Mark Mariakis Bringing Physicality to Signal Mountain

Signal Mountain, TN-(WDEF-TV) Signal Mountain has a new head coach in Mark Mariakis.
He’ll try to lift up an Eagles team that hasn’t enjoyed a winning record since 20-21.
Signal Mountain has the 30-in-30 spotlight.

Said Mariakis:”When the game is over, we want to make sure we are the most physical team on the field.”
Physicality. Coach Mariakis loves to run the ball.
But what if you’re a quarterback that can sling it like Eagles senior Cash Keene.
How’s the new dynamic going to work?
Said Mariakis:”Well I’m the quarterbacks coach. So he had no choice. But he has really seen that if we can create a run game that the passing game opens up.”
Said Keene:”He’s good about explaining everything. I’ve learned everything as fast as I could. It’s pretty simple.”
Said Mariakis:”We’ve got a few receivers who can catch the football that we feel good about throwing the ball to them. Then Cash is probably the best passing quarterback we’ve had that I can’t remember when.”
Mariakis has lots of head coaching experience.
But for the last year and-a-half or so, he was on the staff at Boyd Buchanan under Gary Rankin, the winningest coach in Tennessee state history.
Said Mariakis:”The way he thinks is the way I think. He’s a physical football coach. He brings physicality to the offense and defense. So I was able to pull a lot of things from him. Just practice organization. Just preparing kids for a football game on Friday.”
Mariakis says he has three assistants that have been with him for twenty plus years.
That experience will come in handy prepping the Eagles defense.
Said Mariakis:”We’ve gotten solid folks at all the positions right now, but you really can’t tell on that side of the ball until you start playing against somebody. Seeing how we handle somebody coming at us.”