August 27, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
How about those Saints?
Five games into the season the DeKalb Middle School Saints are sporting a perfect record having scored a combined total of 164 points while giving up only 14 to date. Four of those five games have been in Smithville.
With victories over Fentress County 8-0, Cumberland County 46-8, Macon County 36-0, Smith County 34-6, and Warren County 40-0 Saints Coach Justin Poteete couldn’t be more pleased.
“We are definitely playing well. I feel like we started the season pretty lackluster against Fentress County but since then the boys have turned it up a notch and been ready to work but like I have told them nobody wins a championship just winning five games so there’s more ahead and that work ethic has to stay there,” said Coach Poteete.
Thus far this season, the Saints offense has been more than productive and the defense stingy.
“Defense has played pretty well but defense or offense it’s the same 14 or 15 kids playing,” said Coach Poteete. “I really think they have done a good job flying to the ball when we are on defense, but they have also done a good job when the ball was in their hands making people force them to the ground instead of going down easy”.
While success is credited to the entire team, Coach Poteete gives kudos to a few players who have stood out.
“In the middle school you must have a decent running game to be successful. You can throw it and that adds something to your game, but you have to be able to run it. We have a three headed monster in the backfield this year and that’s what we thought we would have coming in,” Coach Poteete explained. “We have Reed Midgett playing some running back and halfback, Gavin Frazier playing running back and Collin Donnell playing quarterback. Any one of those three guys who gets the ball helps our offense out a lot. Defenses can’t just play one side or the other based on where they are lined up”.
“Our Offensive line has done a great job. We have a lot of new faces. William Soto is back and he is anchoring that O line down. Daniel Santizo, Jordan Schipp. Oswaldo Sebastian, and Grant Slager are doing a good job and on the outside Bryson Redmon, Levi Cripps and Rocky Cantrell are doing great for us. When the ball is in the air they go get it. There are some play makers out there for sure” he said.
As for injuries, “We do have Brantley Cantrell banged up. He got banged up before the season. Kaysen Hale should be back soon from a wrist. He is another young seventh grader and Auston Parker just came back from an ankle. We had to tweak some things when he went down at the cornerback position but Keegan Taylor has done a great job in that spot. Landon Holmes is out with a concussion right now so we look forward to hopefully getting him back before the end of the season,” said Coach Poteete.
Three games remain on the Saints’ regular season schedule and two of them are on the road starting with the next one at Prescott Middle Thursday night, August 29 at 6:30 p.m. followed by a meeting with Upperman for 8th grade night at home on September 5 at 6:30 p.m. and then a date at White County September 12 at 6:30 p.m.
“That game with Sparta at the end of the season will probably be for that one spot,” said Coach Poteete. “Smith County beat Sparta but with middle school teams you don’t know what you’re going to get from one day to the next. The top two teams in our region make the playoffs. The top team gets to host and number two has to travel so it would be nice to finish up the way we need to and host that play-off game. We would look at probably be playing York again if that is the case. If we finish two we’re probably looking at traveling to Avery Trace,” added Coach Poteete.