CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville High football is riding a 16-game regular season winning streak, thanks to effective and efficient play on each side of the ball. While Isaac Shelby’s offense gets a lot of the credit, the defense has also been dominant for years, with defensive coordinator Taylor Stanley leading the way.
Similarly to previous seasons, Clarksville High’s defense has minimized their opponent’s ability to find the endzone during the 2024-25 season. CHS has held opponents to single digits in four out of the six games they’ve played this year. Taking it one step further, the Wildcats’ defense has allowed their opponents to score a mere 15 points per game since 2018, with inner-city opponents only averaging 10.7 points per game against CHS.
Stanley is a Clarksville native who played wide receiver and defensive back for the Wildcats from 2004 to 2007. He was also a member of the 2006 Wildcat team that advanced to the TSSAA quarterfinals, the farthest Clarksville High has ever been in the postseason.
As fate would have it, Stanley’s position coach in high school is the now-Clarksville High head coach Isaac Shelby.
“There was nothing like playing high school football,” Stanley told Clarksville Now. “I got to play for some great coaches, Shelby, (Jim) Snyder and (Jeff) Tomlinson. Football was always a big part of my life growing up, and I enjoyed playing in front of my hometown, family and friends. Nothing better than Friday nights in the fall.”
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Stanley would go on to play football at the University of Tennessee-Martin, and after graduating, Stanley worked for a construction company in Alabama and attained his master’s degree from Georgia Southern. He originally planned to get a job outside of football until he got a call from his old position coach, Shelby, who was just hired at Clarksville High.
Opportunity to teach and coach
“Towards the end of my master’s, I felt a calling from the lord to get back into football,” Stanley said. “I prayed about it for a while, and I just happened to run into an old high school teammate who was coaching for Shelby at Northeast. Whenever he got the job at Clarksville High in 2014, he called me and asked if I’d be willing to coach with them. It all just kind of worked out at the right time. It gave me the opportunity to both teach and coach. I haven’t looked back since.”
For the last 11 years, Stanley has been the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats. His defensive philosophy is focused on fundamentals, toughness and doing your job.
“I kind of lose sleep at night if I feel like we’re not playing the brand of football that would make our community proud,” Stanley said. “It means a lot to me; I’m an alumnus; there were 117 teams to come before this year’s team, and we want to make every single one of them proud.”
‘I wouldn’t trade him for anybody’
Stanley’s defense has allowed only 44 points this year and 73 points in 11 games last season.
No one is happier that Stanley is running the defense than Shelby. “I think Stanley is one of the best assistants in the state,” Shelby told Clarksville Now. “He is a tireless worker, a great coach, and a great friend. Our program would not be where it is today without his contributions, and I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”
Throughout his career, Stanley has turned all credit and shine to the school and the players. To him, that’s who it’s all about and what motivates him to keep coaching.
“All of the players that have come through the program have left their mark on me,” said Stanley. “It’s always about the kids, and it’s your job to help them be the best versions of themselves, and every one of them needs something different. I just try to love the kids each and every day.”
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