Premium

Prep football 2024: Character-shaping loss has Bartlett High primed for a big season

By , Daily Memphian Updated: July 22, 2024 4:46 PM CT | Published: July 18, 2024 12:18 PM CT

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.


Former St. Benedict standout picked in first round of MLB draft


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 Only

Are you enjoying your subscription?  

Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community. 

You can help us reach more Memphians. 

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.  

When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.  

Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today. 

Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community. 

John Varlas

John Varlas

John Varlas is a lifelong Memphian who has covered high school sports in various capacities for over 20 years.


Comments

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