Story by Rusty Ellis
The 2020 Season for the White County Warriors was what many would consider to be a turning point for the program.
The team closed the season by winning four of its final five contests to secure a 5-4 record, laying a foundation that Head Coach Mark Fraiser hopes to continue building upon in 2021.
“As far as the state of the program or how I feel about our kids, I wouldn’t trade them,” Fraiser said. “I’m proud of them. Obviously, we are going to be an underdog in every game we play, but that’s what you play football for.”
An underdog mentality is nothing new for the Warriors, though it will take on a slightly different form this season when compared to Fraiser’s first two years. White County returns to region play as a Class 5A school after being an independent since the start of 2019.
While some teams may take the idea of being an underdog as a slight, Fraiser wants his kids to embrace it and be motivated by it.
“It’s not like I’m making things up; one guy had us picked with one win,” Fraiser said. “Not that it really matters, but the kids see that…we are underdogs and they need to embrace that role, and they need to understand that they need to come out and fight harder just to be respectable.”
The other main difference within the program, according to Fraiser, is the confidence level of his team as a whole.
“The groups that are seniors and juniors now, they’ve won since they were little,” Fraiser said. “They are used to winning, so I don’t have to worry about that as much. They believe in themselves.”
The biggest boon to the White County playbook this season will be the return of Junior Malaki Dowell, a kid who took the Upper Cumberland by storm in 2020 before going down with a torn ACL against York Institute. Most notably, Dowell rushed for 298 yards and four touchdowns against Cookeville.
Then-true Freshman Owen Adams took over in the pocket, where he helped guide the Warriors to a 4-2 record over their final six games. This situation was less-than-ideal for Fraiser, but he also believes it gives White County a little more depth this upcoming season.
“The thing about Owen and Malaki, they are both defensive players as well,” Fraiser said. “It gives us a little bit of breathing room…this year, we’ve got a little more depth with both of them back and healthy. We’ve also got another freshman that’s looked really well in camp and scrimmages in Tripp Pinion. I wouldn’t be shocked to see all three of them play.”
In addition to having more depth, the Warriors also have a bevy of players they can play in different positions to maximize their production. Guys like D.J. Paul and Javyn Strode serve as playmakers Fraiser can play all over the field.
“There’s a limit to that, but Javyn and D.J. can play the slot, out wide or at running back,” Fraiser said. “You never know what’s going to happen and when, so you have to have the ability to move guys around. Nate Mullins is another kid that I’m expecting big things from. He can play slot, outside, running back and he kicks. It’s one of those things where we’ve got some guys that are interchangeable, and they are all very capable with different skill sets, but we’ve got to have them available at different spots in case something happens at any time.”
With how Fraiser’s offense has looked the last two years, it’s a safe assumption that the offensive line will be just as important as any skill positions. With a unit featuring Hunter Sloan, Simon Ogletree and Maliki Billings, as well as a battle for the two outside positions, Fraiser likes what he has depth-wise in the trenches.
“Tyler Payne is a senior who is a great kid and has worked hard,” Fraiser said. “Hayden Bilbrey is a junior that’s playing at tackle…we’ve got some depth and some other young guys that have some potential if they decide they want to work a little harder. There’s a lot of competition on the offensive line, and that’s where it all starts. The only way we’re going to win is if they are dominant.”
For all the familiarity on offense, the defense will see its fair share of newcomers. Billings is the senior leader of the front seven, but Fraiser will depend on almost an entirely new defensive-line unit to keep opposing teams out of the endzone.
“We’re probably a little undersized over there,” Fraiser said. “The rest of the guys will be by committee. We’ve got a newcomer in Grayson Walker at defensive end, along with Bray Fraiser, Ryan Bumbalough and Conner Brewington. All of these guys are juniors…they fight hard and they’ve got a little speed, so we will have to move them around a little bit, but they are hard workers.”
This year is crucial for White County, as it serves as a benchmark-type year to see how far they’ve come against some of the toughest competition they have played yet.
“We need to win some games and we need to be successful just to prove that we can be a viable 5A football team,” Fraiser said. “You’re never going to win all of your games, but you can be a good program.”
The Warriors’ season begins on Friday, Aug. 20 when they take on Livingston Academy at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium at 7 P.M. The game will be live-streamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter’s Facebook page