Football Banquet a HUGE Success

Tennessee Temple Academy recently held their annual football banquet to celebrate their Cinderella season. “This year’s football banquet was the best by far,” shared banquet coordinator Keith Walls. “It was also bittersweet as my son and so many of the boys I have “raised” are graduating and moving on. This season was so special. It will forever be in the boy’s minds.” The banquet was held at Northside Community church, catered by Greg’s Restaurant and was standing room only as more than 100 people attended. Debbie Smith, Evelyn Johnson and Sheranda Rector provided the interior decorations.

This year’s featured speaker was Herman “Thunderfoot” Weaver. Mr. Weaver played 11 seasons in the NFL as a punter; six for the Detroit Lions and 5 for the Seattle Seahawks. The Sporting News has called him one of the top 20 punters of all time. He was named NFL Punter of the Year in 1975. Various awards were handed out to all the players with Seth Skogen receiving the gold football for Most Valuable Player. The banquet was put on by the Quarterback Club, a group of football boosters whose president is Brent and Betty Smith. The team presented Dr. Connie Pearson, Temple’s Headmaster, with an autographed football by all the players.

Temple finished 12-1, winning all their regular season games and losing in the quarter-finals to Friendship Christian in Nashville, TN. Announced at the banquet was the new head coach Scott Chastain, who was the defensive coordinator this year. Chip Kell, Tennessee Volunteer All-American and College Hall of Fame inductee has agreed to return to be the defensive coordinator. For their incredible season, Temple was the third and first place story for News Channel 9 and News Channel 3 sports stories of 2006. They were also honored with an official proclamation from Mayor Claude Ramsey and Hamilton County Commissioners Curtis Adams and Bill Hullander. According to Coach Chastain, Temple has 31 players who are currently in winter workouts.