Asheville – Asheville School Blues won a state football title in their first season with former Reynolds quarterback Ricky Tolbert leading the offensive charge.
The top-seeded Blues won their first-ever N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II state championship. They defeated second-seeded Matthews Covenant Day Lions by 46-10 at home on Nov. 18. Asheville School crushed second seed High Point Christian Academy 47-3 in round one, a state semifinal game also at home.
Shawn Bryson, a former NFL player, coached the Blues to an 8-3 overall mark. This is his third season of leading them. Coach Bryson told the Blues in their post-triumph huddle that they deserved to win, due to their dedicated preparation and brotherhood. He thanked them for helping build up the school’s program.
Asheville School’s third-year offensive coordinator is Adam Rice. Rice is a 2015 Hendersonville High School graduate, who starred as a Bearcat lineman. He also coaches quarterbacks. Rice said that winning the state title “feels great! My first time being in a state championship game as a player and coach — and we brought it home!
Tremendous Tolbert
Quarterback Ricky Tolbert was the star of stars in the title game and for the entire Blues season. He accounted for six of the team’s seven touchdowns in the state title game. He ran for three scores. He passed for three TDs — two to fellow former A.C. Reynolds Rocket Hayezon Tobe.
Two seasons ago they were a freshman passing combo for Reynolds. “We played together since Reynolds middle School,” Tolbert told the Tribune. Tobe transferred before last season, while Tolbert officially left Reynolds in December of 2021. This is his first season with the Blues and in reuniting with Tobe, after two seasons of quarterbacking Reynolds. Tolbert noted that “we trained together all summer. That built up our connection.”
Tolbert passed for 2,354 yards and 30 touchdowns in 11 games in 2022. He threw nine interceptions. He ran for a team-best 18 TDs. He rushed for 656 yards.
Tolbert told the Tribune he is thrilled to win the title. He said that “my adrenalin was pumping up” ahead of the game. “I was excited to play in that big game.” He felt used to pressure games from quarterbacking Reynolds. He said that he had a very confident “mindset” for this title game.
Of all pro quarterbacks, Tolbert most admires Buffalo star Josh Allen. “I like his swag, and playing style” of rugged running and deep passing.
Transfers to private schools get an extra year of eligibility. Fellow sophomore Tobe caught more than half (17 of 30) of Tolbert’s TD passes. Tobe had 1,141 receiving yards. He totaled nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards, averaging 136 per contest.
The team’s leading rusher was Caleb Jenkins with 1,016 yards. The transfer from Brevard is a junior.
Defensive end Nathan McMahon was chosen the title game’s best defensive player by MaxPreps. Tolbert was the overall game MVP.
Title Wave
In the state title game, the Blues scored first as Tolbert kept the ball and ran four yards.
Burly, 215-pound Jenkins broke through the line and rumbled 55 yards up the middle for his ninth score of the season. With the PAT, the Blues led 14-3.
Tobe yanked the ball loose from a Lion runner. The Blues recovered the fumble. Soon afterwards, Tolbert ran for a one-yard TD. Tolbert arced a 25-yard pass to Tobe in the right side of the end zone for another score.
OC Rice said that “I’m very aggressive when it comes to play calling. We like to ‘take the top off’ of the defense by taking a lot of shots down the field. But we will also pick you apart with the quick passing game. I also love a very aggressive, downhill running game with a lot of different formations and motions” out of the spread. “We basically run exactly what UNC Tarheels run — with a little bit of 2019 LSU, when they won the national championship.”
He said Tolbert is “everything you want in a quarterback. He is accurate in passing. He’s able to read coverages. With his big body (6-foot-1, 190 pounds), he loves to run. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a leader. You just know greatness when you see it — and that is Ricky Tolbert! The sky is the limit for him.”
Collaboration
Coach Rice and Tolbert both point to their dynamic working relationship. Tolbert said Coach Rice remains “calm and collected” during games. if the offense isn’t working, he doesn’t get angry. He talks calmly with us. It’s easy to talk with him.” Tolbert said that “I have an even stronger connection with my teammates here” than at ACR.
Rice said, “We see eye to eye.” Best of all, “we’re able to have ‘healthy conflict’ and figure things out when adversity strikes in games.”
Tolbert cited an example of their collaboration. The Blues beat Covenant Day 49-24 on Oct. 7 in the regular season. The Lion pass rush was a problem early in that game. “They brought seven” up front, Tolbert said. “We went three (downs) and out.”
Once back on the sidelines, Coach Rice advised Tolbert about optional ways to counter the onslaught. Tolbert gave feedback. They agreed that it is essential for the center to get the shotgun snap to Tolbert quicker. Tolbert said that in turn, “I had to get the ball quicker” to teammates before the pass rush reaches him. Rice presented options for quick strikes, such as a short throw to a running back on a “swing” pattern. Or the back could stay to block “their ‘edge man,’ a linebacker that’s coming after me,” Tolbert said.
When looking to pass downfield, Tolbert agreed with Rice to “step into the ‘pocket‘ quicker” so pass rushers run by him. Tolbert said that Rice encouraged him to “roll farther out” when keeping the ball, to avoid pass rushers. He periodically ran behind a back’s blocking of the edge rusher.
Coach Rice said similar adjustments were made in the rematch with the Lions in the title game. “We knew they would want to bring pressure, since we throw the ball a lot. So we knew we had to get the ball out quick into the hands of our athletes, who are capable of scoring. We also had to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball. We did just that” – even better than usual.
Players “trusted their (learned) technique and us as coaches. They showed up, and ‘showed out.’”
Head coach Shawn Bryson was a star runner for Franklin High School. He was a Tennessee Volunteers’ captain in their national title season of 1998. Tolbert calls Coach Bryson “very focus and structured” perfectionist. “He’s all business.” Coach Rice said that Bryson receives and shows respect. “Coach Bryson doesn’t get very loud. But everybody listens. He loves every single player. He has your back. Everyone runs through brick walls for him.”