Jameson Griffith

“Not to take anything off winning it — people just don’t remember region championships at South Pittsburg. They do in other places, and it’s fine for them to celebrate them, but for us it’s all about winning another gold ball.” @SPHSPIRATES coach @SPCoachStone after his team wrapped up its eighth straight region title: timesfreepress.com/news/2026…

Not a peep from the private schools west of Chattanooga when Nashville and Memphis teams claimed 17 consecutive football state titles in DII-AAA, including a nine-year stretch in which the gold ball trophy stayed within a 10-mile radius between Brentwood Academy, Ensworth and MBA. Did CPA officials write any op-eds about competitive imbalance when the Lions played for 10 championships in 12 years (winning titles in 2 separate classes)? Crickets. CPA's 2024 title team had a roster that included six players ranked among the state's top 100 prospects according to 247Sports, three of which went on to sign with SEC programs. By comparison, in that same season, Baylor had four players in the state's top 100 and McCallie had three. Also, among DII-AAA teams with graduates currently playing in the SEC, the totals are: MBA 5, Lipscomb Academy 5, CPA 4, Ensworth 3, Baylor 2, McCallie 2. Such numbers do not produce a convincing argument for talent inequity. Also lost in the pearl clutching is the fact that all TSSAA member schools can now have student-athletes transfer to any team they choose, and even live with host families, a rule which essentially operates the same as boarding programs. The process of vetting prospective transfers is not as difficult as some schools have made it seem. It simply requires a commitment to ensuring talented out-of-town athletes will be a good fit academically and socially, as well as helping the football program remain an important passage to the admissions office. That would seem to be an important job for schools that are accustomed to competing for elite enrollees of all walks.