A new type of buzz is swirling around the Copper Basin area these days. A group of alumni have created an Executive Board designed for the sole purpose of supporting Copper Basin High School athletics in ways never utilized in the area. TeamFYN Sports sat down for an exclusive interview with board members to learn more about their plans.

“The Copper Basin Alumni Association was founded to support the student-athletes and coaches across all sports at Copper Basin High School,” Executive Board President Dylan Boggs told TeamFYN. “Our primary goals consist of re-establishing long-standing traditions, bringing alumni back to the school in various settings, and fundraising to ensure the student-athletes and coaches have what they need to compete at a high level. Our primary focus begins with football but will span all sports.”

Boggs, who was a multi-time all-district selection in football and basketball, is still actively involved in the Copper Basin Rec. association, sharing his knowledge of the game with today’s youth. He says the Executive Board has already got to work on their plans, despite not being fully established until the football season had already commenced.

“Our initiatives began last Friday night when we honored former Cougar great Mike Hamby as the IGA Hometown Legend of the Game,” Boggs continued. “We plan to honor a Legend of the Game for each home this season. We are excited to announce alumni night will be October 20th this year, and on this date, legendary Head Coach Mark Stone returns home as the IGA Hometown Legend of the game.”

The Cougars are coming off of a crushing 67-0 defeat at the hands of South Pittsburgh, the top-ranked team in Tennessee’s 1A classification. However, the efforts of the Copper Basin Alumni Association are not focused on on-field results, yet.

“If you look at our Executive Board, each member has not only competed at a high level at Copper Basin, but been successful in one or more sports, so results are ultimately of the utmost importance to us, but our efforts are currently directed toward bringing the community and alumni back to the program,” founding member Matt Ray, who was a multi-time all-district selection in football, baseball and basketball, told TeamFYN. “No one wants to see Copper Basin compete and win more than we do, but we have to re-establish traditions, fundraise to support the current student-athletes and encourage other students to come back out and compete, and bring the community and alumni back to the program with various forms of engagement. We feel like by starting with this focus, we can help stabilize the football program in areas it needs help, and support all of the athletic programs in the future.”

One question some may have is why now? The timing was right for all 11 members of the Executive Board, and there was a need for action. Founding member, and former all-state Quarterback Eric Sisson, believes this is something that has been missing at Copper Basin for some time now.

“This piece of the puzzle is something that has been missing from Cougar athletics for decades,” Sisson told TeamFYN. “Our board has resources, connections, and the know-how to get this ship back upright. While football has been our early focus, we will attack all sports with the same energy. We have spoken to alumni and community members alike, who have been yearning for this type of outreach. The Rec Leagues are as healthy as they have been in the last decade, and this type of support at the high school level is vital to ensuring the Varsity level coaches get to reap the benefits of all the hard work put in beforehand. This is going to take a village, not just 11 people. We have been able to partner with numerous community members and look forward to doing this and much more for the foreseeable future.”

The executive board consisting of Dylan Boggs (President and founding member), Matt Ray (founding member), Eric Sisson (founding member), John Spargo (Vice President), Jared Bigham (Secretary), Brett Curtis (Treasurer), Brianna Farmer, Raymond Akens, Jared Orton, Hannah Langkawel, and Andy Whitener have received an immense amount of positive feedback and support from the surrounding communities. They would like to thank all of their game sponsors and individual sponsors for their support.