To say the Sequoyah High School football program went on a roller coaster ride this summer would be an understatement.

There were coaching changes, players quitting, players returning, and plenty of controversy surrounding the situation.

But this week, the program was able to put those distractions behind them and return to the practice field in anticipation of the upcoming football season.

New head coach Bill Satterfield will be serving his second stint in a Monroe County football program. Satterfield previously coached at Vonore High School before leaving for Greenback.

The Chiefs have turned their full attention to this season and put the summer’s events behind them. 

Sequoyah returns a majority of its starters from last year’s team that went 2-8, but was still in the playoff hunt with two weeks remaining in the season.

The Chiefs are back at full strength after nearly the entire team quit when Satterfield was originally named as the head coach. However, those players are back, in large part due to the bond the players have with each other according to Jacob White, who will look to collect his second straight Player of the Year award.

“When everybody walked and stuff, we all just wanted to try to stay together and try to stay family like we were and tight like we were last season,” said White. 

“It kept getting harder and harder as time went on and then all of us ended up coming back. Then the ones that came back stayed together and brought even more people in by spreading the word and trying to do everything we could for this upcoming season.”

Satterfield said the Chiefs had a good week of practice and he’s excited to be with the team he’s got.

Sequoyah has been busy installing a new offense that is designed to spread the field and get the ball in the hands of the team’s playmakers.

The team looks to have no shortage of players in that category as speedsters Nick Carson, Shane Breeden, and Storm Corvette all return and will give Sequoyah multiple options on the ground and through the air.

Sequoyah will be thrown into the fire early as the Chiefs will scrimmage Harriman on Tuesday and Coalfield on Aug. 12. 

Though Harriman and Coalfield are smaller schools, both are known for their physical play and smashmouth football, which should prove to be good, early tests for the Chiefs.