Matthews has already turned CCS into a winner
By Steve Williams
Steve Matthews is in the process of putting Concord Christian high school football on the map.
Going into Friday’s varsity road game against Chattanooga Grace Academy, the Lions had a 7-1 record, including a 3-1 mark against varsity teams and a 4-0 worksheet against junior varsity teams.
Until this year, Concord Christian reportedly had never won a varsity game in 30 tries. The school’s initial season in football was 2015.
CCS will wrap up its first successful campaign in the sport against Grace Christian’s JV team today at GCA.
Coach Matthews, 54, took on the rebuilding job at Concord Christian after completing his co-interim head coaching position at Knoxville Catholic in 2023.
“It’s been fun,” said Matthews. “It’s definitely got its challenges. But I think it’s pushed me as a coach, especially with working with younger players. That’s maybe something I haven’t done a ton of in the past. This team is mostly freshmen, sophomores and some eighth graders sprinkled in. But it does; it challenges you as a coach, but I really enjoy working with these guys. They come out here every day. They give it their best. I think the future is extremely bright.”
Concord Christian had a JV team last year.
“I don’t think it was quite to this extent,” said Matthews. “I know they struggled record-wise. We’re excited where we are at and definitely where we are headed.”
CCS started the season with 39 players on its roster, but lost two players, including senior Travis Cozart (6-2, 210) in Week 2 to an ankle injury. Cozart, who was listed on the roster as a RB/DL, hopes to play in college, said Matthews.
The team currently has four seniors and three juniors. The rest are underclassmen and middle school age.
The Lions’ top players this season have been senior captain and quarterback Dawson Williford and junior LT/NG Jacob Johnson (6-4, 260), who was playing for the first time on a high school team.
“This year some of the games that we played weren’t really close in the first half, but sometimes I like seeing the younger guys go out there and have fun (in the second half),” said Johnson. “I’m absolutely looking forward to next season.”
With many young players on the team, Williford led by example, showing them how to act, how to practice and how to perform in games. He enjoyed being able to mentor the young guys and help them become better players, too.
Dawson played a full varsity season at another school his sophomore year before transferring to CCS.
“I love this place,” he said. “It’s been great for me. Honestly, coming here I didn’t know what to expect. But the people here, you can tell they really care. And being around an environment like that is huge. You can take that with you the rest of your life.”
Williford hopes to play at the next level. He said his “recruiting process is up and running. I’ve been going on visits and just kind of seeing where I fit in programs and deciding where I want to go.”
With his coach’s football background as a player and coach, Matthews’ recommendation to recruiters should go a long way.
Other key players for CCS this season have been freshman OT Rece Burleson (6-2, 220), sophomore OLB Reece Franklin and freshman LB/RB Lyric Jackson.
Matthews’ coaching staff includes Drew Franklin (defensive coordinator and linebackers), Kevin Winslett (defensive backs), Dustin Nickles (defensive line), Tim Satterfield (offensive line), Brandon Barber (offensive line), Benjie Shuler (wide receivers) and Austin Lynch (quarterbacks).
Matthews said the CCS program may not be well known now right now, “but I think in the very near future you will hear a lot about us.
“I’m extremely optimistic of what we are building. We have a really good staff and a really good group of young men that are getting a ton of experience at an early age. I only think things can get better. We have a beautiful campus here. We’ve got everything we need. It’s just a matter of these guys maturing. But I think we have a chance to be a really special program here in East Tennessee in the very near future.”
Concord Christian will play a full varsity schedule next season in the TSSAA Division II-A classification.
Matthews said the focus in the off-season “will be just getting better and stronger.”
A quarterback, Matthews played at Tullahoma High, University of Memphis and in the NFL for five years. He was head coach at Knoxville Catholic from 2013-2021 and guided the Fighting Irish to state titles in 2015 and 2017.
