SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION

BY WES HOLTSCLAW

“Don’t be a cheap imitation of yourself. Just be the best version of you!”

Those were the words Elizabethton’s most famous Cyclone shared with a group of hungry young men coached by his brother before they ran through a black helmet and onto the gridiron at Citizens Bank Stadium last Friday.

“Be the best version of you,” Jason Witten said.

Elizabethton’s football team has made the playoffs on 29 occasions since the 1977-1978 season.

Friday’s game with Nolensville marked the seventh time the Cyclones reached the final four dating back to the junior season of head coach Shawn Witten in 1997.

It marked the fourth time the Cyclones reached the semifinals under Witten’s tutelage.

Unlike the six times prior, the orange and black did something only one other team from Carter County has been able to do in the modern-day TSSAA era by punching a ticket to a state championship game.

Some would argue there have been other Elizabethton teams with more talent. Some would argue that there have been other Elizabethton teams with a harder path to glory.

I might argue, however, that this Elizabethton team has the guts and heart to rival any team that has ever come through those hallways.

Time and again facing adversity, this team has found a way.

Whether it was facing miscues and a deficit on the road against a 6A William Blount. Falling behind twice and storming back against the defending state champion Greeneville Greene Devils, these Cyclones have a will to win.

Eighteen years ago, buses and carloads of fans left Roan Mountain for Murfreesboro as Cloudland’s football team looked to bring Northeast Tennessee its first gold football.

It was unable to achieve the title of state champion.

Even with a future Pro Football Hall of Famer on its roster, those great Cyclones of the 90s were unable to earn the title of state champion.

The same could be said of great teams from Hampton and Dobyns-Bennett, each of whom fell one game short of the ultimate milestone.

This Saturday, in Cookeville, the Cyclones can do what only Greeneville in Upper East Tennessee has done, what no other team or player like Jason Witten or other NFL or collegiate standouts from this end of the state have done.

“You’ll live the rest of your life, like these alumni behind you,” the Dallas Cowboys’ tight end said Friday. “But they’ll be talking about you because you’ll be the first team to do something that I never did, that Coach (Shawn) Witten never did, that none of these other guys ever did. You guys. You guys right here will be the first ones to ever do it.”

They are the first Cyclones to get there.

Their opponents, Springfield, may have a shorter trip. They have even had a shot at the gold ball before in 2017. But not even Springfield can overcome this Elizabethton team.

These Cyclones are the team of destiny.

This Saturday, these Cyclones – gritty, gutsy and full of heart will be the first ones to do it.

And I cannot wait to see it.

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Wes Holtsclaw is a former Elizabethton Star Sports Editor and journalist. He is currently a Communications and Content Director based out of Chicago. Follow him on Twitter at @wesholtsclaw.