Carson Gentle becomes one of the most feared players in Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As a coach, you want someone who can go out and make a play when your team needs one. McCallie School’s defensive star, Carson Gentle, has proven on multiple occasions he has the clutch gene.
His first flash of this came in a little league game that came down to the wire. Gentle stepped up and made the game winning tackle on the final play.
“My dad came running on the field and lifted me up to where I was sort of looking down on everybody,” Gentle said. “That’s always stuck with me.”
His next flash: A safety in the third quarter of last year’s state championship game to help the Blue Tornado get a title.
“Nothing proves more than actually making plays on the field,” Gentle said. “People still talk to me about it to this day. It’s definitely stuck with people and it’ll stick with me.”
Gentle was able to finish out his freshman season with a bang as his two older brothers, Austin and Jack, concluded their high school careers in glory.
Congratulations boys! We are proud of you guys. It has been a joy watching you. pic.twitter.com/S5mSWpoeTh
— T. J. Gentle (@tj_gentle) December 11, 2020
“That whole season was amazing,” Carson said. “Going to state and winning, with all of us playing well, was an amazing experience.”
The success that Carson and his brothers had last season was not given to them, as this was something they started to prepare for at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the country shutting down and their school gym becoming unavailable, the Gentle brothers cleaned out the garage and built their own.
“The first day of quarantine, we went and bought a rack from Dicks and set it up that day,” Carson said. “We all knew we had to lift.”
After their championship run, Austin and Jack would sign with Harvard and Carson would receive some recruiting attention of his own.
He would collect offers from Ole Miss, Kentucky and Tennessee following the season.
“It’s crazy to see how much these people care for me that they don’t really know me that well, but everybody’s showing love and that’s awesome,” Gentle said.
Carson has continued his progression throughout his sophomore season, consistently showing off his speed, size and football IQ.
The 6-foot-3, 220 pound defensive end and outside linebacker also helps out on the offensive side of the ball playing tight end. He has stepped in and played left tackle due to injury as well.
“It has been an experience,” Gentle said. “I’m learning and doing pretty well I think.”
Carson is looking forward to going through what Austin and Jack experienced with the youngest member of the Gentle family, Cooper. Cooper is currently in eighth grade and will be teammates with Carson next season.
“He’s developed a lot in the past few months,” Carson said. “Hopefully I’ll get a year or two of playing with him which will be great.”
Carson credits his family and the help of the coaching staff for his success.
“They make the whole thing work,” Gentle said.
Before Gentle goes off to play college ball, he is hoping to become the first player ever at McCallie School to complete the four-for-four, winning four state titles in four seasons.
“That’s obviously a goal I have.”
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