Physical Fayette Denies Dawgs First Playoff Win Viking victim — Gleason's Joseph Crocker (bottom) and Nicky Spain stop Viking Rodney Tatum during the Bulldogs' 26-12 first round playoff loss to host Fayette Academy on Friday night in Somerville. The Vikings kept the GHS run game in check in the win. By Stephanie Sturgis Sports Editor The Gleason Bulldogs found out just what a difference a week makes in the level of intensity of high school football. Coming into the first round of the TSSAA Class A playoffs having won five of their last six games, the Dawgs — the third seed from Region 7-A — ran into a physical Fayette Academy Vikings squad and lost 26-12 Friday night in Somerville. The Vikings were the second seed from Region 8-A. "They were very physical and we were limited in what we could do without our two wings. We weren't really ready for that type of play," Gleason head coach Noah Lampkins said. "We didn't come out like we needed to. We weren't very crisp right from the get-go." Ankle injuries to speedsters Shadow Roney and Cody Ezell last week hampered the Bulldog offense. Fayette stopped Gleason for no gain or lost yardage on 11-of-43 rushing attempts. The loss eliminated Gleason (7-4) from playoff contention and denied the school its first-ever football playoff win. The Vikings (5-6) will advance to take on the host McKenzie Rebels at 7 on Friday night. The Dawgs had a chance early. Dawg Zack Browning picked off a Davis Cocke pass and returned it 13 yards to set up the Dawgs in Viking territory at the 42. The drive stalled immediately as Kurt McKibben sacked GHS quarterback Zach Wallace on third down bringing out punter Nicky Spain. Luke Puckett blocked the punt to give the Vikes the ball at the Dawg 41. The Vikings enjoyed the return of QB Davis Cocke who missed the last half of the season with a broken arm, but Fayette also got a big night from running back Ron Butler. The senior flashed his skills on the second FA drive, gaining 36 yards on four carries including a 14-yard TD run to put his team in front 6-0 with 7:00 left in the opening quarter. The kicking game adventures continued as Brandon Duke's PAT was blocked by Tyler Verdell. Gleason managed a first down on its next drive before Spain had to drop back into punt formation. The Vikings pressured Spain again, this time forcing a run short of the marker. Gleason held again and brought out Duke to punt. Fayette tried a fake, but the Dawgs sniffed it out and dropped Duke short. Taking over at the FA 49, mixed runs by Verdell and Wallace moved GHS to the 18. An illegal procedure penalty pushed GHS back, and the Dawgs were denied a score, turning the ball over on downs. The Vikes probed deep into Gleason territory on runs by Butler before the Dawgs held on a key 4th-and-4 at their own 21. Ben Sumner and Nolan Roberts came up with the stop. Gleason couldn't come up with the first down and Spain got off his first punt of the night. FA started at the Dawg 32. A 22-yard catch by Bryson was followed by two Butler runs including a six-yard TD run. Kyle Bliss caught a Cocke pass on the two-pointer for a 14-0 FA lead with 1:15 left in the half. More kicking adventures en-sued as Browning returned the kickoff 78 yards for a TD. The Dawgs tried a fake on the extra point but Wallace was stopped to keep the deficit at 14-6 with 1:01 left in the half. FA got a 31-yard Butler run and a 13-yard completion to Tatum. With 14 ticks left in the half, Cocke scrambled and was stopped just short of the goal line by Spain, but behind the play, GHS sophomore Ben Sumner was injured on a takedown. Play was stopped as Sumner was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Reports later in the game indicated he was OK. The Vikes were unable to get off a snap before time expired when play resumed, leaving the FA halftime lead at 14-6. On the first drive of the second half, Gleason again marched deep into FA territory, reaching the 7, but a penalty helped stall the drive short of the end zone. The Dawg defense again held and Tyler Verdell blocked the punt to give GHS the ball at the FA 6. Alex Verdell scored from the 4, but Wallace was held out on the two-point play to keep the Viking lead at 14-12. Fayette answered on the next drive. Butler capped the 10-play, 61-yard drive with a two-yard run. The PAT was wide leaving the Fayette lead at 20-12 with 9:05 left in the game. After Gleason turned the ball over on downs, FA got an insurance score on a 22-yard screen to Tatum for a 26-12 lead.  The Vikes then held Gleason on its final drive to earn the win. Gleason seniors included Sam Owen, Tyler Verdell, Zack Browning, Edward Torres, Nolan Roberts and Trae Vaughn. Source: Weakley County Press.

Dawg gone — Gleason quarterback Zach Wallace has helped the Bulldogs out-pace the competition in recent weeks. He'll need another stellar effort to help GHS clinch its first victory in the football playoffs when the Dawgs visit Fayette Academy. Bulldogs Anxious to Make Playoff History for Gleason By Stephanie Sturgis Sports Editor The Gleason Bulldogs are angling to make their mark on the history books by the time the final horn sounds in their Class A playoff game with the host Fayette Academy Vikings on Friday night in Somerville. Gleason (7-3) has never won a football playoff game, but GHS head coach Noah Lampkins likes the chances of his team claiming that first "W" for the Orange and Black. The Dawgs, in the midst of their first winning season since 1995, participated in the gridiron playoffs in 1982, 1987, 1995, 2000 and 2004 without earning a victory."It's going to be a tough game. We're trying to stay focused, but it is a match-up I feel we have a good shot at," Lampkins said. Football fans should not be deceived by the Vikings' 4-6 record. Fayette Academy's six losses all came to teams that have advanced to the playoffs with a combined 47-13 record in 2007 for a .783 winning percentage. That group of Viking opponents breaks down into one Class 3A team, two Class 2A teams, two Class A squads and one team from Division II AA. The Viking offense is currently pounding the ball on the ground after an injury to the team's original starting quarterback, Davis Cocke, in a Week 5 loss to Bruceton. Fayette Academy is running primarily from a Pro-I set with some double wings and some Stacked-I formations. Running back Ron Butler and quarterback Rodney Tatum are the main Viking weapons. "They're physical and disciplined. They do things right," Lampkins said of his opponent. Defensively, Lampkins says the Vikings play a 4-3 with some four-deep sets and utilize a very physical brand of play. "They'll really attack you up front. They fly to the football and fill the gaps," he said. The Viking defense will have one more Bulldog to contend with since the ankle of speedy sophomore running back Cody Ezell will be at nearly 100 percent, according to the Dawg coach. However, Shadow Roney, who also tweaked an ankle in last week's win over Union City, is still a 50-50 call for action in the first round of the playoffs. The Gleason coach is concerned about his special teams units, which have not performed to his liking this season due to "a lack of concentration." Lampkins wants this season to start a new trend for Gleason football. Wins over traditional powers Bruceton and Union City and the trip to the postseason are laying that foundation. "This is big for our program. We're trying to get some things established not just for this year, but the future," Lampkins said. Source. Weakley County Press. Gleason Shows Twister Standing Far From the Past By Mike Hutchens, Messenger Sports Editor Union City's Pat Polk is tackled by a pair of Gleason defenders during the Bulldogs' 36-21 win over the Tornadoes Friday night. In this modern-day tale of David vs. Goliath, the giant was repeatedly run over after he was felled. Gleason, the smallest football-playing school in the state with just 150 students in its top four grades, got 237 rushing yards from bulldozing fullback Alex Verdell to flatten former rural West Tennessee behemoth Union City 36-21 Friday night. The win was a landmark triumph for the Bulldogs — who’d never before beaten Union City — earning them a postseason berth to cap what is their first winning season in 12 years. On the flip-side, the loss represents a low-water mark in the eyes of the many faithful supporters of a Tornado program that is only two seasons removed from a Class A state championship game appearance and one that was generally considered a perennial title contender during two decades worth of 2A dominance before dropping down to single-A five years ago. Union City (6-4), which was relegated to fourth place in Region 7-1A with the setback, will now limp into the playoffs, where it will face Region 8 champion and 10th-ranked Trinity Christian Academy (8-2) in Round 1 this Friday in Jackson. Gleason (7-3), which earned the No. 3 seed from Region 7 with its win over the Twisters, will seek its first-ever playoff victory at Somerville against Fayette Academy (4-6). While in biblical times, David’s slaying of Goliath is viewed as a miracle, the Bulldogs needed no such divine intervention to take down Union City. Gleason hit the Tornadoes in the gut early and often, pounding the interior with the bruising Verdell, who regularly ran over UC defenders or dragged would-be tacklers for extra yardage as part of a rushing attack that produced 414 yards. As impressive as Verdell was, though, much of his success can be traced to a dominating performance by the Bulldog trenchmen, who often drove the Union City defense off the ball and downfield. And on those rare occasions when the Tornadoes had chances to make stops for little gain or lost yardage, their struggles with missed tackles reared its ugly head. “They just took it to us and we obviously don’t like playing physical football,” Twister head coach Jimmy Fishel said matter-of-factly after the contest. “We were unable to match their intensity and looked very disinterested as the game wore on. “If you look at all four of our losses, they all have the same theme: Teams have lined up and mashed us along the line of scrimmage, and we couldn’t get off blocks to make tackles. And a lot of times when we did get some separation, we missed tackles.” While Verdell was the major weapon in a ball-control Gleason attack that ran 40 more plays (72-32) than the locals, junior quarterback Zach Wallace was a nice complement to Verdell’s inside presence with 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the flanks. And the efforts of Verdell and Wallace were made even more impressive by the fact that Gleason lost its two fastest players and big-play threats — Shadow Roney and Cody Ezell — to injuries in the contest. “Gleason has a good football team,” Fishel added. “They played hard from start to finish, and they played well.” Union City looked as if it would have little trouble dispatching the Bulldogs as it was in the end zone less than a minute after the game began. Pat Polk returned the opening kickoff to midfield, then gashed the middle of the Gleason defense for runs of 22 and 28 yards, the second of which went for a touchdown. Will Arnold’s point-after made it 7-0. It took the home team just 13 seconds to answer, though, as Roney received the ensuing kickoff, veered right, then darted back up the middle before breaking outside left on his way to a 90-yard touchdown return. The point-after failed, but Gleason had seized back the momentum while beginning a run of 28 unanswered points.  Then, the Bulldog defense, which held UC without a first down from late in the first quarter until the two-minute mark of the third period, immediately got their offense the ball back after holding the Twisters to a three-and-out. Ezell capped an eight-play, 55-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring scamper at the 4:52 mark of the first quarter to give Gleason a lead it would not relinquish at 12-7. Both teams missed out on two scoring chances each over the remainder of the first half, UC when a Brett White pass was deflected by Ben Sumner into the hands of Blaze DeHart for an interception and then on the first play of the second quarter when Arnold’s 27-yard field goal looked good but was waved off. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, ran out of downs twice deep inside UC territory — both after time-consuming 11-play drives. Gleason, which dominated the second half with 315 rushing yards, scored on its first two possessions after the intermission to take a commanding 28-7 lead late in the third period. Wallace capped a 62-yard, nine-play sequence with a one-yard plunge, then made perhaps the highlight play of the night when he somehow eluded a blitzing Darrin Dickerson and a big loss before scooting his way around right end on a 43-yard scoring scamper. Verdell tacked on both two-point conversions. The remainder of the contest proved to be a mere formality, though White — who ended up with 195 yards passing — did throw two touchdown passes, giving him 15 for the season. He hit Kendrick Price for a four-yard score late in the third frame, then found Taylor Bruff on a 20-yard pitch-and-catch with a little over three minutes to play to account for the final margin. Bruff ended up as UC’s leading receiver with seven grabs for 86 yards, one a 45-yarder. Verdell’s 39-yard TD romp on the first play of the fourth quarter accounted for the Bulldogs’ final tally. Game notes: The Tornadoes were officially charged with 39 missed tackles, though that figure didn’t include many of the times Verdell lugged UC defenders for extra yardage. ... Union City has not beaten an opponent that ended the regular season with a winning record. The Twisters’ six victories came against foes that ended the year with a cumulative mark of 13-47. In UC’s four losses, those teams have combined to go 32-8. Sports editor Mike Hutchens can be contacted by e-mail at mhutch@ucmessenger.com. Source: Union City Messenger. This Gleason Team Not a Sure-thing for Tornadoes By Mike Hutchens, Messenger Sports Editor Before anyone associated with Union City dismisses Gleason as ... well, Gleason, they better check out this year’s Bulldogs. Sixth-year head coach Noah Lampkins, himself a GHS graduate 12 years ago and then a hard-hitting standout defensive back at Lambuth University, will put a quality team on the field and one that has some of the same characteristics as its coach when the Bulldogs host UC Friday night in a game with major playoff implications. Both Gleason and the Tornadoes will bring identical 6-3 records into the contest. The Bulldogs clinched their first winning record since Lampkins’ senior season last week by hammering South Fulton 40-7, and the Gleason coach thinks it’s no fluke. “We’ve played some good football this season,” he said after that blowout of the Red Devils. “I said before the year started, I thought we had a chance to have a good team and a good season. We’ve got a couple of kids who can run with anybody in this region, and they are playing with some confidence right now. I like our team.” Recent history has not been kind to a Gleason program that was actually a strong one in the mid-1980s with winning seasons in four of five years under Bob Dilday. Four times in the past dozen seasons, though, the Bulldogs have gone either 0-9 or 0-10 and two other times they’ve won just one game in a season. With one of the two or three smallest enrollments of any football-playing school in the state and the smallest student count (150) in Region 7-1A’s eight-school league, Gleason has regularly struggled with the numbers and depth game against bigger and more physically-gifted opponents. This year, though, the athleticism is better with diminutive-but-shifty sophomore running back Cody Ezell, quarterback Zach Wallace and running back/receiver Shadow Roney. That trio teams with the bruising Verdell brothers — Alex a fullback/linebacker and Tyler a guard/linebacker — to give the Bulldogs a good blend of speed and toughness. Union City head coach Jimmy Fishel doesn’t need to be convinced. “Gleason is an outstanding team, one that is well-coached and plays extremely hard,” the Tornado skipper said. “They believe in playing physical and have a great deal of speed this year. Coach Lampkins has done a great job there and especially with this year’s team. They really reflect his style of coaching, and that is a hard-nosed one.” The Bulldogs need to beat UC to qualify for the postseason and would finish third and drop the Twisters to fourth if that upset were to materialize. Should Union City win its fourth straight, the Tornadoes would place third and leave Gleason on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs go. BITTER END — Both Obion Central and South Fulton will close out dismal seasons Friday night against quality opponents in what likely could a case of “same song, different verse.” The Rebels will need an upset of Brighton to avoid the third winless season in the school’s 47-year history, while SF faces a monumental task in third-ranked McKenzie if it wants to evade a second straight one-win campaign. Central and the Red Devils have already been relegated to last place in their regions. Both teams are truly limping to the finish line with multiple injuries and/or defections taking away several players from their respective rosters as they close out their seasons. The contest will be the last in an OCCHS uniform for eight seniors including Chase Clanton, Andrew Heuck, Garrett Montgomery, Jake Morris, Sean Green, Bo Childers, Chance Collins and Jakob Edmison. The Red Devils have just four seniors listed in their program: Bart Netherland, Tyler Morris, Shawn Pate and Josh Johansen. Sports editor Mike Hutchens can be contacted by e-mail at mhutch@ucmessenger.com. Source: Union City Daily Messenger. Lampkins Named Titans "Coach of the Week" After Dawgs Upset Bruceton Anthony Darby — TitansOnline.com Titans Coach of the Week — Gleason High School head football coach Noah Lampkins was honored by the Tennessee Titans as the Titans High School Football Coach of the Week for his team's effort in a 32-22 upset of Bruceton last week. The Tennessee Titans announced Monday that Noah Lampkins, head football coach of Gleason High School, has been named the Titans High School Football Coach of the Week for Week Eight. Lampkins’ Bulldogs defeated Region 7-1A rival Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central (Bruceton) 33-22 in a must-win game to keep their postseason hopes alive. With an overall record of 5-3 under Lampkins in 2007, Lampkins is now on pace to lead the Bulldogs to their first .500 or better campaign in six seasons. Taking from his signature intense, physical style, Gleason used strong defense and a balanced offensive attack to defeat a ranked Bruceton squad that is now battling for the playoffs thanks to Gleason. Through the Titans Foundation, team owner K. S. "Bud" Adams, Jr. will make a $1,000 contribution to the Gleason High School football program in Coach Lampkins’ honor. "It's a great honor. It was exciting for him. He deserves it," Gleason Athletic Director Mitchell Parham said. Coach Lampkins will be the team’s guest at the Titans vs. New York Jets game on Dec. 23 when the team honors all 2007 Coach of the Week winners and announces the winner of the 2007 Coach of the Year! "Everbody was excited for him. I think the kids were excited because of all the hard work the kids put in was big, but they know the recognition he got statewide for his and their efforts was big too," Parham said. Also receiving strong consideration in this week’s poll was Pat Brown of White House-Heritage whose team came from behind on the road to defeat Jo Byrns High School and snap their 27-game regular season winning streak, Howard County’s Alvin Tarver whose club defeated Meigs County 20-14 in an overtime thriller and David Watson of Siegel whose team kept their playoff hopes alive with 24-15 win over Blackman. Coach Lampkins is now eligible for the Tennessee Titans Coach-of-the-Year award to be announced Dec. 23 when the Titans host the New York Jets. Adams will make an additional $2,000 grant to the football program of the Titans Coach of the Year winner on that date. Now in its 10th season, Adams has awarded more than $100,000 from the Titans Foundation to football programs across the state in honor of the Coach of the Week winners. “High school football coaches can play a role in the lives of their players that will have lasting results,” said NFL director of football operations Gene Washington. “A competitive spirit, good sportsmanship and character development are some of the issues confronted on a daily basis by football coaches. We are thankful for the many coaches around the country who assume such a demanding role.” The criterion for selection includes the coach’s impact on his team, school and community. A statewide media panel votes each week to determine the weekly winner. All high school football coaches in Tennessee, regardless of their school’s size, league or division, are eligible to be selected each week. The program is designed to recognize high school coaches who transform, through their hard work and dedication, student-athletes into the best possible football players and citizens in their community.

Dawgs End  Quarter of a Century Worth of Frustration

By Stephanie Sturgis, Sports Editor

Crunch time — Gleason's Alex Verdell prepares for a collision with a pair of Tigers during his team's 32-22 win over Bruceton. The win ended a string of 18 straight losses to Bruceton.

It was a sight many in attendance had never witnessed — a Gleason win over Bruceton.
The host Gleason Bulldogs pulled off the feat that hadn't been duplicated in 25 years with an outstanding overall effort and by using four interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, to upend the visiting Tigers, 32-22, Friday night at Parks Edwards Field.

The last time Gleason knocked off Bruceton in football was a 42-0 spanking in 1982 before a string of 18 consecutive losses. The teams did not meet in six seasons in the 25-year span.
"I knew if we were going to beat them, we needed to play our best game and get some turnovers and control (Chad) Jordan," Gleason head coach Noah Lampkins said.

The Dawg defense continually frustrated Bruceton, stuffing Jordan runs up the middle and forcing the Tigers to try to stretch around the ends. Jordan finished with 218 yards on 35 carries with two TDs. Those are gaudy numbers but below his season average of 234 yards and three TDs per game. He was also held better than a yard below his per carry average.

The Dawg defenders halted both Bruceton's first and last drives of the night with interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. After a Gleason punt, Ben Sumner turned the feat on the Tigers' first offensive snap, dropping off into the flat to cover fullback Alex Matlock. Sumner tipped the ball up with one hand and then snagged it out of midair with the other before tucking it away and racing 26 yards to the end zone for a 6-0 Gleason lead after a failed two-point run with 10:35 still on the clock in the first quarter.

The fourth interception re-turn was more dramatic. With Gleason in front 26-22 late in the fourth quarter, Bruceton was driving for the go-ahead score. Starting at their own 36 with 7:43 left in the game, the Tigers began to pick up yards on the ground including converting a 4th-and-2 at the GHS 25 when quarterback Jacob Edwards picked his way through the defense for four. Their fourth first down of the march set up a 1st-and-goal at the 10. Lampkins called a timeout to break the Tigers' momentum and rally the Dawgs. The ploy worked as Jordan was limited to one yard on first down. On second down, the Tigers had Edwards roll right, again looking for Matlock in the flat. Defensive end Trae Vaughn put pressure on the Tiger QB and he floated his pass. GHS linebacker Alex Verdell stepped in and picked it off at the six-yard line. The Dawg junior didn't stop running until he'd roared 94 yards down the sideline to the end zone to boost Gleason's lead to 32-22 with just 1:32 remaining. "We’ve been working on that all week. They hadn’t run it much tonight. It’s a favorite play of theirs and I really didn’t think he’d run it down there. I thought he’d keep pounding it," the excited Gleason coach said. Time then ran out on Bruceton to set off a Bulldog celebration.

Offensively, the Dawgs also performed well, creating an answer for every Tiger TD.
After Sumner's early score, Bruceton drove 56 yards in eight plays for its first score — a Jordan one-yard plunge. Jordan also ran in the two-pointer to put Bruceton ahead, 8-6, with 7:00 minutes left in the first quarter.

GHS answered immediately with a nine-play, 66-yard march that featured a key 10-yard scramble by QB Zach Edwards and a 27-yard run by Verdell on fourth down. Wallace scored on a three-yard sneak to put the Dawgs back on top, 14-8, with 2:42 left in the first stanza.
The Dawgs thwarted the next two Bruceton drives with interceptions, the first in the end zone by Wallace and the second on a long pass picked off by Zack Browning.

Three Jordan runs covered all 72 yards in a three-play TD drive, including a 52-yarder and the 13-yard sprint to paydirt. Matlock caught the two-point pass for a 16-14 Tiger lead with 2:46 left in the first half.

Gleason responded with a 58-yard march, the big play a 44-yard TD strike from Wallace to Shadow Roney. The QB had to avoid a sack to make the pass that gave the Dawgs a 20-16 halftime lead.

Both teams scored on their first drive of the second half. Bruceton covered 64 yards in eight plays capped by a seven-yard Edwards keeper to move in front, 22-20.
Gleason regained the lead with a 10-play, 54-yard drive. Wallace put GHS on top for good with a two-yard run across the goal line for a 26-22 advantage. Source. Weakley County Press

Bulldogs Unleashed!; Pitch 42-0 Shutout Against War Eagles