Titans Coach of the Week Tony Brunetti Leads Pearl-Cohn Into the National Rankings
In his 17th season at Pearl-Cohn High School, Tony Brunetti has the Firebirds on track for another outstanding season. P-C is currently ranked No. 182 in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.
Related: See the top 100 high school teams in the country.
The Nashville, Tennessee school began the season with upset victories over two nationally ranked teams. The Firebirds opened with a 21-14 victory over No. 116 Montgomery Bell Academy. The next week, the team beat No. 201 Christ Presbyterian Academy, coached by former NFL quarterback Ingle Martin.
Coach Brunetti has built Pearl-Cohn into a consistent performer.
What has eluded Brunetti and his team is a state championship. Pearl-Cohn finished as the runner up in Tennessee’s 4A championship game last year. The Firebirds dropped a closed 34-30 decision to Anderson County in the final. It was P-C’s third runner-up finish under Brunetti since 2015.
To prepare his teams for a championship run, Brunetti plays one of the toughest non-league schedules in the state against private schools. Both Montgomery Bell and CPA played for state championships in their respective division last year.
Brunetti credits Martin, who played three years in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, for some of the Firebirds’ success.
"He and I go back. We haven’t played them much in the last three or four years, but we played them a lot when he first got here,” Brunetti told Main Street Preps after the CPA win. “We work with the same type of trainers, the same type of lift programs. They helped us learn how to do a better job lifting in the weight room from their strength guys. I appreciate them for that."
During the offseason, the Titans helped Pearl-Cohn break ground on an all-new field. Pearl-Cohn was the first of 15 Metro Nashville high schools receiving significant updates to their facilities. The funding for these projects is comprised of a $5 million donation from the Tennessee Titans, $5 million from Metro Nashville and $5 million in private donations.
Coach Brunetti, Pearl Cohn players, and representatives from the Titans joined Metro Nashville Public Schools and Nashville Mayor John Cooper for the groundbreaking event on July 18.
Week 1 NFL High School Coach of the Week Winners
AFC
|
NFL Team |
Coach of the Week |
School |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
Kurt Stein |
Oakdale HS |
|
Buffalo Bills - Rochester Region |
Alex Veltz |
Batavia HS |
|
Buffalo Bills - Buffalo Region |
Erik O'Bryan |
Niagara Wheatfield |
|
Cleveland Browns |
TJ Pakers |
Austintown-Fitch HS |
|
Denver Broncos |
Justin Rich |
The Classical Academy |
|
Houston Texans |
Shaun McDowell |
Grand Oaks HS |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
Kurt Tippmann |
Fort Wayne Snider HS |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Toby Bullock |
Mandarin HS |
|
Kansas City Chiefs - Kansas |
Anthony Orrick |
Blue Valley Southwest HS |
|
Kansas City Chiefs - Missouri |
Bill Utz |
Platte County HS |
|
Las Vegas Raiders |
DJ Campbell |
Centennial |
|
Los Angeles Chargers - LA County |
Steve Medina |
Legacy HS |
|
Los Angeles Chargers - Orange County |
Daniel Hernandez |
Ocean View HS |
|
Los Angeles Chargers - San Diego County |
Casey Ash |
West Hills HS |
|
New England Patriots |
Brian Kelliher |
Hanover HS |
|
New York Jets |
Will Nahan |
Randolph HS |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Cort Rowse |
Beaver Area HS |
|
Tennessee Titans |
Tony Brunetti |
Pearl-Cohn HS |
NFC
|
NFL Team |
Coach of the Week |
School |
|
Carolina Panthers |
Chad Grier |
Providence Day HS |
|
Chicago Bears |
Terry Maxwell |
Seneca HS |
|
Detroit Lions |
Joe Palka |
Saline HS |
|
Los Angeles Rams |
Jon Ellinghouse |
Sierra Canyon HS |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
Jason Freed |
Brainerd HS |
|
New Orleans Saints |
Devin Ducote |
West Feliciana HS |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
Devon Johnson |
Imhotep Charter HS |
|
Washington Commanders |
Dameon Powell |
Charles H Flowers HS |
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