Marion joins 6-A favorites

JASPER, Tenn. -- In a community where football remains king, Marion County's baseball team put together an impressive string under coach Steven Roberts.

The Warriors won four straight District 6-AA championships. They earned trips to the 2007 and '08 state tournaments. They reached the sectional last year. Now they're in District 6-A, where Lookout Valley has had its way more often than not.

"It's going to be a whole lot more competitive," Lookout Valley coach David Dinger said. "We always played Marion, although they're a bigger school with probably twice as many students as we have. But now when you get into a (postseason) tournament, they probably will have a big advantage in depth."

Lookout Valley has won three straight district championships. The Yellow Jackets won district and region titles in 2009 and had to beat newcomer Signal Mountain for each title.

"Signal Mountain came in and made a splash, and they have all those kids back," Dinger said. "With kids that young you can make huge strides, especially freshman to sophomore and sophomore to junior seasons."

Both Signal Mountain, now coached by Bill Price, and Lookout Valley are keeping an eye on Marion County.

"They're good," Price said. "They'll make the district a lot tougher."

Roberts isn't so sure. He graduated six starters, including pitchers Lucas Lloyd and Joe Muir.

"Some days you think it will be easier, and some days you know it's going to be harder," the Marion coach said. "From top to bottom it won't be as tough as 6-AA. Just about any day you could step out there and get beat by anybody. But in 6-A there's Lookout Valley and Signal Mountain, an

improving South Pittsburg, and Coach (Scott) Barton is doing a good job at Whitwell.

District 6-A is comprised of East and West divisions. The West has Marion, South Pittsburg, Whitwell and Richard Hardy, and the East has Lookout Valley, Signal Mountain, Sale Creek and Van Buren County.

Nobody in Marion's old league is getting a free pass, because Red Bank and Central have dropped from 6-AAA. The 6-AA schools have been split into two districts. Central and Red Bank join Tyner, Howard, Brainerd, East Hamilton, East Ridge and Hixson in District 6. District 7-AA has Bledsoe County, Chattanooga Christian, Grundy County, Notre Dame and Sequatchie County.

The changes also caused a shift in Class AAA, where Ooltewah and Soddy-Daisy have been shuffled from 6-AAA into already tough 5-AAA with Bradley Central, Cleveland, McMinn County, Rhea County and Walker Valley.

"You look at it and Bradley, Cleveland and Soddy-Daisy have been to recent state tournaments," Rhea coach Wes Caldwell said. "It was already a tough district, and now with Ooltewah and Soddy-Daisy added, it is one of the toughest districts in the state."

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