A hungry pack of Wolves will be stalking inside J. Fred Johnson Stadium Friday night, but Dobyns-Bennett hopes to do some hunting of its own when it hosts West Ridge in a Region 1-6A showdown.
It’s the fourth meeting between the two teams and just the second inside the city limits although the roots of the rivalry date back a half-century to previous county schools.
“If you can’t get excited about this one, you’re just not going to get excited about high school football,” said West Ridge coach Justin Hilton.
It’s been 31 long years and 33 meetings since a Sullivan County school tasted victory over nemesis Dobyns-Bennett. Sullivan South turned the trick with a 33-7 win back in 1993.
“I was 12…I was at the game,” smiled Hilton. “It was a few years back.”
Hilton also doesn’t shy away about what it would mean for the Wolves to taste victory over the Tribe.
“I can give you the vanilla, coach-speak answer and say it’s just another football game. But it would be exciting,” acknowledged Hilton.
“Growing up in Colonial Heights, it’s something you did. My friend Jesse (McMillan) was there and he coaches there now and I wanted to beat him and he wanted to be beat. That’s just the way it was. It was a great rivalry back then and with the proximity of the schools now and the schools that have consolidated, I don’t think that it’s a rivalry. We have to win one to make it a rivalry, but it’s a fun game for the communities.”
West Ridge has opened the season 2-0 with convincing victories over Volunteer (47-6) and Daniel Boone (42-7).
“Many of our guys don’t lack for confidence,” said Hilton. “They have prepared like it’s another game. They feel like they should go out and be able to compete and that’s where you want them to be right now.”
The Indians have opened 1-1, having defeated Farragut, 27-20, before being throttled last week by Greeneville, 35-0.
“When you win your first two games by a combined 89-13, you should have a lot of confidence,” countered Dobyns-Bennett coach Joey Christian. “They should be sky high and I expect there will be throngs of people from Blountville, Colonial Heights and Bloomingdale in there wearing their blue and white and that’s the way it should be.”
Led by 6-3, 195-pound senior quarterback Trey Frazier, the Wolves dual offensive system has averaged 414 yards in its first two outings.
“It’s a tale of two offenses and it’s why you get no sleep at night,” explained Christian. “You have to prepare for two distinct offenses. I don’t know how they practice what they do with four or five wides and then turn back around in the double-tight, double wing. It’s so difficult to prepare for them, there’s not enough time. You can’t show your kids everything they’ve shown.”
Frazier has completed 23-of-29 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He was 7-for-7 against the Trailblazers last week. Frazier also has rushed for at least 80 yards in both games, totaling 164 on 19 attempts and scoring two times.
“He (Frazier) can throw it, he’s really shifty, and he’s got good speed, not great speed, but it’s plenty adequate speed for us, I know that,” added Christian.
On the outside the Wolves feature 6-4 senior Dylan Bannon and speedy 6-1 junior Kaleb Maab. Bannon has eight receptions for 132 yards and Maab four for 90 yards. Both, along with converted tight end Trent Tatum, have one touchdown reception apiece.
Tatum, a 6-7, 280-pound senior, was an all-state offensive tackle last season and has an offer from ETSU for the same.
“When Coach Hilton told me back in the spring they’d moved Tatum to tight end…that ran through my head all summer,” confided Christian. “He’s a big target with soft hands and very athletic.”
West Ridge running back Ethan Amyx, a 5-10, 170-pound junior has rushed for at least 100 yards in both Wolves games with two touchdowns. Brody Fields also has a pair of touchdown runs.
“Hopefully we are starting to make people defend the whole field,” advised Hilton. “I feel like our offense has opened up quite a bit. (Offensive Coordinator) Nick (Copas) has done a great job. We’ll have to do that Friday to keep them from just packing the box. If we can’t throw the ball, it’s going to be a long night.”
The ultimate offensive success will depend on the Wolves offensive line that, minus Tatum, starts three sophom*ores in Isaac Crawford, Cal Tatum and Kingston McConnell.
“Can our three sophom*ores hold up or do we have to slide Tatum back inside to tackle? That will be a big factor in the game,” advised Hilton. “If we can hold up with our three young guys in there and leave Tatum out there, then I like what we are doing.”
The Tribe defense was gashed for 500 yards by Greeneville last week, with nearly 400 coming on the ground. But the Indians held Farragut to just 41 yards rushing in the opener.
“Defensively we’ve seen them play everything from zero to quarters, they are very multiple in their coverage,” Hilton said. “Not sure what we will see from them.
“They still like to walk a guy down or hang one over here. What they are doing on the back end is different for sure. I don’t know if that’s based on Farragut’s really good receivers or just match-ups with Greeneville. We’ll see what they do to us.”
Inside linebacker Devin Murdock and Peyton Franklin are the top two Dobyns-Bennett tacklers with 18 tackles and 17 tackles respectively. Defensive end Kosiah Steele has been credited with 13 takedowns. Outside linebacker Gabe Marshall has eight.
Marshall will have a new running mate starting at the other outside spot in sophom*ore Tyree Thomas. Some of that is load management for Corde Moore, who figures to start again at running back and be the Tribe’s primary ball carrier.
“Ty is not battle tested and I’m not sure how much of the offense and defense he has a grasp of,” explained Christian. “But he’s strong and athletic and with what we are asking of Corde, who will still play defense, we need him to go there.”
Moore rushed for 85 tough yards on 16 attempts against the Greene Devils and has 98 yards on the season. Senior quarterback Austin Sykes leads D-B in rushing with 106 yards on 26 attempts.
“You can’t sleep on the quarterback,” advised Hilton. “He’s a very good runner and the key to what they do. If you forget about him, he will go and score.”
Christian said that week one starter Tegan Begley will miss his second straight game because of a shoulder injury, thus look for Parker Deford and Emmitt Starnes to see carries in relief.
“Tegan will be another week at least,” signed Christian. “We’ll have to ride Corde with a little sophom*ore (Starnes) a little more. Emmitt’s got great vision and a little juice to him…just needs to hit that weight room every chance he gets.”
Hilton, however, isn’t convinced that Begley won’t see action.
“We are preparing as if he (Begley) is going to be back,” said Hilton. “We’re expecting him to play.”
Sykes has thrown for 200 yards thus far, but only 22 came last week against the Greene Devils on just 6-of-13 passing. The senior has 22 completions on the year, but only half of those have gone to wide receivers and many have come under duress.
“We have given up more sacks after two games than we gave up all last year from one offensive line spot,” noted Christian. “We have to protect the quarterback better, we have to cut loose of the ball and be able throw the ball downfield and when it’s there we have to be able to catch the dang thing.”
Tight end Peyton Franklin leads the Indians with eight receptions for 107 yards. Jaylen Thomas has four catches for 27 yards and Dylan Murray has three grabs for 49 yards.
“We have to be able to create some space and get the ball to some guys in space.” added Christian.
Senior Tylen Taylor moved from outside to slot this year, but has only three catches for just one yard. Last year against West Ridge, Taylor finished with 10 receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns.
“We know how good he (Taylor) is,” said Hilton. “I’d say they will find a way to get him the ball based on last year.”
The West Ridge defense has been stingy thus far. The Wolves have coughed up just 298 yards in two games with neither Volunteer or Daniel Boone reaching 100 yards through the air or on the ground.
“You hold a team under a 100 yards in both you’ve done something,” continued Hilton. “If we can do that Friday, I’m going to be alright.”
Junior linebacker Sam Perry is the heart and soul of the West Ridge defense and leads the Wolves with 23 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Sophom*ore outside linebacker/defensive end Hayden Musick has 18 stops, including seven behind the line, with two quarterback sacks.
Cornerback Gabe Musick is credited with 12 takedown while defensive linemen Tanner Mims has nine tackles and Tatum eight, including two tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and two pass break-ups.
“Their front six or core six is pretty danged impressive,” said a concerned Christian. “Tatum…can’t move him. He’s made eye-opening plays in both of their games.
On the other side, Hayden Musick is a player.”
Amyx flips over to linebacker with junior Nathan Arnold. Mabb and Brannan also flip to safety with senior Cayden Coates the other corner. Back up front, junior Cayden Duke has made eight tackles with one behind the scrimmage line.
“We’ve tackled better, but we’ll see what it looks like tackling more speed this week,” Hilton said.
Both teams have won the turnover battle thus far with Dobyns-Bennett plus four with no giveaways and West Ridge plus three with one.
“We have valued the football and we have to continue to value the football,” said Christian “We have to win the turnover battle. These games like this with a raucous environment, those turnovers become magnified when teams are closely matched.
On special teams, West Ridge ran both Boone kickoffs back last week for touchdowns. Mabb went 83 yards on the first return and Jackson Price 87 for the second.
“Special teams can be detrimental and change the game,” noted Hilton. “We have to be even in special teams. We can’t lose the special teams battle.”
The Indians will still be without junior place-kicker Cooper McLain, forcing senior Ethan Cline into double-duty.
“Special teams are going to be big,” acknowledged Christian. “We are still down a kicker, so we will have to do a good job in coverage. If Kaleb (Mabb) gets a step we’ll have some trouble.”
Both coaches agree the quicker their team settles into the game the better.
“Who can weather the first three or four minutes and not give up a big play or make a mistake and settle into the game?” asked Hilton. “Turnovers are going to be big, again, in that first four minutes of the game. You can’t have that catastrophe happen. Can you manage your emotions and get into the game?”
Kickoff from J. Fred Johnson Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m.
THE SERIES … This is the 4th meeting between the two schools … Dobyns-Bennett has won the first three.
In the inaugural meeting in 2021 at J. Fred Johnson Stadium, Levi Evans scored two early touchdowns and Hayden Sherer made a pair of key fourth quarter plays as Dobyns-Bennett held off West Ridge, 28-14 ... Evans ran two yards for a score and caught a 13-yard pass for a touchdown in the first quarter while Sherer had a monumental quarterback sack and sealed the game with a 22-yard touchdown reception with less than two minutes remaining ... Andrew Myers gave the Tribe a 21-7 third quarter lead with a 12-yard run ... West Ridge got a 60-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Bergeron to Isaac Haynie and Bergeron also scored on a short run ... The Indian defense held the Wolves to just 48 yards rushing while the Indian offense churned out 256 yards on the ground.
In the 2022 contest at The Ridge, Dobyns-Bennett ran just 29 offensive plays and had just 15 minutes of possession, but scored quickly and often in 56-14 win ... The Indians rushed 19 times for 310 yards and six TD's with Brayden Simpson carrying just 3 times for 137 yards, including a 95-yard scamper on the Tribe's first play ... Peyton Franklin rushed for 116 yards and two scores on only six attempts ... Dobyns-Bennett had three one-play drives, one two-play drive and three four-play drives for touchdowns ... West Ridge touchdowns came on a Hunter Wexler interception return and quarterback keeper by Trey Frazier.
Back at the Ridge in 2023, the Wolves opened a quick 14-0 lead, but the Tribe came storming back with 41 unanswered points in a 47-21 victory … Indian quarterback Will Hurd tied a school record with five touchdown passes while completing 14-of-21 passes for 223 yards … Tylen Taylor hauled in ten receptions for 165 yards and three scores …
COACHES NOTES … Hilton is 49-31 in his eighth year as a head coach after leading Sullivan South to a 29-17 record and four straight Class 4A state playoff appearances between 2017 and 2020 … The 1999 Sullivan South graduate started his coaching career under current Science Hill assistant Scott Nelson at Colonial Heights Middle School in 2000 and 2001 … Hilton served under Ralph Nelson at Sullivan East in 2002 before coming over to South the following spring … Following Pat Fraley’s departure, Hilton was a Rebel assistant under Jeremy Jenkins (2003), Stacy Carter (2004-2009) and Sam Haynie (2010-2016) before taking over for Haynie in 2017 … Hilton is assisted by Andrew Murray (DC), Nick Copas (OC), Conner Copas (RB), Chase Arnold (TE), Mike Copas (DE), Ryan Collier (DL), Brian Barbour (WR), Preston Patrick (OL), Grant Cornett (LB), Mike Wampler (S&C).
Coach Joey Christian is 44-25 in his seventh season at Dobyns-Bennett.
DOBYNS-BENNETT FOOTBALL HISTORY … 2024 is the 104th year for Dobyns-Bennett football. The contest against West Ridge is the 1123rd game in Dobyns-Bennett football history with the Tribe sporting an 826-268-28 record. The Indians are tied as the 28th winningest high school team in the nation with Gaffney (SC), one win behind No. 27 Paducah Tilghman (KY), second-most in Tennessee and one of just 45 programs with 800 wins. Mt. Carmel (PA) is 7th to win 900 games.
