returned after sitting out last season, combining with Laisure to provide a pair of 6-foot-5 weapons in the paint. They also have senior guard Ben Lowe, in addition to juniors Thomas Ridlehuber and Bo Beach, along with sophomore Ryan Hurley.
“I’m very excited for the upcoming season. Every season has its own challenges/battles and that’s what makes the journey fun as a team,” Faver said. “We have fantastic returning players, including the addition of Zach returning to our team. Our guys love competing and being together as a team.”
Sullivan East plays in the difficult Upper Lakes Conference, which sent two teams — Unicoi County and Volunteer — to the Class 3A state tournament last season. David Crockett has joined Tennessee High and Elizabethton in the six-team league.
“I think the Upper Lakes Conference is a very tough conference to be in,” Faver said. “We have great coaches, and great teams. I expect our conference to be very competitive. It’s going to be a dog fight to see who comes out on top of the conference...Every conference game will be a battle and the tournament will be even tougher.”
Coach’s quote: “Tough times never last, tough people do.”
TENNESSEE HIGH VIKINGS
Coach: Michael McMeans
Last season: 27-8 (6-2)
Key returners: Colin Brown g, jr.; Zander Phillips f, jr., Jack Singleton f, jr.
Other key players: Reed Miller f, soph; Landon Graham g, jr.; Colby Lamb fr, jr.; Riley Gentry f, sr.,; Thatcher Hutton f, sr.
Key losses: Brandon Dufore, Maddox Fritts, Creed Musick
Outlook: Graduation took a toll on Tennessee High, losing Upper Lakes Conference co-player of the year Creed Musick, Brandon Dufore and Maddox Fritts of a 27-game win team that tied for the top spot in the Upper Lakes Conference last season.
“We are very excited for this season we return a very close group. A bunch of kids who play extremely hard,” said Tennessee High head coach Michael McMeans, whose Vikings were upset by Volunteer in double overtime in the Region 1-AAA semifinals last season. “They are very coachable and work really hard everyday. We have kids who are bought into our system which is playing fast getting up and down the floor. We press and play hard on defense. We have athletic kids who like to get up and down. They are very unselfish and just worry about team success.”
Leading the way for Tennessee High is heady junior guard Colin Brown, who tallied 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals per game last season for the Vikings. He will be joined by two-year starters Zander Phillips and Jack Singleton, along with a deep bench that includes senior post players Riley Gentry and Thatcher Hutton.
“We will be a young team and rely heavily on juniors and sophomores to be successful,” McMeans said. “But we are excited about those kids and know they can handle any situation. We think they can be some of the best players around. We will have two senior post players in Riley and Thatcher that can be good rebounders and defenders.”
Tennessee High will also lean on varsity newcomers in juniors Jackson Davidson, Colby Lamb and Landon Graham, in addition to sophomores Braden Howard and 6-foot-5 Reed Miller.
McMeans expects the addition of David Crockett to make the Upper Lakes even more competitive, and is wary of Sullivan East with the return of Fisher.
“We like our chances to build off last year’s conference championship,” McMeans said. “We think we can be back in the mix again this year. Our young kids will step up and are ready to contribute we like their ability to score and defend. We need our seniors and the guys who have been on varsity for several years to step up and be leaders.”
Coach’s quote: “I’m looking forward to an exciting season and growing with this team. Anytime you have a team that works hard and loves each other you can accomplish great things.”
WEST RIDGE WOLVES
Last season: 19-12 (3-5)
Coach: John Dyer
Key Returnees: Avery Horne, g, jr.; Trey Frazier f, jr.; Sawyer Tate f, sr; Trent Tatum C, jr.
Other key players: Carson Leming, Jordan Smith, Ryan Stidham, Dylan Fore.
Key losses: Wade Witcher, Dawson Arnold, Will Harris.
Outlook: West Ridge won the District 1-AAAA title last season in the Wolves’ second year as a program, defeating Daniel Boone on a late bucket by Avery Horne to lift the Wolves to that title.
There are plenty of missing ingredients from that club, including Wade Witcher, who tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game, who signed with Milligan. Dawson Arnold was a force in the middle, contributing 11 points and six boards per game, while Will Harris was steady with eight points and six boards a contest.
Yet, longtime area head coach John Dyer is ready for the season ahead.
“Always excited about the new season,” Dyer, the former head coach at Sullivan East and Johnson County. “We have a very good group of young men. We do not have a lot of experience, but we have some young men who are very committed and dedicated to being the best team we can possibly be.”
Horne, who averaged 10 points, four assists and three rebounds per game last season, is lone starter returning for the Wolves. Much is expected of junior Trey Frazier, but the West Ridge quarterback is sidelined after having wrist surgery that cost him much of the football season. Senior forward Sawyer Tate showed playmaking skills on the gridiron at several positions, while center Trent Tatum was a force on the offensive line.
“Experience will be a very big challenge for our team. We need to develop some different people to score especially since we will be missing Trey Frazier during the first part of the season,” Dyer said. “We will improve all season and become a tough team by tournament time. Our goal is to be playing for championships every year. We expect to get better every game and be a real contender come tournament time.”
Dobyns-Bennett, which finished 8-0 in Big 5 play last season, was 23-11 as a team, falling to Memphis East in the 4A state quarterfinals. The Big 5 is now the Big 4, including the Indians, Wolves, Science Hill, which was an uncharacteristic 7-22 last season, along with Daniel Boone. He expects Region 1-AAAA to remain difficult as well, led by state qualifier Sevier County, Morristown East and Morristown West.
Coach’s quote: “This is a fun team to coach. It will be fun to watch this team grow and improve as the season continues. We plan on making great improvements on the defensive end.”