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FOOTBALL 2026

IRONTON FIGHTING TIGERS Fighting Tigers on ‘Redemption’ tour Ironton reloads for another regional, state title run

By Paul Boggs The Ironton Tribune

imply put, these Ironton Fighting Tigers — in more ways than one — are minding their “Ps” and “Rs”. Indeed, Ironton’s mission and motivation for the 2026 season is all about returning to the state football Playoffs — and making this year THEIR season of Redemption. But the Fighting Tigers have to mind their proverbial “Ps” and “Qs” — as instructed and enforced by the OHSAA. That’s because at the end of

last regular season, the Ohio High School Athletic Association unfortunately removed Ironton from the state playoffs, put the Fighting Tigers on probation for two seasons, and levied a $7500 fine for what the OHSAA investigated and deemed to be wrongdoing within the Ironton program. That said, this offseason has been about moving on in Ironton — and preparing for this upcoming campaign, where once again independent Ironton is observed as a favorite for the Region 19 championship, and a likely serious contender for the

Division V state title. They were at this time last year too, as this year’s juniors and seniors were freshmen and sophomores on that Division V state championship squad two years back. Ironton fields a roster of 54, has arguably the top offensive player in the entire Southeast District in any division, faces a daunting new-look schedule through the first eight games, and most importantly is playing with the biggest chip on anybody’s shoulder in not only Southeast Ohio — but the entire state. That talented and highly-touted offensive player, five-foot and 11-inch and 175-pound senior

wide receiver Kayden Edwards, spoke about the program putting the probation behind it on Ironton’s Media Day — and about just moving on to this year. Edwards has 22 full-ride scholarship offers, although in the spring he committed to Boston College of the Division I Atlantic Coast Conference. “We’ve moved on from it, but we’ll never forget. Always having that chip on your shoulder, knowing that you’ll never forget that time and that moment and all that pain that you went through from not playing in See TIGERS, 7

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 IRONTON FIGHTING TIGERS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER 0 Braiden Linn 2 Silas Edwards 3 Brycen Mullins 4 Ashton Layne 5 Easton Caudill 6 Liam Philabaun 7 Kayden Edwards 8 Nolan Wolfe 9 Wyatt Wolfe 10 Bryson Kerns 11 Brock Biggs 12 Reid Hunt 13 Brian Kidd 14 Talib Spencer 15 Madden Clark 16 Barrett Waginger 18 Chase Freeman 19 Asher Keyes 20 Tyson Harvey 21 Ayden Justice

POS. TE-DL TE-DL WR-DB WR-DB RB-LB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB QB-DB WR-DB TE-LB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB RB-DB PK QB-LB WR-DB RB-DB RB-LB

HT. 5-11 6-00 5-10 6-03 5-09 6-00 5-11 6-03 6-03 6-00 6-02 5-07 5-11 6-00 5-10 5-08 5-10 5-11 5-08 6-00

WT. 215 205 175 175 185 155 175 175 175 150 190 152 175 187 160 145 190 170 180 205

GR. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. Sr. So.

NO. PLAYER 22 Bralon Knipp 23 Lance Wetzel 24 Trace Fraley 25 Jaxson Lavender 26 Braylon Walker 27 Parker Hedrick 28 Jacob Hughes 29 Jackson Thomas 31 Braylon Corbin 35 Carter Cooke 37 Balor Knipp 40 Braiden Cline 44 Xavier Henderson 50 Jase Williams 52 Elijah White 54 Chase Barber 55 Luke Ellis 56 Levi Deere 57 Kayden Madden 58 Ethan Sutton

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Charlie Whitt

OL-DL

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Landon Deere

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6-03 250 Sr.

Ethan Rice

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5-11 225 Sr.

Carson Akers

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6-00 225 Sr.

Steven Payne

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5-10 220 So

Carter Bridges

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5-09 240 Sr.

Aiden Imes

OL-DL

5-10 245 Fr.

Carson Linn

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6-03 185 Fr.

Luca Silva

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6-06 270 Jr.

Miles Daniels

TE-LB

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HEAD COACH: Trevon Pendleton

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FOOTBALL 2026

AKERS

BIGGS

TIGERS

Continued from 5 the playoffs, it definitely gives you more drive,” said Edwards. “When your tank is empty, you definitely have that more drive in you. Definitely all of us have that same mindset. We’re definitely a disciplined team. We know our assignments, just getting the job done no matter how we do it. It’s just a close brotherhood. Everything we do is with each other, we have each other’s side and we’re never leaving each other. We’re definitely a team like that.” The Fighting Tigers return an estimated nine starters, so there is some experience — but players are in different spots than a year ago, when Ironton was 9-1 on the field and the only on-thefield loss was at Division V state runner-up Wheelersburg. Among the graduation loss-

BRIDGES

CAUDILL

es was Zayne Williams — the Southeast District Division V Defensive Player of the Year. “We’ve made some changes. There’s a lot of familiar faces returning, but some guys aren’t returning in the same positions,” said nine-year Ironton head coach Trevon Pendleton. Pendleton — with 10 wins this campaign — will capture 100 victories in less than decade as head coach. “We’ve made some changes personnel-wise, but the excitement and energy in practice has been there. Kids are really excited and chomping at the bit to get out and play,” said the coach. “You can just feel our sense of urgency.” Pendleton echoed Edwards, who returns to his wide receiver/athlete position on offense — after being named a first-team all-Southeast District Division V quarterback a season ago. See TIGERS, 8

KERNS

LAYNE

LINN

MULLINS

SUTTON

WAGINGER

WILLIAMS

WOLFE

K. EDWARDS

S. EDWARDS

HARVEY

HUGHES

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Ironton Fighting Tigers

Aug. 20..................at Williamsburg

Ironton.... 63 Shelby Valley.........0 Ironton.... 42 Liberty Christian...3 Ironton.... 29 Cin. McNicholas....7 Ironton.... 55 Canisius, N.Y.......21 Ironton.... 49 Jackson................10 Ironton.... 15 Wheelersburg.....24 Ironton.... 58 Uniontown, Pa......0 Ironton.... 70 Fairland...............13 Ironton.... 56 Gallia Academy.....7 Ironton.... 55 Portsmouth.........13 #Denotes Ironton forfeit for use of ineligible players; Portsmouth wins 1-0 Record: 8-2

Aug. 29 .....................vs. SALEM, NJ Sept. 4.............. CIN. MCNICHOLAS Sept. 11 ................ at Somerset, KY Sept. 18 ......................... at Jackson Sept. 25 .................... BIG WALNUT Oct. 3...BLOOMINGTON SOUTH, IN Oct. 9..................... at Harvest Prep Oct. 16................ GALLIA ACADEMY Oct. 23..................... at Portsmouth

IRONTON FIGHTING TIGERS HEAD COACH: Trevon Pendleton (90-16 overall and at Ironton, 9th season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Jerrod Pendleton, Scott Schmidt, Daniel Murphy, Tom Kaskey, Gage Salyers, Ryan Wolfe, Brandon Walker, Brett Thomas, Aiden Barnes, Lincoln Barnes, Emmett PENDLETON Keyes, Sonny Silva, Chris Haney, Trent Hacker, Garrett Pendleton, Todd Knipp (assistant head coach; 62-107 record overall, 18 seasons) TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Kayden Edwards, Carter Bridges, Carson Akers, Brycen Mullins, Braiden Linn, Bryson Kerns, Jacob Hughes, Tyson Harvey, Ethan Sutton, Brian Kidd, Brock Biggs, Wyatt Wolfe, Easton Caudill, Jase Williams, Ayden Justice, Silas Edwards, Lucas Silva, Beckham Waginger TOP LOSSES: Zayne Williams, Caleb Jacobs, Tyson Cox, Maddix Markel, Mason Wheeler, Braydon Baker, Kylan Grace, David Fields, Ben Gulliams, Zander Hurn, Aiden Hensley 2025 RECORD: 8-2 (disqualified from postseason playoffs) CONFERENCE: Independent (for football) OFFENSE: Pro-I, Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, 3-4, Multiple

FOOTBALL 2026

TIGERS

Continued from 7 Wyatt Wolfe, a 6-3 and 175-pound sophomore, will take over under center. “That transition has been smooth, because Kayden is a great athlete, a great teammate and a great kid,” said Pendleton. “He understands his skill set is great with the ball in his hands. By moving him and making him our Swiss-army knife, he’s that role this year. I think he’s going to do great things.” Pendleton continued with that talking point, with Wolfe set to start at quarterback. “For the most part, Wyatt is doing extremely well. He’s had a few growing pains here and there and the game’s been speeding up for him. The more reps he gets, the game starts slowing down. It’s just fast for him as a sophomore, but the good thing is the more experience he gets, it will rapidly slow down. He’s an extremely talented kid, he’s going to have a bright future and we’re expecting big things.” While Williams was also the Fighting Tigers’ top running back, some key graduation losses for Ironton incurred along the offensive and defensive lines — with a handful of former Fighting Tigers now playing college football. Replacing those up front is perhaps Pendleton’s primary concern going into this season. “Man, you just can’t replace a class like that, and that’s the biggest thing. And it’s not on the field, it’s the senior leadership,” said Pendleton. “But our kids have done a great job. We have a lot of kids play a lot of football and they’ve done a good job of stepping in and filling that void. Now they need to take it to the next level. Their entire high school career, they’ve been in that comfort

zone of looking to others to lead. Now it’s time for them to step up and lead.” Up front for the Fighting Tigers looks to be junior tight end Brock Biggs (6-2, 190) — backed up by Braiden Linn (5-11, 215, Sr.). Carter Bridges (5-9, 240, Sr.) is the likely center, with fellow seniors Jase Williams (6-1, 205) and Ethan Sutton (5-11, 205) the guards —and senior Carson Akers (6-0, 225) and junior Lucas Silva (6-6, 270) the two tackles with junior Luke Ellis (6-2, 215) also in the mix. Bridges, Williams and Akers all return —

(6-0, 205) and Easton Caudill (5-9, 185). “The strength of our team is our flexibility, our ability to do both, run and pass. We’re very consistent in what we’re doing,” praised Pendleton. “We return four guys up front who have played a lot of football for us and we’ve got other guys capable of stepping in and filling those voids. Our skill guys have done an extremely good job. They are guys that compete and the majority of them have played a lot of football. The guys who haven’t, they are just getting better and better. Those guys are just stepping up in

“We have a lot of kids play a lot of football and they’ve done a good job of stepping in and filling that void. Now they need to take it to the next level.” — Trevon Pendleton

Head football coach, Ironton Fighting Tigers with the additions of Sutton and Silva. “I think they’re getting better each and every day,” said Pendleton, of his offensive line. “They’re communicating. They’re starting to learn, they’re starting to pick things up. You pop in the film and you can see them taking things we’ve implemented in practice and applying it to game film. We’re rotating six or seven guys in there and the gap between them isn’t very large.” Other offensive weapons in addition to Edwards and Wolfe will be senior wideouts Brycen Mullens (5-10, 175) and Bryson Kerns (6-0, 150), junior Brian “Bubby” Kidd (5-11, 175), and sophomores Ayden Justice

their role and finding their niche.” Both inside linebackers return in Sutton and junior Jacob Hughes (6-0, 175), with Biggs backing up. Pendleton discussed the linebackers’ talent and depth — both inside and outside. “They’ve all played a lot of football for us. You got other guys rotating in there like Easton Caudill; Bubby Kidd played some outside linebacker. Inside you have Ayden Justice who is a really good athlete. He’s getting his feet wet there. You’ve got See TIGERS, 9

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FOOTBALL 2026

TIGERS

Continued from 8 several other people stepping in. Luke Ellis is another one who has stepped in at the inside role this year. Luke is a kid who is learning the defense on the fly and he’s getting better each and every practice, so we’re really excited about that.” Experience indeed persists in the secondary — with three-year starter and senior Mullins, two-year starter and senior Ashton Layne (6-3, 175) and extended-minutes senior Tyson Harvey (5-8, 180). Mullins made the first-team Southeast District Division V unit as a defensive back. “They take pride in what they do. They do a great job of covering people. In run support situations, we’ve just got to get more reps,” said Pendleton. The coach commented on the Fighting Tigers’ team speed, which actually offsets some smaller size. “Our overall speed, we’re undersized from where we have been, but our team speed and ability to play multiple positions and do

some different things defensively will make up for it,” said Pendleton. “So yeah, I think we have great team speed, if not the fastest, one of the fastest. Our D-Line, there have been some years where we’ve been really fast. This team, we’re playing some bigger skill kids. They’re 215 or 220-pound kids, but they can run.” Not only can the Fighting Tigers run and pass, they can kick too. The Orange and Black boast three placekickers on the roster — with junior Beckham Waginger leading the way. “Beckham (Waginger) has been a force since his freshman year. He took over about halfway through his freshman year and he’s been solid. He’s getting better, getting a stronger leg. He’s going to be a weapon. He’s made several from 45 (yards), some from 50. We’ve got Barrett Waginger out this year, we’ve got Jackson Thomas out there,” said Pendleton. “We’ve got three kickers and they’re all pushing each other and making each other better.” Preferably, the Fighting Tigers take the

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boot to their independent schedule — starting on Thursday night August 20 at fellow Division V Williamsburg. The Wildcats went 10-0 a year ago, and was the top-seeded squad in Region 20. Ironton, of course, competes in Region 19 — and has hard-charging home games against bigger schools Salem N.J. (August 29), Cincinnati McNichols (Sept. 4), Big Walnut (Sept. 25) and Gallia Academy (Oct. 16). The Fighting Tigers travel to Somerset (Ky.) on Sept. 11, then to Jackson (Sept. 18) the next week. Ironton also goes to now Division VI stronghold Harvest Prep (Oct. 9), and as always ends with the second-oldest rivalry in the state in Portsmouth (Oct. 23). Then the state “Playoffs” begin, and then truly begins Ironton’s road to “Redemption”. “Nothing is going to come easy in our program, and our players understand that and embrace it,” said Pendleton. “That work that they put in is what separates them.”

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FOOTBALL 2026

Edwards aims to be Fighting Tigers ‘26 Terry T

By Paul Boggs The Ironton Tribune

wo years ago, Shaun Terry took the proverbial bull by the horns — or the Fighting Tigers by the tail — and spearheaded Ironton to its first football state championship in three-and-a-half decades. He was named the Ohio Division V Offensive Player of the Year, and signed to play at Missouri where he is excelling now. Terry’s understudy of sorts for two years, Kayden Edwards, is out to indeed be the latest Ironton electric version. And that’s because the standout athletic Edwards is return-

ing to his most natural position — that of wide receiver. Two years back, Edwards operated primarily as a wideout and defensive back for those talented and highly-touted Fighting Tigers — then took over as quarterback last season, following the graduation of second-team all-Ohioan Braden Schreck. He definitely didn’t disappoint at quarterback, having spot played there as a sophomore — and he actually earned all-Southeast District Division V first-team honors. But as Edwards, who has 22 offers for full-ride scholarships to Division I colleges, verbally committed to Boston College in

the spring — he did so as an athlete/wide receiver, leading to speculation that he was returning to the offensive outside for his senior season. The 5-foot and 11-inch and 175-pound Edwards indeed is playing wideout this year, with Wyatt Wolfe — the same weight as Edwards but four inches taller — taking over at quarterback. Already, as most observers have surmised, Edwards is the preseason favorite for Southeast District Division V Offensive Player of the Year. But, this is a team game — and Edwards as member of the Fighting Tigers tries to play for a second state championship — as Ironton unfortunately was

denied that opportunity a year ago with its removal from the state playoffs. That was due to the result of an Ohio High School Athletic Association investigation into wrongdoing in the program. Up front, Edwards insists he and his Fighting Tiger teammates have pushed past last season — and all of 2025 is merely in the rearview mirror. “We’ve moved on from it, but we’ll never forget. Always having that chip on your shoulder, knowing that you’ll never forget that time and that moment and all that pain that you went See EDWARDS, 11

FOOTBALL 2026

EDWARDS

Continued from 10 through from not playing in the playoffs, it definitely gives you more drive,” said Edwards. “When your tank is empty, you definitely have that more drive in you. Definitely all of us have that same mindset. We’re definitely a disciplined team. We know our assignments, just getting the job no matter how we do it. It’s just a close brotherhood. Everything we do is with each other, we have each other’s side and we’re never leaving each other. We’re definitely a team like that.” I n d iv i d u a l l y, Edwards is easily Ironton’s focal point — a passing, running, receiving and surely scoring threat from absolutely anywhere on the 100-yard long field. “That transition (from quarterback to wide receiver) has been smooth, because Kayden is a great athlete, a great teammate and a great kid,” said ninth-year Ironton head coach Trevon Pendleton. “He understands his skill set is great with the ball in his hands. By moving him and making him our swiss-ar-

my knife, he’s that role this year. I think he’s going to do great things.” Not only this year, but Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference is getting a good one as well. He discussed his decision to play for the Eagles — on Ironton’s football Media Day. “BC (Boston College), just the culture there, that really stood out to me,” he said. “Not just the good schooling, but the people there were really nice to me. They brought me in on my official visit and I had an amazing time. Just having that feeling of ‘home’ definitely brought me into committing to BC.” As aforementioned, Edwards is returning to play wide receiver as a senior. “Really, it’s just anything to help my team and I don’t care where I have to play,” he said. “It’s the love of the game. I don’t care if you put me at offensive line, I will do anything for this team. Especially my brothers doing anything for me. Playing quarterback, understanding the game. So now at receiver, it makes it a little bit easier. But I am trying to make everything that I do easier for my quarterback now. Just trying to get the ball in different ways and be a threat in different ways.” That’s the way Terry turned out to be — as his high school career culminated with a state championship. Now, it’s the evolvement of Edwards — and his opportunity to win a second state gold ring.

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FOOTBALL 2026

CHESAPEAKE PANTHERS Experience helps young Panthers improve C

Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

HESAPEAKE — What a difference a year can make. Last season, Kevin Hutchison took over the Chesapeake Panthers for his first-ever head coaching job. Faced with a major rebuilding task, Hutchison said he learned a lot during a 1-9 season, but he said his players learned quite a lot — and got a lot of experience. “It seems scary because we’re so much farther ahead than

what we were last year. Last year, we were implementing a new offense and a new defense. It was a struggle at times,” said Hutchison. “But so far, the flex days and these practices it seems like the kids — because they all played last year — they’re understanding the system and how we want to go fast. It seems pretty good so far.” One player who has been impressive in practice is senior Jackson Spitler (6-3, 260). “One senior, Jackson Spitler, has a lot of experience and

we’re expecting him to have a big year. He worked out hard the whole offseason. I think he had the caliber of playing at the next level,” said Hutchison. “He can have a big year. If he does, I’m going to contribute it to the weight room because he’s been at it since November lifting weights and working hard.” Spitler isn’t the only player who has caught Hutchison’s attention. Senior Peyton Muncy (6-1, 195) has shown great versatility and intensity in his workouts. “Peyton Muncy is going to

be playing linebacker and on offense he’s going to be playing three positions. He’s going to be running back some plays, wide receiver some plays and quarterback some plays,” said Hutchison. “He’s a hard worker. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He likes to hit people. I’m hoping he’s going to have a big year, too.” Taking over the quarterback duties this season will be See PANTHERS, 14

FOOTBALL 2026

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Continued from 13 sophomore K.J. Mclain. “He can sling it. He doesn’t necessarily look like a quarterback, but once you watch him play, he’s getting really good with Coach (Brent) Wilcoxon’s system. He’s doing his reads and he’s looking very good right now,” said Hutchison. Senior Marquis Branch (5-7, 145) is the leader in the running back position. Hutchison said his season was cut short last year due to suffering a broken collarbone in just the second game of the season. But he’s healthy and the coach expects big things from him as well. “That was his first year playing in a while. He has a lot of ability,” said Hutchison. Colten Huffman was an offensive lineman last season, but he is being moved to the backfield. “He’s worked out and got in such good shape that we moved him from lineman to running back,” said Hutchison. “He’s going to be one of the running back guys.” The wide receiver corps has several players to choose from — headed up by senior Jonas Washington (5-8, 150) as well as his sophomore brother Jaden Washington.

Another aspect of his game, Jaden Washington (5-9, 145) is also an excellent return man — who ran back several kickoffs and punts for touchdowns last season to make him looking at the next level. “Jaden Washington is an excellent returner,” said Hutchison. Senior Easton Lewis (6-0,160) is also in the mix along with junior Aden Nester-Howard (6-2, 175), who was a quarterback last season. “Easton works hard. He’s an athlete,” Hutchison said. Up front the Panthers will have Spitler at right tackle and senior Casey Barker (6-0, 250) playing at the opposite site. “He probably started half the games last season. He has good experience,” said Hutchison. The center will be Jake Saunders (5-11, 225), and Hutchison said his job will be very important. “He has big shoes to fill. We screwed up a lot last year with bad snaps. We can’t have bad snaps this year,” said Hutchison. “He started working there about a week and a half ago and he’s looked pretty good.” Senior J.C. Ritchie will be stepping in to play one guard position. “Ritchie didn’t play last year. We’re expecting big things out See PANTHERS, 15

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FOOTBALL 2026

2026 CHESAPEAKE PANTHERS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. 74 9 4 20 79 54 5 10 58 7 33 22 8

PLAYER Jackson Spitler Peyton Muncy Marquis Branch Ryan Ballard Casey Barker Trey Adams Easton Lewis Aden Parrott J.C. Ritchie Jonas Washington Colten Huffman Malachi Young Aden Nester-Howard

POS. OL-DL RB-DB RB-DB RB-DB OL-DL OL-DL RB-DB WR-DB OL-DL RB-DB RB-LB RB-DB WR-DB

PANTHERS

Continued from 14 of him. He’s a powerlifter. He’s a good, strong kid.” Junior Hunter Dillon (6-1, 260) looks to be in the mix for the other guard slot and Hutchison said “he played a lot last year.” Senior Trey Adams (5-11, 165) also figures to get playing time because “he can play every position except center,” said Hutchison. The Panthers plan to use a fourman front on the defensive side. Hutchison said players are catching on faster this year to defensive coordinator Chris Leese’s system. “Like the offense, it seems like we’re catching on so much faster this year. We’re ahead of what we were last year,” said Hutchison. The defensive tackles will be Barker and Dillon with Spitler and Ritchie the ends. The inside linebackers are Muncy and Huffman (6-0, 205) with Branch playing the rover position. In the secondary, Hutchison said the Panthers have two good cornerbacks in senior Aden Parrott (5-10,145) and Jaden Washington. Hutchison said the safety

GR. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

NO. 23 77 12 6 21 16 80 51 75 2 34 71 70

PLAYER Lilly Helmstetler Hunter Dillon Alex Elder Boogie Burdine Brian Russell K.J. Mclain Uriah Brumfield Rylan Hoskingson Jake Saunders Jaden Washington Alex Witt Xavier Corns Isiah Lucas

jobs are still up for grabs with the top candidates junior Alex Elder, junior Boogie Burdine and Jonas Washington. “Hopefully, we win some games this year. Last year we won only one game and I had a blast. Imagine if we actually win some games this year,” said Hutchison with a laugh. The kicking game returns junior placekicker Lily Helmstetler with Parrott handling the kickoffs. “She does really good on her extra points. Parrott has a stronger leg, so he does out kickoffs for us. Last year, at the end of the season, he was kicking them into the end zone,” said Hutchison. In the Ohio Valley Conference, Hutchison said it will be competitive as always. “I think Gallia Academy looks like the team to beat. That quarterback is really good,” said Hutchison. “Every week is a battle. You have to show up every week.” With six league games and a non-conference schedule that includes Symmes Valley, Notre Dame, Northwest and Minford, Hutchison noted that seven of the teams they play will have first-year head coaches. “I’m hoping that they mess up as much as I did last year,” Hutchison said with a grin.

POS. PK OL-DL RB-DB RB-LB RB-DB QB-DB WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL WR-DB RB-DB OL-DL OL-DL

GR. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr.

NO. PLAYER POS. GR. 52 Kenden Perrine OL-DL Fr. 51 Brayden Presley OL-DL Fr. 56 Brayden Workman OL-DL Fr. 3 Jacob Page RB-DB Fr. 14 Noah SItes QB-DB Fr. 55 Brylee Mullins OL-DL Fr. 11 Tyson Woods WR-DB Fr. 78 Jonathon Copley OL-DL Fr. 72 Austin Ellis OL-DL Fr. HEAD COACH: Kevin Hutchison Assistant coaches: Brent Wilcoxon, Chris Leese, Chris Davis, Brandon Noble, J.T. Mclain, Raymond Washington

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Chesapeake Panthers

Aug. 21 ................SYMMES VALLEY Aug. 28..........................at Minford Sept. 4....................... NORTHWEST Sept. 11 .................. COAL GROVE# Sept. 18 ........................NOTRE DAME Sept. 25 ................PORTSMOUTH# Oct. 2.....................at South Point# Oct. 9................GALLIA ACADEMY# Oct. 16........................at Rock Hill# Oct. 23........................ at Fairland# # - Denotes OVC game

Ches.........0 Ches.......14 Ches.......41 Ches.......14 Ches.........9 Ches.........0 Ches.......18 Ches.........0 Ches.......27 Ches.......17 Record: 1-9

Symmes Valley.. 35 Minford............. 21 Northwest......... 42 Coal Grove........ 60 Grndview Hts.... 48 Portsmouth....... 49 South Point....... 41 Gallia Academy.41 Rock Hill............ 14 Fairland............. 34

CHESAPEAKE PANTHERS HEAD COACH: Kevin Hutchison (2nd season, 1-9 at Chesapeake and overall) ASSISTANT COACHES: Brent Wilcoxon, Chris Leese, Brandon Noble, J.T. McClain SUPPORT HELP: Dr. Scott Davis, team physician; Kristian Rigsby, trainer; Lucas Holderby, film HUTCHISON TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Jackson Spitler, Jonas Washington, Jaden Washington, Aden Nester-Howard, Peyton Muncy, Aden Parrott, Colten Huffman, Hunter Dillon TOP LOSSES: Jon-Cooper Barker, Philip Thacker, Montez Carter, Braxton Adams, Nehemiah Elder 2025 RECORD: 1-9 overall, 1-5 OVC (sixth) OFFENSE: Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-4, Multiple

the m o r on f s a e ict s r t t s a i e ol D a gr o e h v c a H al S c o L nd a l r i a F

r D

n o g a

t o o F

l l a b

FOOTBALL 2026

FAIRLAND DRAGONS Wooten faces rebuilding as Dragons coach P

Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

ROCTORVILLE — What may have been a dream has become a reality for Ron Wooten. Wooten has been a college assistant coach at three different schools including Marshall University, and he’s been an assistant coach at Fairland for the past four years. But this season, it is no longer a dream for Wooten to be the Dragons’ head football coach — and the former Fairland player

and alumnus is excited about his new position. “It’s like a lifelong dream come true to come back here and be that guy on the sideline,” said Wooten. “My earliest memories of football were coming here with my grandparents who worked for the schools, and coming here to support Fairland. So, it was ingrained in me from a young age. It was ‘Go Dragons’ and ‘Go Green’ and all that. Now we just have to make sure we work hard enough at it and get better enough to make sure we do it right.”

The Dragons are looking at a young and inexperienced roster with not a lot of size. Wooten just shrugs at the challenge facing him, and is taking a positive approach. “If any of this stuff was easy then everybody would do it, right?” Wooten said, as he embraced the challenge his young team faces. “It takes all the fun out of it if someone hands it to you. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” One problem that seems to be a common theme throughout the Tri-State is the size of team

rosters, or rather the lack of numbers. “The numbers are down a little bit from what I’d like them to be. That’s an issue for a lot of people,” said Wooten. “But our core group, our 16, 17, 18 guys are buying in and doing it the right way. Our weight room attendance and everything we’ve been doing is the best it’s been in recent memory here at Fairland.” The lack of numbers is just See DRAGONS, 18

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 FAIRLAND DRAGONS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER 0 Kinyon Smith 1 Ford Rickard 2 Kyan Hamlin 3 Kylan Blake 4 Christian Bompus 7 Maddox VonVille 8 Brayden White 9 Xander Collins 10 Brody Allison 11 Hayze Smith 13 Dylan Lowe

ALLISON

POS. QB-DB WR-DB RB-DB WR-DB RB-LB RB-DB WR-LB RB-LB WR-DB WR-DB WR-LB

HT. 5-09 6-03 5-07 5-09 6-00 5-08 6-01 6-01 6-00 5-07 6-01

BOMPUS

WT. 150 175 145 150 170 145 150 205 145 135 185

GR. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr.

NO. PLAYER 16 Braxton Chapman 17 Aiden Trimble 18 A.J. Kennan 20 Josh Hunt 23 Conner Kazee 26 Yardley Gorby 33 Tim Kujac 50 Aiden Kirk 52 Maddox Rummel 54 Jayden Ball 55 A.J. Brammer

BRAMMER

CALLICOAT

POS. RB-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB RB-LB PK QB-DB OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL

HT. 5-07 5-09 5-09 6-00 6-00 5-06 5-09 6-00 5-09 5-07 6-00

COLLINS

WT. 175 150 150 150 145 125 145 185 180 160 200

GR. Jr. So. So. Jr. So. So. So. Jr. So. So. Sr.

NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT.

OL-DL

5-08 185 So.

61 Justin Knight

OL-DL

5-10 185 Fr.

63 Austin Caperton

OL-DL

5-10 200 Fr.

70 Walker Callicoat

OL-DL

5-08 160 So.

76 Payton Lucas

OL-DL

6-01 230 Jr.

79 Jayden Cyrus

OL-DL

602

290 Sr.

99 Orion Tolbert

O-DL

602

240 Jr.

Brackston Carter

WT. GR.

HEAD COACH: Ron Wooten

CYRUS

GORBY

HUNT

“Above the rest”

LUCAS

RICKARD

DRAGONS

Continued from 17 one issue. The Dragons have a limited number of returning starters from last season’s 4-6 team. The lack of numbers also creates a depth issue, and the lack of experience is yet another concern. “We have five seniors on the roster, but only three that have played any varsity ball at all. We’ve got something going, it’s just they’re starting from a different place than where these other groups started from,” said Wooten. “It’s a growth process, but it’s no excuse. How many fresh-

SMITH

TOLBERT

men and sophomores you were playing when they write down the scores doesn’t matter. You’ve got to go play. We’re trying to get that kind of mentality built into them. There’s a couple of things up against us, but that doesn’t matter.” The Dragons will not only be playing a new quarterback, he is a converted running back. Junior Kinyon Smith (5-9, 150) has been taking the reps with the first unit — and Wooten has been impressed. “He’s been in the program playing some running back. He’s a good athlete. His brother was a big-time receiver for us a few years back,” said Wooten. See DRAGONS, 19

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FOOTBALL 2026

DRAGONS

Continued from 18 “I presented it to him as a challenge back when we were looking at him as one of the options. He’s tackled it headon. He’s been phenomenal with it. The mental part of playing quarterback he’s been great at. The physical part he’s getting better at.” The running backs will be a pair of seniors in Xander Collins (6-1, 205) and Christian Bompus (6-0, 170), both who played a big role in the offense last season. “It’s no secret that those are two of our better players. It’s how many times can we get them the ball and where they get it they have a chance to be special with it and not have to break four tackles to get a big play out of it,” said Wooten. The wide receiver corps will include sophomore Aiden Trimble (5-9,150), junior Ford Rickard (6-3, 175), junior Maddox VonVille (5-8, 145) and junior Kylan Blake (5-9, 150). “Aiden played a lot for us last year. He had a really good offseason. Ford played a lot for us and did a good job,” said Wooten. “VonVille will play in the slot. Blake is coming off an injury. We’re looking for another guy out there. We’ve got some young guys who have been filtering through there and we’ll see who comes through and takes that one.” The offensive line will be an inexperienced group, and Wooten said they will have to be a versatile group that knows all the positions. Senior A.J. Brammer (6-0, 200) is expected to be the center - with the other four positions filled by junior Aiden Kirk (6-0 185), junior Orion Tolbert (6-2, 240) and junior Payton Lucas (6-1, 230). “Brammer played some last year. Aiden Kirk played tackle for us last year and he’s had a good offseason and he’s doing a phenomenal job for us,” said

19 Wooten. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that we hope are picking that stuff up. Tolbert and Lucas played some for us last year and we’re looking forward to them taking that next step. With our (lack of) depth, we creatively invent some offensive linemen. With our depth, we told all our guys — especially up front — you’re not just one position. You’re not the left tackle, you’re the right guard. No, you’re a lineman. You’ve got to know how to do it all.” On the defensive side, the Dragons will have most of the offensive starters playing on the other side of the ball as well. The four-man front will be led by sophomore Walker Callicoat (5-8, 160) who Wooten said “has been phenomenal. He’s in that long line of Callicoats who have been good ball players.” Lucas and Tolbert will be part of the inside positions — with Kirk at one end and either Brammer or junior Josh Hunt (6-0, 150) at the other. “I would love to play four D-linemen where only one of them had to play offense. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but that’s what we’re trying to make happen,” said Wooten. The middle linebacker will be Collins with Bompus the weak side backer. Wooten said the other linebacker spot is still undecided. “As much as how important they are on offense to us, they’re the key to the defense. They’re the box backers as much as we can make them,” said Wooten. “They’ve got a lot on their plate and, so far, they’ve been up to it.” VonVille will be one cornerback with Trimble on the other side. Rickard should be the free safety, and possibly sophomore Conner Kazee (6-0, 145) getting the call on the other slot. “Ford is a ballhawk back there,” said Wooten. Overall, Wooten said the Dragons will take advantage of their overall team quickness and speed to play an

aggressive defense. “Everything we do has to be speed-based. We don’t have enough heft to not play that way just yet,” said Wooten. “We’ll be flying around and pursuing like crazy. And we have to make sure when we get there it’s violent. We’re not big enough to get there and not be violent. Instilling that in them has been our goal all through camp.” In the kicking game, sophomore Yardley Gorby will handle the placements - while Smith and sophomore Timmy Kujac (5-9, 145) are the punting candidates.

Kujac is also the backup quarterback. “She got some experience last year. Smith is a good athlete and Timmy Kujac has some skill at it,” said Wooten. In the Ohio Valley Conference race, Wooten pointed toward Coal Grove as the favorite. “Coal Grove is the defending champ, so until they get knocked off they’re top dog. Gallia is always tough and Portsmouth is always tough. I expect everyone to put their best foot forward. We just have to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves,” said Wooten.

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Fairland Dragons

Aug. 21.......... PORTSMOUTH WEST

Fairland..27

Ports. West.........30

Aug. 28.....at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

Fairland.... 30

Pt. Pleasant, W.Va..15

Sept. 4....... vs. Tri-Cities Christian, TN*

Fairland....6

Fairfield Union....39

Fairland..32

Rock Hill..............33

Fairland..28

Gallia Academy...26

Fairland..35

South Point.........21

Fairland..26

Portsmouth.........48

Oct. 16..................... COAL GROVE#

Fairland..13

Ironton................70

Oct. 23..................... CHESAPEAKE#

Fairland....0

Coal Grove..........30

# - Denotes OVC game

Fairland..34

Chesapeake........17

* - at Raceland, Ky.

Record: 4-6

Sept. 11......................at Rock Hill# Sept. 18...........at Gallia Academy# Sept. 2................... SOUTH POINT# Oct. 2.....................at Portsmouth# Oct. 9.........................at Logan Elm

FAIRLAND DRAGONS HEAD COACH: Ronnie Wooten (1st season, 0-0 overall and at Fairland) ASSISTANT COACHES: Gavin Hunt, Craig Cesario, J.D. Smith TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Xander Collins, Christian Bompus, A.J. Brammer, Jayden Cyrus, WOOTEN Ford Rickard, Kinyon Smith, Kylan Blake, Aiden Kirk, Payton Lucas, Orion Tolbert TOP LOSSES: Davin Murray, Wyatt Callicoat, Eli Pine, Luke Ball, Cyrus Cummings, Conner Black, Tim Webb, Weston Goff, Jacob Michaelis, Brandon Kirk 2025 RECORD: 4-6 overall, 3-3 OVC (third) OFFENSE: Pro Set, Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, Multiple

DAWSON-BRYANT LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hornets Football Supporting t n a y r B n o s w a D Athletes. d Have a safe an memorable season!

FOOTBALL 2026

COAL GROVE HORNETS Hornets hope numbers, tradition work again C

Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

OAL GROVE — When Coal Grove Hornets eighth-year head coach Jay Lucas goes to fill the holes in his lineup, he’s going to need a lot of filler. The Hornets graduated some talented players from last year’ 8-3 team — which won its first Ohio Valley Conference championship since 2017, and qualified for the Division V state playoffs. Of those whom must be replaced is All-Ohio first-team running back and Division V Southeast District Offensive Player of the Year Kaden Murphy — along with fullback and defensive lineman Caden Turner, who

signed with Marshall University. Lucas is hoping that an abundance of numbers and tradition will help fill those deep holes. “We have six seniors. It’s a small group of kids but they›re nice players,” said Lucas. “The tradition and culture of the program makes kids want to be a part of it. We’re blessed to have 60 kids out. A good number of them are underclassmen who will be coming back. Football comes down to depth, especially late in the season.” Also gone is quarterback Rylan Smith, which means the entire starting backfield graduated. But Lucas doesn’t expect to replace the entire backfield with one or two players. “We did lose some nice foot-

ball players. Make no mistake about it,” said the coach. Murphy and Turner, Rylan (Smith) and Shore and others. Those were really talented kids.

f o t s e te

ri-Sta the T

But the (Case) Webb kid is a really good fullback. He was just See HORNETS, 23

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FOOTBALL 2026

2026 COAL GROVE HORNETS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. 0 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

PLAYER Kaden Markins Braxton Patrick Parker Fleming Easton Mader Brayden Elswick Case Webb Bryson Easthom Braden Schug Wyatt Kelly Deklan Smith Truitt Fields Brylen Keeton Coleton Morgan Kase Savino Brennan Belville Colin Spears Willis Childers Coleman Pauley Larry Bias Braylon Webster

CRAFT

POS. RB-DB RB-DB RB-DB RB-DB QB-DB RB-DL RB-DB RB-DL OL-DL RB-DB QB-DB OL-DB RB-DB RB-DB RB-DB RB-DL RB-DL RB-DB RB-DL RB-DB

DELAWDER

GR. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Fr. So. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

NO. 23 24 28 30 31 32 33 34 38 42 44 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

DELONG

PLAYER James Dome Rianna Best Kaydence Hernandez Ezra Tanner Braddock Brammer Greyson Crabtree Grayson O’Leary Mason Kitts Travis McMillan Gauge Craft Liam White Max Klaiber Johnny Hinds Brycen Malone Cole Delaware Presley Rowe Elijah Douglas Karder Keaton A.J. Roach Jaxon Kennard

DUVENDECK

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Coal Grove Hornets

Aug. 21....................... RUSSELL, KY

CG.............8

Russell, Ky...........20

Aug. 28.............................at Adena

CG...........37

Adena....................7

CG.............6

Nelsonville-York.. 34

CG...........60

Chesapeake........14

CG...........20

Portsmouth.........14

CG...........30

Gallia Academy.....7

CG...........40

KIPP Columbus...26

CG...........44

South Point.........15

CG...........30

Fairland.................0

CG...........26

Rock Hill................7

Sept. 4............ NELSONVILLE-YORK Sept. 1.................. at Chesapeake# Sept. 18.................PORTSMOUTH# Sept. 25............GALLIA ACADEMY# Oct. 2................. at KIPP Columbus Oct. 9.....................at South Point# Oct. 16........................ at Fairland# Oct. 23.........................ROCK HILL# # - Denotes OVC game

Playoffs CG...........22

Record: 8-3

Morgan...............43

POS. RB-DB RB-DB RB-DL RB-LB OL-DL OL-DL RB-DB OL-DL OL-DB RB-DL RB-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL

HANKINS

GR. Sr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Fr.

NO. PLAYER POS. GR. 59 Brokk Crisp OL-DL So. 60 Jeremiah Holbrook OL-DL Jr. 62 Hunter Duvendeck OL-DL Sr. 63 Justin Lunsford OL-DL Fr. 64 Josh Dixon OL-DL Fr. 65 Peyton Swartzwelder OL-DL Fr. 68 Xander Hernandez OL-DL Fr. 70 Jagger Martin OL-DL So. 72 Nolan Hughart OL-DL So. 73 Ayden Hankins OL-DL Sr. 74 Nathaniel Wheeler OL-DL So. 75 Wade Delong OL-DL Fr. 76 Gavin Brennan OL-DL Fr. 77 Coleton Kingly OL-DL So. 78 Shawn Munch OL-DL Fr. 84 Braylon Shope OL-DL Jr. HEAD COACH: Jay Lucas ASSISTANT COACHES: Chuck Price, Red Burcham, Eric Bailey, Aaron Rice, Jordan Lucas, Josh Bryant, Zach Delawder

FIELDS

HUGHART

SCHUG

COAL GROVE HORNETS HEAD COACH: Jay Lucas (39-36 at Coal Grove, 8th season; 55-60 overall, 10th season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Chuck Price, Aaron Rice, Jordan Lucas, Red Burcham, Eric Bailey, Josh Bryant, Zach Delawder TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Ayden Hankins, LUCAS Case Webb, Max Klaiber, Liam White, Truitt Fields, Braden Schug, Gauge Craft TOP LOSSES: Kaden Murphy, Caden Turner, Landen McKnight, Leland McKnight, Brayden Young, Logan Roberts, Derik Bloomfield, Caiden Harris, Brody Young, Josh Short, Blake Wilson 2025 RECORD: 8-3 overall, 6-0 OVC (first); Division V playoffs (opening round) OFFENSE: Wing-I, Pro-I, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, Multiple

FOOTBALL 2026

HORNETS

Continued from 21 biding his time. Now he’s a senior. He started two years on defense. Now it’s his turn to step into one of those running back roles and he’s ready to do that. “The same goes at the running back position. Braden Schug came in last year and several games he stepped right in and did a great job,” said Lucas. “He has a very similar skill set compared to the Murphy kid. There were some good players playing behind those guys. They got some experience at the JV ( junior varsity) level.” The Hornets must also find a new quarterback. “Rylan was a good football player. Smart. But in a couple of games last year, Truitt Fields came in and did a great job against Chesapeake. He completed 5-of-6 passes, ran the ball well. Smart kid. Tough kid. Strong kid,” said Lucas. “He doesn’t have that experience, but he’s a good runner, he can throw it. And (freshman) Brayden Elswick is a young kid, but has a lot of talent. “He’s raw, but he can do a lot of things, especially with his feet.”

KLAIBER

WEBB

WHEELER

Regardless of whom is running or passing, they will need help from a collection of players. “We will definitely be more balanced than we have been the last couple of years. Before Murphy it was Chase (Hall). We do have multiple backs we feel comfortable with carrying the ball,” said Lucas. “Before when we were using primarily two guys, we’re using three or four or even five guys to carry the ball. It will be more by committee.” The Hornets plan to have sophomore Truitt Fields and freshman Brayden Elswick at quarterback. Senior Case Webb and freshman Easton Mader will be the top two on the depth chart at fullback, while the tailback looks to be sophomore Gauge Craft (6-2, 210) and junior Braden Schug (5-9, 195).

WHITE

KEETON

The Hornets will have a young offensive line, but with great size. The left tackle looks to be sophomore Elijah Douglas (6-3, 280) or possibly freshman Justin Lunsford (6-1, 250). “(Douglas) is a big kid, strong, great work ethic,” said Lucas. “(Lunsford) is just a freshman but he’s doing fantastic right now. Both those kids are physical.” The guard position returns junior Max Klaiber (6-0, 220) on the left side. “Mad Max is a good player on both sides of the football. He’s a differencemaker,” said Lucas. The center is junior Karder Keaton, who started the final seven games of last season. Lucas called him “Another nice player. See HORNETS, 24

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HORNETS

Continued from 23 We’re counting on those two guys to be the anchor of the line.” Freshman Wade Delong (6-3, 235) will be the right guard, as Lucas said Delong “has a great work ethic. He’s strong and has great feet. He’s a tough kid. Sophomore Brokk Crisp (5-10, 240) will be battling it out as well up front. At right tackle is senior Ayden Hankins (6-5, 290), who has given a verbal commitment to Kent State. “Ayden started 11 games last year. He’s gotten better. His feet are better. He’s learned the offense now.” Also in the mix at left tackle are sophomores Nolan Hughart (6-6, 380) and Nathaniel Wheeler (5-10, 280). “All of those guys are solid players who we feel good about,” said Lucas. The ends will consist of junior Liam White, who is a three-year starter, and junior Colin Spears. Mader could also see some playing time, along with junior Braylon Shope. “I’m really pleased with where they are. They had to sit a couple of years and that made them more hungry. They’re eager to learn. And they were able to learn from two pretty good football players who were in front of them,” said Lucas. “We lost some good kids, but in the line, it’s good. We have some strong kids. We did lose some guys, but the guys coming in are good football players. They’ve got some talent to them and they’re solid.” On the defensive side, Lucas said Keaton and Hankins will play — with sophomore Jagger Martin (6-0, 300), Hughart and senior Hunter Duvendeck (6-2, 295) all vying for a tackle spot. Delong, Douglas and Wheeler

may get some playing time too. “We’ve got size, but if necessary we’ve got a little speed if we need it. We’ve got a good balance of kids battling in there,” said Lucas. Klaiber is a returning starter at an inside linebacker spot, where he earned first-team all-Southeast District and Honorable Mention All-Ohio. Craft, Schug and Webb are all working at a linebacker spot, whether inside or outside. In addition, senior James Dome is out for football for the first time —and will work out at linebacker and running back. “Dome hasn’t played, but he’s an athlete,” said Lucas. Klaiber, Schug and Webb are all returning starters, while Mader, White and sophomore Wyatt Kelly are all linebacker candidates. “At linebacker, we feel like we have some depth,” said Lucas. Fields, Elswick, Spears, junior Bryson Eastom and junior Deklan Smith are battling for a job in the secondary. “Fields, Elswick, Eastom and Spears are all solid back there,” said Lucas. “And we can always flip Schug back there if we need someone.” The placekicker will be Webb or Shope, while the punter is Webb. In the Ohio Valley Conference, Lucas knows his team has a bullseye on its back as the defending champions. “That’s something we’re kind of used to,” said Lucas. “For years, non-conference we always played a tough schedule. We used to play Gallia Academy and Wheelersburg. When the leagues changed, we had to change. Russell is always good. They have a good football program. Nelsonville-York is always good. Adena is going to be improved and we have to go up there. Our non-league schedule is a tough schedule. In the conference, I honestly don’t know what everyone has, but I think everyone is going to be better.”

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FOOTBALL 2026

Hornets’ Hankins bulks up to lead line C

By Jim Walker For The Ironton Tribune

OAL GROVE — Oh, I got strong with the help of my friends Got big as King Kong with the help of my friends Can’t go wrong with the help of my friends. With all due respect to the Beatles and the song “With A Little Help From My Friends” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, here’s a special chorus of the song — just in time for Coal Grove Hornets’ senior lineman Ayden Hankins. Getting some training help during the offseason from Hornets’ head coach Jay Lucas — plus Walt Delong, Darren Gammel, Dale Rodrick, Blake Hester and NFL lineman and former Hornet Austen Pleasants — has helped Hankins build bulk size and strength to his 6-foot-5 frame. Last season, Hankins weighed 240 —and this year he is 277. See HANKINS, 26

FOOTBALL 2026

HANKINS

Continued from 25 “I added 37 pounds, but I still ran a 5.3 40-yard dash,” said Hankins, who has improved his bench press from 230 pounds last year to 325 this year. “Walt Delong has had some really tough workouts. Working with Austen Pleasants was very helpful. Coach Lucas and all those guys have helped me so much.” The extra weight and strength have caused Hankins to show up on the radar of dozens of colleges recruiting lists, and led to his verbal commitment with the Kent State Golden Flashes. Other schools include Akron, Ohio University, Illinois State, Youngstown State, Coastal Carolina, UNC-Charlotte, VMI, Army, Marshall, Louisville, Oregon State and Kentucky.

“I had a full ride to Akron, too. I’ve been talking a lot to Oregon State lately. They’re coming to watch me play our second game,” said Hankins. UNC-Charlotte was the first to offer, with Coastal Carolina right behind. Then came Illinois State and Louisville, and finally Kent State made their pitch for the massive lineman. Although Hankins initially was leaning toward Akron, he shifted gears when he visited Kent State. “It just clicked when I went (to Kent State). It felt like family there,” said Hankins. “I like the coaches. “They want me to play tackle or guard. They said it could help a lot if I would start snapping (to play center). I’ve been working on that,” said Hankins, who is expected to enroll early at the university. “There are four or five of us who are going early.”

Having a college future secured has enabled Hankins to relax, and turn all of his focus to his senior season. “It’s a relief. When I was talking to one team, another team was calling me. It was stressful. I liked all the colleges, but I had to pick just one. When I told the coaches that I was coming (to Kent State), they were pretty happy,” he said. Ironically, Hankins initially favored basketball — and was hoping for a college career in that sport. “Really, I’ve always wanted to play college basketball. And then I got to be 6-5 and 240 pounds at the time. And I was like, there’s no way I’m going to play Division 1 college basketball,” said Hankins. “So I flipped over to football and started working out and getting stronger and bigger. I started gaining weight and then I was like, ‘I want to go play college football.’ So that’s how that went.”

Part of Hankins’ focus for the upcoming season includes taking more of a leadership role. “I just have to step up and make sure we win the OVC again. Max Klaiber will be a pretty big part of our team and Case Webb. We have very few seniors, like three or four. We all got stronger. We’ve got to step up,” said Hankins. Getting a Division I college scholarship was a goal for Hankins, but he said there were other things that played a role in him achieving his current goals, but also having a positive effect on other goals. “Personally, my goal was to get stronger and faster in the offseason. To run and get in shape so I don’t take plays off and don’t be slow off the ball,” said Hankins. “As a team, it is to just make sure we’re all just talking and making sure we’re in the right place at the right time. We want to stay strong as a team.”

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FOOTBALL 2026

GREEN BOBCATS Green getting boost with bigger roster By Jim Walker For The Ironton Tribune

RANKLIN FURNACE — Green Bobcats coach Shane Colvin is playing the numbers. No, Colvin isn’t playing the illegal three numbers mafia lottery game that was popular during the last century. His numbers are the total on his football roster. “This year it’s been a lot better. We’ve been in the weight

room consistently with 18 guys, 19 guys. We did a whole lot more 7 on 7s,” said Colvin. “We’ve had really good leaders.” The Bobcats operated with less than 20 players for most of last season that produced an 0-9 record, but this year’s roster is currently at 24 and could grow. “We keep getting better numbers every day. Small school like this, some kids aren’t going to come out until school starts. But the numbers are better. It makes it easier to practice. You

can see a lot more formations,” said Colvin. There has been a lot of youth in the additional numbers on this year’s team, but there is some talent that goes with it — and Colvin is pleased with what he’s seen so far. “This team is young, but they’re very coachable and we’ve been able to do some things this year that we didn’t do last year,” said Colvin. “They have a lot of heart. They’re wanting to get better. There are some days we

say practice is over and they say, ‘No. Let’s keep going. We need to get better.’” The Bobcats are going to switch to a spread offense this season due to a larger group of skilled players. “We’re going to spread the ball out and try to get the ball to our skilled players and try to get some one-on-one opportunities,” said Colvin. See BOBCATS, 30

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 GREEN BOBCATS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. 1 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 11 12

PLAYER POS. GR. Noah McMackin TE-LB Sr. Alex Spangenberg TE-DL Sr. Gabe Blevins QB-DB Sr Kaleb Mutter WR-DB So. Kaiden Parsons WR-DB So. Ayeson Brown Ath-DB Fr. Cannon Cloyes WR-DB Fr. Liam McGuire QB-DB Fr. Luke Kimbler WR-DB Jr. Elijah Evans QB-DB So.

G. BLEVINS

EVANS

NO. 14 15 21 22 44 50 51 52 53 55

PLAYER Preston Bradley Leland Blevins Alex Hagen Colton Maynard Nick Ramey Jacob Baldwin Josh Jordan Hunter Moore Collin Hagans Carter Hughes

L. BLEVINS

HAGEN

HENDERSON

NO.

POS. GR. Ath-DB Fr. RB-LB So. RB-LB Sr. RB-DL So. TE-DB Jr. OL-DL Jr. OL-DL Jr. OL-LB So. OL-DL So. OL-DL Fr.

PLAYER

POS.

GR.

62 Kamden Henderson

OL-DL Jr.

71 Kyler McCallister

OL-DL Fr.

77 Micah Maynard

OL-DL Fr.

79 Cameron Varney

OL-DL So.

HEAD COACH: Shane Colvin

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Green Bobcats

Aug. 21............ FEDERAL HOCKING

Green......26

Federal Hocking.. 58

Aug. 29................. at Southeastern

Green / Southeastern.......canceled

Sept. 4.....................at Manchester

Green......12

Manchester.........46

Sept. 11...........RACINE SOUTHERN

Green........0

Southern.............53

Sept. 18.............................. BELPRE

Green........0

Belpr...................56

Sept. 25............. SYMMES VALLEY#

Green......12

Symmes Valley....66

Oct. 2............................at Notre Dame#

Green........0

Notre Dame........70

Oct. 9.................... at South Gallia#

Green........6

South Gallia........74

Oct. 16............ SCIOTOVILLE EAST#

Green........0

Sciotoville East....46

Oct. 23..................at Pike Eastern#

Green........0

Pike Eastern........56

# - Denotes SOC game

Record: 0-9

GREEN BOBCATS

HUGHES

MAYNARD

MCMACKIN

MOORE

MUTTER

SPANGENBERG

HEAD COACH: Shane Colvin (2nd season, 0-9 overall and at Green) ASSISTANT COACHES: James McGuire, Christian Moore, Cody Stapleton TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Alex Spangenberg, Alex Hagen, Luke Kimbler, Kaleb Mutters, Kaiden COLVIN Parsons, Elijah Evans, Leland Blevins, Hunter Moore, Kamden Henderson, Collin Hagans TOP LOSSES: Mason Neal, Braydon Boza, Caleb Lewis, Conner Blanton, Ralph Klaiber, Olivia Blevins 2025 RECORD: 0-9 overall, 0-5 SOC (sixth) OFFENSE: Pro-I, Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, Multiple

FOOTBALL 2026

BOBCATS

Continued from 28 A trio of candidates are vying for the quarterback position that includes senior Gabe Blevins, sophomore Elijah Evans and freshman Liam McGuire. Colvin said each player brings a different set of skills to the position. “They’re all pretty close,” said Colvin. “Gabe is more athletic. He can do a lot more things. Gabe started at quarterback his freshman year. They all can throw the ball. Elijah can play many different positions, too. Liam still has some growing to do. He has a lot of ability but he’s just a freshman.” The running job will be filled by senior Alex Hagan, sophomore Leland Blevins and freshman Preston Bradley. “Those will be the main three right there,” Colvin said. “We have some really good runners. Hopefully, the running game opens up the passing game.” The wide receiving corps will consist of sophomore Luke Kimbler, freshman Ayeson Brown, Gabe Blevins, sophomore Kaiden Parsons, sophomore Kaleb Mutter, and senior Noah McMackin. “My wideouts are young, but they’ve got a lot of talent. They got a lot stronger in the offseason. We got some seniors who came in and played this year. They’re very athletic and helped out a lot. I’m really excited where it goes,” said Colvin. The offensive linemen will move around and play different positions with the exception of sophomore center Hunter Moore, who returns at that key spot. Other candidates to fill the guard and tackles positions are junior Kamden Henderson, sophomore Collin Hagans, and freshmen Kyler McCallister, Carter Hughes and Micah Maynard. “We have a young line but it’s a strong line. We’re going to use some of our skill players on the line, too. We’ll move them in and out of the line to make it stronger when we need to run the ball,” said Colvin. “We lost some linemen, but we also picked up a few, so we’ll be alright.” On the defensive side, the Bobcats will mix up their fronts with three and four down linemen — depending on what the offense runs. Hughes, Hagans, McMackin and senior Alex Spangenberg will all be candidates to play either tackle or end. “Noah McMackin can play linebacker or anywhere across the front line,” said Colvin. The linebacking corps will be made up of McMackin in the middle along with Hagen and Blevins. The outside linebackers are Preston Bradley, Blevins and Brown. Heading up the secondary will be Kimbler, McGuire, Evans and Brown at the cornerback spots — with safety jobs coming from either Parsons, Mutter, Blevins, McGuire and Evans. The kicking game will have either Maynard or Blevins doing the placements with Hagen and Blevins battling to be the punter. Colvin expects the Southern Ohio Conference Division I race to be competitive. “We’ve got some teams that are going to surprise. It should be more competitive than last year,” said Colvin.

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Rock Hill o g

g i b ! d e r

FOOTBALL 2026

ROCK HILL REDMEN Wilds set to guide athletic Redmen P

Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

EDRO — Trey Wilds is coming full circle. He’s gone from player to assistant coach to head coach. The first-year head coach of the Rock Hill Redmen is climbing into the helm of the football program — and he admits he’s had to change his routine. “It’s been an adjustment. It’s been a fun adjustment,” said Wilds with a grin. “I got hired the last week of February. It

felt late, but I hit the ground running and I’ve had some good guys around me that have helped me out a lot. “Coach (Jesse) Ruby coming on with his head coaching experience was tremendous for me. He helps me with the little things that you usually don’t think about. The kids have responded really well. They’re excited.” Wilds, who played at Rock Hill from 2008 to 2012, is the son of Bob Wilds — who was also a coach for the Redmen. An All-Ohio wide receiver, Wilds played at Marshall his

freshman year — and transferred to Bluffton University where he played for Tyson Veidt, who is the current linebackers coach at Penn State. “I played for a lot of good coaches and learned a lot great stuff in college,” said Wilds. This year’s team has a 45-man roster, which is good news in many ways for the Redmen — and the coaching staff. “We have 45 overall and eight seniors. We’re very happy with our numbers. Last year, we were around 35 or 36. We have a good freshman class which is always good,” said Wilds. “Some

of these guys are going to get broken into varsity football very quickly. But I think they’ve got a lot of fire.” The quarterback will be sophomore Jarred Bridges (6-2, 165), who took over in week 10 last season and into the playoffs. “Bridges got thrown into the fire the last week of the season. We lost our starter and he came in and he struggled, but he came back against Dayton Christian (in the playoffs) and played well and did what we asked him to See REDMEN, 33

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 ROCK HILL REDMEN FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT. WT.

GR.

NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT. WT.

GR.

1 Braylon McClellan WR-DB 6-02 185 Sr.

24 Bentley Short

RB-LB

5-10 189 Fr.

2 Carter Bailey

RB-DB

6-000 170 So.

27 Ryan Kellogg

WR-DB 5-09 150 Fr.

3 Cash Lyons

WR-DB 5-10 165 Jr.

30 Gage Stevens

RB-LB

5-09 175 Fr.

4 Colton Lewis

RB-DB

5-09 165 Jr.

32 Carson Damron TE-DE

5 Marshall Maddy RB-LB

5-09 155 So.

6 Vander Green

RB-LB

5-10 190 Jr.

7 Gavin Malone 8 Cameron Howard

NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT. WT.

64 Cooper Webb

OL-DL

6-01 250 Jr.

66 Aiden Dillon

OL-DL

6-02 240 Jr.

6-03 190 Fr.

67 Maveric McFann OL-DL

5-11 275 Jr.

34 Aaron Workman TE-LB

6-02 220 Sr.

40 Layden Cochran TE-DE

5-10 190 Fr.

70 Ryder Henry

OL-DL

5-11 200 So

WR-DB 6-00 190 Jr.

44 Yaden Bailey

TE-LB

6-00 225 Sr.

72 Gabe Chamblee OL-DL

6-03 255 So.

5-09 145 Jr.

45 Elijah Boyd

WR-DB 5-10 185 Jr.

73 Tank McFann

OL-DL

6-03 310 Fr.

9 Hunter Malone WR-DB 5-11 165 Fr.

51 Gavin Brooks

OL-DL

6-01 230 Sr.

10 Zander Addis

52 Tomas Miller

OL-DL

5-09 200 Sr.

75 Caiden Robinson OL-DL

6-00 285 Jr.

11 Rhenin Russell WR-DB 5-10 155 Fr.

53 Brady McFann OL-DL

5-07 210 Fr.

76 Aiden Cochran OL-DL

5-10 210 Jr.

12 Jarrod Bridges

QB_DB 6-02 165 So.

54 Tyler Dixon

OL-DL

5-11 265 Jr.

77 Brody French

OL-DL

6-04 250 Fr.

14 Jordan Fox

QB-DB

5-10 165 Fr.

57 Peyton Morgan OL-DL

5-09 215 Fr.

15 Carson Doolin

TE-LB

6-00 190 Sr.

58 Dylan Adkins

OL-DL

5-10 230 Jr.

83 Colin Hannon

OL-DL

5-10 185 Sr.

20 Jayce Albert

WR-DB 5-08 145 Fr.

59 Hunter Hopper OL-DL

5-10 225 Fr.

88 Matthew Watson WR-DB

6-00 145 So.

22 Bridger Kerns WR-DB 5-09 150 Jr.

62 Justin Bundy

OL-DL

6-04 235 Jr.

23 Kelan Davidson RB-DB

63 Chris Wilson

OL-DL

5-10 240 So.

BAILEY

WR-DB 5-08 155 Fr.

5-10 185 Sr.

BRIDGES

BROOKS

CHAMBLEE

GR.

HEAD COACH: Trey Wilds

DAVIDSON

DOOLIN

HANNON

LEWIS

LYONS

MCCLELLAN

WILSON

WORKMAN

REDMEN

Continued from 32 do and he did it really well. I think that first game he was nervous,” said Wilds. “He hasn’t missed a second of workouts. He’s starting to make his reads. We’re excited where he’s at.” The backfield returns senior Kelan Davidson (5-10, 185), and he will be joined by junior Colton Lewis (5-9, 165) and sophomore Bridger Kerns (5-9, 150) to make it a three-headed monster. “Brayden McClellan has been fantastic this summer. Kelan Davidson has been great for us. Yaden Bailey, Aaron Workman have been great. We have a lot of good guys who are showing these kids expectations,” said Wilds. Leading the receiving corps will be senior Braylon McClellan (6-2, 185), who is a three-year starter. He will be flanked by junior Gavin Malone (6-0, 190), while the slot features junior Cash Lyons (5-10, 165). Kerns and seniors Aaron Workman (6-2, 220) and Yaden Bailey (6-0, 225) will share the slot duties. “We have some guys we can get the rock to and make some plays,” said Wilds. “Workman is 6-2, 220 and can run. Gavin See REDMEN, 34

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Fax 740-532-2133

FAMILY DENTISTRY (CHILDREN AND ADULTS)

From Our Team To Yours, Good Luck With Your Season

FOOTBALL 2026

REDMEN

Continued from 33 is a possession guy for us. McClellan is explosive. He has great ball skills. He’s going to be a nightmare matchup for a lot of guys. Lyons and Kerns give us a lot of speed in there.” The top candidates for the offensive line are sophomore Gabe Chamblee (6-3-255) at left tackle and sophomore Chris Wilson (5-10, 240) at left guard. Wilds said right guard “is by committee right now” — with junior Tyler Dixon (5-11, 265), sophomore Ryder Henry (5-11, 200), junior Caiden Robinson (6-0, 285) and senior Tomas Miller (5-9, 200) all in the running. O n e of the players which d o e s n’t p l a y g u a r d will be the center, and the other tackle spot could be senior Gavin Brooks (6-1, 230), junior Aiden Dillon (6-2,240) or junior Maveric McFann (5-11, 275). “Up front, we’ll be young. We have seven or eight guys fighting for those five spots,” said Wilds. “Miller started for us last year. We’ll see after boot camp with the National Guard how much weight he’s lost. We’re getting that front five figured out. We don’t have anybody solid yet. It’s day to day to see who fits in there best.” On the defensive side, Wilds said the Redmen will go with a four-man front this season — as opposed to the 3-4 alignment used last year. “We went back to the 4-2-5 this year. That’s what I ran when I was the DC (defensive coordinator) in 2024. With the

way we’re built, I think we can run a 4-2-5,” said Wilds. The defensive line will come from Chamblee, Brooks, Wilson, Dixon and Robinson. The weakside end will be senior Carson Doolin (6-0, 190) or junior Aiden Cochran (5-10, 210) — with a few freshmen possibly getting a look later in the season. “We’ve got six or seven guys we can rotate and feel pretty good about any of them,” said Wilds. “We have some depth on the defensive side that we’re excited about.” The anchors of the defense will be the tandem of Workman and Bailey,who were both allSoutheast District Division VI last season. “ B o t h linebackers are back and that’s h u g e for our defense. B o t h m o v e well and are really s m a r t football players,” said Wilds. The secondary has plenty of speed — with Lyons and Kerns the cornerbacks while McClellan is the strong safety and Lewis the free safety. In the kicking game, junior Cameron Howard (5-9, 145) returns to do the placements — with either McClellan or Davidson being the punter. “We feel we are pretty solid there,” said Wilds. In the Ohio Valley Conference, Wilds expects a competitive race. “Gallia Academy has some really nice players. Portsmouth has Poxes and Cam Williams and a lot of good athletes. Coal Grove has a lot back. There are several teams with new coaches,” said Wilds. “We just want to get better. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Rock Hill Redmen

Aug. 21...........................MINFORD Aug. 28............at Boyd County, Ky. Sept. 4...... MID. TENNESSEE CHRISTIAN, TN Sept. 11........................FAIRLAND# Sept. 18................. SOUTH POINT# Sept. 25.....at Cincy Purcell Marian Oct. 2...............at Gallia Academy# Oct. 9.....................at Portsmouth# Oct. 16..................... CHESAPEAKE# Oct. 23.................... at Coal Grove# # - Denotes OVC game

RH........34 RH........21 RH........34 RH........33 RH........23 RH........39 RH........23 RH..........7 RH........14 RH..........7

Minford.................13 Boyd County, Ky....41 Oak Hill...................8 Fairland.................32 South Point...........15 Purcell Marian.......26 Gallia Academy.....21 Portsmouth...........48 Chesapeake...........27 Coal Grove............26

Playoffs

RH........47 Dayton Christian...28 RH..........0 Northeastern.........59 Record: 7-5

ROCK HILL REDMEN HEAD COACH: Trey Wilds (0-0 overall and at Rock Hill, 1st season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Jesse Carmon, Jesse Ruby, Caleb Eplion, Jimmy Hopper, Shayne Wilds, Shane Kerns, Jonathan Schwab TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Braylon McClelland, WILDS Cash Lyons, Cameron Howard, Jarrod Bridges, Bridger Kerns, Kelan Davidson, Aaron Workman, Yaden Bailey, Carson Doolin, Gavin Malone, Tomas Miller, Caiden Robinson, Gavin Brooks, Maveric McFann TOP LOSSES: Daniel Medinger, Brady Murrell, Levi Ross, Eli Hamlin, Jaiden Hackworth, Preston Malone, Dallin Cox, Nathan Stone, Peyton Clutters, Mayson Black 2025 RECORD: 8-4 overall, 3-3 OVC (third); Division VI playoffs (regional quarterfinals) OFFENSIVE: Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, Multiple

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SOUTH POINT

Pointers

GO BIG BLUE! PROTECT THE POINT!

FOOTBALL 2026

SOUTH POINT POINTERS Wroten takes helm at South Point S

Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

OUTH POINT — Brian Wroten got what he wanted, and he got to be where he wanted to be. Wroten realized his dream of becoming a head football coach — when he was hired to take the helm of the South Point Pointers. The Pointers are coming off a 3-7 season, and Wroten knows there’s a lot of work ahead, but none of that matters. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve

been working 10 years to get to this point. This is my dream job I guess is the best way to put it. Athletic director and head football coach,” said Wroten, who was an assistant at Portsmouth West for the last four years under head coach Todd Gilliland. “It’s been a lot of fun, it’s been exciting, it’s also a challenge. What I’ve been able to fall back on is the last four years I’ve worked for Todd Gilliland. Any time I have a question, I can rely on him.” The Pointers have 35 players,

including 11 seniors. One thing that will help Wroten in his challenge as the head coach is the Pointers’ major offensive weapon — All-Ohio senior running back Landon Vance (6-1, 205). “He’s one of the best kids you could ever meet. He’s humble. He’s a great leader. It’s a blessing to be able to walk into a situation and have him,” said Wroten. Vance rushed 147 times for 1,018 yards for a 7-yards per carry average and scored 15 touchdowns.

Vance also led the team with 26 receptions for 330 yards and another three scores. “Offensively, you have to establish the run in high school. You run the ball to get in the playoffs and then you throw the ball to advance. That’s what people say,” said Wroten. “Because you have a piece like (Vance), and because I believe our offensive line is going to be really, really good, we can run the ball. We have to be physical See POINTERS, 37

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 SOUTH POINT POINTERS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT.

WT. GR.

NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT.

WT. GR.

6-00 175 Jr.

NO. PLAYER

POS.

HT.

WT. GR.

61 Jayden Weber

OL-DL

5-07 165 Fr.

Carter Chapman

OL-DL

5-09 206 Fr.

Cayden Williams

OL-DL

6-01 229 Fr.

Trevor Smith

OL-DL

6-00 248 Fr.

1 Landon Vance

RB-OLB

6-01 201 Sr.

Logan Clay

WR-DB

3 Luke Fitzpatrick

WR-DE

6-03 190 Sr.

Austin McFann

QB-WR-DB 5-11 150 Fr.

4 Davon Lewis

WR-DB

5-09 160 Sr.

Kegan Weber

WR-OLB-DB 5-05 140 Jr.

6 Robert Napier

RB-ILB

5-05 182 Sr.

Keondre Garred

RB-OLB

7 Ethan Hunt

QB-DB

6-03 157 Sr.

Maddon Taylor

RB-WR-DB 5-10 150 Fr.

8 Marcus Hanshaw WR-QB-DB 6-00 159 So.

Braylon McCoy

WR-DB

5-10 160 Jr.

Michael Black

OL-DL

6-02 287 Fr.

9 Elyjah Patterson

Steven WashingtonOL-DL

5-10 271 Fr.

Hunter Chinn

OL-DL

6-07 253 Sr.

Bryelin Staley

OL-DL

6-02 264 Sr.

WR-DB

5-09 165 Jr.

6-00 175 So.

Ezra Young

K-P-Ath

5-09 159 Sr.

52 Kayleb Adkins

OL-DL

6-00 228 Jr.

11 Tae Martin

WR-DB

5-09 143 So.

53 Patrick Allen

OL-DL

6-01 205 Sr.

Anthony Neal

FB-LB

6-00 176 So.

xx Michael Barker

OL-DL

6-00 220 Fr

13 Caesyn Pope

WR-DB

6-00 188 Jr.

Jay Marcum

OL-DL

6-02 240 Sr.

14 Dom Pegram

WR-RB-DB 5-08 136 So.

Hunter Henson

OL-DL

5-09 163 Fr.

Logan McFann

WR-DB

5-11 135 Jr.

xx Elijah Fahey

OL-DL

6-00 265 Jr.

Craft, Wesley Hall, Tevin Smith, Joe Suttles,

Bentley Keeney

WR-DB

5-10 140 So.

Cash Westmorland OL-DL

5-11 261 Sr.

Scott Miller

CHINN

FITZPATRICK

POINTERS

Continued from 36 up front.” The offensive line is going to be key for the Pointers — and Wroten said there are some veterans and some newcomers that will make for a good offensive line. “I really believe our offensive line is going to be strong, we just don’t have a lot of depth,” said Wroten, who praised offensive line coach Tim Aldridge for his work. Returning at center will be junior Kayleb Adkins (6-0, 220) who Wroten called “one of the strongest kids in our weight room. Straight-A student. Smart kid and that’s what you want at center.” One tackle will be senior Hunter Chinn (6-7, 253) — with Jay Marcum (6-2, 240) on the

HUNT

LEWIS

other side. “I watched him play basketball and he ran pretty well. I said ‘OK, why isn’t he playing football?’ Hunter wasn’t going to play football. But he signed up to play football and ever since he decided to play football, he’s been in the weight room and gone from 245 pounds to 260,” said Wroten. “I lazer-timed (Marcum) at 4.85 in the 40. At the Rio Grande 7on7, he did the linemen’s challenge and never lost a single rep. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to.” The guards will be senior Bryelin Staley (6-02, 264), and the other side will be senior Cash Westmorland (5-11, 261). Staley — who throws shot put and discus in track and field — is the grandson of legendary South Point track and field head See POINTERS, 38

HEAD COACH: Brian Wroten ASSISTANT COACHES: Jamie Rice, Tim Aldridge, Fred

MARCUM

NAPIER

PATTERSON

POPE

STALEY

VANCE

WESTMORLAND

YOUNG

(740) 442-2760 • (740) 479-8968 (855)-4TPCWELL • tpcwellness.org

FOOTBALL 2026

POINTERS

Continued from 37 coach Randy Smith. “He’s another one of those kids we recruited the hallways. He’s 6-2, 260, and moves really well,” said Wroten. “Westmorland is working hard and doing a good job.” The ‘Y’ receiver is senior Luke Fitzpatrick (6-3, 190), and Wroten said “he’s a mismatch for defensive backs.” Wroten wants to implem e n t t h e passing offense u s e d by Hal Mumme, the former head coach at the University of Kentucky. “From a passing perspective, we have the ability to run up-tempo and check with me or to huddle up. We want to be able to control the pace offensively,” said Wroten. “At the end of the day, we’re going to be aggressive. I’m aggressive by nature. But I wouldn’t be doing this team justice if I didn’t run Vance. He can run and he can catch it. He can flair off and make big plays. He made big plays last year.” The triggerman in the wideopen offense is senior quarterback Ethan Hunt (6-3, 157). “Ethan was the first person I talked to when I got the job,” said Wroten. “He’s a good player. He’s dedicated. He’s pretty fast. He can run the football if he has to. He cares about the South Point community.” There’s a plethora of wide receivers that includes junior Elyjah Patterson (5-9, 165), who was the team’s leading receiver last season. Senior Davon Lewis (5-9,160) is back in a starting role, and

he will get some work in the backfield. Another starter should be junior Caesyn Pope (6-0, 188). “With this offense, you want to get the ball in the hands of your best athlete and get him in space. He can do just about everything. He’ll return kicks,” said Wroten. Sophomore Dom Pegram (5-8, 136) played some last season and brings speed to the attack. Also in the mix will be sophomore Marcus Hanshaw (6-0, 159). “Pegram can do about anything. He’s a twitch athlete. He catches the ball pretty well,” said Wroten. S e n i o r Robert Napier (5-5,182) will be in the backfield as well, and will also jump into the passing lane. “We have a bunch of wide receivers,” said Wroten. “Patterson catches about everything you throw at him. He’s really strong. He wants to be great. He’s one of those kids who is about the team.” The Pointers will run a 3-4 alignment on defense, with Marcum and Staley the ends and freshman Steve Washington (5-10, 271) the nose guard. Also looking to play up front will be Adkins. The inside linebackers will be Napier — and either sophomore Anthony Neal (6-0, 176) or Pope, who Wroten called “a good athlete.” Vance will be an outside linebacker on one side, and possibly Neal moving there. In the secondary, Patterson is back at cornerback along with Pegram — as the safeties will be Lewis and Hanshaw. The placekicker will be senior Ezra Young (5-9, 159) who was All-Ohio in soccer last year.

He has a strong leg who can reach the end zone. Wroten said the biggest thing he has seen from the team is a good attitude. “These kids have been committed — the vast major core I’d say 20 kids — have been with me since February. I don’t believe anybody in the OVC has worked harder than our kids. It’s hard work to be an average football team. It’s still hard work to be a poor football team. It takes a commitment.” The Pointers have a strong

non-league schedule — Pike Eastern, Southern, Wellston and Symmes Valley. The final six games are all Ohio Valley Conference games. “I’m pretty familiar with Fairland and what they do. Coal Grove is going to be a physical football team. That’s who they are. They’re the ones to beat,” said Wroten. “Gallia Academy has good numbers. That’s a sleeping giant just because they’re a bigger school. They have a lot more opportunities. It’s a balanced league.”

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

South Point Pointers

Aug. 21................... at Pike Eastern

SP..............6

Pike Eastern........13

Aug. 28............RACINE SOUTHERN

SP............36

Southern...............0

Sept. 4..........................at Wellston

SP............24

Wellston................6

Sept. 11................SYMMES VALLEY

SP............24

Symmes Valley....45

Sept. 18......................at Rock Hill#

SP............15

Rock Hill..............23

Sept. 25...................... at Fairland#

SP............21

Fairland...............35

Oct. 2....................... CHESAPEAKE#

SP............41

Chesapeake........18

Oct. 9....................... COAL GROVE#

SP............15

Coal Grove..........44

Oct. 16...................PORTSMOUTH#

SP............13

Portsmouth.........41

Oct. 23.............at Gallia Academy#

SP..............7

Gallia Academy...34

# - Denotes OVC game

Record: 3-7

SOUTH POINT POINTERS HEAD COACH: Brian Wroten (0-0 overall and at South Point, 1st season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Jamie Rice, Tim Adridge, Fred Craft, Scott Miller, Wesley Hall, Tevin Smith, Joe Suttles TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Landon Vance, WROTEN Davon Lewis, Robert Napier, Ethan Hunt, Elyjah Patterson, Logan McFann, Kayleb Adkins, Luke Fitzpatrick, Patrick Allen, Caesyn Pope TOP LOSSES: James Carey, Jonah Fitzpatrick, Levi Thornsbury, Braden Jackson, Gary Estep, Isaiah Traylor, Tavarion Cabarrus, Quinn Johnson, Skyler Ferguson, Shyne Green 2025 RECORD: 3-7 overall, 1-5 OVC (sixth) OFFENSE: Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3, Multiple

FOOTBALL 2026

Vance is go-to man at South Point By Jim Walker For The Ironton Tribune

OUTH POINT — If anyone sees Landon Vance walking around with a shirt that has a bulls-eye on the front and back, he’s not collecting NIL money for an advertising campaign with a major department store. That target has been established by opposing teams — who will be focusing their attention on the South Point Pointers All-Ohio running back. Vance rushed 147 times for 1,018 yards for a seven yards per carry average and scored 15 touchdowns. Vance also led the team with 26 receptions for 330 yards and another three scores. Vance did all that despite missing the last game-anda-half due to a concussion he sustained in the Portsmouth game. “I’m coming back and working harder and hopefully I won’t get injured again,” said Vance. Being a so-called marked man might bother some players, but Vance enjoys the attention — and he has a different view of the idea that he is the main target of the opponents. “It feels great, but I can’t do anything without the guys up front. I can’t do anything without my teammates. I’m not necessarily the main guy. Everyone is,” said Vance. “I just go out there and play. It’s not going to affect me. It’s not going to bother me. I know there are going to be people out there to get me, but it’s not going to bother me.” Vance expects to be even more utilized not only in the run game, but the passing game as well this season. “We plan to have a good passing attack and fire from

every level. We want to 50-50 pass/run. We want to do everything,” said Vance. Vance is 6-1 and weighs 205 pounds this season — after being between 185 and 190 last year. He said the extra bulk weight and strength should help him. “It feels great. I think it will help a lot in my game, especially in the run game. Running up the middle is going to help more,” Vance said. Another area that has Vance stepping up is his leadership role as a senior. “I’m trying to become more vocal and just try and help my teammates out more and get

everyone ready for the season,” said Vance. “I’m just trying to make everyone better.” Vance also plays basketball and runs track, as he was a member of the Pointers’ 4x200 meter relay team that qualified for the state track meet last spring. Although Vance enjoys playing other sports, he does single out one as his favorite. “Football for sure. I’ve been playing since fourth grade. I just like the atmosphere. I just love the game. It’s fun.” Vance has had success on offense in running the ball and catching passes, but he admits “I do love defense. I still do

love defense.” As for next year, Vance is noncommittal about playing at the college level. “I might. It depends. I have to see what I’ve got,” said Vance. Outside of football, Vance said he doesn’t do much outside of sports except occasionally play video games. Well, there is one other thing he likes to do. “I do like to eat a good pizza,” Vance said with a laugh. Looks like Vance just made himself a target for the local pizza shops. And why not? He knows how to slice up an opponent.

SYMMES VALLEY s g n i Vik

2026

FOOTBALL 2026

SYMMES VALLEY VIKINGS Symmes Valley knows the future is now Staff Report The Ironton Tribune

ILLOW WOOD — It was the famous Roman poet Horace who said, “Carpe diem.” Translated: Seize the day. The total quote was “Seize the day, trusting as little in the future.” The Symmes Valley Vikings are taking that approach this season — as they look to improve on last season’s 9-3 record and a berth in the Division VII Region 27 semifinals, before losing 48-7 to eventual state runner-up Hillsdale.

Armed with a veteran team and plenty of depth, Vikings fifth-year head coach Ben Ferguson said his team is taking a more serious and mature approach this season. “I think the important thing for them to understand is they have a great opportunity in front of them to be really good. But we’ve never been the hunted. Right now, all of a sudden, we’ve got a target on our back because of last year,” said Ferguson. “I think they understand and really embrace that we have a really good opportunity in front of us, we have all the ability in

the world that we need to make a deep playoff run, but if we don’t handle our business and realize we’re going to get everybody’s best game week in and week out, then we’re going to slip up and we might have a sad face before it’s time to have a sad face.” A major reason for the Vikings’ optimism is junior Bronx Carpenter (6-2, 165), who is back at quarterback for a third year. Carpenter is the straw that stirs the Vikings’ point-a-minute spread offense. After missing part of his

freshman year with a shoulder injury, Carpenter is now in his second full season. “Having him back is a tremendous help. He’s got a lot of arm talent. He’s smart. He’s a great kid. He has great leadership abilities. He can make just about every throw on the field,” said Ferguson. On the other end of Carpenter’s passes are a plethora of wide receivers — led by junior Jackson Fields (5-11, 180). Also in the group are senior See VIKINGS VIKINGS,, 43

FOOTBALL 2026

2026 SYMMES VALLEY VIKINGS FOOTBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER POS. HT. WT. 1 Dennis Scarberry WR-DB 5-11 150 2 Levi Russell WR-DB 6-01 145 3 Gradee Holland WR-DB 6-00 185 4 Beckem Roth WR-LB 5-10 180 5 Bronx Carpenter QB-DB 6-02 165 6 Jackson Fields WR-DB 5-11 180 7 J.R. Turner WR-DB 5-10 145 8 Bentlee Holland WR-DB 5-0-6 135 9 Jordan Nance QB-WR-DB 6-00 170 11 Enoch Patterson WR-LB 5-10 195 12 Mason Adams WR-LB-DL 6-00 205 13 Miguel Ferreira PK 6-0 165 15 Brady McCarty WR-LB 5-11 175 18 Braylon Mount WR-DB 6-03 165 20 Andrew Isaacs WR-DB 6-03 165

GR. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr.

NO. PLAYER POS. HT. WT. 21 Connor Moore WR-LB-DB 6-00 170 22 Asher Maynard RB-LB 6-02 230 25 Daniel Nance RB-DB 5-04 120 29 Parker Foster QB-DB 6-01 140 32 Peyton Clary WR-DB 5-04 120 34 Michael Weaver RB-LB 5-09 170 44 Aydan Freeman RB-LB 5-07 205 50 Zayne Wilson OL-DL 6-05 215 51 Mason Campbell OL-DL 6-03 205 52 Logan Andrews OL-DL 5-09 230 53 Caleb Mount OL-DL 6-01 190 54 Jaxon Gates OL-LB 5-08 155 55 Cooper Baumgardner OL-DL 5-10 305 57 Bentley Riggle OL-LB 5-04 155 58 Chase Baker OL-DL 5-08 180

GR. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Fr. So.

NO. PLAYER POS. 61 Jaiden Hanners OL-DL 62 Colt Lambert OL-DL 65 Bentley Martin OL-DL 66 James Robertson OL-DL 68 Brayden Sandman OL-DL 69 Carson Brammer OL-DL 72 Trey Campbell OL-DL 75 Wyatt Hedrick OL-DL 77 Zayden Sandman OL-DL

Continued from 42

CARPENTER

FIELDS

FREEMAN

GATES

HOLLAND

ISSACS

MAYNARD

MOUNT

PATTERSON

RUSSELL

SCARBERRY

WILSON

GR. Fr. Jr. So. So. So. So. Sr. So. So.

HEAD COACH: Ben Ferguson ASSISTANT COACHES: Trent Carpenter, Brad Carpenter, John Coriell, Eric Holland, Nate Colegrove, Mason Cox, Mike Roth, Chris Lafon, Kyle Meadows, Seth Jones, John Sheppard

VIKINGS

CAMPBELL

HT. WT. 5-06 175 6-03 180 5-08 260 5-07 6-05 345 6-00 200 5-06 255 6-00 295 6-05 350

Gradee Holland (6-0, 185), junior Levi Russell (6-1, 145), sophomore Beckham Roth (5-10, 180), junior Andrew Isaacs (6-3, 165), junior Enoch Patterson (5-10, 195), senior Dennis Scarberry (6-1, 150), and junior J.R. Turner (5-10,145). The Vikings also have junior Asher Maynard (6-0, 230) coming out of the backfield. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are really, really, really finetuned and older that can hurt you,” said Ferguson. “It should be pretty deep as far as the weapons go offensively.” The Vikings return four starters on the offensive line. They used a six-man rotation last season that created more experience for all of the linemen. Seniors Caleb Mount (6-1, 190) and Zayne Wilson (6-5, 215) return as the tackles, sophomore Zayden Sandman (6-5, 350) will be the center, and vying for time at the guard position are senior Trey Campbell (5-6, 255), junior Cooper Baumgardner (5-10, 305), sophomore Wyatt Hedrick (6-0, 295) and senior Jaxson Gates (5-8, 155).

“Both Mount and Wilson both started last year and are coming in with a lot of experience. Zayden Sandman took a lot of snaps at guard and he’s sliding over to take Tucker Ross’ job at center, and at guard you have a combo of four guys. You’ve got Trey Campbell, Wyatt Gates is a sophomore who’s very capable, and Jaxon Gates who’s a senior whose played there,” said Ferguson. Also in the mix on the offensive line is sophomore Brayden Sandman (6-5, 345) — the twin brother of Zayden. “Brayden didn’t play last year as a freshman, but if he can get up to speed, he’ll be in the mix as well,” said Ferguson. “There’s really seven to eight guys up front who can rotate through and we don’t feel like we lose anything.” Maynard (6-2, 230) returns for his third year as the main running back in the offense, and was all-Southeast District last season. But Ferguson sees sophomore Connor Moore (6-0, 170) getting some reps — along with Roth and Patterson. “He’ll probably take the majority of the snaps, but you also got Roth back there if he’s not in the See VIKINGS, 44

FOOTBALL 2026

VIKINGS

Continued from 43 slot. You’ve got Patterson who can be back there some if he’s not in the slot. You’ve also got Conner Moore who’s new and rotating between the slot and backfield,” said Ferguson. While teams strive for balance in their offense, Ferguson said the Vikings do want balance — but go about it in a different way than do other teams. “Balance to us means if we’re effective whether it be running or passing, if it ends up 85-percent passing in a game, it’s because they’re loading the box, that’s balance to me. If they’re running a 3-4 and we’ve got the numbers in the box and we can just get up there and shove them, fine we’ll do that too,” said Ferguson. “It’s not we want to be 50-50 no matter what, it’s more of we want to take what they’ll give us and we want to make sure we’re effective on both sides of it.” The Vikings will go with a 4-4 defensive front — and Ferguson wants to stiffen their play to avoid shootouts. “A lot of the defensive stuff last year was we just needed guys to get more experience. We had more first-time people on defense last year than we did on offense,” said Ferguson. “This year, we’ve got a lot of depth and we’ve got a lot of returning guys.” The secondary has seniors Scarberry (5-11, 150) and Holland at the cornerback spots, who are both experienced players. The safety will be Isaacs, who adds some speed and experience. “They think in the secondary like

they’re on offense,” said Ferguson. Maynard and senior Ayden Freeman (5-7, 205) both return inside at linebacker. Ferguson said “this is the first time in five years I’ve had the same two inside linebackers for more than one year. That makes a huge difference.” Fields and Moore look to be the outside linebackers, along with Roth. Across the defensive line, Mount and Wilson are both returning at the ends. Inside are Zander Sandman and Campbell, who are both returning starters. “I think the biggest focus mentality-wise is we always want to have the fullest effort. We want to get to the ball and fly around. If we make a mistake, we want to do it at 100-percent,” said Ferguson. “We looked at the film last year and if we screwed something up and sometimes we just stop where we could have made the play if we kept going.” The kicking game returns Miguel Ferreira (6-0, 165), as Ferguson said the sophomore attended some kicking camps during the summer. “I’m really excited to see him full speed. He’s added a ton of distance,” Ferguson said. Patterson is expected to handle the punting duties, as Carpenter will be the backup. The experience and depth the Vikings have going into the season has helped speed up the process. “It’s definitely different than the past couple of years, just because you go in and it’s the start of practice, but a lot of those guys have had so much time it’s much more

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advanced. First-day stuff, you’re still working on it with freshmen, but all those other guys have those basics down already, so you’re moving to more advanced stuff,” said Ferguson. “You can install more things defensively. Maybe another coverage. Offensively, maybe another wrinkle. But it’s been nice because so many guys have had so many reps and they’re good kids and they’re good with the young ones. It’s like having coaches on the field.” In the Southern Ohio Conference Division I, Ferguson said everyone is still chasing Pike Eastern — which

has won four straight titles and has a 32-game regular-season winning streak. “Obviously, Eastern is still the standard. I think they’ve done a great job. They’re the guys we look at and go that’s the gold standard of the conference right now. If we want to have a chance, we have to knock them off,” said Ferguson. “But I still think that top to bottom, it’s very competitive as well. I know some of the teams have lost some seniors, but they have some young guys who are coming along. You can’t take a week off.”

2026 SCHEDULE

2025 RESULTS

Symmes Valley Vikings

Aug. 21................... at Chesapeake

SV......... 35 Chesapeake............0 SV......... 56 Meigs....................42 SV......... 55 River Valley...........27 SV......... 45 South Point...........24 SV......... 29 Fairfield Christian...12 SV......... 66 Green....................12 SV........... 6 Pike Eastern..........40 SV......... 47 Sciotoville East........0 SV......... 63 Notre Dame..........47 SV......... 36 South Gallia..........38 Playoffs SV......... 41 Trimble.................12 SV........... 7 Hillsdale................48 Record: 9-3

Aug. 28................................ MEIGS Sept. 4.....................BERNE UNION Sept. 11................... at South Point Sept. 18.............. FAIRFIELD CHRISTIAN Sept. 25 .........................at Green# Oct. 2..................... PIKE EASTERN# Oct. 9................at Sciotoville East# Oct. 16..................at Notre Dame# Oct. 23.................. SOUTH GALLIA# # - Denotes SOC game

SYMMES VALLEY VIKINGS HEAD COACH: Ben Ferguson (16-24 at Symmes Valley and overall, 5th season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Eric Holland, Nate Colegrove, Brad Nelson, John Coriell, Mason Cox, Mike Roth, Chris Lafon, Kyle Meadows, Seth Jones, John FERGUSON Sheppard, Trent Carpenter, Brad Carpenter TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: Caleb Mount, Jaxon Gates, Gradee Holland, Hayden Holbrook, Aydan Freeman, Jackson Fields, Bronx Carpenter, Zayne Wilson, Trey Campbell, Levi Russell, Asher Maynard, Mason Adams, Cooper Baumgardner, Beckem Roth, Jordan Nance TOP LOSSES: Andrew Stow, Tucker Ross 2025 RECORD: 9-3 overall, 3-2 SOC (tied for second); Division VII playoffs (regional quarterfinals) OFFENSE: Spread, Multiple DEFENSE: 4-4, Multiple

FOOTBALL 2026

BRONX BOMBER: QB Carpenter ready for huge Vikings season By Paul Boggs The Ironton Tribune

ILLOW WOOD — Get ready now Symmes Valley, for an air raid is underway — actually it’s picking up from where it left off last season. That’s because Bronx Carpenter comes back for his junior season of the Vikings’ aerial assault — as the spread offense at Symmes Valley looks to lead the Vikings back to a deep Division VII playoff run, combined with a victory over Eastern and the Southern Ohio Conference Division I championship. Carpenter, coming off an injury-riddled freshman campaign, bombed away as a gunslinging sophomore — which ended up as a first-team all-Southeast District Division VII accolade, and being named second-team all-Ohio as a quarterback. But now, as a three-year starter under center, Carpenter and the Vikings are primed for even more success. They graduated just two seniors, return almost an entire roster of 40, and have a schedule suited for possibly an undefeated regular season. Of course, the six-foot and twoinch and 165-pound Carpenter can’t get hurt — and the Vikings can’t misfire or overlook anybody. “We had a lot of guys get injured our first year, then last year we had a better start, ended up winning nine games. Hopefully this year we go 10-0,” said Carpenter. “We have a lot of guys back healthy this year and some new guys coming in.” Last season, as Symmes Valley went 8-2 in the regular season and 9-3 overall — Carpenter com-

pleted 68-percent of his passes for 2,555 whopping yards, and was 188-of-275 with 30 touchdowns and 9.3 yards per play. He also rushed for 223 yards and four scores, as Asher Maynard made second-team allOhio — and wide receiver and fellow junior Jackson Fields made third team. En route to the Division VII Region 27 semifinals, the Vikings scored at least 29 points in 10 of their 12 games — and 36 points in three-quarters of the dozen. “Having him (Carpenter) back is a tremendous help. He’s got a lot of arm talent. He’s smart. He’s a great kid. He has great leadership abilities. He can make just about every throw on the field,” said SVHS fifth-year head coach Ben Ferguson. But enough of last year, Symmes Valley is in clear search of this season’s Region 27 championship.

“We’ve almost all played together since second or third grade,” said Carpenter. “If one person scores, we all celebrate. It’s not one person winning football games. It takes all 11 guys to win. Linemen blocking well, receivers catching the ball, when that happens it’s pretty easy.” Carpenter commented on playing in the fast-paced and up-tempo offense, something for sure that he enjoys — as Ferguson’s system is tailored to his skill set. “Freshman year, this was an all-new offense. We had a lot of young guys playing, we were still learning a lot of stuff. We’ve just added more stuff as the years have gone on,” said the signal-caller. “Now we’re all sophomores, juniors and seniors, so we all know the offense front and back in our minds.” New wrinkles in the system for sure, but new names stepping up and catching passes — besides Maynard operating out of the backfield, and Fields out on the flank. The receiving corps includes senior Gradee Holland (6-0, 185), junior Levi Russell (6-1,

145), sophomore Beckham Roth (5-10, 180), junior Andrew Isaacs (6-3, 165), junior Enoch Patterson (5-10, 195), senior Dennis Scarberry (6-1, 150) and junior J.R. Turner (5-10, 145). “We’ve got a lot of guys who are really, really, really finetuned and older that can hurt you,” said Ferguson. “It should be pretty deep as far as the weapons go offensively.” Indeed, a lot of experience and talent for Carpenter’s charges, but yes of course there are areas of improvement. “We can always improve our teamwork and developing chemistry with every guy. We had two or three guys transfer in, I would like to get to know them better and throw to them more,” he said. “Have everybody touch the football this season.” That’s right, an air raid is underway on the banks of Symmes Creek — and the hard-charging “Bronx” bomber Carpenter calling the shots. “We want to win the SOC I title this year, and I believe we can do it. Then make another deep run in the playoffs,” he said.

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