BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – For the first time in school history, the Cascade Champions football program will be competing in Class AAA for at least the upcoming 2025 season. Joining Region 4-AAA with Sequatchie County, Giles County, Community, Chapel Hill, and Watertown, the timing of the Champs’ move probably won’t excite many outsiders that are hoping for an improvement from a 1-9 campaign last year. Even still, second-year head coach, Jared Carkuff, is ready to change that, starting from a change in perspective from inside his program.

“Their mindset shift, it’s just night and day [from last year to this year]. They were like, ‘we'll do whatever it takes,’” said Carkuff. “I was like, literally, have fun. It makes everything way easier if you’re having fun doing this.”

“The culture shift has just happened way faster than I thought. I was committed to a three year process at least to get the buy-in, and it really just happened right after the [2024] season. We challenged them, like, it's gonna change eventually. If you would like for it to be you and your senior year, then you need to do it. I told them, ‘I'll be here for a long time, as long as they keep me.’ And I was like, ‘It's gonna change one day. If it's when you're here or when you're in the stands, it's gonna happen.’ And it happened quickly. The winter workouts are where it really changed and people would just get after it and get in the weight room and you could just tell they would come to all the extra work that they weren't before. That culture change was fun, and then obviously the actual football part of it has gotten better too, with the confidence and just getting the reps and all that type of stuff. I mean, we played a lot of people that never played a real snap of football outside of JV or middle school. So it helped.”

With the culture buy-in taken care of by the core returners over the offseason, Carkuff was able to spice things up by adding a few transfers that promise to be instant impacts on the football field, including former SCHS Golden Eagle RB/LB, Nate Zimmerman, and Webb Feet QB/S, Sam Bradley.

Zimmerman ran for nearly 500 yards last season as the backup to All-Region superstar, Robert Bailey, while also tallying nearly 50 total tackles with three sacks and one fumble recovery on defense.

Nate Zimmerman (20) bolsters a solid linebacker room and provides a huge punch out of the backfield offensively after transferring in from Shelbyville Central. Zimmerman ran for nearly 500 yards and 12 TDs a season ago for the Golden Eagles.

Shelbyville Central Football Facebook

Bradley didn’t get any snaps at quarterback last season at Webb, but he was a key cog in Webb’s defense, much like Zimmerman. From his safety position, Bradley totaled 37 tackles in just seven of Webb’s 11 games last season (incomplete statistical archives). 

“Freaking playmaker, dude,” Carkuff says about Bradley. “He’s got some legs. He can sling it, he can run it. Big kid, smart, just works his tail off. He's in here before everybody else every day. Like, it's going to be fun…He's seen a lot of football. Even if you're playing safety, you're watching a lot of good football, and you still have to study film on the defensive side. Like I said, it's not like he wasn't practicing. And he came in with us as soon as he transferred and went to work. In the summer he would come throw with the guys five times a week, even though we were only practicing two or three at that point on offensive stuff. He clicked pretty quickly with all the guys.”

Following a 2024 campaign that saw the Champions’ quarterback situation devastated by injury starting out in Week One, Carkuff is hoping that an older, full-time quarterback will help steady the offense as a whole heading into 2025. 

This season, both Zimmerman and Bradley join juniors ZeShawn Swaggerty (OLB/WR), who transferred from Marshall County, as well as Aaron Graff (WR/DB) from Shelbyville Central. Swaggerty saw action in 11 of the 14 games last season with the Tigers, making two receptions for 37 yards while making eight tackles on defense. 

“He's a difference maker,” says Carkuff.

One of the biggest adjustments for Cascade coming into this season has been adjusting the mindset and culture of the program. Quality transfers certainly help with that, but the initiative has to be taken by the core returners to see real results, and Carkuff says that his group has done just that.

“The core is really the group that has shifted the whole [mindset]. Obviously, they [the transfers] made us better in key spots, but, the core of those guys that started last year that are working their tail off, they're going to be big for it. It's a good spot. Those guys have been getting after it, and you can see it physically and out there and you just have confidence in everything. When you're getting beat up, it's hard to do a lot of good things. When you go out there with your head down, and you can see your chest is out and it's good. It's what I'm used to. Getting the chest out there a little bit.”

Seniors Joe Bailey (OL/DL), Will Benton (OL/DL), Kaden Hill (LB/RB), and Andrew Dowell (OLB/WR) along with juniors Braxtyn Burris (WR/DB), Delontae Clay (DB/WR), and Isaac Rimes (OL/DL) are some of Cascade’s key returners from a rough 2024 season. Burris spent half of the season as the emergency quarterback, so he expects to benefit from playing his natural position at wideout. Burris showcased speed and explosiveness with the ball in his hands last year, and Delontae Clay emerged as a playmaker on both sides of the ball as well. Kaden Hill returns to create a deadly 1-2 punch with Nate Zimmerman out of the backfield, and Andrew Dowell partners with Zimmerman at linebacker as a physical playmaker defensively.

Kaden Hill (6) runs vs Community. Hill returns for his senior season as a key playmaker both at linebacker and at running back.

David Smith

In all, Cascade brought in eight transfers, in large part thanks to TSSAA passing a new one-time transfer rule over the offseason.

A major schematic shift that Cascade is adopting for this season is shifting its defensive alignment to more of a Multiple 3-4 with the addition of Co-DCs Braxton Waddell and Britt Roberts.

“I wanted something that I was comfortable with, and I know a [multiple] 3-4,” says Carkuff, “It’s what the teams I’ve been at previously have ran, so I've been the offensive coordinator against that for several years, and something that I know is I know the terminology better. I probably didn't do a good enough job in trying to get to the terminology of the last one just because I was drowning on offense. It's working out. We try to keep it as simple as possible for the kids. I mean, everybody's playing both ways. Simplicity is key.”

Of course, having an entire offseason at your disposal for the first time in between your first and second year as the head coach is a massive benefit, and Carkuff utilized the time to its full potential. 

“I really believe in our weight program as far as getting stronger, but it's so hard and so difficult,” he says “To do it every single day, you have to get mentally stronger. That's the whole point. It's built around that. Some people didn't make it through it. Some people did and now we’re better.” 

“It's a pretty normal workout, but the way it's structured and the load that it takes, we build it around four quarters of football, and the most important part is the first quarter. If you don't start well and do all that in the rest of it's pointless. So you do all the heavy lifting the first part, and then it gets harder as far as not necessarily conditioning, but like cardiovascular at the end. It's like if you can make it to the fourth quarter and you have more steam than them, you usually win. It's just a really cool setup to just drain you physically and mentally and make you stronger.” 

Carkuff has a state championship under his belt from his time at Collins Hill in Georgia when he was the offensive coordinator, so he knows what it takes to win a state championship. He’s building Cascade with the ultimate goal of bringing home the school’s first-ever state title. That is his ultimate goal every season, and this year is no different. Of course, to get to that point, you have to qualify for the playoffs in the first place.

“Obviously our one goal is the state championship, but to get there, you have to get in the playoffs,” he explains, “Usually the best route is to host a playoff game. So that is our goal, one or two. Obviously, one is the goal, but we will never be mad about hosting a playoff game. And because you know how the playoffs are, it's all about the matchup. Sometimes you host and you get a terrible matchup that your team just doesn't match up well against, but sometimes you go on the road and you get a good draw.”

“The goal is to host a playoff game and win one for the first time since I was in high school [2011]. What that does is it just makes life fun in a small town. When football is good – and all sports – but when football is good in a small town in America, you can't beat it. They make freaking movies about it.”

Cascade last qualified for the postseason as the 4-seed in 2023, but saw the season come to a close in a 42-0 blowout loss at East Robertson. Following the conclusion of that game, longtime head coach, Jake Tyre, stepped down into a school administration role, opening up the opportunity for Carkuff to return to his alma mater. Tyre recently joined region-rival, Community, with Glen Tidwell as the Vikes’ offensive coordinator for 2025.

The ‘Battle of Bedford’ on October 31st to close the regular season could be a playoff game of its own for the Champions, depending on how they perform in region play leading up to that game. The Champions open the season with four consecutive non-region contests to prepare for the Region 4-AAA opener at the projected favorites, Sequatchie County. The reigning region champs made it all the way to the AAA State Semifinals, only falling to the eventual champs and annual state power, Alcoa. 

Following a bye week after the game against Sequatchie, the Champions host Giles County, the projected second-place team in this region. That’s a rough start for Cascade, but they will have an opportunity to turn things around if neither of those games go their way. A trip to Chapel Hill for the second-consecutive season awaits on October 10th, but then the Champs welcome Watertown to The Stable. This game against the Purple Tigers will likely be Cascade’s best opportunity for a region win before Community, and with a win, they might even be able to sneak themselves into the 4-seed, likely dependent on what happens between Watertown and Chapel Hill in the final week of the season. 

A non-region trip to Marion County is sandwiched between Watertown and the game against Community. 

Cascade added a few dynamic playmakers at key positions, and returned eight seniors for 2025. The good news is that quite a few of the seniors are in the trenches, including four along the offensive line. 

“We have about six or potentially seven that will play when one of them comes back from a shoulder thing,” says Carkuff, “Like I said, we're old, we have four seniors that start. One junior. then our two backups are juniors. We are very old up front. So it's all about staying healthy with them, and only three of them play on defense because it's a three man front.”

So, how will Region 4-AAA shake out in 2025? Sequatchie County should more or less coast to another region title and a one-seed for the postseason. Giles County is likely to finish in second place, potentially challenged by the Rockets from Chapel Hill. If not second, the Rockets are likely to finish in the three seed, and then the final spot will likely come down to Watertown, Cascade, or Community. The four-seed from this region will more than likely come down to the game on October 17th in Bell Buckle between the Purple Tigers and the Champions. It seems like the two most impactful games in region play this season both include Watertown against Cascade and then against Chapel Hill in Week 11. 

There will be growing pains for the Champions this season, but the light at the end of the tunnel is the potential to take a step in the right direction in Year Two of the Jared Carkuff era. In all likelihood, the success of this season will come down to two games against a pair of programs who utilize purple as their primary color. 

Cascade opens the season on Friday, August 22nd at home against Cheatham County at 7:00 p.m. LIVE all season on WZNG The Zinger 100.9 and AM 1400.

2024 RESULTS: 1-9 (0-4)

AUG. 23 LOSS @ Moore Co. 33-7

AUG. 30 LOSS @ Richland 54-14

SEPT. 5 LOSS @ Huntland 40-7

SEPT. 13 WIN vs Community 49-34

SEPT. 20 LOSS @ Watertown 20-3

SEPT. 27 LOSS @ Chapel Hill* 48-0

OCT. 4 LOSS  vs Monterey 35-0

OCT. 18 LOSS  @ Cannon Co.* 48-21

OCT. 25 LOSS vs Fayetteville* 60-11

NOV. 1 LOSS vs Marion Co.* 76-7

CASCADE’S 2025 SCHEDULE

AUG. 22 vs Cheatham County 7:00

AUG. 29 @ Moore County 7:00

SEPT. 5 @ Summertown 7:00

SEPT. 11 vs Eagleville 7:00

SEPT. 19 @ Sequatchie County 7:00

OCT. 3 vs Giles County 7:00

OCT. 10 @ Chapel Hill 7:00

OCT. 17 vs Watertown 7:00

OCT. 24 @ Marion County 7:00

OCT. 31 vs Community 7:00

CASCADE 2025 FOOTBALL ROSTER

# PLAYER GRADE POSITION

#0 Braxtyn Burris 11 WR/DB

#1 Brett Huenink 11 WR/OLB

#2 Sam Bradley 11 QB

#3 Delontae Clay 11 WR/DB

#4 Corey Gooch 12 WR/DB

#6 Kaden Hill 12 RB/LB

#7 Andrew Dowell 12 WR/LB

#8 Slater Hall 10 WR/DB

#9 Gabe Perez-Rubio 12 K/P

#10 ZeShawn Swaggerty 12 WR/OLB

#11 Xykaiah Dixon 11 DB

#12 Cain Harden 12 TE/LB

#13 Aaron Graff 11 WR/DB

#14 Ty Deaton 10 WR/DB

#15 Lendon Gordon 10 WR/DB

#16 River Maddox 11 WR/DB

#17 Trenton Giel 12 WR/OLB

#18 Isaac Winton 11 LB

#19 Garrett Caswell 10 WR/DB

#20 Nate Zimmerman 11 RB/LB

#21 Reidy Brainard 12 WR/DB

#22 Blake White 10 TE/LB

#23 Josh Cunningham 10 RB/OLB

#24 Jailon Smith 9 WR/DB

#25 Caleb Smith 12 OLB

#26 Johel Perez 9 RB/LB

#27 Laythan Wix 9 TE/LB/S

#30 Allan Blanton 9 RB/LB

#31 Bryson King 9 K/P

#32 Lando Martin 10 K/P

#33 Jeremey Weldon 9 WR/DB

#34 Robbie Davis 9 WR/DB

#35 Malaki Holloman 10 WR/DB

#36 Xander Shockley 9 WR/DB

#37 Haiden West 10 RB/LB

#44 Gabriel Graham 10 OL/DL

#50 Nick Mooreland 10 OL/DL

#51 Bradley Sorrells 11 OL/DL

#52 Gabe Graham 10 OL/DL

#53 Rivers Sims 12 OL/DL

#54 Isaac Rimes 11 OL/DL

#56 Ayden Woodard 12 OL/DL

#61 Adrian Cass 9 OL/LB

#62 Will Benton 12 OL/DL

#63 Peyton Long 10 OL/DL

#64 Dustin Pinder 12 OL/DL

#68 Elijah Hord 9 OL/LB

#74 Titus Schudar 11 OL/DL

#75 Joe Bailey 12 OL/DL

#76 Levi Morgan 9 OL/DL

#77 Slade Thompson 10 OL/DL

COACHES:

HC/OC- Jared Carkuff

QB- Brevin Linnell

RB- Alex Roberts

WR- Will Carter

OL- Ethan Calvert

Co-DC- Braxton Waddell

Co-DC- Britt Roberts

LB- Chris Arnold

DB- Ricky Hord

DL- Phil Hord

Special Teams Coordinator- Sanders Lovvorn