PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW
THE BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026 EDITION The one where we all got together to do a great big magazine
INSIDE FEATURING PREVIEWS OF:
Greenback Lenoir City Loudon McMinn Central McMinn County Meigs County Rhea County Sequoyah Sweetwater Tellico Plains
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A d a m s M u lt i
Media
Advocate & Democrat, Daily Post-Athenian, Herald-News, News-Herald STARTING LINEUP
GREENBACK CHEROKEES .......................... 5
MEIGS COUNTY TIGERS ........................... 27
WRITERS Drew Cook Alfred Ezman Gabrial Garcia Noah Houck Scott Power Nate Tossado EDITORS Reed Johnson Josh Lane Dewey Morgan Mike Sisco
LENOIR CITY PANTHERS .......................... 9
RHEA COUNTY EAGLES ........................... 35
LOUDON REDSKINS ................................ 13
SEQUOYAH CHIEFS ................................. 41
ADVERTISING Angela Alvarez Jeff Craft Kelly Gentry Samantha Gentry Kenneth Hickson Rebecca Hjulberg Sharon Livingston Autumn Mantooth Becky Payne DESIGN & COVER Marcus Fitzsimmons
LEADERSHIP Darren Haimer, General Manager Gene Fowler, Region President
MCMINN CENTRAL CHARGERS .................. 17
MCMINN COUNTY CHEROKEES ................. 21
4 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
SWEETWATER WILDCATS ........................ 47
TELLICO PLAINS BEARS .......................... 55
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PARTICIPATING PUBLICATIONS The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater The Daily Post Athenian, Athens The Herald-News, Dayton The News-Herald, Lenoir City
Copyright: The entire content of “The Bog Book of Football: AMM Prep Football Preview “ is protected under the federal copyright act. Reproduction of any portion of any edition is not permitted without the express written consent of the region president of Adams Multi Media TN,NC & VA.
2026
GREENBACK
C h e r o ke es
REGION 2-1A
THE DAILY TIMES
Greenback looking to build on foundation A sense of potential and excitement still surrounds Greenback football. Head coach Richie Wilhite shook things up in his first year at the helm, bolstering the roster and breathing life on both sides of the ball. Greenback put up some impressive numbers on offense, scoring 90 more points than it did in its previous season, and made big strides defensively, allowing 140 less points than the year prior. Beyond the statistics, Greenback showed that it could be a contender in Class 1A football once again. Last year, the Cherokees won a home game for the first time in two years, competed in most of their losses and doubled their win total. But despite all the team’s success, they only won three region games and were left out of the playoff picture for the second consecutive year. As a new season arrives, the Cherokees look to build on that foundation set last year and get back to playing at the standard that the passionate community of Greenback expects. “It’s exciting,” Wilhite said told The Daily Times. “You work hard all summer it goes by so fast, but at the same time, we’re putting a lot of work in every day, in and out, and now
2026 | THE DAILY TIMES
CHEROKEES SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.18 10.23 10.30
Tellico Plains at Cosby at Midway * Harriman * at Oliver Springs * at Eagleton Wartburg * bye at Oakdale * Coalfield * Rockwood *
• Region 2-1A contest we’re to the point where it’s, ‘Football season’ and we’re going to get a chance here soon to go against somebody with a different colored jersey on and see where we are, and that’s the exciting part of it.” Further aiding in the excitement is Greenback’s new home that started construction as soon as the season ended last year. This new Greenback stadium will feature an all-turf
GREENBACK
field, brand new lights, bleachers and a new and improved modern scoreboard. “The buzz of a new stadium is great,” Wilhite said. “Our kids are so excited for a chance to be playing in a new stadium. You can see they’re well on their way, putting turf down now. They tell us we’re going to be there for our first home game. So it’s exciting to start a new year on a new field, a new stadium.” Greenback will have its work cut out with some challenging matchups on the horizon. The Cherokees’ first game of the season will be a home matchup against Tellico Plains on Aug. 21. Last season the Bears shutout the ‘Kees. 30-0. Greenback will then take on Cosby before the facing the first wave of regional opponents with Midway, Harriman and Oliver Springs. The Cherokees will step out of region play to take on Eagleton, a team that finished one win shy of state title-game appearance last season. Greenback enjoys a bye week Oct. 8 before rounding out the season with Oakdale, Coalfield and Rockwood. Greenback football has a couple clear goals set before the season gets underway. One of those goals is to make it into the postseason. PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 5
GREENBACK ROSTER
2025 RESULTS TELLICO PLAINS 30, Greenback 0 GREENBACK 13, Cosby 12 MIDWAY 36, Greenback 7 GREENBACK 28, Harriman 16 OLIVER SPRINGS 35, Greenback 14 EAGLETON 27, Greenback 20 GREENBACK 48, Wartburg 7 GREENBACK 48, Oakdale 7 COALFIELD 35, Greenback 0 ROCKWOOD 27, Greenback 14
2025 REGION 2-1A Team
Reg
Coalfield 7-0 Midway 5-2 Oliver Springs 5-2 Rockwood 5-2 Greenback 3-4 Wartburg 2-5 Harriman 1-6 Oakdale 0-7
All
PF
PA
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Cale Stinnett 1....... Elliott Lindsey 2...... Tate Anderson 3...... Lucas Clifford 4...... Jaxson Smith 5...... Carson Loope 6...... Austin Morton 7...... Aidn Grindle 8...... Moses Bowling 9...... Cade Breedlove 12..... Lincoln Swann 13..... Griffin Cope 14..... Wyatt Sherman
15..... Connor Shoupe 16..... Colton Palmer 17..... Cooper Holt 18..... JP Moran 19..... Noah Isabell 20.... Cameron Wilbur 23.... Cam Morgan 24.... Kayne Wilson 25.... Knox Johnson 27.... Gunner Stinnett 28.... Michael Keeble 29.... Jaydynn Bailey 51..... Forrest Singer
52.... Chevy Walker 54.... Cameron Wilbur 55.... Xander Hanley 57.... Ben Anderson 59.... Silas Lorenz 65.... Ben Ensor 66... Soloman Newman 67.... Raylan Long 71..... Lucas Bryant 75.... Cooper Barrow 76.... Gavin Cunningham
8-2 462 101 7-3 301 258 6-4 291 214 6-4 320 168 4-6 192 232 2-8 157 336 1-8 138 336 3-7 150 297
WITH HOSTS: Mike Edwards, Donnie Moore & Marcus Fitzsimmons
KICKING OFF OUR 49th SEASON
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6 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
GREENBACK
www.thedailytimes.com | 2026
That starts with picking up some more regional wins after going 3-4 last year. “We play in one of the toughest regions in the state,” Wilhite said. “So making the playoffs in our region is a big thing. And for us to finish one game short last year, our guys kind of took that into the offseason. They wore that on their shoulder as something that they felt like we could have done, and not being able to do it is kind of being a catalyst for these guys, as far as their drive and ambition, saying, ‘Hey we’re not going to let that happen again this year’. We are going to do what it takes so that we can make that playoff run.” Greenback has a special senior class leading the way. Many of whom, like senior Cade Breedlove, have been a part of the team since middle school. “We’ve got a lot of great leaders in that group,” Wilhite said. “Seven of those guys, and we do what we call a ‘tribal council’ where we have eight tribal leaders and several of our seniors are our leaders in that group. And they do a phenomenal job, helping lead, and we want to be a player-led team, and those seniors go a long way of making that happen for us.”
OFFENSE The Cherokees are a team that favors the run game. Watching the ‘Kees march down field is something special to witness with offensive coordinator Cody Wilhite constantly mixing up play calls. It will be a veteran-laden group with Greenback returning nine offensive starters this year. Spearheading that charge is senior Elliott Lindsey, who was the team’s primary rusher last season with 1,242 yards and 15 touchdowns. Lindsey’s physical play-style and persistent ability to find gaps makes him one of the hardest backs to predict. Greenback’s running back depth is deep with names like Breedlove, Tate Anderson and Griffin Cope all projected to share the workload. Sophomore Lucas Clifford is back at quarterback, but also is no stranger to running the ball. Clifford was balanced in his approach last season with three rushing and three passing touchdowns along with 587 all-purpose yards split evenly between rushing and passing. Receivers like Carson Loope, Moses Bowling, Cope and Lincoln Swann will be Clifford’s targets if they choose to throw the ball. Last season, Greenback averaged around 20 points per game and around 250 yards per contest. “We’re excited about our offense,” Wilhite said. “We got a lot of guys coming back on offense, so that’s always encouraging. Another year of growing in our system.
2026 | THE DAILY TIMES
THE DAILY TIMES
Greenback’s Elliot Lindsey (1) rushes the ball against Eagleton on Sept. 26 at Cooper Field.
Obviously, Elliott Lindsey, Lucas Clifford carried a lot for us last year. We’re putting a lot on him this year, and he’s doing a great job, and then guys like Cade Breedlove and Moses Bowling. We got some athletic guys that we can throw to as well with Cooper Holt, Carson Loope. We have to be able to be explosive and score some points.” One of the biggest advantages this season for Greenback is its offensive line. Four out of the five linemen come back, with the only loss being center Luke Morris. “Those guys were instrumental for us, and we got four out of the five back,” Wilhite said. “Lucas Bryant playing tackle for us is going to be a force. We’re excited to see what he’s going to do as well as other guys coming back and just working as a cohesive unit. We’re going to go as they go, because they’re the life blood of our offense”
DEFENSE The Cherokees defense will remain largely the same with 11 returning starters. Lindsey, who earned All-State honors as a linebacker, will be one of the key player to watch. He had 103 tackles, two sacks and one tackle for loss last season and excelled at open-field tackles. The senior remains a foundational piece along with Breedlove, Tate Anderson and Cale Stinnett. Greenback made some big strides last season as a defensive unit and made opposing teams work for every inch. Greenback allowed its least amount of points since 2019 and 140 less than in 2024. “It’s exciting. They fly around. They love to get to the football and they don’t mind contact, which is great for us,” Wilhite said. “We may be a little undersized, but we make up
GREENBACK
for it with a lot of heart and a lot of attitude. And just the way they swarm to the football is what’s encouraging for us.” Many of the same names on the offensive side of the ball will make an impact on the defensive side of things, but that’s just the way football is played in Class 1A. As a unit Greenback recorded seven sacks, six interceptions and eight fumbles recovered under the direction of defensive coordinator Zach Payne, who like Wilhite, is entering his second season with Greenback. “Guys like Jaden Bailey up front for us and Elliott Lindsey along with Tate Anderson, in the back, Cale Stinnett, who was a freshman last year and has made great strides will be important for us,” Wilhite said. “Guys like Carson Loope, Griffin Cope, Cooper Holt playing in the secondary for us are all back as well. So just some talented guys that we’re going to count on.”
SPECIAL TEAMS Greenback’s third phase was revitalized last year with Wilhite going back to having a traditional kicker after Greenback went several seasons without. The kicking and punting role was handled by Terry Stow last year, but after his graduation, the Cherokees needed someone to step up. Stow’s replacement is projected to be junior Connor Shoupe. As far as punt returns, Greenback used mainly the running backs like Lindsey, Breedlove and Cope. “A lot of those skill guys will return the ball for us,” Wilhite said. “We got Connor Shoupe taking care of our kicking duties. He’s come into that a little bit, so we’re going to count on him to do that in a kick game.” — Nate Tosado PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 7
125 Town Creek Road E, Suite #4 | Lenoir City, TN 37 7 72
GO TEAM!
The Lenoir City Director of Schools and School Board wishes every player a successful and safe football season.
8 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
LENOIR CITY
Pa n t h e r s
REGION 3-5A
NEWS-HERALD
Bradley bringing big changes to Panthers The Lenoir City Panthers are once again entering a high school football season with a new head coach at the helm. Rusty Bradley takes over at Lenoir City as their new head coach after spending last season as the offensive coordinator at Knoxville Catholic High School. He led the Fighting Irish to average almost 260 yards per game as they eclipsed 2,000 total offensive yards last season. Bradley talked about the excitement surrounding the Lenoir City football program as his first season with the Panthers approaches. “There is an excitement here with our kids and with the community,” Bradley stated. “I’m grateful to be at a program that wants to succeed. It’s been awesome.” Bradley inherits a Lenoir City team that
at Campbell County Loudon at Oak Ridge at McMinn County* East Hamilton* Gibbs Rhea County* bye at Walker Valley* Ooltewah* at Soddy Daisy*
with a 2-8 overall record. The two wins the Panthers managed to get last season came against the Campbell County Cougars in the first game and the Soddy Daisy Trojans in the last game. With last season’s subpar results in mind, Bradley talked about goals he has for the Panthers in 2026. “I just want our guys to be as close to 100% of what they can be,” Bradley said. “I want there to be a focus on improvement and growth. If we can get our culture right and take care of the details, our record will be what it is going to be.”
finished the 2025 high school football season
Ethan Risher is entering his senior season as Lenoir City’s quarterback. Last season,
PANTHERS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
• Region 3-5A contest
OFFENSE
1010 E Broadway St. Lenoir City, TN 37771 | (865) 986-4646 www.smokymountainrealtytn.com 2026 | NEWS-HERALD
LENOIR CITY
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 9
LENOIR CITY ROSTER
2025 RESULTS PANTHERS 43, Campbell Co 7 LOUDON 46, Panthers 10 OAK RIDGE 56, Panthers 6 MCMINN COUNTY 52, Panthers 13 E HAMILTON 45, Panthers 14 GIBBS 56, Panthers 14 RHEA COUNTy 46, Panthers 0 WALKER VALLEy 63, Panthers 7 OOLTEWAH 35, Panthers 28 PANTHERS 32, Soddy Daisy 25
2025 REGION 3-5A Team
Reg
Rhea County 5-1 WalkerValley 5-1 McMinn 4-2 EHamilton 4-2 Soddy Daisy 1-5 Ooltewah 1-5 Lenoir City 1-5
All
PF
PA
9-1 297 140 7-3 336 153 6-4 343 243 8-2 432 213 4-6 159 276 2-8 146 387 2-8 167 395
10 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0.......Maguire Hurst................ Sr. 1........Brian Phillips................... Jr. 2.......Austin Hunt................... So. 3.......Brayden Holmes............ Jr. 4.......Ethan Risher.................... Jr. 6.......Fletcher Pickett.............. Jr. 7.......Le’land Hawkins........... So. 9.......Wyatt Seals.................... Jr. 10.....Cam Terry........................ Jr. 11.......Gabe Russell.................. Sr. 12......Aubrey Wentz.................Fr. 13......Ian Helppie.................... So. 14...... Patricio Villalpando Delgado.......So. 16......Mason Olvera................ So. 17......Kasen White.................. Sr. 18......Nicholas Gordon........... Sr. 19......Grayson Millard.............. Jr. 20.....Emmerson Cook.............Fr. 21......Caden Jay....................... Sr. 22.....Neyland Jenkins............ Sr. 23.....Browder Bryant............ So. 24.....Emory Lee.......................Fr. 25.....JC Mejia............................Fr. 26.....Jordan Huckleby.......... So. 27.....Seth Schmelz............... So. 28.....Dawson Jackson.......... So.
29.....Kingston Douglass....... Sr. 31......Santiago Lashley........... Jr. 32.....Tim Hanthorn.................Fr. 33.....Mason Touton................ Jr. 34.....Colton Chambers...........Fr. 35.....Tripp Wilkerson..............Fr. 36.....Cody Flowers..................Fr. 37.....Garrett Kennedy............Fr. 38.....Waylon Wilson............. So. 39.....Grayson Guider...............Fr. 40....Henry Ouellette.............Fr. 41......Edison White...................Fr. 42.....Landyn Davis.................. Jr. 43.....Emmett Rice...................Fr. 44....Mason McCord................Fr. 45.....Caleb Brock..................... Jr. 46....Bentley Qualkenbush...Fr. 47.....Aidan Hunt......................Fr. 48....Caleb Blair..................... So. 51......Brandon Beeker............. Jr. 52.....Alexander Edmondson.Fr. 53.....Micah Brown...................Fr. 54.....Bryston Phillips..............Fr. 55.....Ricky Lopez................... So. 56.....Carson Rogers................Fr. 57.....Jackson Hayes.............. So. 58.....Canaan Berry.................. Jr.
59.....Noah Oliver..................... Jr. 60....Ben Simmons................ Sr. 61......Tyler Turpin.....................Fr. 62.....Jake Lathum................... Jr. 63.....Layton Davis................. So. 64....Isaiah Horner.................. Jr. 66....Jacob Espinosa.............. Sr. 67.....Carter Jett....................... Jr. 68....Grayson Keener.............. Jr. 69....Leo Magana....................Fr. 70.....Jeramiah Brookshire... So. 71......Reed Mizer....................... Jr. 72.....Caden Moore................... Jr. 73.....Emerson Ramos............. Jr. 74.....Brady Capps.................. So. 75.....Cass Satterfield............ Sr. 76.....Dan Vasquez................... Jr. 77.....Elijah Duncan................. Sr. 78.....Alex Duncan................... Sr. 79.....Andres Espinosa............Fr. 80....Charlie Beason............. So. 82.....Gibson Dutton.............. So. 83.....Austin Conner.................Fr. 85.....Malcom Anderson....... So. 89....Calvin Hoang..................Fr.
LENOIR CITY
www.news-herald.net | 2026
under head coach Billy Coleman, his passing attempts were limited to just 73. He had 361 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Bradley talked about the process of incorporating his offense and having Risher learn it. “One of the most fun things I have done in my career is take the quarterback room and teach them a whole new scheme,” Bradley said. “Ethan’s commitment to learning our system and trying to be good. He is going to have a lot of responsibility this year.” Bradley added: “He is going to be the face of our program.” Risher will be protected along the offensive line by some notable players like Reed Mizer, Jacob Espinosa, Cass Satterfield, and Elijah Duncan. Espinosa will provide a big presence for Lenoir City at the line of scrimmage. In 2025, he had 21 pancake blocks in seven games. Mizer also got his licks in with nine pancake blocks. The offensive line will have to find a way to replace star player Bubba Willis, who is now playing college football for the University of Pikeville in Kentucky. Caden “Cheese” Jay returns to the Panthers in 2026 and will have big shoes in the backfield. The Panthers are now without Trea Jones, who is playing college football at nearby Maryville College. In 2025, Jay was able to be a great ball carrier alongside Jones. He had 766 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He was named to the 2025 All-Loudon County football team. Bradley talked about just how big Jay’s presence will be. “He has been everything you want in a rising senior,” Bradley said. “He has been not only the kind of player you want, but also the kind of leader you want. He was not an “every down” player offensively last year and was still highly productive. We want him to get as many touches as possible in as many ways as possible.”
DEFENSE Caleb Brock and Maguire Hurst will be two huge players for Lenoir City on defense. In 2025, Brock and Hurst led the Panthers in total tackles, combining for 95. Hurst had a knack for getting into the backfield as well with five tackles for a loss. Bradley talked about the kind of players and kids that Brock and Hurst are. “They are two guys who are tough and hard-nosed,” Bradley said. “I like our defensive system for them. It is simple, our kids can just go out there and execute and play.” Brock and Hurst will also share the defensive side of the ball with Ben Simmons. He
2026 | NEWS-HERALD
NEWS-HERALD
Lenoir City head football coach Rusty Bradley pictured with Panthers quarterback Ethan Risher
BRYAN LYNN | NEWS-HERALD
Cayden Jay (No. 21) takes a handoff from Lenoir City quarterback Ethan Risher on Oct. 3, 2025.
led the Panthers in sacks a season ago with two.
SPECIAL TEAMS A familiar name, but a new face, will take over kicking duties for the Panthers in 2026. Fletcher Pickett will be kicking for Lenoir City football this season. He is the brother of Riley Pickett, who was a very talented kicker for the Panthers a season ago. Bradley talked about his kicker heading into his first season as Lenoir City head coach. “It is staying in the family and he is excited about that,” Bradley said. “He watched his brother kick and be very successful. Now that he has that opportunity, it is really cool.” The Lenoir City Panthers will begin the 2026 high school football season on the road
LENOIR CITY
against the Campbell County Cougars in Jacksboro. That game is on Friday, August 21. The Panthers demolished Campbell County a season ago at home, winning 43-7. After their game against the Cougars, the Panthers will return home to Lenoir City for their highly-anticipated rivalry game against the Loudon Redskins. It is the 100th edition of the Battle of the Bridge rivalry game and the Panthers will enter that game with lots of motivation. The Redskins have defeated Lenoir City in seven-straight games. In 2025, Loudon defeated Lenoir City at home 46-10. The Panthers are looking for their first win over Loudon since 2018. — Alfred Ezman
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 11
2026
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2026
LOUDON
Redskins
REGION 3-4A
NEWS-HERALD
Talented playmakers make up Redskins’ roster The Loudon Redskins have some new, different, but talented faces to their 2026 high school football team. In 2025, Loudon finished the season with a 5-6 overall record. They were Loudon County’s lone representative in the 2025 state playoffs and played the Stone Memorial Panthers in the first round. Just before the 2025 season, Loudon finished the 2024 high school football regular season undefeated heading into the state playoffs at 10-0. After a first round win over Stone Memorial in the state playoffs that season, the ‘Skins storied year came to an end at the hands of the White County Warriors by a score of 28-0. Loudon head coach Jeff Harig talked about his thoughts on the upcoming football
2026 | NEWS-HERALD
REDSKINS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
William Blount at Lenoir City Kingston Hixson* at Stone Memorial East Ridge* Sequoyah* bye at Rhea County at Signal Mountain* at Red Bank*
• Region 3-4A contest season.
LOUDON
“The expectation for us this year is to always be region champs,” Harig said. “After the Lenoir City game, that is where our focus shifts with our schedule. Those standards will never change.”
OFFENSE With Nolan Bassett gone, Bryer Oody steps in as Loudon’s starting quarterback heading into 2026. Oody got some playing time late in a handful of games a season ago. During that playing time, he had 224 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Oody has the arm to be a threat throwing the deep ball. Harig dove into how he has developed heading into the 2026 season. “He wants to create big plays with his arm,”
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 13
LOUDON ROSTER
2025 RESULTS WILLIAM BLOUNT 49, Redskins 0 REDSKINS 46, Lenoir City 10 REDSKINS 15, Kingston 9 HIXSON 20, Redskins 19 STONE MEMORIAl 42, Redskins 21 REDSKINS 41, Sequoyah 7 RHEA COUNTY 28, Redskins 7 REDSKINS 20, Signal Mtn 17 RED BANK 42, Redskins 7 Playoffs STONE MEMORIAL 44, Redskins 21
2025 REGION 3-4A Team
Reg
All
Red Bank Hixson Loudon Signal Mtn East Ridge Sequoyah
5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 1-4 0-5
6-4 264 139 5-5 225 194 5-5 187 224 4-6 241 206 5-5 156 175 0-10 56 386
PF
PA
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Marcellus Ramsey....... Sr 1....... Donavon Underwood.So. 3...... Kolby Freels...................Jr. 4...... Landon Windsor..........Sr. 5...... Bryer Oody.....................Jr. 6...... Ben Sturgill...................Sr. 7...... Eli Curtis....................... So. 8...... Hunter McQuery...........Jr. 9...... Dakota Purdy............. So. 10.... Zach Kelch.................... Jr. 11...... Caleb Hill........................Jr. 13..... Jackson Bowman...... So. 14..... Jayden White............. So. 15..... Gage Bingham.............Sr. 16..... Cason Scott..................Fr. 17..... Cole Bassett............... So. 18..... Bryson Atkins...............Fr. 19..... Carter Gourley..............Fr. 20.... Baylor Oody..................Fr. 21..... Blake Dills......................Jr.
22.... Aidan Underwood.......Fr. 23.... Doryen Sherrill.............Fr. 24.... Calen Desimone...........Fr. 25.... Isacc Medina.................Fr. 26.... Jai’shawn Sanders.... So. 27.... Gabriel Parks.............. So. 28.... Elijah Albright............ So. 30.... Gavin Anderson......... So. 31..... Isaiah Proulx.................Sr. 32.... Carter Meade.............. So. 33.... Jeremiah Bateman... So. 34.... Silas Cook.......................Jr. 40... Cabe Rogers............... So. 41..... Michael Jordan.............Fr. 42.... Peyton Newberry...... So. 43.... Rocklyn Gilliam.............Jr. 44... Willis Swisher...............Fr. 50... Brailyn Bell....................Fr. 51..... Ethan Nicholl.............. So. 52.... Aiden Hipsher................Jr.
53.... Elijah Jenkins................Fr. 54.... Jacob Abbott................Fr. 55.... Zay McAlister...............Sr. 56.... Lincoln Frankovich.... So. 57.... Landon Albright..........Sr. 58.... Micah Jenkins................Jr. 61..... Sawyer Duran...............Fr. 62.... Hunter Hembree..........Fr. 70.... Isaiah Huffman.......... So. 71..... Xander Purcell.............Fr. 73.... Jackson Curtis...............Jr. 76.... Ben Burchfield.............Sr. 79.... Logan Treadway........ So. 81..... Kia Gardner................. So. 82.... Nick Silviera..................Sr. ........ Kayden McIntosh.........Fr. ........ Carson Rhoden............Fr. ........ Bentley Rucci ...............Fr.
All season we have you covered BEST OF LUCK TO THE
Greenback Cherokees Lenoir City Panthers Loudon Redskins 14 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
LOUDON
www.news-herald.net | 2026
Harig stated. “He is very smart, which will help us a lot. The ability to handle pressure is something we feel like he can mentally handle.” Oody was the quarterback for the ‘Skins during their playoff against Stone Memorial in Crossville. All three of his touchdown passes from last year came during that game. The rising junior quarterback will have some big playmakers he can get the football to. One of those playmakers is wide receiver Donovan “Dondon” Underwood. In 2025, Underwood spent his freshman season with the Concord Christian High School Lions in Knoxville. During that season, Underwood had 570 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. A stellar freshman season at Concord Christian has earned Underwood some college offers as he heads into 2026 at Loudon. The wide receiver has college offers from schools like Memphis, Miami (Ohio), and Murray State. Harig talked about what Underwood will provide the Redskins with in 2026. “He is going to provide us with our identity on offense,” Harig said. “He is a big play dude who will draw the attention of opposing defenses.” Isaiah Proulx will head into 2026 as the main ball carrier for the Loudon Redskins. In 2025, he had 139 rushing yards while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Proulx will replace the production that Levi Russell gave the Redskins in 2026. Russell was an All-Loudon County player who finished the season with 994 rushing yards. Harig talked about Proulx as a player and person. “He is a self-made program player,” Harig said. “He runs with some power and knows how to hit a hole on the line of scrimmage. He does remind me a lot of Levi [Russell].”
DEFENSE The three defensive lineman for Loudon in 2026 are all returners. Landon Albright, Landon Windsor, and Hunter McQuery will try to be as disruptive as possible on the defensive front for the ‘Skins. Windsor, in particular, stands out. He was an All-Loudon County player a season ago with 37 total tackles. He also was one of the leaders in sacks for the ‘Skins. Another returning defensive player for Loudon is Ben Sturgill, who will be in the secondary for the Redskins. The rest of the defense will mostly be made up of a lot of younger players. Harig talked about how he hopes his defense will progress throughout the 2026 high school football
2026 | NEWS-HERALD
ALFRED EZMAN | NEWS-HERALD
Loudon Redskins head coach Jeff Harig signals during practice.
season. “They are going to have some growing pains,” Harig said. “However, we do feel good about a lot of those guys.” Some of those young players on the defense include sophomores Elijah Albright, Ethan Nicholl, and Dakota Purdy. The Redskins also may use incoming freshman Aiden Underwood not only on the defensive side of the ball, but also on the offensive side of football as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS The Redskins do have a big-time weapon in their special teams unit with kicker Nick Silveira. In 2026, he hit four out of six field goals in 2025 for Loudon. His big moment from last season came against the Signal Mountain Eagles. In that game, Silveira hit a game-winning field goal in double overtime to win the game for the ‘Skins. That moment earned him a spot on the 2025 All-Loudon County team. Harig talked about the value Silveira provides as Loudon’s kicker. “He was a great soccer player when we went and got him,” Harig said. “He loves to train and has a good frame. We are lucky to have him.” Loudon’s first few games of the 2026 high school football season will be crucial. Their first game of the season is at home
LOUDON
against the William Blount Governors on Friday, August 21. The Redskins will look to get revenge on the Govs from last year. William Blount crushed Loudon in the opening game of the season a year ago, 49-0. Then, they will travel across Loudon County to face off against the Lenoir City Panthers in the Battle of the Bridge rivalry game. The Redskins will look to continue their big winning streak against Lenoir City, which is up to seven games. It is the 100th meeting between the two teams in one of Tennessee’s oldest high school rivalry matchups. — Alfred Ezman
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 15
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McMINN CENTRAL
C h a rge rs
REGION 2-3A
THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
Chargers look to continue Ostrowski era build When J.T. Ostrowski arrived as McMinn Central football’s new head coach last year, his initial goal was simply to get the Chargers to the playoffs for the fourth straight year, even if it was with only a 5-5 record. Instead, Central went 8-4 in 2025, finished second in Region 2-3A, and advanced to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. And now the Chargers look to build further on that success in 2026 in Ostrowski’s second year at the helm. “You had a group of seniors that had been there their first three years, and you didn’t want to come in, and their last year, their senior year, miss out (on the playoffs),” Ostrowski said. “And that was really the goal, 5-5 and get in the playoffs. And that first year you establish things your way and build off the success of the previous coach in Coach (Matt) Moody. And now going into year two,
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
CHARGERS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
Polk County Eagleton bye at Meigs County * at Scott * at Cumberland County Kingston * at Sequoyah at Tellico Plains Sweetwater * at Austin-East *
• Region 2-3A contest
we say it as coaches all the time, that first year is really the foundational year and establishing things your way.”
McMINN CENTRAL
Central graduated 16 seniors from last year’s squad, and 13 seniors headline a 2026 roster with 52 total players. The largest class for the Chargers is a 21-member sophomore class, also looking to help build on last year’s success. The senior class is whom Ostrowski is counting on for leadership, and so far this preseason the head coach believes they have delivered. “It’s a continuation. You’ve established your culture, you’ve established your expectations, and so you really hold true to those, and what you value is important,” Ostrowski said. “And so you just continue to build off of that. They know the expectation, they know our standard, and the kids have started to hold themselves to that standard. And everyone says it: bad teams, nobody leads, good teams are usually coach-led, but when the
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 17
M c MINN CENTRAL ROSTER
2025 RESULTS CHARGERS 22, Polk County 12 EAGLETON 25, Chargers 18 MEIGS COUNTY 29, Chargers 8 CHARGERS 41, Scott 14 CHARGERS 40, Cumberland 0 KINGSTON 27, Chargers 16 CHARGERS 33, Sequoyah 0 CHARGERS 35, Tellico Plains 21 CHARGERS 20, Sweetwater 13 CHARGERS 35, Austin-East 14 Playoffs CHARGERS 21, Pigeon Forge 0 GILES COUNTY 41, Chargers 6
2025 REGION 2-3A Team
Reg
All
PF
PA
Meigs County 5-0 9-1 318 110 McMinn Central 3-2 7-3 269 155 Sweetwater 3-2 6-4 304 235 Kingston 3-2 6-3 245 145 Scott 1-4 6-4 276 180 Austin-East 0-5 1-9 170 399
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0......Rylan Killebrew......... So. 1.......Zeb Masingale........... So. 2......Kage McCroskey.........Sr. 3......Deion Sanders............Fr. 4......Braiden Haire............. So. 6......Adonis Lamb.............. So. 7......Jamez Moss.................Sr. 8......Morgan Bartel............Fr. 9......Sambo Miller...............Sr. 10....Tucker Carr................. So. 11......William Mayfield........Sr. 12.....Jesse Holden...............Sr. 13.....Leelynd Garcia............Fr. 14.....Blaine McKee.............. Jr. 15.....Bryce Mullins...............Sr. 16.....Brodie Rogers.............Sr. 18.....Ross Brannon............. Jr. 19.....Tommy Hutchinson... Jr.
20....Keller Grueber.............Sr. 22....Devon Lightfoot........ So. 23....CJ Matthews.............. So. 25....Damian Rosario..........Sr. 26....Angel Mercado........... Jr. 27....Milez Villareal.............Fr. 28....Jacob Gower................Fr. 29....Evan Wilson................Sr. 31.....Jantzen Travis............ So. 33....Tucker Williams......... So. 37....Romeo Malanado..... So. 38....Joshua Collier............. So. 40...Amari Dodson.............Fr. 41.....Enrique Medina..........Fr. 42....Daniel Kelly................ So. 43....Harlee Cassada......... So. 44...Hudson Reed.............. Jr. 50...Jacob Jack................... So.
52....Gunner Cooley........... So. 53....Gunner Goodin........... Jr. 54....Jesse Stiles.................. Jr. 55....William Hill..................Fr. 56....Colt Trotter..................Fr. 57....Cristain Almarez........ So. 58....Zander Brewer............Fr. 60...Mason Reed............... So. 61.....Derrick Moore............. Jr. 64...Landon Fasig..............Sr. 65....Carter Cass..................Fr. 71.....Landon Morgan..........Sr. 74....Mathan Alley..............Sr. 77....Maddux Bartel............ Jr. 78....Chris Humphrey......... So.
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18 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
McMINN CENTRAL
www.dailypostathenian.com | 2026
players are holding themselves accountable and they’re motivating each other, that’s when you have a chance to be really special, and so that’s kind of where we’re at. We’re teetering between that good to great with this group, and they do a really good job of holding each other to those high standards.” Ostrowski has mentioned several times in the preseason how far ahead Central is in offseason preparations compared to his first season, which has a lot to do with the coaching staff not having to teach the entire team its terminology. “You can tell them, ‘Hey, let’s run power real quick,’ and they know it,” Ostrowski said. “They teased me the other day when we were spending time in the weight room, they had NCAA running on the PlayStation, and they’re yelling out our formations and plays on College Football 25. That just shows me they really understand what we’re doing, they recognize what we’re doing. And you’re really not having to spend as much time teaching and reinstalling your terminology. They know your terminology, and that’s the thing: you should see the biggest jump year one to year two. And that’s with any team. And so the biggest thing going into year two us your not spending as much time teaching them your terminology and offense and defense, and you can really just start to play fast.” The team chemistry is also something that leads Ostrowski to believe that the Chargers can continue moving in the right direction. “This is a tight-knit group,” Ostrowski said. “They were last year, they were a special group last year, especially a group of seniors that we’re going to miss. But this group, they’re even more close. So everything that we’ve built up to this point in the offseason, in the weight room in conditioning, in FCA camp.” Central begins the season Aug. 21 at home against traditional rival Polk County from 15 miles south, seeking to extend its winning streak in that series to nine. After that, the Chargers play another non-region rematch at home against visiting Eagleton Academy. Last year’s clash near Maryville is one Central would like to have back, as it led 12-0 at halftime only to be outscored 25-6 in the second half in a 25-18 loss to a Royals team that reached the Class 2A state semifinals. Also on the Chargers’ non-region schedule are more traditional area rivals in Tellico Plains and Sequoyah, and rounding that out is Cumberland County. “Our non-region opponents, we play a lot of local teams, a lot of local rivalries with Tellico Plains, Sequoyah and Polk County,” Ostrowski said. “We also on Aug. 28 have Eagleton Academy, coming down from Maryville. They were a 2A semifinal team
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
last year, so they’re coming down here, and that was one of those games that last year, you had your opportunities in, and so that’s one that has kept us up at night last year, so we’re excited to have that one in.” Central plays only four home games this season, and two of those take place before September arrives. After a Week 3 bye, the Chargers begin Region 2-3A play at nemesis Meigs County, and the Tigers have an ongoing 11-year winning streak against Central. Central’s trip to Decatur is the first of three straight road games, which continues at Scott in region play and at Cumberland County in Crossville. The Chargers’ region game Oct. 2 against Kingston is the first of only two remaining home games, with the other one Oct. 23 against Sweetwater, also a region clash.
OFFENSE Despite some key graduations, the Chargers are returning eight starters on offense from last year, and four of those are on an offensive line that, last year, was all sophomores apart from the now-graduated Jeb Goodin. Those sophomores are now juniors, with Derrick Moore, Gunner Goodin, Jesse Stiles and Maddux Bartel coming off a full offseason in the weight room. The starting left tackle spot is still to be determined. “What I like is when we went into the second round against Giles County, we started four sophomores on the offensive line, so we’re bringing back four starting offensive linemen that are all going to be juniors,” Ostrowski said. “Which is not only good for this year, but also for next year.” And that returning experience up front will be important as the Chargers seek to build their offense around their rushing attack. “It’s kind of the same identity. Like everybody else, we stress the run game,” Ostrowski said. “That’s out biggest thing last year when we started four sophomore offensive linemen, we didn’t really win at the point of attack as much as we would have liked to last year, and so a big thing this year was getting those guys into the weight room and really pushing weights on those sophomores, and they have had a really good offseason as a whole. So I’m really excited for that offensive line group coming into this season.” Bryce Mullins returns as a senior for his second season as the starting quarterback. Mullins threw for over 2,000 yards in his debut season last year. “That was a really big question mark for us last year, and I’m really excited to see the growth and maturity he has this year,” Ostrowski said of Mullins. “I’ve been around
McMINN CENTRAL
a lot of special quarterbacks and Bryce is by far the best quarterback I’ve been around. He’s a sponge the way he absorbs information, and he works and scraps every day, and he’s very impressive for a guy who had never done it until last year.” Sambo Miller, also a senior, is the leading returning rusher for Central. Miller split carries with Hunter Rayburn last season. The receiving corps is poised to continue being explosive even after the graduation of big playmaker Jake Goodin and the reliable Landin McInturff. Jamez Moss, entering his senior season, is taking over the No. 1 receiver role from Goodin after nine touchdowns last year. Ostrowski describes Moss as “one of the best deep threats in our region.” William Mayfield, who primarily played defense last year, will also play offense his senior year as another key receiving target, and senior Jesse Holden sees his role in the passing game increase at tight end.
DEFENSE Of Central’s seven returning defensive starters, six of them are in the front seven, with Landon Fasig, Mathan Ailey, Hudson Reed, Jesse Holden, Kage McCroskey and Sambo Miller all back and looking to improve on the Chargers’ ability to reach the quarterback and stop the run. The secondary is where Central will be looking at filling new vacancies, with William Mayfield the only returning starter there. But what Ostrowski believes should really help Central’s defense take the next step is a whole offseason with second-year defensive coordinator Jalen Sharp, who arrived in the middle of the summer last year and had to play catch-up of sorts. “I’m really excited to see that group as well,” Ostrowski said. “Everybody on staff is coming back. All coaches that came in last year returning, and a big key to that is our defensive coordinator Jalen Sharp, who is entering his second year. Was able to bring him on staff last year, and he took the defense over mid-summer. “He’s had a whole offseason to really make the defense his own, and I think the kids are really enjoying that. They’re flying around, and as I call it, they’re bringing the juice every single day in practice. They really feed off Coach Sharp and the amount of detail he puts into it.”
SPECIAL TEAMS The placekicking competition for Central was between William Mayfield and sophomore Jantzen Travis. Sambo Miller will handle punting and kickoff duties. — Gabriel Garcia PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 19
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20 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
McMINN COUNTY
C h e r o ke es
REGION 3-5A
COURTESY MCMINN COUNTY FOOTBALL VIA THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
Cherokees young, low on numbers for 2026 As head coach Bo Cagle enters his 20th season at McMinn County, he faces the challenge of guiding a Cherokees roster that is not only the youngest he has had in Athens, but also the smallest in numbers he has had. The Tribe graduated 22 seniors off a team from last year that finished with a 6-5 record and in third place in Region 3-5A. What remains entering the 2026 season is a roster that as of its most recent update in late July numbered just 56 players, with 15 seniors and only seven juniors compared to 16 sophomores and 18 freshmen. “We’re young, and this is the smallest roster we’ve had, and this is my 20th year at McMinn, and it’s the smallest roster I’ve had,” Cagle said. “I hold it (a printed roster) up and it’s a half page, it’s never been that way before.” As for how young the Cherokees are this fall, Cagle had a couple of reality checks there, too, this offseason. “I’ve never done this, but when we went to FCA camp (in late July at Carson-Newman University), they send you the list, and I’m going through the list to make sure everybody is signed up because they’ve got
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
CHEROKEES SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
Bradley Central at Cleveland Walker Valley * Lenoir City * at Soddy-Daisy * Ooltewah * at Knoxville Central bye Red Bank at Rhea County * at East Hamilton *
• Region 3-5A contest to individually sign up for it, and I started looking at ages of our players,” Cagle said. “I think there were about 15 on our roster who were 16 years old or older. So our whole team is 15, and we’ve got 13-year-olds on there. This is the youngest team I’ve ever been around. I didn’t realize it, but I was standing in the weight room looking out the door
McMINN COUNTY
at the parking lot, and there’s about eight or nine cars out there. The whole team is in the weight room working out. So they’re all getting dropped off by mom and dad.” How successful McMinn could be this season will depend on how quickly this young group can mature. “And you think about those things and you go practice, and you’re like, ‘Why don’t these guys know how to practice, what are we doing?’” Cagle said. “And it’s because they haven’t done it. There’s not a whole lot of people showing them how to because we don’t know yet. So we’re learning, and it gets better. But what I talk to those guys about, and they’ve heard this before, is maturity. Our maturity level is, can we consistently play at a high level all the time? Can we do that? Do we have to start here, work up, then start all over again? Maturity level means we’re always going up and never going back to what we were before. And we’re trying to get there. We’re not there yet. If we’re close, I don’t know, I don’t know what close means, and going against competition is when we find out.” PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 21
M c MINN COUNTY ROSTER
2025 RESULTS CHEROKEES 21, Bradley Central 17 CHEROKEES 40, Cleveland 29 Walker valley 54, Cherokees 42 CHEROKEES 52, Lenoir City 13 CHEROKEES 49, Soddy Daisy 7 CHEROKEES 61, Ooltewah 6 Knox Central 24, Cherokees 21 Red Bank 21, Cherokees 11 Rhea County 34, Cherokees 6 CHEROKEES 50, E Hamilton 48 Playoffs LINCOLN CO 34, Chargers 13
2025 REGION 3-5A Team
Reg
Rhea County 5-1 WalkerValley 5-1 McMinn 4-2 EHamilton 4-2 Soddy Daisy 1-5 Ooltewah 1-5 Lenoir City 1-5
All
PF
PA
9-1 297 140 7-3 336 153 6-4 343 243 8-2 432 213 4-6 159 276 2-8 146 387 2-8 167 395
22 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0..... Maddox Frazier..............Jr. 1...... Colton Sneed..................Jr. 2..... Drake Frazier.................. Sr. 4..... Luke Lawson.................. Sr. 5..... Carson Tinsman............ Sr. 6..... Gavin Selvage...............So. 7..... Finn Holmes................... Fr. 8..... Hudson Brown.............. Fr. 9..... Marshall Goodner......... Sr. 10... Maddox Melton............. Fr. 11..... Jaxson Gonzalez........... Sr. 13.... Liam Perez..................... Fr. 15.... Paxton Ladd.................. Fr. 16.... Major Harrison..............So. 20... Landon Wilcox.............. Fr. 21.... Bentley Stroud...............Jr. 23... Judah Roche.................. Sr. 24... Wyatt Graves................So. 25... Joshua Rogers............... Fr.
26... Brendan Johnson.......... Sr. 27... Brodie Sanderson......... Sr. 28... Brady Gonzales............. Sr. 29... Lincoln Watson............. Sr. 30... Samir Aguilar................. Sr. 32... Aiden Weaver...............So. 33... Jacob Wiseman............. Fr. 34... Bryson Akers.................. Sr. 36... Bentley Lamb................ Fr. 38... Jace Richeson.................Jr. 39... Jordan McMeans........... Fr. 41.... Jasiah Jackson............... Fr. 42... Carson McDaniel............Jr. 44.. Maurice Merrill............... Fr. 45... Bryce Cagle...................So. 47... Brayden Webb-Harvey.So. 48.. Tucker Price.................... Fr. 49... Nash Frazier..................So. 51.... Jayden Sanchez...........So.
52... Jesse Jones..................... Sr. 53... Brantley Dain................. Fr. 54... Deh Patrick....................So. 55... Roman Goins................So. 56... Braylon Moses..............So. 59... Charles Fugate.............So. 60.. Grant Guffey.................. Fr. 61.... Deakon Haefele.............Jr. 62... Hayden Layman...........So. 64.. Landen Robinson......... Fr. 66.. Josh Dain.......................So. 68.. Chandler McLemore..... Fr. 70... Bentley Campbell........So. 76... Ty Miller........................... Sr. 77... Eli Dalton.......................So. 79... Warren Price...................Jr. 92... Ladain Bradley.............. Fr. 99.. JJ McDermott................ Sr.
McMINN COUNTY
www.dailypostathenian.com | 2026
It will also depend on how these young players’ bodies can hold up this season, especially with numbers as thin as they are on the roster. “We may be where we get hit in the mouth and it’s not going to be good,” Cagle said. “So you’d better be physical, you’d better be able to be tough and be able to take some pain, because we’re undersized. We’re very young, and young doesn’t mean a whole lot in skill and being able to do things, it means how much can my body take each week in and week out. So we’re a 5A football team playing Cleveland, Bradley, Red Bank and Knoxville Central. Those are not weeks you get to take off, so you’re physical 10 weeks a season. And then your preseason against Meigs (County) and Tyner. So you’re 12 weeks of, ‘let’s go, here it comes.’ So can our bodies hold up throughout the year, being undersized a little bit, and with the roster being small? Those are big questions, folks.” A schedule that begins Aug. 21 with the Cherokees’ 103rd all-time clash with archrival Bradley Central, followed immediately in sequence with Cleveland, then their Region 3-5A opener against Walker Valley, will be an immediate trial by fire. “We’ve got Bradley, Cleveland, Walker Valley the first three weeks of the year, so it’s a tough start to the season,” Cagle said. “But about September 14th or something, we’ll know who we are. We’ll know where we’re at and where we stand, and it’s really easy after that to see who’s in and who’s not, so that’s why you start the season like that.” McMinn’s remaining non-region opponents are a Knoxville Central team that reached the Class 5A state quarterfinals and a Red Bank team that advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals in 2025. “If we can get a win or two out of those, it would be tremendous, because there are some good football teams in our non-region schedule to get us ready to go,” Cagle said.
OFFENSE Five starters return from last season’s unit, and only one of those is on the offensive line – 6’1, 250-pound senior Ty Miller at right guard. The rest of the rebuilding offensive line’s expected starters: sophomore Deh Patrick at left tackle, freshman Brantley Dain at left guard, junior first-year varsity starter Deakon Haefele at center and at right tackle sophomore Eli Dalton, the only other returning offensive lineman with any significant experience. All of the starting linemen range from 200 to 250 pounds. But despite that overall lack of both experience and size, Cagle emphasizes that the Cherokees are recommitting to the running
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
DREW COOK | THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
McMinn County senior Drake Frazier runs through a NW Whitfield defender during the Cherokees 54-7 thrashing of the host-Bruins in May’s scrimmage in Tunnel Hill.
game, period. “We’re going to run the football,” Cagle said. “We’re going to get physical. We’re going to run inside the tackles, and we’re going to be good at it. And if we have to bang our head against the wall, we’re going to be good at it. We’ve got to be, and there’s no Plan B from that. We have that Plan A, and then we go off that Plan A to make ourselves better. But we’re going to run the football. And Ty (Miller) is going to make sure that offensive line is ready to run the football. This is who we are, this is out identity, this is who we’re are always going to be, so we’re going to run the football. And we’ll stop the run. And we’ll see where the chips fall when it’s over.” The other four returning offensive players are at skill positions. Luke Lawson enters his third year as the starting quarterback as a senior, coming off a junior season in which he passed for nearly 2,000 yards. Lincoln Watson, also a senior, rises to the starting tailback position after the graduation of Jakyran “Peanut” Dyer. Watson broke out late last season with a school record-tying rushing performance of six touchdowns, along with 266 yards, in a wild regular-season finale win over East Hamilton. “So we’re hoping that he can recreate that a bunch this year, that would be great,” Cagle said. The other returning experienced players are in the receiving corps, with seniors Drake Frazier, Marshall Goodner and Jaxson Gonzalez and junior tight end Maddox Frazier. Bryson Akers, a senior who mainly played defense last season, will also be in frequently at an H-back position, with McMinn especting to use heavier sets more frequently this fall.
DEFENSE Much like on offense, McMinn’s defense
McMINN COUNTY
faces a rebuilding task up front. Senior Jesse Jones, at 6’2”, 207 pounds, is the defensive line’s lone returning starter, and he will line up at defensive tackle. JJ McDermott, also a senior, brings the size at the other defensive tackle spot with his 6’1”, 340-pound physique. At defensive end are Bryson Akers at 6’1”, 187 pounds, moving down from linebacker, and 6’2” 192-pound junior Carson McDaniel. “We’re a little small up front, but JJ McDermott, a defensive tackle, he weighs about 340 pounds, so he makes our average look a little better than what it is,” Cagle said. “I think both of our defensive ends weight less than 200. So we’re a little small on the defensive side.” The linebackers are new, including senior Samir Aguilar at the mike, whom Cagle called a “great leader of our team.” The athletic junior Colton Sneed will also play linebacker in the Cherokees’ 4-2-5 scheme. The secondary is where McMinn returns the most experience, with Gonzalez, Drake and Maddox Frazier and Goodner playing two ways, and senior Carson Tinsman will also see the field frequently at cornerback. Maddox Frazier and Goodner are at the free safety spots. After taking its lumps last season, the secondary will be counted on to limit opponents’ aerial assaults this year. “We can talk about it like our secondary is getting beat, but sometimes those receivers are pretty dang good, too,” Cagle said. “And our corners are still 5’6”, they haven’t grown a whole lot. So it makes a difference when you’ve got a 6’4” receiver out there and a little guy is trying to over him. He’s got to be physical and got to do things right, got to knock them off their routes and all kinds of things to do before the ball ever gets there. If the ball gets there and he hasn’t done any of that, then we’re probably in trouble, and it’s just wasteful. But we work all the time to get better at that. We know we’re going to try to be in position. They had a really good offseason, so we’ll see how that rolls out.”
SPECIAL TEAMS As whom Cagle describes as “a luxury we didn’t know we had,” Lawson will also handle punting and placekicking chores in addition to playing quarterback. Lawson showed some of his punting ability last season, averaging around 40 yards a punt in limited action there. And Lawson also kicked a 40-yard field goal in FCA camp in late July. “He’ll be a weapon,” Cagle said of Lawson. “When you have a quarterback who is a punter, things will become multiple for us, and we can do several different things, so that’s a luxury to have, too.” — Gabriel Garcia PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 23
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24 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
2026
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26 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
MEIGS COUNTY
Tigers
REGION 2-3A
THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
Tigers have highest expectations to-date Meigs County has become a familiar face in the state quarterfinals, reaching the round seven times over the past nine seasons. Despite that sustained success, the Tigers haven’t returned to the semifinal stage since their back-to-back silver ball finishes in 2019 and 2020. On paper, the 2026 Tigers have perhaps their best opportunity yet to end that drought. Meigs returns proven playmakers, welcomes several impact newcomers and enters the season with talent spread across nearly every position group. Those expectations carry little weight inside the Tigers’ locker room. Third-year head coach Nathan Simbeck has been clear in his messaging: last season’s accomplishments and preseason projections won’t win a single game. He believes the Tigers’ pursuit of another deep playoff run begins with competing every day in practice and keeping perspective on getting better every single day. “We are excited about this team,” Simbeck said. “Last year has nothing to do with this year. We’ve got to be hungry to improve each and every week and we can never be
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
TIGERS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10. 29
Chattanooga Prep East Hamilton York Institute McMinn Central * Polk County Sweetwater * at Brainerd bye Scott * at Austin-East * at Kingston *
• Region 2-3A contest
satisfied.” Meigs is coming off of a 12-2 season in Simbeck’s second season at the helm. In 2025, after the Tigers dropped a game to 5A East Hamilton 35-27, they ran off 10 consecutive wins to place them in the Class 3A quarterfinal round at Gatlinburg-Pittman. The Tigers would end up dropping that game to GP 34-30 to end their season. Since its move up to Class 3A in 2023,
MEIGS COUNTY
Meigs is 14-1 in the region with three consecutive region championships. Last year, it was a clean sweep over foes McMinn Central, Sweetwater, Kingston, Scott and Austin-East by a combined 195-53 score. However, Simbeck believes this year’s Region 2-AAA is stacked with teams capable of beating the Tigers any given Friday. “We play in a region that is pretty even with good coaches, good players and good programs. We can get beat every night,” Simbeck said. “If we go into this season entitled, thinking everything is just owed to us, we’re going to get stunned. We’ll get beat. So we have to make sure we bring our best every single day and that we’re always trying to improve. If we don’t do that, we won’t achieve the goals we want to achieve.” As for non-district opponents, Meigs opens the season with home games against Chattanooga Prep, Class 5A East Hamilton and yearly 2A standout York Institute. In week 5, they’ll battle with traditional rival Polk County at home and they’ll travel to Brainerd Oct. 2. “This is a really fun group to coach,” Simbeck said. “I love them all and I’m looking PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 27
MEIGS COUNTY ROSTER
2025 RESULTS TIGERS 6, Chatt Prep 0 E HAMILTON 35, Tigers 28 TIGERS 24, York Inst. 6 TIGERS 38, Polk County 8 TIGERS 44, Sweetwater 14 TIGERS 65, Brainerd 6 TIGERS 23, Scott 17 TIGERS 47, Austin-East 6 TIGERS 14, Kingston 10 Playoffs TIGERS 45, Johnson County 8 TIGERS 49, Sequatchie County 19 G-P 34, Tigers 30
2025 REGION 2-3A Team
Reg
All
PF
PA
Meigs County 5-0 9-1 318 110 McMinn Central 3-2 7-3 269 155 Sweetwater 3-2 6-4 304 235 Kingston 3-2 6-3 245 145 Scott 1-4 6-4 276 180 Austin-East 0-5 1-9 170 399
28 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Briar Roberts................ Sr. 1....... Quinton Bennett......... Sr. 2...... Ja’Syas Woodruff........ Sr. 3...... Cornelius Morgan........ Sr. 4...... Eli Barker........................Jr. 5...... AJ Bentley..................... Sr. 6...... Brinen Jones..................Jr. 7...... Kaiden Brewster...........Jr. 8...... Leroy Bowerman..........Jr. 9...... Kegan Lenker............... Sr. 10.... Brayve Adams...............Jr. 11...... Dawson Kelly.................Jr. 12..... Carson Jennings.......... Fr. 13..... Cutter Harris................So. 14..... Waylon Truelove.......... Fr. 15..... Ethan Talley.................. Sr. 16..... Clay Huckabey............. Fr. 17..... Brantley Jamerson...... Fr. 18..... Ethan Shaver.................Jr.
19..... Xander Redmond.........Jr. 20.... Isaak Levasseur........... Sr. 21..... Eli Hope......................... Sr. 22.... Trey Hadaway.............. Fr. 23.... Lemarye Bowerman... Fr. 25.... Barry Howard................Jr. 26.... Bryson Rose.................So. 30.... Riley Hope..................... Fr. 32.... Ethan Malone............... Fr. 33.... Noah Moats.................. Fr. 34.... Wyatt Williams............ Fr. 35.... Cole Crabtree................ Fr. 42.... L.A. Parris.....................So. 44... Jadon Vandergriff....... Fr. 46... Hunter Ford.................. Sr. 49.... David Aquino.................Jr. 50... Kaleb Patton.................Jr. 52.... Mason Ward................So. 54.... Walt Hickman...............Jr.
55.... Peyton Standridge...... Sr. 57.... Jackson Womac........... Fr. 59.... Gauge Mason..............So. 62.... Brayden Straw............So. 63.... Collin Davies................. Fr. 68.. Gage Riggs....................So. 70.... Braxton Kincaid............Jr. 72.... Kayden Jamerson........ Fr. 75.... Jackson Decker...........So. 76.... Ty White.......................So. 77.... Logan Keith...................Jr. 78.... Noah Hernandez..........Jr. 79.... Dallas Mason............... Fr. 80... Chris Kincannon........... Fr. 81..... Fisher Key...................... Fr. 82.... Dylan Ferkingstad....... Sr. 85.... Giovanni Colorado-Salazar................So. 99... Tre Ferguson..................Jr.
MEIGS COUNTY
www.dailypostathenian.com | 2026
DEFENSE
forward to hopefully having another good year with our team.”
OFFENSE Kaiden Brewster returns as Meigs’ quarterback after taking over the position full time in Week 3 of the 2025 season. Brewster accumulated 2,145 yards from scrimmage in 12 games and scored 22 touchdowns. “Kaiden Brewster was really good for us last year as an All-State quarterback. He did a really nice job in his first year with us and we’ll be leaning on him a lot as he enters his junior year,” said Simbeck. Behind Brewster is freshman Carson Jennings, who also serves as the Tiger long snapper. The running back position is the biggest statistical loss for Meigs from the 2026 graduates as they lost Tuff Ricker. Ricker, a four year starter at various positions, accumulated 1,113 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns last season. However, the Tigers have a junior tandem of Ethan Shaver and Brinen Jones that Simbeck is confident in. Shaver has gotten varsity time on offense and defense the last two seasons, albeit somewhat sparingly as both seasons have ended in injury. Jones is a transfer from Cleveland and he is built like a bowling ball. While Shaver is a longer, rangier and speedier runner, Jones provides a nice complement of downhill runyou-over prowess. “I feel like we have a pretty good one-two punch at the running back spot there. Both of those guys play defense, so we’ll be by committee with those guys,” Simbeck said. “We feel good about both of those guys and we feel confident they can get the job done.” Meigs also has to replace all three starting wide receivers from last year - two to graduation and one to transfer. Three Tigers that have been in the program and worked at receiver last season step up into the starting roles. Cornelius Morgan, who got action at both running back and receiver last year in moments, will start in the slot. Out wide, senior Eli Hope takes one side and junior Eli Barker the other. “Cornelius does a really good job for us in the slot of getting the ball on the edge and making plays in space,” Simbeck said. “(Hope) and (Barker) are really good at blocking for us on the perimeter and they’ve been really good possession receivers as well.” In Meigs’ offense, wideouts may not get a ton of targets or accumulate gaudy stats. But over the last two years, the Tiger receivers have been unselfish blocking downfield helping spring big runs. Simbeck said the new wide receiver group has displayed that
2026 | DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
GABRIEL GARCIA | THE DAILY POST-ATHENIAN
Meigs County’s Jasyas Woodruff (2) puts a move on a Loudon would-be tackler during an interception return in the scrimmage late July at Jewell Field.
unselfishness, too. “When we watch our film, we can tell who someone is when they’re playing without the ball. You see guys make the extra effort to block at the second level after taking care of guys on the first level and you see the effort from them. You never hear any complaining and all of these guys are team guys,” Simbeck said. Up front, where the Tigers make their money, Meigs lost two starters - Lucas Hughes at tackle and Gavyn Withrow at center - to graduation. However, arguably the most impactful player on last year’s roster in Peyton Standridge, a reigning All-State tackle, is back for his senior season. Also crucial returning starters are left guard Walt Hickman and right guard Braxton Kincaid. Simbeck said Hickman and Kincaid had good years last year and have had a really good offseason. Junior Kaleb Patton will start at left tackle for his first year starting and he’s had a “really good offseason in the weight room and will be a really good player for us.” Logan Keith will be the Tiger center and Simbeck said he’s come a long way in just his second year playing the sport. “We have a pretty good group all the way around on the offensive side of the ball. We have some things to clean up and get better at, but it’s no secret who we are. We want to run the football and we want to be physical. We use our run game to open up our whole offense and we believe the biggest thing is to be able to protect the football.”
MEIGS COUNTY
Meigs returns six starters on a defensive unit that allowed just 11 points per game with the ones on the field in 2025. Perhaps even more importantly, it now has a six-time state champion calling the unit in 2026, with Simbeck hiring friend and former colleague Jeramey Anderson to man the Tiger defensive unit. “We have been trying to do things in his system, with terminology and calls,” Simbeck said of Anderson. “He’s a little more aggressive than me, which is good, because I need coaches to like things I don’t like. He’s also just got a lot more capacity than I do with the defense and I’m really excited about what he’s doing. I think we will be a lot more multiple.” On the line, Simbeck said junior Brayve Adams and senior Isaak Levasseur will be new starters and Ethan Talley returns to start as well. At linebacker, Meigs returns Kegan Lenker, who lived around the football a season ago as a junior. “Kegan led us in tackles last season and has a really good nose for the football,” Simbeck said. Starting alongside Lenker will be Bradley Central transfer A.J. Bentley. Bentley got substantial varsity minutes with the Bears a season ago, so he arrives to Meigs a seasoned veteran. At nickel, Simbeck said the Tigers will run out Quinton Bennett and Ethan Shaver, both of whom have been key contributors for the Tigers over the years. Kaiden Brewster and Eli Hope will start at safety for the Tiger secondary. Brewster was All-State as a freshman cornerback at McMinn and was impressive at corner as a sophomore in Decatur, but transitions to the strong safety spot. Morgan and Cleveland transfer Ja’Syas Woodruff will start at the corner positions. Both Morgan and Woodruff are athletic, physical boundary corners. “We’ve been pretty good in the secondary all summer long,” Simbeck said. “There’s some things we’re not doing well right now, but overall I think we’re really athletic on defense. We’re going to be a lot more multiple.”
SPECIAL TEAMS Simbeck said Brewster will man the punting duties for the Tigers, titling the junior three way player a “Swiss army knife.” At kicker, Meigs will send out both David Aquino and Giovani Colorado-Salazar. Brewster will return punts, while an array of Tigers will line up back there for kick return. — Drew Cook PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 29
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2026
I
Be a coachable athlete
’ve said it many times, here and elsewhere, but one of the most important ingredients to success in sports is coachability. But what is “coachability?” At its simplest, it is the willingness to allow yourself to be coached. That doesn’t include just the X’s and O’s, but involves many different aspects of what it is to coach and to be coached. Coachability means that as an athlete, you listen. Sometimes, it seems like athletes sort of tune their coaches out, never really listening. I get it if all that coach does is yell. It’s easy to turn it off. But even with those coaches that yell a lot, if you will listen to what their message is, and not so much focus on their delivery, you might understand what they want you to do. It doesn’t mean that you listen and don’t process that information — you have to. It has to be processed within the context of your understanding of the game. We had a quarterback at Maryville several years back that always listened. His coaches made the comment several times that they didn’t have to tell him what to do more than once — that he really never made the same mistake twice.
That doesn’t mean that he was a robot. What he did was listen to the coaches, process what they were telling him, then applied it to game and practice situations within both his understanding of the task and his own physical ability to perform. Before you listen, process and apply, you must be willing to learn. I have dealt with more coaches than most people will in their lifetime, and with but a few exceptions, they all wanted what is best for each and every member of JOE BLACK their team. When they correct you, you should listen. They really do have your best interest (and your performance) at heart. One of the cardinal mistakes parents can make is to try and be both parent and coach. It just doesn’t work. And, as an extension of that, if the parent is always telling the athlete that their coach is well ... an idiot, then the athlete is doomed, because they will never allow themselves to be coachable. And even the worst coaches have something to offer.
‘When they correct you, you should listen. They really do have your best interest (and your performance) at heart.’ The best athletes are hungry for feedback. You can see it in how they listen, how they try and manifest those instructions, and how they work harder with the goal of doing it like their coach told them to. They study. They watch film. They practice on their own.To be coachable, we must believe that the coach has our best interest at heart — that they really just want us to be the best that we can be. Good coaches unlock your potential. Good coaches are often accused of “coaching hard,” demanding more of their players. To that, I will add Maya Angelou’s quote: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Joe Black, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC is a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Blount Memorial Hospital’s Total Rehabilitation Center. Write to Joe at joeblackdpt@ gmail.com
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2026
RHEA COUNTY
REGION 3-5A
Ea g les
HERALD-NEWS
Eagles look to build on last year’s success The Eagles won Region 3-5A behind an older group of players that didn’t have much playoff experience, and it showed with a firstround playoff loss in the 2025 season. This year, Rhea County is banking on having another junior and senior-laden team with more playoff experience that can lead to competing for another region title and having more success in the playoffs. The 2025 team went 9-2 with a region championship after defeating Walker Valley on a last-second touchdown grab. But their joy was short-lived as they were whipped by Lawrence County in the first round of the playoffs. Rhea County High School Coach Taylor Harvey is hoping to build on last year’s success but is providing motivation to the Eagles as they prepare for this season. Before each practice this year, the ending of the Lawrence County game is played, with their opponents celebrating at Eagle Stadium. It’s also on every television in the field house just as a reminder. “I would be disappointed if we weren’t competing for a region championship and out here hosting a (playoff) game come November,” Harvey said. Rhea lost 19 seniors off last year’s team and had another starter dismissed after the season.
2026 | HERALD-NEWS
EAGLES SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.16 10.23 10.30
Red Bank Notre Dame at Ooltewah * Soddy-Daisy * at Lakeway Christian at East Hamilton * at Lenoir City * Loudon High School McMinn County * Walker Valley *
• Region 3-5A contest Running back Mason Ford and receiver Aiden Wilkerson will be particularly hard to replace as Ford ran for 1,254 yards and 14 touchdowns while Wilkerson caught 27 passes for 545 yards and 16 touchdowns. “Obviously it will be tough to find a way to produce the run game Ford has the past few years, and Aiden being so explosive, he was a 16-touchdown player last year,” Harvey said. “It will be tough to find that production, but we do have a lot of returning pieces as well.” The Eagles currently have 92 players on the
RHEA COUNTY
roster and return eight starters on defense and seven on offense. One of those returning starters, Austun Fugate, played both ways last year and is expected to do so again. “Fugate is probably the best football player we have here as far as having an impact on the game on offense, defense and special teams,” Harvey said.
OFFENSE Senior quarterback Jaxston Schmitt returns for this season as the starter under center. After a bit of a slow start in 2025, he completed 80-of-130 passes for 1,1216 yards and 15 touchdowns. “He is like daylight to dark compared to how he was a year ago,” Harvey said. “We were going into Red Bank last year with him making his first career start. Over the next three weeks he was battling through some injuries, and he looked like a first-year quarterback. He would make good plays and then make bad plays. “But from game 1 to game 11 last year, he was much improved. He has done nothing but work on his craft. He is a lot heavier, just as fast, played basketball and baseball this offseason. He is a competitor.” Schmitt is currently 6’4”, 200 pounds and PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 35
RHEA COUNTY ROSTER
2025 RESULTS EAGLES 10, Red Bank 7 EAGLES 28, Notre Dame 14 EAGLES 34, Ooltewah 0 EAGLES 35, Soddy Daisy 13 EAGLES 63, Lakeway Chr 27 E HAMILTON 56, Eagles 33 EAGLES 16, Lenoir City 0 EAGLES 28, Loudon 7 EAGLES 34, McMinn County 6 EAGLES 16, Walker Valley 10 Playoffs LAWRENCE CO 38, Eagles 20
2025 REGION 3-5A Team
Reg
Rhea County 5-1 WalkerValley 5-1 McMinn 4-2 EHamilton 4-2 Soddy Daisy 1-5 Ooltewah 1-5 Lenoir City 1-5
All
PF
PA
9-1 297 140 7-3 336 153 6-4 343 243 8-2 432 213 4-6 159 276 2-8 146 387 2-8 167 395
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Jamir Dean 0...... Teagan Everett 1....... Jaxton Schmitt 2...... Troy Brown 3...... Tristyan Odum 4...... Jacob Kerley 5...... Sam Walton 6...... Quinten Massengill 7...... Macarthy Evans 8...... Laterrius Donegan 9...... Sam Rasnake 11...... Austun Fugate 13..... Wyatt Mangefrida 15..... Quinton Davis 16..... Jack Barnes 17..... Drake Schuler 18..... Miles Phillips 19..... Rett Robertson 20.... Collin Levi Brock 21..... Foster Evans 22.... Ezekiel Romero 23.... Christian Yearwood 24.... Landon Hallman 25.... Gavin Miller
26.... Caleb Chance 27.... Sawyer Robertson 28.... Damien Orafferty 29.... Samuel Sanchez 31..... Eli Kelly 32.... Bodie Marchetti 34.... Caygan Waller 35.... Edwin Villanueva 36.... Michael Waller 37.... Charlie Whiteman 38.... Alex Villanueva 39.... Charlie Vaughn 42.... Logan Henderson 43.... Isaac Mitchell 44... Dagger Dannel 46... Bentlee Fullam 50... A.J. Chacon 51..... Landon Harmon 52.... Trenton Ellis 53.... Joseph Donegan 54.... Jaxson Spears 55.... Joseph Dhuivetter 56.... Zach Day 57.... Hunter Blagg
58.... D.J. Donegan 59.... Tyler Garrison 60... Eli Morton 61..... Dominic Middleton 63.... Jaxon Tinker 64... Aiden Hernandez 65.... Owen Travis 66... Mason Webb 67.... Levi Bradley 70.... Trevor Lynn 73.... Casey Curtis 74.... Lucas Harrison 75.... Nolvin Lopez Sanchez 76.... Trye Brown 77.... Colton Thurman 78.... Jonathan Bennett 79.... Noah March 80... Draven Anderson 81..... Steven Ferguson 82.... Romeo Villanueva 84... Joston Phillips 86... Ryder Schellenberg 87.... Sencere McKensey 89... Preston Roberts
KEEP SOARING. Here’s to a great season,
EAGLES!
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RHEA COUNTY
www.rheaheraldnews.com | 2026
has consistently been timed in the 4.5s when timed at various camps. He has offers from the University of West Georgia as a quarterback and by Furman as a receiver. The running game will see some new faces with Eli Kelly likely taking over as the starting running back, though as of this writing, he was battling Tristyan Odum for the position. Troy Brown, a transfer from Chattanooga Christian, is also in the mix. He ran for about 900 yards last year. “We have a returning guy who played a lot early last year, Eli Kelly, then things went on, he wasn’t with us at the end of the year and he is back,” Harvey said. “Trystan Odom, Chauncey’s younger brother, has been looking really good in practice. I’m not sure he’s not the No. 1 right now. Kelly earned the job in the spring, but TO is really playing well right now.” The starting receivers in the preseason, are Fugate, LT Donegan and Quinten Massengill, who is a track athlete who came back to the football team for his senior year. Troy Brown may also see time at reciever. “We will still lean on the running game, but we definitely have the most explosive receiving core and most athletic group since I’ve been here,” Harvey said. “We can spread the ball around a little differently than in the past.” The offensive line returns three starters in Lucas Harrison at left tackle, Colton Thurman at left guard and Tyler Garrison at right tackle. There would have been a fourth lineman returning, but he was dismissed after last season. As of now, the two players stepping in as starters on the offensive line are center AJ Chacon and right guard Tyre Brown, the brother of Troy Brown. “We have a new center in AJ Chacon, he was our JV center last year,” Harvey said. “He is one of the hardest working kids in the program. I trust him a lot. We have Tyre Brown at right guard. He’s a rising senior and a heavyweight wrestler.” Harvey likes the potential of his offense. Despite not having Ford, the Eagles will continue to run the ball, though more players may get carries. Schmitt may carry the ball more as well. “We have older guys that have produced at every spot,” Harvey said, noting that this group of players are self-motivated. “Fugate is looking to be one of the first, I think he will be the second back-to-back All-State if he would pull that off this year. He was first in public schools with three interceptions. “Schmitt has received all types of accolades his offseason. Our receivers look good. Our tight ends are returning. The hardest thing for me is that I have to remember I don’t have to drive it hard all the time.”
2026 | HERALD-NEWS
SCOTT POWER | THE HERALD-NEWS
Rhea County’s Austun Fugate is the top returning receiver for the Eagles. He also led the team in interceptions and is the team’s field goal kicker.
DEFENSE
Overall, Harvey likes the potential of this year’s team. The Eagles are expected to at least challenge for the region title. “I told you last year there’s nobody on our schedule I didn’t think we couldn’t beat, but it also wouldn’t shock me if we ended up 5-5 depending on injuries and things going our way here and there,” Harvey said. “I think the same thing this year. There isn’t a team on our schedule we can’t beat. We proved that last year. We worked hard for two years to get to this spot and now we have to sustain it.” The two teams likely to stand in the way of a region championship are Walker Valley and McMinn County. “It always starts at McMinn County. Coach (Bo) Cagle does a great job there. They are always physical and well-coached. Walker Valley will be good again. Coach (Matt) Moody does a good job, and it wouldn’t shock me if Ooltewah slips into the playoffs. Soddy is always a tough game. I don’t know a lot about the new staff at East Hamilton. Lenior City has a new staff too.” The Rhea County High School Eagles begin regular season play on Friday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m., with a home game against Red Bank High School at Eagle Stadium in Evensville. — Scott Power
RHEA COUNTY
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 37
Rhea uses a base 3-3-stack defense that can add a fourth lineman when needed. Most of the time there are two safeties deep to prevent the big play. The goal is to make the opponents drive the ball all the way down the field. The Eagles held eight out of 10 regular season opponents to 13 points or less and forced 26 turnovers. Rhea got two region shutouts and had the lowest points per game in the region for two years in a row. “Our kids buy into making the other team snap the ball again,” Harvey said. “I don’t think there are many high school offenses that will put a drive together; they will make mistakes as long as you don’t give up an explosive play.” Up front on defense are defensive linemen Rett Robinson, Tyre Brown and Christian Yearwood. At linebacker are Bentley Fullam, Wyatt Mangefrida and Zeke Romero. Odum also plays outside linebacker. In the secondary, Donegan and Massengill are the corners, or they were in the preseason. Fugate and Troy Brown are the safeties. Harvey said the strength of this year’s defense is that there is experience and leadership at each of the position groupings. Fugate is also the team’s kicker. He had a long kick of 44 yards against Red Bank last year.
s!
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PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 39
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2026
SEQUOYAH
Chiefs
REGION 3-4A
ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
Chiefs look to be stronger in King’s second season Sequoyah starts the second season of Brett King’s tenure on Aug. 21 when the Chiefs host Sweetwater. A year into the alumni’s return, the Chiefs hope to take the next step under him — into a realm where Sequoyah is competing on the field. “Our motto would be going from roll call to compete. We are now just trying to push the attitude of competition in every aspect,” King said. Turning to the team, snapping a losing streak that has moved to 25 games takes some time, but the roster has been eager in the preseason and hopeful to return to the field with renewed energy, accountability and ownership of the program and the culture. “For the most part, they have done a pretty good job with that. Our coaches are pushing it well. That is our motto from all of us,” King said. “We are competing in everything. No matter if it is taking out the trash or who is going to hit the hardest. “We are competing in every stage and I think our kids have been pretty receptive to it.” For the Chiefs, success will look like the
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
CHIEFS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
Sweetwater at Tellico Plains at Polk County at Howard at Signal Mountain * Hixson * at Loudon * McMinn Central bye at Red Bank * East Ridge *
• Region 3-4A contest
team taking those steps to be more competitive — across its early set of County Cup games through challenging Region 3-4A action to end the year. “Just that motto where we are going off of competing every play and trying to say we are winning every play,” King added.
BUILDING AN IDENTITY The Chiefs plan to be a run first time this
SEQUOYAH
fall, building that offense out of a six-man deep backfield. The rush starts with Evan Hunt and Carter Tallent, but adds more depth when it stretches out to Brody Burton, Eli Kidd, Chris Keomaniboth and quarterback Andrew Smith. “We will have to be a run-first team,” King said. “(That is) very important. We cannot have injuries, though. We have to have them and we have to be healthy. “Most of them are starters on both sides of the ball. They are strong and capable of doing it; now we just have to prove it.” Hunt and Tallent have become leaders with the ball on the ground and in the offense. “Just to become leaders now. Being the vocal point, being confident and expressing their hearts via their words to the other players on the team,” King said. “Whether that be an offensive line or defense, and being able to show that leadership and growth. Hopefully those guys will listen to them and take off with them.” Smith makes a positional change for the new season. He moves to quarterback out of his slot receiver role last season. PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 41
SEQUOYAH ROSTER
2025 RESULTS SWEETWATER 65, Chiefs 7 TELLICO PLAINS 42, Chiefs 0 POLK COUNTY 20, Chiefs 8 HOWARD 20, Chiefs 16 SIGNAL MTN 49, Chiefs 12 HIXSON 33, Chiefs 0 LOUDON 41, Chiefs 7 MCMINN CENTRAL 33, Chiefs 0 RED BANK 49, Chiefs 0 EAST RIDGE 34, Chiefs 6
2025 REGION 3-4A Team
Reg
All
PF
Red Bank Hixson Loudon Signal Mtn East Ridge Sequoyah
5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 1-4 0-5
6-4 264 139 5-5 225 194 5-5 187 224 4-6 241 206 5-5 156 175 0-10 56 386
42 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
PA
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Andrew Smith..............Sr.
20.... Mateo Cortez.................Jr.
63.... Noah Harper.................Fr.
1....... Evan Hunt.....................Sr.
21..... Jackson Millsaps..........Fr.
64... Joseph Teaster.............Sr.
2...... Carter Tallent................Jr.
23.... Mason Davis.................Fr.
66... Dawson Fry...................Sr.
3...... Chris Keomaniboth......Jr.
24.... Barrett Scott................Fr.
71..... Kalen Sherwood........ So.
4...... Leland Keller................Sr.
25.... Jason Raper..................Fr.
74.... Blake Campbell......... So.
5...... Meechi Rice...................Sr.
34.... Brody Burton.............. So.
75.... Isaiah Hale....................Fr.
6...... Eli Kidd...........................Fr.
44... Essley Watson.............Fr.
76.... Brently Lovingood.......Fr.
8...... Andreus Cortez............Sr.
45.... Kaden Gibby............... So.
88... Kadin Smith..................Fr.
9...... Carver Parcher.............Sr.
50... Mikey Henry..................Fr.
92.... Matthew Drainer....... So.
10.... Colten Colvert..............Sr.
51..... Thai Webber............... So.
........ Kaden McKeown..........Jr.
11...... Mason Corcoran............Jr.
52.... Carter Williamson.......Sr.
12..... Daniel Macon................Jr.
53.... Jalen King.......................Jr.
13..... Colten Coleman......... So.
54.... Caden Atkins................Sr.
14..... Dusty Tinsley................Sr.
55.... Brason Bledsoe............Fr.
15..... Desean Lenoir..............Fr.
58.... Waylon Smith............ So.
16..... Dallas Taylor............... So.
60... Cainan Curtis.............. So.
18..... Brock Russell................Sr.
61..... Connor Sharp...............Fr.
19..... DJ Butts....................... So.
62.... William Crisp.............. So.
SEQUOYAH
www.advocateanddemocrat.com | 2026
“Every day he is getting better. This year we are having to transition him to quarterback,” King said. “He is getting comfortable more and more every day with taking snaps under center, leading and directing the offense. Now, we have to get everyone else on page with him and getting adjusted to his cadence.” Sequoyah will hope to air it out some in an effort to mix up the offense and the pace. Smith has a trio of targets when he does throw the ball — Mason Corcoran, Leland Keller and Dallas Taylor. “Hopefully we can get the ball out to them just as much as we do to the running backs to try to keep defenses honest and to give some of our playmakers the ball as well,” King said. On the offensive line, Sequoyah returns two starters in Caden Atkins and Thai Webber. “They are doing a fantastic job and they have been good. We just have to get our tackles and our sophomore guard ready to go and ready to play most of the downs this year,” King said. “They are huge. We have to have them.” The other part features three new starters, including Joseph Teaster, who was expected to start a year ago before an ACL injury ended his junior year early.
LOCKING DOWN ON DEFENSE The defensive line starts with Teaster pairing with Jalen King at tackle and continues with Atkins and Tallent as the defensive ends. “We have to keep working with those guys to get some pushes off of the edge. Jalen King did a pretty good job in the spring ball game,” King said. “We just have to get the guys to fight every play and to compete every play.” Sequoyah allowed 38.6 points per game last season. Sequoyah has taken a focus on finishing plays and drives on defense to whittle that number down. “They do great for a few plays, then a few plays they try to take off. We have to get them to understand that every play matters,” King said. Sequoyah’s defense plans to keep the scheme and systems from last fall, but the team has gotten stronger over the offseason. That strength can come through at linebacker with Colton Colvert and Smith. “We are a little stronger than last year just because of that familiarity with the style of what we have been doing for the last year,” King said. “Hopefully, they can get into the same flow, especially with (the returners).” Plenty of depth comes in with Burton, Chris Keomaniboth and freshman Kidd. “(Kidd) is going to get a lot of plays too,” King said. The secondary adds plenty of depth,
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
COURTESY JERRY DENHAM | THE ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
Sequoyah’s Evan Hunt extends the stiff arm during a carry in 2025.
starting with Hunt and Keller. “(Keller) showed that he is going to be able to come up and make that tackle that we need him to do, which made me proud over the scrimmage,” King said. At safety, Sequoyah plans to turn to Corcoran and Taylor. “They have done pretty well over the 7-on-7 season. Hopefully, we do not get caught up in the run game and forget that they have a passing defense,” King said. “Hopefully, we can get that coordinated up in the next week or two that they have to follow suit in the same stuff that we always do and they have to worry about the run game.” The Chiefs do have a pair of returners on special teams. Carver Parcher returns at kicker while Colvert returns at punter. “I am glad to have those guys back. They did a really good job last year. Colton is a really good punter and we are thankful to have him back,” King said. The long list of ball carriers adds options for Sequoyah on punt and kick return. “We try to give them a little break, but we have a few of them who are going to have to step into that role and we are going to say that you have to be conditioned to say that you can do this,” King said. Sequoyah’s roster will require several players to see both sides of the ball, but the Chiefs think that competitiveness will help to continue the targeted intensity and energy. “We are really working on being more conditioned this year. We have a lot of guys that are going both ways, so we are really pushing
SEQUOYAH
conditioning right now,” King said. The team has also added plenty of muscle. “We are a lot stronger. That is a big thanks to Ethan Edmiston,” King said. “We are much stronger in every position and, hopefully, we can utilize that and sort of power our way through some games.” Sequoyah’s coaching staff names 10 assistants, a shift that has helped to keep things focused. John Douglass Wiggins, Martin Howard, JD Grey, Tommy Clemmer, Gray Williams, Mason Dyer, Jesse Winger, Hunner Johnson, Lucas Rockholt and Edmiston make up the staff. “It has helped out a lot, especially recently. We have done a good job of being able to get together. We just have to stay united and make sure we are on the same page,” King said. The Chiefs start the season with four non-region games: Sweetwater on Aug. 21, then at Tellico Plains, at Polk County and at Howard. “Hopefully, we will be able to see some things that our region does,” King said. “We know that Signal Mountain last year ran the Wing-T option. Sweetwater did it last year, Tellico is apparently doing it this year and Polk County has been known to do types of formations as well. “That helps us build up for that.” Sequoyah will then play three consecutive Region 3-4A games before hosting McMinn Central on Oct. 9. “McMinn Central is doing a really good job of throwing the ball and that will hopefully get us prepared for Loudon,” King added. “It is good to have those teams on the schedule to get us prepared for region.” Region 3-4A features East Ridge, Hixson, Loudon, Red Bank and Soddy-Daisy. Red Bank won the region last season, reaching the Class 4A quarterfinals after wins over Macon County and Gibbs. Hixson, Loudon and Signal Mountain also reached the Class 4A playoffs, but failed to advance. The other five teams in Region 3-4A combined for 25 wins last fall. Sequoyah neared a pair of wins last year, falling 20-8 to Polk County and 20-16 to Howard in consecutive weeks. The Chiefs’ last win came Sept. 15, 2023, a 31-6 victory over Howard before the previous losing streak was busted by a 55-19 win over Tellico Plains earlier that season. Sequoyah rosters 46 players, with 13 seniors and 20 upperclassmen to make the roster. The schedule features four consecutive road games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 18. — Noah Houck PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 43
www.jtekt-na.com/careers 44 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
Good Luck in the 2024-2025 Football Season to All Area Teams!
Madisonville, Tennessee The Hub of Monroe County
Mayor: Scott Hunt Vice Mayor: Nancy Franklin City Recorder: Sherri McCrary Board of Aldermen: Chris Bowers, Ed Dawson, and Danny Long
2026
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 45
THIS FOOTBALL SEASON
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46 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
SWEETWATER
W i ld ca t s
REGION 2-3A
ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
Wildcats continue to aim higher this season Sweetwater has made progress on the field each season since Tommy Bunch Jr. took over in 2024. That showed last year when the Wildcats finished region play with a winning record and earned a return to the Class 3A state playoffs. With 12 seniors and plenty of talented players across both sides of the ball, Sweetwater hopes to keep that growth continuing through 2026. “Since we have gotten to Sweetwater, the trajectory of our program has been right and I feel like the trajectory could have been a little more steep last year,” Sweetwater coach Tommy Bunch Jr. said. “It is not slighting anyone that we played or beat us, but we feel like we had many opportunities in our losses
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
WILDCATS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.29
at Sequoyah bye Tellico Plains Polk County Kingston * at Meigs County * Austin-East * Campbell County at Oneida at McMinn Central * at Scott *
• Region 2-3A contest
that we could have or should have taken
SWEETWATER
advantage of.” Those next steps include winning a county championship and competing for the region championship in Region 2-3A. “Those are our goals; if we are not going to dream big, then why dream at all,” Bunch added. “We are going to shoot for the stars and we believe we have them in our sights based on how hard we have worked and what we have done in a three-year span.” Of the 12 seniors, eight of them have been with Bunch for three years, including running back Ty Fitch and quarterback Nolan Dacus. “They are very talented seniors and many of them will have major roles on the field in all three phases of the game. They are guys that have bought into the process of what
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 47
SWEETWATER ROSTER
2025 RESULTS WILDCATS 65, Sequoyah 7 TELLICO PLAINS 27, Wildcats 22 POLK COUNTY 35, Wildcats 28 WILDCATS 21, Kingston 19 MEIGS COUNTy 44, Wildcats 14 WILDCATS 47, Austin-East 33 WILDCATS 34, Campbell County 6 WILDCATS 22, Oneida 19 MCMINN CENTRAl 20, Wildcats 13 WILDCATS 38, Scott 25 Playoffs UNICOI COUNTY 28, Wildcats 21
2025 REGION 2-3A Team
Reg
All
PF
PA
Meigs County 5-0 9-1 318 110 McMinn Central 3-2 7-3 269 155 Sweetwater 3-2 6-4 304 235 Kingston 3-2 6-3 245 145 Scott 1-4 6-4 276 180 Austin-East 0-5 1-9 170 399
48 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
1....... Bryson Bonnough........Jr. 2...... Isaiah Stiles..................Sr. 3...... Michael Hamelburg....Fr. 4...... Brayden Dowell............Jr. 5...... Hunter Daffron............Sr. 6...... Ty Fitch..........................Sr. 7...... Landon Murphy...........Sr. 8...... Thomas Hawkins........Sr. 9...... Jaxson Powell..............Sr. 10.... Ashton Johnkins........ So. 11...... Johnny Gutierrez...........Jr. 12..... Gus Campbell...............Sr. 13..... Zach Sisk..................... So. 14..... Nolan Dacus.................Sr. 15..... Ryland Summit...........Fr. 16..... Malique Johnson.........Fr. 17..... George Hamelburg......Fr. 19..... Jordan Smith................Fr.
20.... Will Parker Watson......Jr. 21..... Landon Dacus...............Jr. 22.... Cy Prince........................Sr. 24.... Kaeden Grabowski.......Jr. 25.... Elijah Johnson...............Jr. 26.... Lamar McSpadden.....Fr. 32.... Roman Arwood...........Fr. 33.... Logan Whaley...............Jr. 34.... Jeremiah Wilson...........Jr. 50... Bentley Killiam............Fr. 51..... Danny Contreras........ So. 52.... Maddox Bentley..........Fr. 53.... Elijah Lowe.....................Jr. 54.... JoJo Carrillo...................Fr. 55.... Brayden Myers.............Sr. 56.... Aiden Pinsly................ So. 57.... Gaige Holzer............... So. 59.... Weston Alford..............Fr.
60... CJ Dees..........................Fr. 62.... Colbie Pinsly.................Fr. 63.... Wyatt Brock............... So. 64... Edward Najera.............Fr. 65.... Payton Fordham..........Jr. 66... Brandon Reed............ So. 67.... Lane White...................Fr. 70.... Caedon Jeffers........... So. 71..... Brody Gosa...................Sr. 74.... Kaivon Latham.............Jr. 75.... Kanyon Caulder......... So. 77.... Corbin Nile.....................Sr. 78.... Caiden Ward..................Jr. 79.... Jack Evans................... So. 81..... James Gutierrez......... So. 82.... Axle Millsaps................Fr. 84... Jacob Smith................ So. 85.... Cordie Quintana..........Fr.
SWEETWATER
www.advocateanddemocrat.com | 2026
we are trying to build at Sweetwater,” Bunch said. “We are starting to see the fruits of that labor now in the 2026 season.”
GETTING ACTIVE Sweetwater returns eight starters on offense for a team that was young on the line last season despite creating a competitive run game. “Our identity is not going to be much different. We are going to run the football. We are going to do it out of some different sets than we were doing it out of last year for us to be more versatile,” Bunch said. “We are going to try to take advantage of that by lightening the box up in order to run the football more effectively.” The leader of that ground attack is Fitch, who rushed for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. “We know what he can do with the football in his hand. He is the hardest worker you are going to be around and he is a joy to be around, too,” Bunch said. Adding to the run game is Logan Whaley, a junior who had a strong season on defense last fall. He will also be joined by Ashton Johnkins and Will Parker Watson while Landon Murphy expects to play across the offense. Dacus is set for a strong senior season after taking over the reins of the offense midway through the 2023 season. “Nolan is the epitome of a leader. He leads our team; they look up to him for guidance and he throws a beautiful deep ball,” Bunch said. “He has gotten bigger and stronger. He is a leader on our team who has done what is necessary this offseason in order to finish out his high school football career in the best physical shape possible.” Last season, Dacus threw for 10 touchdowns and 1,015 yards. Dacus has gotten more comfortable with the receivers in the offseason, including Hunter Daffron, who returns to Sweetwater for his senior season. “These are Sweetwater kids and they have a cohesion together. They have their timing right as far as their routes go,” Bunch said. “I think it is super important to have a lot of veteran players who are running those reps. I think it produces a lot of consistency on the field.” Malique Johnson comes in as the backup quarterback. “He has looked good in the preseason and has done a good job of grasping the concepts of our offense. We are excited to see what he is going to do in his tenure with our program,” Bunch said. On the perimeter, Isaiah Stiles returns after bringing in 450 yards a year ago. Daffron
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
builds up the group with his return after one season with McMinn Central. “(Stiles) is a long-body, tall kid that can jump through the gym and he is really good at catching the football,” Bunch said. “We are excited to have (Daffron) on both sides of the ball and he is definitely going to be an explosive threat on the offensive side of the ball.” Murphy’s versatility adds to the receiving group along with juniors Landon Dacus and Brayden Dowell and senior Gus Campbell. Bunch referred to the offensive line as the most important part of the system and it starts with senior Corbin Nile returning at center. “He is a smart kid, he is a big kid and he is strong. He really leads that group up there,” Bunch said. Another returner is Kaivon Latham, who started on both sides last season. “He is very quick off the ball. He is a big and strong kid. He is going to be a very good player for us in his last two years in our program,” Bunch said. Aiden Pinsly will be one of three starting sophomores after he started his freshman season, joined by Danny Contreras and Brandon Reed. “(Pinsly) likes football, likes to hit and likes physicality. He has really brought that mentality to the offensive line group and they are becoming what we want them to be,” Bunch said. “Danny moves really, really well. Both of them had really good offseasons and preseasons. We expect big things out of that offensive line group. “They will take us where we want to go.”
DISHING OUT HITS Sweetwater returns seven starters on a defense that is keeping the same scheme under defensive coordinator Ben Norwood heading into the new season. “We are really excited about the whole defensive unit and we feel like they are farther along than they were this time last year,” Bunch said. “It has made this preseason much easier in that aspect because we are getting to coach technique and football instead of so much verbiage. “That has allowed us to be ahead of schedule at this point.” Sweetwater’s unit starts with a defensive line that plans to rotate throughout the campaign. Campbell and Thomas Hawkins will make a pair of senior defensive ends while Elijah Lowe can play at defensive end or defensive tackle. Pinsly will line up towards the center of the line, alongside Contreras and Latham. “That is where you win and lose every ball game and every season,” Bunch said. The Wildcats return three linebackers.
SWEETWATER
“We feel really good about that unit. We have one position in our linebacking corps that we are figuring out right now,” Bunch said. “After (the East Hamilton scrimmage), people have separated themselves a little bit, but we have people in competition for that position.” Murphy, who led the county in tackles last fall, and Whaley will compete in the spots. “They are two kids that cover a lot of ground. They like to hit; they like to play football. We like to have them back in that position,” Bunch said. “Landon does a great job of directing traffic. He makes sure we are lined up correctly and he does not care to get on them if they are not.” They are also joined by Jaxson Powell at outside linebacker. “Jaxson is a very smart kid. He is undersized, but you will never know it when he hits you. He is going to give you everything he has when he hits you,” Bunch said. “He is another kid that gets us lined up; he knows where everyone is supposed to be and he never gets us out of position.” Sweetwater adds depth with Johnkins and Watson alongside Nolan Dacus. “The physicality aspect of that is that, if you do not bite as a puppy, then you will not bite as a dog,” Bunch said of his team flipping into a more physical program. Stiles has moved to safety this season, where he will partner with Daffron and Sweetwater adds depth from Kaeden Grabowski and Dowell. Freshman Michael Hamelburg may also factor in. “He has had a good preseason and was a great player at Sweetwater Junior High. He has come in this summer and has impressed by how naturally talented he is and by his tenure in the program,” Bunch said. Cy Prince returns after kicking nine field goals last fall, including four in one game. The Wildcats will compete in Region 2-3A with Austin-East, Kingston, McMinn Central, Meigs County, and Scott. The Wildcats finished third in the region last season through a three-way tie with Kingston and Central at 3-2. In non-region play, the Wildcats will travel to Sequoyah and Oneida while hosting Campbell County, Polk County and Tellico Plains. With a bye in Week 2 ahead of the Tellico Plains game on Sept. 4, the County Cup will be decided by the end of Week 3. “My overall thoughts about this team are that I am excited about this team. I am really excited about this team,” Bunch said. “We tell them all the time that talent is going to set our floor and standards are going to set our ceiling.” — Noah Houck PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 49
The Mayor, Board of Commissioners and all employees of the City of Sweetwater would like to say Good Luck to all Area Teams and
NEW DATE
September 18-19 2026
Go Wildcats!
50 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
2026
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 51
52 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
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2026
PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 53
Show Your School Spirit
Good Luck to all Area Teams!
Go Bears!
www.PBET.bank
Town of Tellico Plains 405 Veterans Memorial Dr. Tellico Plains, TN
A special thank you to all our advertising partners who made The Big Book of Football a success this season
Cheer them on by supporting these local businesses! 54 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
TELLICO PLAINS
Bears
REGION 2-2A
ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
Tellico’s ‘most complete’ team set for season The 2026 Tellico Plains Bears might be the most complete team that head coach Bobby White has fielded since arriving in 2022. Twelve seniors lead the team with eight returning starters on offense, six returners on defense, several experienced skill players and a pair of names that could take over under center. With a playoff berth automatic through the four-team Region 2-2A, the Bears aim to continue the strides with a third consecutive county cup and their name in the top of the Region 2-2A discussion. “We have a great group of seniors; they know the expectations of our program. I am going on my fifth year and I think we have built a good culture through our program,” White said. “I think that shows through the way that we play.” Two years removed from advancing in the Class 2A playoffs and after winning the program’s first consecutive County Cup in school history last year, there is a wave of confidence engulfing the program. “That is something that we believe we are
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
BEARS SCHEDULE 08.21 08.28 09.04 09.11 09.18 09.25 10.02 10.09 10.16 10.23 10.30
at Greenback Sequoyah at Sweetwater at Bledsoe County at Oneida * bye at Eagleton Academy * Harriman McMinn Central at Smith County Polk County*
• Region 2-2A contest
going to do again; there is a lot of belief in that room, but we also believe we are going to take it to the next step this year of playing for a region championship,” White added. “This is probably my most complete team; we have a lot of depth and it is also our biggest roster.” The Bears roster 50 players, showing the
TELLICO PLAINS
culture shift for a team that combined for four wins after White’s first two campaigns. “We have changed the culture since my staff has been at Tellico. We have a winning mindset and we expect to win,” White said. “That starts every day with the way we approach practice, what we do and how we get after it.” White noted that they have not reached the level of success that the program aims for, but the signs of getting moving towards it are evident. Part of that comes from the mindset of the squad. The group has taken charge and ownership of themselves. A disappointing practice in July was followed by a player-led continuation of practice to get things right. Pre-scrimmage prep for July 31’s game with Oliver Springs was player-led before the coaches started drills. “This is a player-led team. They know the expectations,” White said. “That starts with this senior class. They have been with me all four years.” PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 55
TELLICO PLAINS ROSTER
2025 RESULTS BEARS 30, Greenback 0 BEARS 42, Sequoyah 0 BEARS 27, Sweetwater 22 BLEDSOE COUNTY 29, Bears 19 ONEIDA 24, Bears 14 EAGLETON 33, Bears 7 BEARS 39, Harriman 14 MCMINN CENTRAL 35, Bears 21 BEARS 25, Smith County 21 POLK COUNTY 34, Bears 18 Playoffs HAPPY VALLEY 45, Bears 6
2025 REGION 2-2A Team
Reg
Eagleton 2-1 Oneida 2-1 Polk County 2-1 Tellico Plains 0-3
All
PF
PA
7-3 301 188 5-5 151 198 5-5 174 252 5-5 242 211
56 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
No........ Name
No........ Name
No........ Name
0...... Erickson Sporre............. Sr. 1....... Bryson Holley.................Jr. 2...... Coy Russell......................Jr. 3...... Ryan Cunningham.......So. 4...... Gio Carter........................Jr. 5...... Landon England............Jr. 6...... Caiden West...................Jr. 7...... DJ Manis........................So. 8...... Colten Keys...................So. 9...... Preston Lynch..............So. 10.... Keegan Taylor............... Fr. 11...... Logan Hamilton............ Sr. 12..... Kobe Bradley..................Jr. 13..... Jaxon Russell................. Fr. 14..... Coby Ogle....................... Fr. 15..... Jasper Hamilton..........So. 16..... Lucas Walker................. Fr. 17..... Trenton Parker.............So. 18..... Bentley Woods............. Fr.
19..... Preston Wall.................So. 21..... Dylan Bray....................So. 22.... Scooby Long.................So. 23.... Jacoby Dalton............... Fr. 24.... Enrique Medina............. Sr. 25.... Trevor Kibler.................. Sr. 26.... Noah Ditmore............... Fr. 27.... Laken Woods................ Sr. 28.... Marcus McJunkin.......... Sr. 29.... Caleb Pursell................. Fr. 32.... Beckham Eschman...... Fr. 35.... Camdyn Davidson........ Sr. 50... Brent Hamby................. Sr. 51..... Tyler McDowell..............Jr. 52.... Timothy Pursell............ Fr. 53.... Caden Kirkland............. Sr. 54.... Miles Keener.................. Sr. 55.... Alexander Dockery......So. 56.... Landon Hamilton......... Sr.
57.... Daelyn Collins................ Sr. 58.... Levi Lethcoe...................Jr. 59.... Legend Debety............So. 60... Bryson Bivens............... Fr. 64... Lynkon Hamilton.......... Sr. 68... Kayden Burris...............So. 70.... Riley Smith...................So. 72.... Sam Tucker.................... Fr. 75.... Junior Harris................... Fr. 77.... Kaidence Presley.......... Fr.
TELLICO PLAINS
www.advocateanddemocrat.com | 2026
THE NEXT GUNSLINGERS Tellico will be replacing Ike Hollinghead at quarterback — the 2025 All-County Player of the Year — who set a school record 19 touchdown passes and threw for 1,665 yards while running for seven touchdowns. Tellico could field a pair of players under center this fall — Coy Russell and Caiden West. “That is the big position we are replacing on offense. (West) has some really good weapons around him and has a good offensive line in front of him,” White said. “Caiden and Coy are really excited to see what they can do at the quarterback position. I feel really good about both of them. These guys are going to lead the way and make the plays.” Russell, a 6-foot, 145-pound junior, enters his second year with the program. “Coy is a really good athlete. He has a little more elusiveness to him than Caiden. He does a good job of knowing the offense and where to go with the ball,” White said. West — a 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior — has transferred in from Sequoyah, where he played in several spots. “He is real good with the ball in his hands and he is extremely physical. We will definitely be getting the ball in his hands,” White said. Senior Trevor Kibler will be a frequent target for whoever is at quarterback. The 6-foot-4 receiver enters his junior year after setting a school record 12 touchdown receptions in 2025 and receiving 536 yards. “We look to build upon that and see if he can break it again,” White said. Gio Carter can also be a target on pass plays. Predominantly a back, Carter is a dualthreat player who was having a strong sophomore year before an injury. Tellico rosters nine receivers: outside of Kibler, senior Erickson Sporre and juniors Landon England and Bryson Holley, the rest are underclassmen — Ryan Cunningham, Colten Keys, Preston Lynch, Coby Ogle and Caleb Pursell. The bulk of the offense may come from the run game for a team after the Bears ran for 2,500 yards in 2025. Plenty of familiar names from the position group return — a position White called “sixdeep” — including Carter and sophomore Jasper Hamilton. “I feel really good about six guys that can carry the ball. Gio Carter can score every time he touches the ball; he has that capability,” White said. Carter ran for 649 yards and one touchdown before his season was ended prematurely. In his place, Hamilton shined as a freshman with three touchdowns and 634 yards.
2026 | ADVOCATE & DEMOCRAT
He has added three inches and nearly 30 pounds in the offseason. Tellico adds another physical runner in Camdyn Davidson while sophomore DJ Manis brings an athleticism that has already shown in the spring scrimmages and summer session. “(Davidson) is a big, strong kid that runs physical. (Manis) is a really good athlete and he is special with the ball in his hands,” White said. Four seniors lead an experienced and sizable offensive line that worked to total near 4,500 offensive yards last fall. Lynkon Hamilton and Landon Hamilton are joined by Tyler McDowell at center and Daelyn Collins, a transfer from Polk County, at right tackle. “We were pretty productive up front on the offensive line last year. We have a really good offensive line coach (Donnie Kelley) this year who has done a phenomenal job of developing these guys over the summer,” White said. “I am just really excited to see what these guys can do up front and open things up for our skill guys.” Those four alone weigh in over half a ton. “We have an older offensive line and we should be big and physical upfront,” White said.
SETTING THE TONE Tellico will look to continue to deliver hard knocks on the field and bring a physical and aggressive tone from up front on defense to the secondary and safeties in support. Six starters return with several experienced players becoming full-time starters. Add in some position changes for fresh looks and the Bears hope to make another identity with its defense. Logan Hamilton returns at defensive end while 6-foot-4, 315-pound Kobe Bradley already has a reputation for bruising and pursuing on the field. “He is pretty hard to block and he was pretty dominant last year. He certainly demands a double team a lot of the time,” White said. Lynkon Hamilton returns as the opposite defensive tackle. “He is quick off the ball and has a quick first step. He commits himself to the weight room, getting bigger, stronger, faster every year and I think he is in for a special year,” White added. Davidson comes in as one of the position changes. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, the senior walks down from linebacker to defensive end. “He has a real high motor and he plays through the echo of the whistle, which is something we coach and preach on all the
TELLICO PLAINS
time,” White said. Jasper Hamilton led Tellico with 93 tackles last fall and hopes to continue that as a more developed sophomore. “He brings a real bunch and a physicality to the game at our MIKE position. We are excited to see what he does in his sophomore year,” White said. West adds to the position group as he transfers in and has settled in well with the Tellico defense. “He has been a leader on defense and he had a lot of big hits (in the scrimmage with Oliver Springs),” White said. “He brings a physicality that I have not seen in a while from the linebacker position. I am really excited about him.” Brent Hamby, a four-year player, is set for his first season starting at linebacker. “He has worked extremely hard and he is one of the strongest kids in the weight room. We are really excited about what he is going to bring to the table,” White said. At safety, Kibler remains a threat after totaling 63 tackles as a junior. “He is hard to throw on. He is a ballhawk back there and he is rangy. He gets a good jump on the ball,” White said. “If you throw it up, he is going to contest it.” Adding to the trouble for opposing quarterbacks will be Manis. “He flies around and we are really excited about him, his athleticism and what he brings to our football team,” White said. Carter’s position change will help the corner pool. Moving over from linebacker, he brings an aggressiveness to the group. “He has done a really good job of locking down his guys in the summer in 7-on-7s. He also brings a linebacker physicality at corner,” White said. “He has speed, speed, speed.” Sporre also brings in some playing experience, getting plenty of snaps through Tellico’s rotations last fall. The Bears have struggled at kicker in the past few years and that is a spot White anticipates more of the same. “That is a place where we have struggled. We struggled there last year and we will struggle there this year,” White added. Tellico plays in Region 2-2A alongside Polk County, Oneida and Eagleton Academy, who reached the 2A semifinals last fall. In non-region action, Tellico will get plenty of action. The Bears travel to Greenback, Sweetwater, Bledsoe County and Smith County while hosting Sequoyah and Harriman. — Noah Houck
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58 | BIG BOOK OF FOOTBALL
2026
Give the referees the respect they’ve earned
A
s a new football season kicks off in the midst of summer heat and prepares to carry our spirits into the cold of the deep fall, it is rightfully time to recognize at this start those who will receive no glory, no applause and are preparing for months of questioning, heckling and insult. The officials. As journalists, we have a certain empathy for any profession where every error on the job, be it real or merely perceived, is placed on public display. That referees are held to the even higher standard mandated by split second decisions that may be followed with instant replay dissected in slow motion over a span hundreds of times longer than the fleeting instant given for their initial call requires recognition of those who fulfill the responsibilities of game officials in the digital age. While official review has not yet invaded the high school, middle school and rec league levels, neither has the game time security and protection afforded to those officiating in the top tiers of college and professional sports. Our readership area is truly blessed to have associations of officials with high standards, the training it offers them and the support it provides from truly experienced professionals in its ranks. It isn’t often apparent to the casual fan the qualitative
2026
THE DAILY TIMES
Junior athletic trainers give bottles of water to the referees during a timeout.
difference in game officiating our area enjoys in comparison. It has been noted that the current difficulties in keeping the officiating ranks filled has multiple sources, but chief among them has been the fraying of the line between supportive fan disagreeing with a call, or non-call, and outright abuse and hostility unwarranted for what at the end of a day is a game of sport between teenagers and children. While thick skin and deaf ears are requisites for an official, they prove insufficient safeguards when the traditional chants of disapproval and creative shouts of disagreement give way to
offensive vulgarity and physical assault. Frequent even in our area are cries from parents filled with words that had their young athlete uttered them in a classroom would have resulted in a trip to the principal’s office. An easy search in your preferred browser will yield scores of videos showing umpires and officials being attacked by a parent upset over a call in a children’s game. One of the common elements in these incidents, is that rarely do the rest of the fans surrounding that person express concern or exert any public peer pressure that the person is crossing the line. As the season begins, remember these are games. There is an idiom that a team learns more from a loss than a victory. That equally can be applied to a player who doesn’t make a catch because his arm was grabbed or didn’t
make a tackle because he was held. There are fewer officials to blow a whistle in the everyday life of an adult and understanding that shortcoming and how to accept, deal and overcome those moments can be a valuable life lesson. Root for your team, be they Redskins or Panthers, Chargers or Cherokees, Tigers or Eagles, or one of the scores of others playing fall sports. Offer your eye glasses to the officials when you disagree. Join in one of those chants of disapproval. Rehash that call the day after and again on Monday at the office. And leave it there. The men and women who suit up in stripes deserve that degree of respect for the job they are willing to go out and perform to the best of their ability before a live stadium audience. And with no officials there are no games.
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