Prep football 2024: Character-shaping loss has Bartlett High primed for a big season
Bartlett head coach Chris Smith questions a call by the referees late in the second quarter of play against Collierville in the Class 6A, Region 8 contest at Bartlett High School, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. (Greg Campbell/Special for The Daily Memphian file)
As far as debuts go, Bartlett High School’s 2023 season-opener could hardly have been less auspicious.
The Panthers were making their debut under Chris Smith, fresh off a highly successful coaching stint at Haywood High in Brownsville. Smith brought with him a high-octane, fast-break offense — and the promise of some exciting football for the Bartlett faithful.
That faith was sorely tested though after Memphis University School ran out to an easy 37-0 victory. With a quarterback making his first varsity start and with the team’s best receiver injured, Bartlett’s attacked fizzled like a wet firecracker; the Panthers turned it over seven times as MUS scored all of its points in the first half before turning things over to the back-ups.
With another tough game against Lausanne coming up next — and a brutal Region 8-6A schedule following in short order — things could have gotten real ugly real fast. Instead, Bartlett reflected. And regrouped.
Topics
TSSAA High School Football Bartlett High School Chris Smith Geron Johnson Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
John Varlas
John Varlas is a lifelong Memphian who has covered high school sports in various capacities for over 20 years.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.