Teams, Scores, & Schedules

Ed Sanders
Assistant Coach

Ed Sanders, a native of Nashville, Tennessee and Maplewood High School, joins the Franklin Road Academy Football program after coaching at Goodpasture, Tennessee State, and Delaware State. Ed will take over as the defensive coordinator this season.

During his time with the TSU Tigers, the defensive unit ranked sixth in pass efficiency in 2014 and as high as fourth in 2013. In 2014, the Tigers held their opponents to an average of 153.3 yards per game through the air, good for fourth in the FCS.

A four-year letter winner at Tennessee State, Ed in his career helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1998 and ’99. During the 1999 season, TSU posted an 11-0 regular season record and No. 1 Division I-AA and Black College final regular season national rankings. That season, Sanders was an All-Ohio Valley Conference Second Team selection and All-America candidate. He also earned the Alvin “Cat” Coleman Award as the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Back. During the 1999 season, Sanders led the team in tackles with 100 which is third-best in TSU history (since 1987). Ed earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Tennessee State in 2000.

During DSU’s 2007 MEAC championship season, his unit helped the Hornets earn a No. 9 national ranking in pass efficiency defense with a 105.33 rating. DSU was 13th in the country in scoring defense (18.4 ppg) in 2007. His ’07 secondary also featured All-MEAC First Team selection Akeem Green, among the league leaders in interceptions and defended passes.

In 2002, he was a member of the Canadian Football League Saskatchewan Rough Riders. Sanders began his coaching career as a graduate assistant (secondary) at Tennessee State University in 2000. He and his wife Wajehah have three daughters, Khalia, Kaden and Tamiah, and two sons, Omarii and Travon.

After TSU Ed became the Head Coach at McKissack middle school. During his tenure the team when 16-0 and were back to back Metro City Champions in 2017 & 2018. Ed then went onto coach at Harding Academy and then moved on to Goodpasture Christian High School. Here he served as the Defensive Coordinator for defense in 2020 and held opponents to 17 points per game. The team went 9-3 on the season and made it all the way to the State Semi-Finals. Right now Ed is the defensive coordinator and also coaches the linebackers. He also serves as a Middle School physical education instructor and will be the head coach of the boys middle school basketball team.

Matt Hanson
Director of Operations

Coach Matt Hanson played football at Birmingham-Southern College while receiving his Bachelor of Arts. Coach Matt began coaching football as the offensive line coach at Pope John Paul II in 2017 and taught English for 3 years. He also assisted the Strength and Conditioning program. He has since received his USAW Strength Certification in 2020. At Pope John Paull II in 2020 he took over as head strength and conditioning coach.

Mark Williams
Assistant Coach

Mark has been married to his wife Candi for 15 years with 2 wonderful boys aged 7 and 3. He originally hails from Albany, GA. He graduated and played football for Georgia Southern University. After 20 years of coaching football Mark knows so much about the game. In his experience he also has coached track.

Mark has previously coached at University of Rhode Island, Georgia Southern University, The Naval Academy Prep School, Woodward Academy, Mountain View HS, Father Ryan High School, Stewarts Creek HS, and Nolensville HS. He is very excited for this new season at FRA. He is currently teaching Geography in the 7th grade here at FRA and coaching the Offensive line.

Tyler Parker
Assistant Coach

Tyler is originally from Huntsville, Alabama. He attended Troy University where he played football and studied Comprehensive Science as an undergraduate. Then he earned his Masters Degree from Troy and was a Graduate Assistant for Athletics Administration.

In 2016 Tyler moved to Baton Rouge, and worked at Parkview Baptist School. While at Parkview he taught Physical Science and served as the Middle School Director of Athletics while coaching MS Football, Varsity FB, and Varsity Golf.

Tyler and his wife, Kaitlyn, and are excited to be in Nashville and are pumped to be a part of the FRA family.

Kyle Strazzeri
Assistant Coach

Keith Jones
Assistant Coach

Coach Keith Jones comes to Franklin Road Academy with seven years of coaching experience at the college and high school level. He began his coaching career at his alma mater Kenyon College for three seasons, serving as the running back coach for one season and the offensive coordinator for two seasons. Keith then served as an offensive graduate assistant for three seasons at Vanderbilt University. In 2021 he joined the staff at Pope John Paul II as the running back Coach. He's a native of Detroit, MI

Steve Glass
Assistant Coach

Chris Shmoke
Assistant Coach

Larry Wilhoite
Assistant Coach

Scott Winteron
Assistant Coach

Joseph Holzmer
Assistant Coach

Sean Adams
Assistant Coach

Coach Sean Adams is originally from Maumelle, Arkansas and attended Arkansas State University. While attending Arkansas State University he ran cross country and track & field as middle distance runner while earning his bachelors in Sport Management and master’s degree in sport administration. He has recently moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee and previously worked at Pope John Paul II Preparatory school. His former role was athletics assistant and full time substitute teacher while also coaching varsity football and varsity track & field.

David Dawson
Technology Coordinator

David Dawson completed his 8th year as an assistant football coach at FRA and his 12th year as a high school football coach. Primarily on the defensive side of the ball, David has coached both the defensive line and the inside linebackers.

Coach Dawson is from Franklin, TN, having graduated and been a member of the Battle Ground Academy football, wrestling, and track and field teams. After high school, he attended Carson Newman College (now University) and played defensive tackle for the Eagles for 4 years while completing his undergraduate work. Throughout his football playing career, he has won 3 high school state championships, earning all-district and all-mid-state honors, competed on 3 SAC conference championship teams while at Carson Newman.

David also assists the wrestling program at FRA working as an assistant for the past 3 seasons. Among his coaching duties, he is the director of Student Activities and Resources.

Outside of FRA, he spends every moment he can with his wife, Garrett, and his children, Lanier and Henry..