The 2020 Cookeville Cavalier’s football roster features a characteristic it has lacked the previous two seasons, experience.
After a 5-6 2019 campaign that featured a first-round exit from the postseason, the Cavaliers appear poised to take a step forward in 2020.
“We do have a lot of kids returning from a year ago, and we haven’t had that the past two years,” said CHS head coach Jimmy Maynord. “We’ve kind-of been in a rebuilding mode… so we do have some experienced kids coming back.”
The Cavs will be led by their experienced quarterback, senior Stockton Owen. The dual-threat quarterback is entering his second year running the CHS offense after a successful 2019 season. In 2019, Owen threw for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns.
The Cavaliers are boasting one of the deepest backfields in the Upper Cumberland. Owen led the team in rushing in 2019 with 1,149 yards and 17 touchdowns. The team will look to replace Cameron Harris’ 659 yards and eight touchdowns, but Maynord said several different players could get significant carries in 2020. Some names to watch for include senior BJ Billen, Drew Dyal, Evan Whited, new varsity player Logan Sides and several others.
“At running back we feel like we are three or four deep,” said Maynord. “We haven’t been that way. BJ Billen’s going to move to the backfield now. He’s very strong. Logan Sides… he’s our big back. We expect him to be a guy who can carry the load up inside. We feel like we are pretty deep at the running back position.”
The Cavs lost several receivers to graduation, including one of the team’s leading receiver Brayden Nivens. Several players, including seniors Harris Cravens and Skylar Lassiter appear poised to get a significant bump in playing-time. Maynord said he is also confident in his team’s depth at the wide receiver position.
“We’re very deep at the receiver position,” said Maynord. “We’ve got 10 or 12 kids we feel like we can put in the game and can help us at receiver. We feel really good about that position with a lot of depth and players who can play.”
Perhaps the most experienced position-groups for Cookeville in 2020 are the offensive and defensive lines.
“We’ve got six offensive linemen who have all started,” said Maynord. “We feel good about that. Those guys are experienced. Trip Wallace is a young man coming off a fractured foot… he’ll be back at center. (Alex and Wes Delk) are big college prospects at their guard positions and our two tackles (Malachi Williams and Reece Wilkerson) and are big kids too. We feel really good about that group of offensive linemen.”
In the secondary, several of the Cavs receivers and Owen anchor an experienced group of defensive backs. Maynord said Cravens will also start playing defensive back for the first time as a Cav.
The Cavaliers face one of the toughest regions in the state in Region 3/6A. Perennial powerhouses Oakland, Blackman and Riverdale headline a region slate which includes upstarts Warren County and Rockvale.
The Cavaliers earned a fourth-place region finish in 2019. Maynord said with the experienced roster he has, he hopes this is the year Cookeville returns to one of the top spots in the region.
“We hope we can be competitive,” said Maynord. “We’re playing against teams that are very athletic. Those guys just keep rolling. Riverdale is going to be awfully good this time. Oakland lost a lot, but they got two or three transfers in. Blackman is going to be Blackman, they’re always going to be good. I think you’re going to see a Warren County team that’s probably flying under the radar a little bit. It’s a tough region game-in and game-out. I don’t think there’s any doubt top-to-bottom this is the toughest region,”
Maynord said he expects his team to be competitive and improve this season.
“I expect our kids to be competitive, to play hard and as the season progresses I expect them to improve,” said Maynord.
The Cavaliers will open the season against cross-county rival Upperman on Thursday, August 20. The game will be played at Tennessee Tech and will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter’s Facebook page.