Bulldog stars receive All-State and All-Midstate honors

CELINA-After leading their team to an impressive 10-3 season, Clay County’s second-ever Region 4-A Championship, and a State Quarterfinal appearance for only the third time in history last year, a family foursome of local football players has been recognized among the best.

Bulldogs Nate Adams, Lance Burchett, Nolan Adams, and Reece Adams, who share a special connection on and off the field, have racked up rare honors in the New Year.

Nate Adams, who capped his illustrious career with a Class 1A Mr. Football runner-up award and the Region 4-A MVP following his senior campaign, made both the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) and the Tennessee Football Coaches Association (TNFCA) All-State teams announced in 2025, as did his junior brother Nolan Adams.

They were joined on the TNFCA All-State team by senior wideout Lance Burchett, and all three, along with junior linebacker Reece Adams, were a part of the Tennessean’s All-Midstate Small Class football teams— which include players from Nashville-area programs competing in Class 1A-3A and Division II-A private schools.

Family ties bind the four players beyond Nate and Nolan being brothers.

Nate and Nolan’s father Michael is Reece’s dad Matt’s brother, while their mother Teia is Burchett’s father Brent’s sister.

They also played alongside Reece’s senior brother Hayden Adams—an All-Region 4-A two-way starter for the Bulldogs, who made 66 tackles and led the team in sacks this season.

Though he was recently joined in the limelight by three of his kin, Nate Adams was the family member who had drawn the most attention of late by becoming only the second-ever Bulldog to be considered for the Mr. Football Award, but it wasn’t the first time for the family.

His uncle Brian Burchett, who is also Nate and Nolan’s mother Teia’s brother, was the only other Class A Mr. Football contender in Bulldog history.

The elder Burchett was named a finalist in 1990, but, like Nate, he did not win the award.

Donelson Christian Academy’s Lorenza “Scooter” Edwards claimed the prize then and McKenzie’s Tate Surber did the same in 2024.

But as his uncle did in his day, Nate Adams left an indelible mark.

He holds virtually all Bulldog passing records, after totaling 7,586 yards and 89 touchdowns in his career, including 3,553 yards and 43 touchdowns this season.  The talented two-way star also had a program record 31 defensive interceptions in four years with Clay County. 

In addition to being one of three quarterbacks chosen on both All-State teams, he was an All-Midstate second-team choice, with five-star recruit Jared Curtis of Nashville Christian being the first-team selection.

Region 4-A Offensive MVP Nolan Adams and the league’s Skill Player of the Year Lance Burchett locked down the two All-Midstate first-team wide receiver spots, and they made up two of four TNFCA selections at the position.

Nolan Adams, who was also named to the TNFCA team following the 2023 season, was one of three TSWA wide receiver choices this year.

He broke the Bulldog single-season receiving touchdown record with 19 and totaled 1,275 yards, while Lance Burchett set a new single-season bar for receiving yardage with 1,499 yards (14 TDs).

Region 4-A Defensive MVP Reece Adams was chosen as an All-Midstate third-team linebacker, with all but one first and second team choices at the position coming from private or higher-classification schools.

The Bulldog defensive leader set a new bar with 135 tackles in 2024, which now serves as the program record for a single season.

The family tradition will continue next season on the gridiron, as Reece and Nolan Adams return for their final campaigns with Bulldog Football.

They will also be joined there by soon-to-be freshman Easton Adams—who is Reece and Hayden’s younger brother.

In the meantime, another chapter of the family legacy is currently being played out on the hardwood.

Nate, Nolan, Reece, and Hayden Adams, and Lance Burchett, are all playing big roles for Bulldog Basketball as they head down the home stretch of the regular season.

Like the family members who came before them—including Clay County Sports Hall of Fame member siblings Brian and Brent Burchett, and Teia (Burchett) Adams—the current generation is likely to remain in the headlines now and in the future.