For the Chattanooga area, 2022 was a year in which sports headlines often dominated local news. Individual and team achievements even reached the national stage at times, including a local twist on the first round of both the NFL and WNBA drafts, as well as local storylines for the College Football Playoff national championship and the Super Bowl.
While readers may have their own index of the most memorable local sports stories of 2022, here is the list compiled by Times Free Press staff for the 10 stories that made the biggest impact this year.
Prep football generates a lot of interest throughout the area, especially when the playoffs begin. This fall, Baylor and Tyner — two storied local programs — put emphatic finishes on storybook seasons by ending decades-old championship droughts with state titles in their respective classifications.
Playing in front of a large local crowd at Finley Stadium on the first weekend of December, Baylor capped the first of three memorable three days of TSSAA BlueCross Bowl competition by rallying from a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat Montgomery Bell Academy in the Division II-AAA final and win the program’s first state title in 49 years.
Two days later, Tyner followed a similar script, coming back from a 15-point first-quarter deficit in the Class 2A final to beat Decatur-Riverside for its first state crown in 25 years.
In Erik Kimrey’s first season as Baylor’s coach, the Red Raiders opened 6-0 for the first time in 11 years, including rallying for a dramatic four-point victory to snap a six-year losing streak to rival McCallie.
Baylor, which had finished as the state runner-up in 1977, 2010 and 2011 since its only previous title in 1973, followed another ugly performance — the Red Raiders stopped host Brentwood Academy 1 yard short of the goal line in the semifinals — by beating MBA for first time in a five-game stretch in the series.
In that title game, the teams combined for 912 yards, but it was Baylor’s defense, which held MBA to 158 total yards in the second half, that opened the door to the comeback by making two stops and forcing a turnover.
“In the locker room at halftime, we just reminded each other that it’s our last game together, so look at your brother next to you and fight for them,” said Red Raiders running back Caleb Hampton, a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist. who was named MVP of the DII-AAA BlueCross Bowl after the senior ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
Tyner, which had averaged just seven points this season heading into the title game, also used its stingy defense to win the 2A title. The Rams trailed 15-0 after the first quarter and didn’t take their first lead until the opening of the second half, when eventual Mr. Football winner Josh Jackson connected with Trae Ruffin on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Markel McKinney, who was named the game’s MVP after rushing for 114 yards and two scores, later extended the lead, but it was the defense that ultimately sealed the victory.
During his emotional pregame pep talk, Rams assistant Twon McClain had implored the team to “leave your legacy on that field. Hit everything that moves!” The defensive tandem of Zashun Hubbard and Rayshaun Hinton did just that by combining on a tackle that stopped Riverside’s attempt at a game-tying 2-point conversion.
Afterward, Rams second-year coach Scott Chandler recalled his instructions just before Riverside trailed by two.
“I told our guys during the timeout, ‘whatever you have in the tank, whatever you have left, you better bring it,'” Chandler said, “”because we have a game to win the state championship. .'”
History was made in early April when former Bradley Central star Rhyne Howard was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream.
It marked the first time a Chattanooga-area athlete was taken with the top overall pick in a professional sports draft.
“I’m shaking right now,” a visibly emotional Howard said during ESPN’s national broadcast from New York City. “I breathed a sigh of relief because this is a dream come true. It’s hard to believe it’s real.”
The late Reggie White, the Chattanooga native who played in high school for the Howard Hustlin’ Tigers before moving on to the University of Tennessee, was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 1984 United States Football League draft, marking the highest athlete in some area. had previously been prepared.
Following her senior season at Bradley Central, Howard was named the 2018 Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year and was also honored as Tennessee’s Miss Basketball for Class AAA. Then, as part of the U.S. team that won gold at that year’s FIBA Americas U18 Championship tournament, she was named MVP
Once at the University of Kentucky, Howard became a unanimous national freshman of the year, three-time All-American, Wooden Award finalist and only the third player in program history to score more than 2,000 career points. She was named the Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in both 2020 and 2021—her sophomore and junior seasons—and was also an SEC all-defensive team selection.
Entering the 2021 postseason, Howard was the only player in the nation averaging 19 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. match.
Former North Murray High School star Ladd McConkey joined the SEC all-freshman ranks for the 2021 season after finishing second on his team with 447 receiving yards and five touchdowns for the University of Georgia. McConkey, who started seven games for the Bulldogs, was part of the team that ended the program’s 40-plus-year national championship drought by beating Alabama 33-18 in the CFP title game in January.
Stetson Bennett’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell with 8:09 left put Georgia ahead 19-18, and after forcing the Crimson Tide into a three-and-out offensive drive, the Bulldogs extended their lead on another Bennett touchdown throw, and then sealed. the win when Keelee Ringo returned an interception 79 yards for a score.
Although McConkey had just one catch in the title game, he was part of a team that snapped a seven-game losing streak to Alabama and capped a 14-1 season that set a program record for wins.
“This is a special moment for the University of Georgia and for this team,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart told ESPN after the win in Indianapolis. “I hope it doesn’t take that long again.”
In late April, the New England Patriots made offensive lineman Cole Strange the first athlete from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to be selected in the first round of an NFL draft.
Strange, who excelled at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and at the NFL combine in Indianapolis to bolster his draft prospects, was selected with the 29th overall pick. His phone call from the Patriots included a welcome from coach Bill Belichick, who has led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles.
“He wouldn’t have lasted much longer,” Belichick said after the draft.
The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder played guard and center for UTC, earned Freshman All-America honors, made 44 career starts and twice earned Southern Conference offensive lineman recognition. He was also named a Football Championship Subdivision All-American as a senior.
Strange credited getting to play in the Senior Bowl to prove he could compete against competition at the NFL level.
UTC’s previous highest draft pick had been receiver Terrell Owens, who was taken in the third round (89th overall) in 1996 and went on to become a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Strange was also the first Moc drafted at all since 2017, when offensive lineman Corey Levin was taken in the sixth round by the Tennessee Titans.
With UTC trailing Furman by two points and just 4.3 seconds left in overtime in the SoCon men’s basketball tournament title game in Asheville, North Carolina, Mocs sixth-year senior guard David Jean-Baptiste had just enough time to become a hero.
Jean-Baptiste ran across the half-court line and, with two Paladins raising their arms to make the attempt even more difficult, made a 35-foot shot that splashed through the net at the buzzer to lift UTC to a 64-63 victory that gave the program its first NCAA -tournament place since 2016.
As the celebration spilled onto the field, Jean-Baptiste lay on the floor in disbelief with his hands over his head.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Jean-Baptiste, who had been a player in the SoCon longer than eight of the league’s 10 head coaches at the time. “The city of Chattanooga, they deserve it.”
The highlight was replayed on national news for several days after the game.
When the Cincinnati Bengals took on the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI in mid-February, the Chattanooga area was well represented, thanks to a trio that played their high school football in the Chattanooga area.
Former Ridgeland star defensive back Vonn Bell and former Fort Payne (Alabama) kicker Evan McPherson both contributed for the Bengals. Bell had seven tackles, including one for loss, and McPherson connected on two field goals, including a 38-yarder, and a pair of extra points in Cincinnati’s 23-20 loss.
Meanwhile, former Notre Dame athlete Kareem Orr, who was on the practice squad for the Rams, earned a Super Bowl ring despite not being able to attend the game.
In mid-December, the TSSAA voted to begin allowing student-athletes to be paid for their name, image and likeness. A week later, four-star football prospect Boo Carter became the Chattanooga area’s first prep player to sign an NIL deal, announcing a sponsorship with SuckerPunch Gourmet Inc., an Illinois-based pickle company.
Carter had an outstanding regular season for Chattanooga Christian School, compiling 1,478 offensive yards and 28 touchdowns and intercepting four passes on defense to become the Mr. Football semifinalist before transferring to Brainerd after the first week of the playoffs.
Considered one of the state’s top prospects for the class of 2024 by all national recruiting services, Carter has narrowed his list of college programs he’s considering to 12 — Tennessee, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Clemson, Miami, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Oregon, Arizona State and Jackson State – but will also take an official visit to Colorado after Deion Sanders left Jackson State to take over the Buffaloes.
In late February, just two weeks after its head football coaching position opened, Boyd Buchanan made an emphatic statement about the future of his program by hiring Gary Rankin, Tennessee’s all-time leader in coaching wins for the sport.
Earlier this month, Rankin had retired after 16 seasons at Alcoa, where he won 13 of his 17 state titles. The only coach in state history to win more than 400 games, Rankin would help turn the Buccaneers around and guide them to a 7-4 finish this season, their best in three years.
Rankin now ranks fourth nationally among active prep coaches with a 473-82 overall record.
In the school’s first year of existence, the Dalton Academy boys soccer program went on an improbable postseason run to win the public GHSA Class A championship.
Comprised of a collection of players from around Whitfield County as well as immigrant students, the Pumas put together an 18-2 season that ended with a 4-2 title win over Drew Charter School at Mercer University in Macon.
Adrian Granados led the team with 20 goals. That included the first in the title game, while co-captain Andy Reynoso added a goal that put the Pumas in command. For the season, Dalton Academy scored 82 goals and allowed just 18.
McCallie’s baseball team capped off an incredible 2021-2022 for the school’s athletic program by winning the DII-AA state championship at the TSSAA Spring Fling. It was the fifth state title of the school year for the Blue Tornado athletic program, as the baseball team joined the football, cross country, tennis and lacrosse programs, all of which won titles either in the fall or earlier in the spring.
After dropping their first two games in a regional series with Baylor, the Blue Tornado bounced back with a 1-0 home win over their rival and then won 11 of their last 13 to end the season and win the third baseball title in program history.
The magical run ended with a dramatic 14-13 walkoff win over Lipscomb Academy in a game that featured six lead changes. The Blue Tornado trailed 13-9 entering the bottom of the seventh, but Carter Hewitt blasted a three-run home run with one out and Zach Porter later followed with a two-run single to win the game and the championship.
“Winning a state championship is special. But five team titles in one year is really extra special,” said Jeff Romero, dean of athletics at McCallie. “Seeing a team come together to achieve success and seeing the joy on the student-athletes’ faces makes all the long hours and weekends worth it.”
The year also included Baylor continuing its softball dominance as the Lady Red Raiders won their seventh straight DII-AA crown over Chattanooga rival GPS. Also in softball, former Meigs County star Ashley Rogers ran her scoreless inning streak to 24 for the University of Tennessee.
Signal Mountain’s wrestling program captured its first team state title, winning the TSSAA Class A duals, while Trion won both the duals and traditional GHSA Class A state team titles.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
Race & Ethnicity The largest Chattanooga racial/ethnic groups are white (56.3%), followed by black (30.3%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
How much does it cost to rent a billboard in Chattanooga TN?
| Bulletin (large billboard) | $2,000 |
|---|---|
| Digital Bulletin (large digital billboard) | $3,000 |
| Poster (medium billboard) | $1,000 |
| Digital poster (Medium Digital Billboard) | $2,000 |
How much does it cost to put something up on a billboard? The classic billboards can cost as low as $250 per month, especially when in rural areas, and as much as $14,000 per month or more if located in mid-sized or large cities. Digital billboards are more expensive, running between $1,200 and $15,000 or more per month.
How much does a billboard cost per day?
Several factors determine the price of a billboard. Renting the ad space for your ad will cost between five and eight hundred dollars a day. Prices vary with location, as well as how many days you want the ad space.
How much should I pay for a billboard?
Plan to spend from $750 to $1,500 per month for physical billboard campaigns in rural areas, $1,500 to $2,000 in small to medium cities, and $14,000 and up in larger markets. To see also : International Arrivals to United States Increase 160% in July 2022. Digital billboards can cost from $10 per seven-second spot to over $15,000, depending on board placement, ad length and frequency.
How much does a BSN make in Chattanooga TN?
How much does a newly graduated registered nurse make in Chattanooga, TN? The average New Graduate Registered Nurse salary in Chattanooga, TN is $60,509 per year. This may interest you : Sources: NBA transition “getting worse,” bench code on the brink of tougher penalties for the 2022-23 season. November 23, 2022, but the salary range typically falls between $54,281 and $69,174.
Which type of BSN is paid the most? Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist salary. Certified registered nurse anesthetists earn a median salary of $195,610 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it the highest paying nursing specialty.
How much does a BSN make an hour in Tennessee?
Tennessee is one of the lower paying states for registered nurses. The registered nurse salary in Tennessee is $62,570 per year. Read also : Travel associations dig in as Paris Airport, EasyJet staff go out. This means that nurses in Tennessee earn an average of $30.08 an hour.
What nurses make the most money in Tennessee?
Average Salaries for Other Nursing Roles in Tennessee The highest paying nursing job in Tennessee, nurse anesthetist, earns 90% more than the average RN salary in Tennessee. Becoming a nurse anesthetist requires obtaining a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP).
What is the nicest neighborhood in Chattanooga?
Best 9 Places to Stay in Chattanooga, TN
- Downtown. If you’re looking for a walkable urban environment with a small town feel, downtown Chattanooga is the place for you. …
- Belvoir. …
- The south side. …
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Is Chattanooga TN a nice place to live? I would recommend anyone to live in Chattanooga because it is a great city for all walks of life and has something for everyone to do. There are so many things to do. Unfortunately, most of it requires you to spend money, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy Chattanooga without spending too much. Rate it!
Is Hixson TN a nice place to live?
If you prefer to live a more fast-paced life, Hixson is the perfect mix between city and suburban life. Located just 15 minutes from Downtown Chattanooga, this community provides easy access yet offers luxurious homes away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
