by Rusty Ellis
The Clay County Bulldogs made a deep run to the Class A State Championship game in 2022, where they fell to McKenzie 34-14 to finish as the Class A runner-up.
Though not the desired outcome for head coach Bruce Lamb, a 13-2 season was nothing to be disappointed by.
Fast-forward to this year, and Lamb is geared up for the Bulldogs’ new campaign with even more excitement around it thanks to that playoff run.
“What a great bunch of kids we had, they left everything on the field every time we went out there,” Lamb said. “It was special, just a special year all-around. We had nine seniors and every one of them started somewhere. We had a great atmosphere with this community, just a great year all-around.”
After a successful three-year run with Keaton Arms at quarterback, Clay County will turn to Nate Adams as the Bulldogs’ signal-caller this year.
No stranger to the field as he played in several different spots for Lamb a year ago, Adams’ growth this offseason is one of the reasons Lamb is excited for the season.
“His arm strength has improved, I’ve been really impressed with it so far,” Lamb said. “He’s really studied the game and gotten better in his reads. People may think he’s just a thrower, but the kid’s a great runner too, so we’re really looking for some big things out of him.”
Naturally, a good quarterback needs good skill position players as well, and the Bulldogs aren’t short of any talent there.
“Weston Birdwell’s had a great offseason and has looked great in our scrimmages for us,” Lamb said. “Nate’s little brother Nolan Adams is a super athlete. Waylon Cherry, Andrew Smith, Cole Eads and Reece Adams are all great athletes that we’re really blessed to have this year. We’re looking for big things from all of those guys this season.”
With Lamb’s coaching comes a need for a physical style, and the offensive line returns a few starters that should assist in that department.
“We’ve got three starters back, starting with Wyatt Browning who started at right tackle for us last year,” Lamb said. “Parker Smith was at left tackle for us and we’ve moved him to guard because of his athletic ability…Haydyn McGee can play anywhere on the line for us, so those three guys will be here. Our new guys are Austin Anderson, who’ll play some center, and then our left tackle right now is Roland Holaway, who’s a freshman. He’s 6-4, 306, and he’s learning the way we play.”
All of these players will play both ways for Lamb, who says he’s really pleased with how the defense has come along during camp.
“Week two was huge, our defense is playing much more aggressive,” Lamb said. “That’s the key, the effort level is something that comes from within and it’s something that only they can judge. Not me or anybody else, and the kids are giving us that effort. It’s going to make us a much better football team.”
When you begin talking about the region, Lamb knows there’ll be some challenges up-and-down the region, despite how small of a region it is.
“It’s a small region, but it’s a pretty good region,” Lamb said. “Coach (Stephen) Jackson does a great job at Gordonsville, he really gets the players motivated and gets the most out of them, and they’ve got a bunch of players…Red Boiling Springs is not the same team they’ve been, they’ve got a quarterback with a big arm and athletes all over the field. Jo Byrns has also got an exceptional running back and they play really hard, so it’ll be tough.”
Taking all of that into account, it might be normal for someone to expect a step-back season from making the championship game.
For Lamb and his staff however, the expectations are as high as they’ve ever been.
“We just need to grow and continue getting better,” Lamb said. “We’ve got some new faces starting and we’ve got a tough schedule…these kids have worked hard and they’re getting better each week. The ultimate goal is to get back to Chattanooga, and these kids are willing to put in the work to get there.”
The Bulldogs open the 2023 season at York Institute on Aug. 18.