2026
Football TIME WHAT’S INSIDE
IN GREENE COUNTY Rebels, Devils, Huskies, Black Knights, and Buffaloes prep for upcoming season
www.greenevillesun.com
• Chuckey-Doak Season Preview - 04 • Greeneville Season Preview - 06 • North Greene Season Preview - 10 • South Greene Season Preview - 12 • West Greene Season Preview - 14
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY DAWN LAMBERT
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2026 COMPOSITE HIGH SCHOOL
Friday, Aug. 21, 2026
Friday, Sept. 18, 2026
Morristown-Hamblen West @ Greeneville Sullivan East @ Greeneville* Chuckey-Doak @ North Greene South Greene @ Chuckey-Doak Cosby @ West Greene Eagleton College & South Greene @ Morristown-Hamblen East Career Academy @ West Greene North Greene @ Cosby*
Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 Greeneville @ Upperman Sullivan East @ Chuckey-Doak North Greene @ West Greene Daniel Boone @ South Greene
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 Greeneville @ Northview Academy* West Greene @ Chuckey-Doak Hancock County @ North Greene*
Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 Johnson County @ South Greene
Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 Seymour @ Greeneville* Chuckey-Doak @ Unicoi County* West Greene @ Providence Academy South Greene @ North Greene
Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 Sevier County @ Greeneville Chuckey-Doak @ Johnson County* West Greene @ South Greene* Hampton @ North Greene*
Friday, Oct. 2, 2026 Greeneville @ Cherokee* Chuckey-Doak @ Claiborne* West Greene @ Gatlinburg-Pittman Cumberland Gap @ South Greene* Jellico @ North Greene*
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Chuckey-Doak @ Volunteer
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026 Volunteer @ Greeneville* Happy Valley @ West Greene* Concord Christian @ South Greene North Greene @ Cloudland*
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 Greeneville @ Grainger* Pigeon Forge @ Chuckey-Doak* Unicoi County @ West Greene South Greene @ Eagleton College & Career Academy North Greene @ Sunbright*
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026 Gatlinburg-Pittman @ Chuckey-Doak* North Greene @ Unaka*
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 Greeneville @ Elizabethton* West Greene @ Cumberland Gap* South Greene @ Happy Valley* * = Region game
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The 2026 Chuckey-Doak Black Knights Football Team.
Experienced Black Knights EAGER FOR A PLAYOFF PUSH BY MONTANA FINDLEY AFTON — Billy Kaylor is entering his fourth year leading the Chuckey-Doak Black Knights football program, with a senior class that he has seen all the way through their high school careers. Kaylor and the Black Knights are hopeful that their experience will translate into an improvement from last year’s 4-6 record. “It’s been great. We’ve really worked hard on trying to build some culture,” Kaylor said. “They’ve continued to buy in and improve, and the things we’ve been teaching for the past three years have really started to show up on film.” For Kaylor, being the first senior class he has seen all the way through their football careers at Chuckey-Doak is something he’s already begun to cherish about the upcoming season. “It’s very special. The kids are why you do the job, we love these boys to death,” he said. “This is my first class to see all the way from freshman year all the way through, it’s really special. It’s kind of a milestone for me. “It’s something I look forward to doing for many more years to come here.”
With a senior class of seven, and a junior class of 11, the Black Knights come into the season with experience at nearly every part of the field. “We have experience pretty much everywhere. Defensive backs and receiving core are where we’re replacing the most,” Kaylor said. “It’s huge. Repetition is the best teacher, and we’re fortunate that a lot of guys have played a lot of football, on both sides of the ball.” With guys like quarterback Kiptyn Ball, running back Marcus Britt, and wide receivers Brayden Greene and Skylar Davis returning on the offensive end, being a young and inexperienced team in years past has resulted in a roster full of guys with tons of experience under their belts. “We have several who have been multi year starters, 19-20 starts, we have some juniors with that many starts as well,” Kaylor said. “This is a very experienced team compared to the last few years. “It helps a lot. There’s less of a learning curve there, makes things like your install faster, they have more of an idea of what we’re looking for, in the practice field, the film room, the weight room. They’ve been there and know what it’s supposed to look like, and it helps bring those
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
younger guys along.” Another spot the Black Knights will showcase their experience this season is in the trenches, returning four offensive linemen as well as two defensive linemen to the roster this year. “Connor Hall, Caleb Stamper in the lineman group have really stepped up and became leaders for us there,” Kaylor said. “That experience up front is hard to replicate. You can’t really coach a guy into having 20 starts under his belt, you can’t coach that kind of experience.” The experience doesn’t stop with their upperclassmen, as Braxton Lowe looks to be a key option for the Black Knights at the wide receiver position, returning after a standout freshman season last year.
“He’s just a sophomore, but played a lot of football for us last year,” Kaylor said. “He’s really stepped up in his role. “We have some young guys who are going to contribute a lot this year, and are going to learn a lot and contribute for years to come.” The Black Knights started last season 3-0 before dropping six of their last seven contests. For Kaylor, improving on their record from last season begins in the weight room. “I thought we’ve gotten a lot stronger and improved our culture in the weight room, and it’s starting to pay dividends on the field,” he said. “That culture, and our practice culture,
SEE KNIGHTS ON PAGE 5
The Greeneville Sun • PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026
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FROM KNIGHTS, PAGE 4 changed how hard we practice. “I thought we had a really good offseason, and have been really proud of them so far.” As far as the identity of the team going into the season, Kaylor hopes to continue their ground attack that they’ve had in years past while opening up more to the pass game. “We want to be extremely physical, play with great effort, and play well at the line of scrimmage. We want to play hard nosed, physical, aggressive football,” he said. “We want our guys to do the things they’ve been coached to do, and we’re getting better at that every day.” “We want to find our identity running the football, we want to be physical at the line of scrimmage. We’ll be able to spread the ball around, push the ball down the field a little bit. We’ve gotten a little bit better at that over the last few years, and hope to continue to grow that part of the game.” A 19-13 victory over Claiborne served as Chuckey-Doak’s lone region win last season. Kaylor is hopeful to improve on that as well, but knows they have another tough region slate ahead of them this season. “We have a really tough region. Gatlinburg-
Schedule
Roster
AUG. 21 - at North Greene High School AUG. 28 - Sullivan East High School SEP. 3 - West Greene High School SEP. 11 - at Unicoi Co. High School * SEP. 18 - South Greene High School SEP. 25 - at Johnson Co. High School OCT. 2 - at Claiborne High School * OCT. 9 - at Volunteer High School OCT. 23 - Pigeon Forge High School * OCT. 29 - Gatlinburg-Pittman High School *
0 - Brody Myers - Fr. - TE 3 - Skylar Davis - Jr. - WR, RB 4 - Landon Brown - Jr. - WR, FS 7 - Kiptyn Ball - Jr. - QB, CB 8 - Brayden Greene - Sr. - RB, MLB 10 - Avery Parkey - So. - RB, OLB 11 - Cobe Love - Jr. - WR 14 - Jayden Britt - Jr. - QB, FS 15 - Braylon Fox - So. - WR, SS 16 - Joseph Leeper - Fr. - CB 17 - Israel Collazo - Fr. - WR, CB 18 - Mason Henderson - Jr. - WR 20 - Wyatt Barber - Jr. - DE, TE 22 - Braxton Lowe - So. - WR, FS 24 - Marcus Britt - Jr. - RB, FB 26 - Mikey Karriker - Fr. - WR, K 27 - Kobe Lane - So. - MLB, OLB 28 - Zaiden Schacke - Fr. - RB, OLB 30 - Nathan Casillas - So. - SS 40 - Anthony Johnson - Sr. - TE, G 50 - Skyler Nelson - Fr. - DE 51 - Conley Woodby - Fr. - C, MLB 52 - Samuel Johnson - Sr. - G 55 - Colt Shull - So. - DT, G 56 - Lance Turner-Armstrong - Jr. - T, G 57 - Sean Rayon - Sr. - T, DE 59 - Caleb Stamper - Sr. - G, C 62 - Chris Bible - Sr. - DE, C 64 - Spencer Nunley - Sr. - DT, DE 75 - Tj Greer - Fr. - C 77 - Connor Hall - Jr. - C, G 81 - Joshua Hargrove - So. - K 84 - Hayden Painter - Jr. - WR, CB
* denotes region game PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY MATT LAWS
Pittman played for a state championship last year, Unicoi was really good. Pigeon Forge, Johnson County, Claiborne will be very well coached,” he said. “It’s not an easy region by any stretch of the imagination.” “We’re going to have to stay healthy, and we’re going to have to play well in close football games. We’re going to have several region games that will be tough, dogfight football
games, and we’re going to have to make big plays when it matters.” The Black Knights travel to North Greene for their season opener on Friday, Aug. 21. “One of the great things about small school high school football is these county rivalries like this,” Kaylor said. “All games matter, but it means a lot. The first one always matters, so that’s going to be exciting.”
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The 2026 Greeneville Greene Devils Football Team.
Greene Devils RETOOLED AND READY FOR ANOTHER PLAYOFF RUN BY MONTANA FINDLEY For the Greeneville Greene Devils, coming off of a 12-2 season and a 19th consecutive postseason appearance, the mission is simple coming into the season: retool and pick up right where they left off. The Greene Devils come into the season having graduated 20 seniors off of last year’s team. “I think at Greeneville High School, the majority of years your senior class is going to lead you,” said Greeneville coach Eddie Spradlen. “The question every year is ‘how are you going to replace these guys?’ “The first way we’re going to replace them is the hard work we’ve continued to do in the weight room in the offseason. The hard work that these coaches have done to keep us at the level we’ve been. The hard work and the commitment to this program from our guys.” As far as the lessons he hopes this year’s team learned from last year’s large senior class, Spradlen said it’s the work ethic that last year’s team showed. “Really just the hard work in the season in the weight room, the expectation we have for them every day in practice,” Spradlen
said. “We’ve had some ups and downs in the preseason, but they’re learning how we want them to practice. “When they bring it and we’re not having to bring it out of them every day, we’re going to be a much better football team. Learning how to practice, how to compete, and the level we need to be at every day.” While there will be a ton of new faces across both sides of the ball for the Greene Devils this season, Spradlen said there’s a lot to look forward to going into the season. “It’s an exciting group to be around. There’s a lot of competition in a lot of positions,” he said. “There’s a lot of good football players that are seniors and juniors, a lot to be excited about.” As far as who he expects to step into leadership roles this season, Spradlen mentioned several names, including Cole Smith who returns to action after a season ending injury last year, and Jack Lister who will provide experience on the defensive side of the ball. “Last year, Cole Smith was voted as a team captain as a junior, that says a lot because that doesn’t happen often,” Spradlen said. “He’s stepped in and been really good for us in the
SUN PHOTO BY MONTANA FINDLEY
leadership role. “Jack Lister stepped in there, was our leader on defense last year. You have two all-state defensive backs coming back for us in Kaine Ricker and Taren Claridy, those guys have to be leaders for us on offense and defense as well.” For Lister and Smith, the leadership role is something they both embrace heading into their senior season. “We’re both captains, so we both have to step up off of the field as well,” Lister said. “It started in the spring with us lifting together, I think we’ve come together pretty quickly. “We’ve bought into that standard, and we’re trying to raise that standard every year. We
set the bar pretty high last year, and we want to raise it again this year.” For Smith, having to miss last season due to injury, he’s excited for the chance to get back onto the field on Friday nights. “It feels good to be back out there. I think we look pretty good, look ready,” he said. “I had to wait my time, be patient, and wait for my time.” The Greene Devils may bring back the most experience at the skill positions, looking for guys like Claridy, Dyer, and Zy Neal to all have productive seasons out wide. “Every year we’re going to be as good
SEE PUSH ON PAGE 8
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
Roster 1 - Zy Neal - WR/DB - 10 2 - Kase Spradlen - QB/DB - 10 3 - Kaine Ricker - QB/DB - 12 4 - Braylen Kidwell - WR/DB - 12 5 - Taren Claridy - WR/DB - 12 6 - Kaleb Smith - RB/LB - 11 7 - Michael Hurst - WR/DB - 11 8 - Juelz Mann - WR/DB - 10 9 - Yordan Mills - RB/LB - 12 11 - Mikey Muyanja - WR/DB - 12 12 - Amir Knight - WR/DB - 11 13 - Malakai Muyanja - WR/DB - 11 14 - Quinn Write - WR/DB - 12 15 - Jack Lister IV - RB/LB - 12 16 - Hudson Quillen - QB/LB - 10 17 - Jude Dyer - RB/LB - 12 18 - Jalyn Kerwin - RB/DB - 10 19 - Owen Shaver - WR/DB - 12 20 - Ty Riban - RB/LB - 12 21 - Cole Smith - WR/LB - 12 22 - Parker Quillen - QB/LB - 12 23 - Sawyer Blair - RB/LB - 10 24 - Eli Garland - WR/DB - 10 25 - Gannon Cogdell - K/P - 12 26 - Weston Hawkins - RB/LB - 9 27 - Hayden Moore - RB/DE - 12 28 - Trey Casteel - RB/LB - 11 29 - EJ Fezell - WR/LB - 11 30 - Justin Feezell - RB/LB - 9 32 - Kingston Holmes - RB/LB - 10 33 - Roarke Burroughs - RB/LB - 10 34 - Christian Myers - RB/LB - 9
35 - Graf Creutizinger - K/P - 9 36 - Logan Kuklovsky - WR/DB - 9 41 - Jackson Shipley - RB/LB - 9 42 - Cohen Broyles - RB/LB - 10 43 - Jackson Britton - WR/DB - 9 44 - Collin Clark - RB/LB - 10 45 - Parker McMurry - 11 46 - Damani Williams - RB/DB - 9 47 - Grayson Crosby - P - 12 48 - Christyan Chaffin - WR/DB - 10 50 - Gustavo Alvarez - OL/DL - 10 52 - Baylor Smith - OL/DL - 11 54 - Monty Burch - OL/DL - 9 55 - Jayden Francisco - OL/DL - 10 56 - Aahmad Dickson - OL/DL - 10 57 - Brayden Rozar - OL/DL - 9 61 - Micah Knight - OL/DL - 12 63 - Duncan Rogers - OL/DL - 12 64 - Malley Estep - OL/DL - 9 65 - Carder Chapman - OL/DL - 9 66 - Jack DeAngelis - OL/DL - 11 70 - Devin Mullins - OL/DL - 10 71 - Dillon Hartman - OL/DL - 11 78 - Caedon Hirschy - OL/DL - 12 80 - Noah Culler - LB/K/P - 11 81 - Bentley Freudenberger - K/P - 10 82 - RJ Ward - WR/DB - 9 83 - Dominic Yacopino - QB/DB - 9 84 - Jerry Hamilton - WR/DB - 9 88 - Caden Jordan - TE/DL - 12
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FROM PUSH, PAGE 6 as anybody in the skill positions, and that applies to this year. We’re going to be explosive out on the edge,” Spradlen said. “There’s a lot of competition at those skill positions, it’s going to be exciting.” While it’s never easy to replace 20 seniors, eight of which will play college athletics, the biggest question mark may be the quarterback position - having lost Class 4A’s Mr. Football from last season in Caden Baugh. With Ricker expected to step into the quarterback position to start the year, Spradlen is looking for depth in the backfield, hoping to keep Ricker’s level of production defensively the same as it was last season. “It’s hard to replace Mr. Football, but having the guys we have there in that position, we feel good about it,” Spradlen said. “Kaine is going to play on both sides of the football, you’re not going to take an All-State player off that side of the ball. “He runs the ball really well, and has improved his passing game as well. All these guys have improved, it’s been a good competition at that position. Kaine is playing defense, so we have to have somebody ready to step in there if he needs a breather on offense.”
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While Dillon Hartman comes back as the only returner on the offensive line, Spradlen noted that guys like Caedon Hirschy, Jack Deangelis, and Baylor Smith are all ready to step into increased roles in the trenches. “He played a ton on the offensive line there last year. It’s going to be a good group,” he said. “They’re going to have to get experience, they were physical in our scrimmage against Farragut, so I’m very excited about that group. “There might be some growing pains early, but that’s going to be a good group when it matters. We always say when you have coach Danny Bentley coaching on the offensive line, you have a chance to be good.” Another point of emphasis for the Greene Devils comes in their linebacker core, with guys like Lister, Kaleb Smith, Ty Riban, and Yordan Mills all needing to find their way onto the field to contribute. “Right now, we have linebackers for days, a lot of guys that need to get onto the field. We have to find ways to get those guys on the field,” Spradlen said. “They have to get out on the field for us to be successful.” Finishing just one game shy of a state championship appearance last season, Spradlen knows the expectations are high
SEE PUSH ON PAGE 9
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Schedule AUG. 21 AUG. 21 - Morristown-Hamblen High School West AUG. 28 - at Upperman High School SEP. 3 - at Northview Academy * SEP. 11 - Seymour High School * SEP. 18 - Sullivan East High School * SEP. 25 - Sevier Co. High School OCT. 2 - at Cherokee High School * OCT. 16 - Volunteer High School * OCT. 23 - at Grainger High School * OCT. 30 - at Elizabethton High School * * denotes region game SUN PHOTO BY MONTANA FINDLEY
FROM PUSH, PAGE 8 for his guys this year, but is focused on the task at hand in their season opener against Morristown West first. “That’s the expectation. I’m going into year 20 at Greeneville High School, and we’ve played for five state championships, played in the semifinals another three times,” he said.
“There are always high expectations. “We’ll talk about (a state championship) if we get into a position to compete for one. Right now, we want to compete for a conference championship. It starts with Morristown West, and we have to get better from there.”
The Greene Devils have won five region titles in a row, and have won 17 out of the last 20. Coach Spradlen said this year’s group is ready to face the challenge, and hopefully bring another region title home on their way to another postseason run. “Right now it’s five in a row in conference
championships, and they don’t want to be the group that drops off there,” Spradlen said. “They’re hungry, they’re excited about it, and I’m excited for them.” The Greene Devils kick off their campaign with a home matchup against Morristown West on Friday, Aug. 21.
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The 2026 North Greene Huskies Football Team.
Huskies hungry FOR THIRD-STRAIGHT HOME PLAYOFF GAME BY MONTANA FINDLEY BAILEYTON - While they’re replacing a large senior class from last season, coach Eric Tilson and the North Greene Huskies football team are confident that this year’s team can keep the ball rolling as they look for a third consecutive year with a home playoff game. The Huskies have begun to build their culture over the past two seasons, posting back-to-back winning records as well as backto-back home playoff games. However, the challenge this season for coach Tilson has come from losing nine seniors to graduation, needing several guys to step up to fill important roles. “We’re not starting over, because we’re now in year six, and the work we’ve done in the weight room, just training and developing, it’s starting to pay off,” Tilson said. “We have a lot of kids who don’t have the game experience, but they’re physically ready to step into those roles. “It started off rough in terms of training, but they’ve really bought in and we’ve had a great camp so far.” Having a large senior class from last season, Tilson and the Huskies have been deliberate
with selecting the leaders for their team. Tilson said the message isn’t to compare this year’s senior class to last year’s, but to continue to build on what last year’s team accomplished. “We’re intentional about how we develop leaders, how to be a leader, how to be a captain,” he said. “One thing we want to see from this group, their job is to honor the legacy (from years past) and leave their own.” Throughout the offseason, Tilson is confident that this year’s team has the pieces to replace the production on the field that was lost from last year. “We’ve seen flashes of it during our spring scrimmage that we have some pieces to be really good, playmakers out on the edge,” Tilson said. “There’s a lot of pieces in place.” Having relied heavily on the play of quarterback Thomas Darnell last season, Tilson said the summer has presented a battle between Jared Swatzell and newcomer Tanner Collins. “We’ve had a really fun quarterback battle. Jared Swatzell, he came in as a guy we expected to be a starter. Then Tanner Collins came out of nowhere, he’s really progressed
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY BRYAN CANNON
along as a quarterback, and a little battle started,” Tilson said. “That elevated Jared, he’s playing on a whole different level now.” “Tanner elevating Jared was huge. Jared has elevated his play, he’s playing like the quarterback we all expected him to be, and then it gives Tanner time to develop. While Swatzell will take over the starting position for the Huskies, Tilson said there will be opportunities to get both guys involved in the backfield this season. “They both have different skill sets, so we’ll
have some sort of series for Tanner. He’s a great runner, so there’s a lot of things that we can utilize with him too,” he said. “It’s like a changeup versus a fastball.” While the quarterback play may be different this season, Tilson said the mission remains the same offensively for the Huskies this year: find ways to get the ball into the hands of playmakers like wide receivers Kelson Eastep and Matthew Boyd, as well as running back Leon Johnson.
SEE HUSKIES ON PAGE 11
The Greeneville Sun • PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026
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FROM HUSKIES, PAGE 10 “We don’t change what we do, but we have enough in our system to play to our strength on what we have,” Tilson said. “Last year we threw the ball a little bit, but that was the strength of our team. We’re going to find a way to get the ball to our playmakers. “Our offense hasn’t changed since I’ve been here, but the identity has looked a little different every year.” While Johnson had to split carries in the backfield last season, he still turned in 10 touchdowns in his junior campaign. Heading into his senior season, Tilson is confident that a breakout year is around the corner for Johnson. “The big thing for us is we’ll heavily rely on playmakers like Boyd and Leon Johnson,” Tilson said. “We expect that you’ll hear Leon’s name a lot this season, he has that capability.” Possibly the biggest area on the offensive side of the ball that the Huskies will need to step into new roles is the offensive line. North Greene replaces four starters on the offensive line this year, with Shawn Russell coming back as the only returner. Russell played last season with a torn labrum and has had to get the rest of the guys up to speed despite being on the sidelines.
“If the offensive line comes together, then we have a shot to really score some points on offense,” Tilson said. “It comes down to if we can handle adversity. “(Russell has) had to lead without practicing, he’s almost been like a second coach out there. My forte is offensive line, so if any position had to replace all of them, that’d be the one I want. They’re starting to put it together.” While several changes are coming to the offensive side of the ball, returners like Eastep, Levi Gray, and newcomer Charles Price handling things on the defensive side of the ball, Tilson is confident that the Huskies can be stout defensively this season. As the Huskies look for a third consecutive winning season, Tilson said the key is to focus on the task at hand each day, not looking too far ahead. “We talk about the process, day by day, not looking to the future or looking to the past, but looking at today,” he said. “We’re just teaching them how to go through the process.” However, Tilson knows the challenge in front of his team this season, having another tough region slate against Hampton and Cloudland, two region foes that got the better of the Huskies last season.
Schedule AUG. 21 - Chuckey-Doak High School AUG. 28 - West Greene High School SEP. 3 - Hancock Co. High School * SEP. 11 - South Greene High School SEP. 18 - at Cosby High School * SEP. 25 - Hampton High School * OCT. 2 - Jellico High School * OCT. 16 - at Cloudland High School * OCT. 23 - at Sunbright High School * OCT. 29 - at Unaka High School * * denotes region game “We have our goals every year: make the playoffs, host a playoff game, have a winning record,” Tilson said. “It feels like every year it’s harder to achieve those goals because the teams you play are improving. It gets harder every year. “The fact that we’re improving on top of that really commends these kids. These seniors have been a part of it this whole time.” North Greene opens the season by hosting an in-county foe in the Chuckey-Doak Black Knights on Friday, Aug. 21.
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Roster 1 - Juan Soto — 11 — Kicker 2 - Jared Swatzell — 11 — QB / DB 3 -Archer Tippins — 9 — WR / DB 4 - Dylan Gentry — 12 — TE / LB 5 - Trenton Shirey — 9 — RB / LB 6 - Easton Head — 9 — QB / DB 7 - Tanner Collins — 10 — WR / DB 8 - Levi Gray — 12 — WR / DB 9 - Kelson Eastep — 12 — WR / DB 10 - Turner Collins — 11 — WR / DB 11 - Matthew Boyd — 12 — WR / DB 12 - Casen Massey — 11 — TE / LB 13 - Charles Price — 10 — RB / LB 15 - Evan Triantis — 9 — WR / DB 20 - Leon Johnson — 12 — RB / LB 21 - Parker Collins — 10 — WR / DB 25 - Junior Peters — 11 — RB / LB 41 - Dalton Davis — 11 — TE / LB 50 - TJ Bowers — 11 — OL / DL 52 - Kaydien Brobeck — 11 — OL / DL 53 - Doug Blake — 11 — OL / DL 54 - Caleb Gilliam — 11 — OL / DL 55 - Liam Spaulding — 9 — OL / LB 56 - Eli Brown — 10 — OL / DL 60 - Shawn Russell — 12 — OL / DL 62 - Brocklyn Norton — 10 — OL / DL 64 - Caleb Dilks — 10 — OL / DL 70 - Victor Ramirez — 10 — OL / DL 75 - Brady Starnes — 9 — OL / DL 76 - Noah Gray — 9 — OL / DL 77 - Justin Hock — 11 — OL / DL
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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Rebels confident
Schedule
IN THEIR SQUAD HEADING INTO THE SEASON BY WAYNE PHILLIPS | Sports Editor Emeritus
competitive one.
The 2025 football season was a good one for the South Greene football team, finishing with an 8-4 worksheet and advancing to the second round of the playoffs before falling to state power Marion County.
“Yeah, we lost some really good players,” he said as the Rebels prepare for the season opener against Morristown East. “But we’ve got a good group of returnees. We’ve got 10 starters back on both sides of the ball, and would’ve had 11 but lost Noah Wright to a knee injury in the 7-on-7 play.”
One of the goals they didn’t attain was winning the Region 1-2A crown. That championship trophy went to rival Happy Valley, who streaked through the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record, including a 21-20 thriller over the Rebels, and won another playoff game before being eliminated in the second round. Reb veteran coach Shawn Jones feels most observers think his Rebels will have to suffer through a rebuilding year with the loss of the core of their offense from 2025, but Jones is ready to move on to the new year with a lot of confidence that this year’s squad will be a
Gone are the likes of star quarterback and top scorer Nash Rader, along with Charlie Lane, one of the best defenders in East Tennessee. Heath Norton and Lucas Couch both graduated, as did lineman Paplo Sanchez and four-year kicker Brant Wilhoit. It’s hard to replace that kind of talent. “Our returnees are battle tested,” Jones said. “Some of them are seniors and have been here for four years. We’ve got some young ones who stepped up last year, and we’ve got some new
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY BRYAN CANNON
ones this year that we’re counting on to keep our momentum going.” This team is expected to rely heavily on fouryear back Tripp Neas, who rushed for over 1,000 yds. as a junior and is a state recognized star in track and field as well as decathlon. “It all starts with Tripp, and everyone we play knows that,” Coach Jones said. “He’s been a good leader for us in the off-season as well as when preseason started. We expect a lot from him because he’s been here for four years and is a special athlete. He’s everything you expect in a running back. He sees the holes well, runs hard and he’s a strong kid.”
AUG. 21 - at Morristown-Hamblen High School East AUG. 28 - Daniel Boone High School SEP. 4 - Johnson Co. High School SEP. 11 - at North Greene High School SEP. 18 - at Chuckey-Doak High School SEP. 25 - West Greene High School * OCT. 2 - Cumberland Gap High School * OCT. 16 - Concord Christian School OCT. 23 - at Eagleton College and Career Academy OCT. 30 - at Happy Valley High School * * denotes region game Last year Neas rushed for 1,015 yds. and scored 18 touchdowns for the offense. He was effective as a receiver as well, leading the team in catches with 15 for 283 yds. Another key returnee for the offensive unit is Simon Burns, who also begins his fourth campaign on Rebel Hill and should be one of
SEE REBELS ON PAGE 13
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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The 2026 South Greene Rebels Football Team.
Roster 0 - Tripp Neas - 12 - RB 2 - Eli Fillers - 12 - LB 3 - Trent Haynes - 10 - RB 4 - Noah Wright - 12 - WR 5 - Simon Burns - 12 - WR 6 - Alex Merriam - 9 - QB 8 - Noah Shelton - 11 - WR 10 - Dawson Ripley - 10 - QB 12 - Jaden Estepp - 11 - LB 14 - Wyatt Fender - 11 - WR 16 - Jaxen Taylor - 10 - WR 20 - Angel Sanchez - 12 - WR 21 - Camden Marshall - 9 - WR 22 - Landon Murdock - 10 - WR 24 - Wyatt Milhorn - 9 - RB 29 - Sammy Jones - 9 - WR 31 - Dakota Hopson - 9 - QB 33 - Dawson Rosenbalm - 10 - WR 34 - Colton Green - 10 - RB 39 - David Whittman - 9 - QB 40 - Corbyn Long - 10 - RB 41 - Adrian Bobadilla - 9 - WR 42 - Wyatt Crosby - 9 - WR 43 - John Harris - 10 - WR 44 - Hunter Smith - 11 - WR 47 - Aiden Boyd - 9 - WR 50 - Corey Heater - 10 - OL 51 - Grady Wilhoit - 9 - OL 52 - Keith Irvin - 10 - OL 53 - Isaac Bouthellette - 10 - OL 54 - Kasen Justice - 9 - OL 55 - Bryce Crum - 12 - OL 56 - Holden Toliver - 9 - OL 57 - BraxtonAilshie - 9 - OL 59 - Lucas Murdock - 12 - OL 60 - Karson Wells - 10 - OL 63 - Braxton Crittenden - 12 - OL 65 - Kayden Trentham - 10 - OL 69 - Thomas Mayhew - 11 - OL 70 - Justin Habberstad - 11 - OL 71 - Korbin Franklin - 9 - OL 80 - Hayden Ricker - 9 - WR 82 - Dalton Thornburg - 10 - WR
FROM REBELS, PAGE 12
and caused him to miss his entire sophomore campaign.
the team’s top receivers in 2026. He was a defensive standout in the secondary last year and will return to that unit as well.
Sophomore Isaac Bouthellete and freshman Kasen Justice are expected to see plenty of playing time along the line.
Other keys in the offense will be the return of seniors Shawn Ownby, who can excel at receiver and was one of the team’s top defenders at cornerback in 2025, along with Angel Sanchez, who can be as good a player at catching passes from his own quarterback as he was defending opposing Qbs’ passes last year. There was a good battle in the spring for the starting quarterback position between sophomore Dawson Ripley and Ownby, but Jones decided that he would start with the sophomore. “He’s slender and athletic and has made great strides in running the offensive,” Jones said. “He needs to be more vocal, but we’ve got other options there if we need them, and that includes Ownby (and some others).” For Jones, he feels the way the offense excels will depend upon the play of the front line, and he’s pleased with what he’s seen up there. Seniors Bryce Crum, Lucas Murdock and Braxton Crittenden are returnees to that front line. Crum started on defense but will need to go both ways this year. “That’s a good group of seniors,” Jones said. Troy Heater will start at center after missing his freshman year. Crittenden and Murdock are the guards, while Jones has a pair of big tackles in Thomas Mayhew and Justin Habberstad. Habberstad was impressive as a freshman before a knee injury forced him out of action
Expect the Rebels to find ways to get the ball into the hands of Neas, but in the backfield there are some players ready to help, including sophomore Trent Haynes, who got some carries
SEE REBELS ON PAGE 19
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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BUFFALOES ENTER YEAR ONE OF
The 2026 West Greene Buffaloes football team.
new coaching regime BY MONTANA FINDLEY MOSHEIM — The West Greene Buffaloes have entered a regime change as Caleb Slover takes
over the helm of the program. Slover and the Buffaloes are ready to bring a culture change to the football program as well.
Slover is no stranger to Greene County, having played and gotten his coaching career started at Tusculum University.
“My wife is from here, and we always talked about when our son graduated high school,
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FROM BUFFALOES, PAGE 14
Schedule
working our way back,” Slover said. “It was a quick process, I was fortunate to get the job, and it’s been good to be back home. “It’s a full circle thing. My son is over at Tusculum now, this is where it all started for me. That’s where my coaching started, so it’s good to be back in Greeneville.” Slover made stops at Cocke County, Morristown East, and most recently as an assistant at Karns High School before returning to Greene County to lead the Buffs. However, Slover was officially named West Greene’s head coach in late May, not leaving much time to get things in order ahead of the upcoming season.
SUN PHOTO BY MONTANA FINDLEY
West Greene’s new head coach Caleb Slover speaks to the Buffaloes after practice.
“We had a player-parent meeting on Thursday night and got right to work that next Monday,” Slover said.
can go a few ways. Either people are going to accept it, see the vision you have, the way you want to change things,” he said. “Some people are going to want to buck the system and not want to be a part of it, that happens everywhere.
While it’s been an adjustment for the Buffaloes to learn under a new head coach, Slover said the team has been responsive to all of the changes he has brought in over the summer.
“Our kids have been great, they’ve been here and have worked hard. I’m sure my coaching style is a little different than what they’re used to, but they’ve accepted that challenge and have responded well to it.”
“Any time there’s a head coaching change, it
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With only 11 total upperclassmen on the
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roster, the key through the summer has been to get his younger players up to speed as quickly as possible. “We’re still a young football team. We have 25-30 young guys, young and inexperienced, but they’ve answered the challenge,” Slover said. “We just have to get them reps, get them game time going against someone else.” Being a younger team, Slover noted that each player has had to step into a leadership role, hoping that the entire team will work to hold
AUG. 21 - Cosby High School AUG. 28 - North Greene High School SEP. 3 - at Chuckey-Doak High School SEP. 11 - at Providence Academy SEP. 18 - Eagleton College and Career Academy SEP. 25 - South Greene High School OCT. 2 - at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School OCT. 16 - Happy Valley High School * OCT. 23 - Unicoi Co. High School OCT. 30 - at Cumberland Gap High School * * denotes region game each other accountable throughout the season. “I think that’s something we’re growing into, we’re growing into leadership roles. I kind of put
SEE BUFFALOES ON PAGE 16
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
FROM BUFFALOES, PAGE 15 it on all of them as a committee, just a complete team, holding everyone accountable,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a kid on this football team that we’re not going to have to count on this season.” Through the summer, Slover has seen a group buy into his coaching methods and have continued to improve ahead of the season. “They’ve grown a whole lot,” he said. “I feel like we’re a much better team than we were when we started two months ago. “I just like to see the way that they respond. You try to challenge them as much as you can, challenge them to be more physical, be more reactive. We want them to play fast and play downhill.” It’s that physicality and downhill football that Slover hopes to make the identity of the Buffaloes team this season. “I want us to be a physical team. In high school football, a lot of times, you can overcome athleticism or mistakes just by being a physical football team,” he said. “When we’ve done that, we’ve seen a whole different team. “We’re trying to continue that and build on that by being physical every play, playing downhill. That’s what we’re going to try to be.”
As far as changes on the field, Slover has had to work quickly to install a new-looking offense, opting to spread the field out as opposed to the wing-t look from last season. “I think last year they were more of a wing-t team, all 11 guys right there at the ball. We’ve gone completely opposite of that, we’re going to be a bit more spread,” he said. “We want to make people defend the entire field.” “It’s a lot of the same philosophies, but it’s a different way of looking at it.” While it’s a major adjustment for the Buffaloes, Slover said the team has taken to the new offense, and has continued to improve throughout the summer. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge getting these guys, they’ve probably been under center, tight formations, all through middle school and high school,” Slover said. “Now, it’s something completely different, so there’s a huge learning curve there. “There’s been a ton of times on film that we do it right and you get to pause it and go ‘hey man, look at how great this is’ those types of things. They’ve done a good job of picking it up.” Coming off of a 1-10 record from last season, with a 40-6 victory over Cumberland Gap serving as the Buffaloes’ lone victory, Slover knows that another tough challenge awaits his team this season.
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Roster 1 - Rylan Miller - RB / LB - SO 2 - Tristian Banks - WR / LB - SR 3 - Caden Archer - RB / LB - SO 4 - Lucas Winstead - WR / LB - SO 5 - Hunter Franklin - WR / QB / DB - JR 7 - Alexander McMurray - WR / DB - JR 8 - Michael Brown - WR / DB - SO 9 - Deacon Seay - WR / LB - FR 10 - Jayden Holt - WR / LB - SR 11 - Jagger Dearinger - WR / DB - FR 12 - Brayden Early - WR / DB - FR 13 - Kyler Patterson - WR / DB - JR 14 - Blake Arnott - QB / LB - FR 15 - Aiden Thompson - QB / DB - SO 16 - Bentley Matteligi - WR / DB - SO 18 - Roman Seay - WR / LB - FR 20 - Shawn Bailey - RB / LB - SR 25 - Kaedyn Witt - WR / DB - SO 35 - Tegan Hester - WR / DB - FR 40 - Aiden Holzerman - LB / RB - JR “We have a brutal schedule for us, a lot of teams that made deep runs in the playoffs, some really good football teams,” Slover said. “It’s going to be a battle every night, but it’s good for us.”
44 - Kellan Garson - WR / DB - SO 50 - Sam Warner - OL / DL - SO 52 - Trent Franklin - OL / DL - JR 54 - Braydon Wagers - OL / DL - SO 55 - Lucas Statzer - OL / DL - FR 56 - Bronson Cobble - OL / DL / LB - SO 57 - Bryson Patterson - OL / DL - JR 58 - Kenneth Debord - OL / DL - JR 60 - Easton Anderson - OL / DL - SO 62 - Avery Johnson - OL / DL - SO 64 - Wesley Osborne - WR / LB - SO 65 - Mason Mullins - DL - SO 67 - Sylar Malone - OL / DL - JR 70 - Brodie Lantz - OL / DL - SO 71 - William Nichols - OL / DL - FR 74 - Elijah Shipley - OL / DL - SO 75 - Isaiah Roberts — SR 80 - Caiden Wilhoit - WR / DB - SO 82 - Caiden Quillen - WR / DB - FR we’re going to be a much better football team,” Slover said. “We have to carry that momentum, hopefully pick up some wins early on, I think it’s about if we’re getting better each day.
While the goal remains to win games, Slover said the focus has to be on improving each time they touch the field.
“Obviously we want to win every game, and we’re going to try to go win them, but if we can continue to grow each week, we’re going to find ways to (win) more consistently.”
“I think the one thing for us right now, if we can continue to grow each week and get better,
The Buffaloes open their season by hosting Cosby on Friday, Aug. 21.
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Tusculum Pioneers
Schedule
RELEASE 2026 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Tusculum University has released its 2026 football schedule announced head coach Billy Taylor. For the first time since 2023, the Pioneers will face an 11-game schedule which will include nine South Atlantic Conference contests. TU will also play two nonconference games including its first meeting against neighboring East Tennessee State University in 76 years. Tusculum will open the season on Thursday, Aug. 27 when they host Bluefield State at Pioneer Field. The Pioneers won last year’s inaugural meeting with the Big Blues, 49-23 in Bluefield. Bluefield State went 3-7 last season and tied for seventh place in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. For the first time since 1950, Tusculum and ETSU will square off on the gridiron on Sep. 5 as the Pioneers make the short 26-mile trek to Johnson City to take on the NCAA-FCS Buccaneers. ETSU leads the all-time series
with Tusculum, 18-5-3 and have won 13 in a row over the Pioneers. The Bucs went 7-5 in 2025 and tied for third place in the Southern Conference. Coach Taylor is a 1988 graduate of ETSU and was a three-year starter and team captain for the Bucs. He also served on the ETSU coaching staff for nine seasons where he was associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Tusculum opens the conference season on Sep. 12 when they travel to Emory & Henry. The Wasps are coming off an 8-3 campaign including a third-place finish in the SAC. Since the first meeting in 1915, E&H leads the series with the Pioneers, 17-4. Anderson visits Greeneville on Sep. 19 as the Trojans posted a 5-6 record last season and finished eighth in the league. This will be the third meeting between TU and Anderson as the series is tied at 1-1. On Sep. 26, the Pioneers welcome the Catawba Indians for the 30th meeting
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between the two schools. Catawba went 7-4 last year and tied for fifth place in the conference. The Catawba Indians leads the series 19-10. Tusculum opens the month of October with back-to-back road trips to Mars Hill and Wingate. On Oct. 3, the Pioneers travel across Sam’s Gap to face Mars Hill. The Lions went 5-6 last year and finished seventh in the SAC. TU leads the series 23-17-2 which began in 1922. Tusculum is off to Wingate on Oct. 10 to take on the Bulldogs. Wingate finished runner-up in the conference last year, went 9-3 and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The Bulldogs lead the series 18-9 with the Pioneers winning its last trip to Belk Stadium, 23-21 in 2023. The Pioneers host UVA Wise on Oct. 17 for Homecoming 2026. The Highland Cavaliers went 1-9 last year and finished ninth in the league standings. This will be the 17th
AUG. 27 - BLUEFIELD STATE - 6:00 SEP. 5 - at ETSU - 12:00 SEP. 12 - at Emory & Henry* - 1:00 SEP. 19 - ANDERSON* - 2:00 SEP. 26 - CATAWBA* - 6:00 OCT. 3 - at Mars Hill* - 2:30 Oct. 10 - at Wingate* - 3:00 OCT. 17 - UVA WISE* (Homecoming) - 2:00 OCT. 31 - at Newberry* - 6:00 NOV. 7 - at Lenoir-Rhyne* - 2:00 NOV. 14 - CARSON-NEWMAN* (Senior Day) - 2:00 * South Atlantic Conference Game All Times Eastern & Subject to Change HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS meeting between the two schools in a series that is tied 8-8. Following an open date, Tusculum will play consecutive road outings at Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Pioneers go to Newberry
SEE PIONEERS ON PAGE 19
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2026 • The Greeneville Sun
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Tennessee Volunteers
Schedule
2026 SCHEDULE DATES ANNOUNCED KNOXVILLE — Tennessee will host five Southeastern Conference games — Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU — as the 2026 football schedule dates were unveiled Thursday night on SEC Network. The SEC announced in August it would play a nine-game conference schedule starting with the 2026 season. In the new format, each SEC school will play every other SEC school at least once every two years, and every opponent home and away over four years. Tennessee will play five games against opponents who finished in the final Top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Volunteers’ first three games are non-conference contests beginning with the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 followed by a Sept. 12 date at Georgia Tech.
Tennessee will play at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first time since Oct. 25, 1986. The Vols then return to Knoxville for an outstanding three-game home stretch. After hosting Kennesaw State on Sept. 19, Tennessee battles Texas in its SEC opener on Sept. 26 followed by an Oct. 3 tilt against Auburn in Neyland Stadium. The Vols and Longhorns will meet in the regular season for the first time ever. All three previous meetings occurred in Cotton Bowls – 1951, 1953 and 1969. Auburn comes to Knoxville for the first time since Nov. 9, 2013. For the third time in seven years, Tennessee travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas on Oct. 10. The annual Third Saturday in October tradition continues on Oct. 17 when Alabama visits Neyland
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Stadium. It will be the first time Alabama and Auburn play in Knoxville in the same season since 2004.
SEE VOLUNTEERS ON PAGE 19
SEPT. 5 - FURMAN, KNOXVILLE SEPT. 12 - at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga. SEPT. 19 - KENNESAW STATE, KNOXVILLE SEPT. 26 - TEXAS*, KNOXVILLE OCT. 3 - AUBURN*, KNOXVILLE OCT. 10 - at Arkansas*, Fayetteville, Ark. OCT. 17 - ALABAMA*, KNOXVILLE OCT. 24 - at South Carolina*, Columbia, S.C. NOV. 7 - KENTUCKY*, LEXINGTON NOV. 14 - at Texas A&M*, BryanCollege Station, Texas NOV. 21 - LSU*, KNOXVILLE NOV. 28 - at Vanderbilt*, Nashville, Tenn. * - denotes SEC game Oct. 31 – open date
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FROM VOLUNTEERS, PAGE 18 The October slate concludes at South Carolina on Oct. 24 prior to a Halloween open date. The Vols host Kentucky on Nov. 7 and then make the trek to Bryan-College Station to take on Texas A&M on Nov. 14. It will be just the second meeting between the two in Kyle Field and first since 2016. Tennessee welcomes LSU for Senior Day on Nov. 21 in what will be just the second matchup between the two in Neyland Stadium in the past decade. The last time the two played each other in Knoxville was Nov. 18, 2017.
FROM REBELS, PAGE 13 at tailback as a freshman as well as starting at linebacker on defense. Eli Fillers is a senior and a newcomer but Jones thinks he can help. “He’s a baseball player who wanted to play football this year and we’re glad he came out,” Jones said. “He’s shown a lot since he came on this field and he’ll play.” In addition to Burns and Owenby, other receivers will include sophomore Jaxen Taylor, junior Noah Shelton, Fillers, and incoming freshman Sammy Jones, who has shown a lot of promise. Angel Sanchez will see time there, and freshman Camden Marshall. Another freshman, Wyatt Milhorn, will also get time. The special teams will look different this year without Brant Wilhoit punting and kicking for the first time in four seasons, but Jones feels good about the arrival of Sammy Jones as a kicker. Junior Jaden Estepp is expected to punt. Coach Joe Case will again handle the defensive unit, and he returns several players,
FROM PIONEERS, PAGE 17 on Oct. 31 to take on the defending SAC champions. The Wolves enjoyed its best season in school history going 12-2, winning the Super Region 2 title and advanced to the NCAA National semifinals. This will be the 26th meeting between TU and Newberry as the Wolves lead 15-11. This will be Tusculum’s first trip to Newberry since opening the spring 2021 COVID season and its first SAC road game with the Wolves since 2019. On Nov. 7, the Pioneers go to Lenoir-Rhyne to take on the Bears. LR went 6-5 and tied
The Vols close the regular season with Vanderbilt for the 67th time. The two meet in Nashville on Nov. 28.
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Good Luck Athletes!
Fans can renew their 2026 season tickets at AllVols.com. Fans interested in joining the 2026 season ticket waiting list can fill out the season ticket interest form at UTsports. com/seasontickets. The Volunteers carry a streak of 27 consecutive home sellouts into the 2026 campaign. In 2025, Tennessee drew a combined 713,405 fans in Neyland Stadium for the second straight year, which ranked fourth in the FBS and second in the SEC. UT’s average attendance of 101,915 was sixth in the nation and third in the conference.
including linebacker Trent Haynes and a secondary that was most impressive in Simon Burns, Angel Sanchez, Shawn Ownby and Jaden Estepp. Noah Shelton and Sammy Jones figure in the mix somewhere. Haynes proved himself as a freshman as a standout linebacker and he returns to lead that group. Others in the hunt are Tripp Neas, Dawson Rosenbalm, Wyatt Fender, Corbyn Long, Wyatt Milhorn, Colton Green and Eli Fillers. Starters up front include sophomore nose man Isaac Bouthellette. Case has some options up front with Murdock and Mayhew along with Crittenden, Habberstad, freshman Kaden Justice and Bryce Crum. There are only four teams in Region 1-2A so they all make the post-season, but Jones still thinks Happy Valley will continue to be the team everybody picks to win the regular season again this year. The Rebels face a Class 6A team right off the bat in the opener at Morristown East, then they come home to play Class 5A Daniel Boone.
for fifth in the conference. The Bears and Pioneers first met on the football field in 1924 as LR leads the series 18-11. Tusculum closes out the regular season on Nov. 14, taking on arch rival Carson-Newman at Pioneer Field. In the second oldest collegiate gridiron rivalry in the State of Tennessee (1904), the Eagles lead the series 37-15-2. C-N went 7-3 a year ago and tied for third place in the conference. The NCAA II Playoffs begin Nov. 21 and will be held at campus sites, culminating with the National Championship Game in December.
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