JEFF CATE
Excitement is building for the 2026 high school football season. Tennessee is set, Georgia has reclassified, and several new head coaches have taken the reigns of area programs. Here, local sports guru Jeff Cate shares his predictions for the upcoming season.
The colors red and blue are synonymous with DII-AAA East, with rivals Baylor and McCallie bringing home the state championship hardware in the last seven seasons. While the McCallie Blue Tornado claimed five of these, Baylor is looking for back-to-back state crowns after winning their third championship in school history in 2025. McCallie looks to fill several holes on both sides of the ball but will have junior Louis Fortier returning at QB, while Baylor will be looking to RB David Gabriel Georges in addition to a quarterback room that features Ole Miss commit Keegan Croucher and rising freshman Marshall Manning. Brentwood Academy and Lipscomb will be tough challenges come playoff time, but for this region, the winner of arguably the most intense rivalry in Tennessee on October 2 will have the inside track to the region title.
WINNER: Baylor, CONTENDER: Ensworth
Hall of Fame coach Gary Rankin resigned as head coach of Boyd-Buchanan, with veteran coach Charles Fant chosen to lead the blue and gold. The Bucs will look to find their new on-field leader while carrying on a three-year tradition of going unbeaten during the regular season. Silverdale brings back a dangerous passing game with QB Connor Jenne along with playmakers Cannon Rogers and Luke Bowman in Coach Mike Connor’s seventh season as the leader of the Seahawks, but they will need to replace a physical offensive line from 2025. Grant Reynolds and CCS will continue rebuilding in his fourth season as the head coach of the Chargers, while Notre Dame looks to make headlines on the field after having their most wins (5) in a single season since 2018. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish welcomed several transfers in the offseason to contribute in a region where four Knoxville area teams battle the four Scenic City squads. While there will be a battle to see which local team will get the upper hand, Knox Grace will lock down this region in a tightly contested race.
WINNER: Knox Grace, CONTENDER: Silverdale
In 2025, Grace Academy and their veteran head coach Bob Ateca made their return to TSSAA-sanctioned football and a home field of their own, giving the school a source of pride as the entire Grace community inches closer to rebuilding their campus after the devastating tornado outbreak of 2020. On the field, Grace will rely on student-athletes like Trey Groce, Gabe Reed, and Brooks Frazier to compete against region favorites Providence Chris- tian and Middle Tennessee Christian. More local flavor is in this region as former Boyd-Buchanan assistant coach Micah Hughes takes over at Providence Academy, located in Johnson City. While I expect Grace to get to add a victory to the record book after finishing with an 0-9 mark in 2025, the firepower in the mid-state will prove to be the recipe for region title success.
WINNER: Providence Christian, CONTENDER: Middle Tennessee Christian
Rivals Bradley Central and Cleveland make up the local ties in Tennessee’s most competitive public school classification Both teams will be led by veteran signal callers, Tucker Cook from Bradley Central and Kason McGowan repping Cleveland. Both the Bears and Blue Raiders are led by veteran coaches, needed to compete with the likes of Maryville, Oak Ridge, and Farragut. Damon Floyd is heading into his 21st season at his alma mater, Bradley Central, while defensive guru Chris Brown is on year two at Cleveland, looking to rebuild the Blue Raiders back into a powerhouse. Oak Ridge made the move up from 5A to 6A, with their lone regular season loss coming to state juggernaut Maryville. The Rebels won what seemed like their 1,000th region title in 2025, and while Bradley Central and Oak Ridge will contribute to the region title discussion, Maryville will have the final say once again.
WINNER: Maryville, CONTENDER: Bradley Central
If we have an ending to this region title race this season like we did in 2025, Region 3-5A will be one of the most entertaining regions to watch in the Chattanooga area! Rhea County needed a Hail Mary pass from Jaxton Schmitt to stun Walker Valley and ultimately give the Golden Eagles the region championship. The Walker Valley Mustangs look to continue their string of all-state quarterbacks as transfer Sawyer Ray takes the reigns for Coach Drew Akins’ squad, while defensively, Rhea County’s unit will be the region’s toughest under third-year head coach Taylor Harvey. East Hamilton welcomes back former assistant coach Patrick Liner to lead the Hurricanes, while Ooltewah and Soddy Daisy look to close the gap and make this a multiple team region race with key returning offensive playmakers Griffin Patterson and Brock Cobb, respectively. Walker Valley and Rhea County meet up in Evensville on the final week of the regular season; the winner of this heavyweight fight will take home the region hardware.
WINNER: Rhea County, CONTENDER: Walker Valley
Success and Red Bank Lions football go together like eating a hot dog on a high school football Friday night. While Red Bank started 2025 with a 1-5 overall record, they would rally to win five straight games to win the title with a perfect 5-0 region mark. The Lions welcome back standouts Austin and Marcus Jones but will replace Cayden Loveless, who transferred to South Pittsburg. East Ridge looks to build on a 2025 campaign that saw the Pioneers go 5-5, the first time that East Ridge had won at least five games in a season since 2020. Tony Webb will take over as head coach at Signal Mountain, while Hixson aims to do what they did in 2025 and compete for a region title and host a first-round home playoff game. East Ridge will continue their path as an improved program, but ultimately Red Bank will do what they do best and secure another region championship.
WINNER: Red Bank, CONTENDER: East Ridge
The good news is that every team in this four-team region will make the postseason; the bad news for three of those teams is that state title contender Tyner is in their region. The Ram Train debuted their new stadium in the playoffs last season and will continue to break it in with three straight games against Silverdale, CCS, and Red Bank. Coach Christian Mainor will have options galore with juniors Dion Edwards and track and field state champion Karontae’ Cunningham. The Pounders will be playing on a brand-new surface in Coach Glen Carter’s second season as head coach at Central, while Chattanooga Prep and Brainerd will look to show the speed and athleticism they have at their disposal across the field. In this region, the Tyner Rams will be on their way to another region title and, barring any major season-disrupting injuries or issues, a great chance to make another deep postseason run.
WINNER: Tyner, CONTENDER: Chattanooga Prep
The Sequatchie County Indians are the lone local representation in this region and are looking to have a repeat of the 2025 season with one addition: a region title. The Indians’ non-region slate once again features showdowns with South Pittsburg, Marion County, and Walker Valley that will prepare them for a heavyweight fight against Giles County on the last week of the season. I believe Watertown and Forrest will make things difficult at times during the season, but like in 2025, that matchup at the end of the year will once again decide who wins it. With the home field advantage of hosting the Giles County Bobcats in Dunlap, along with having playmakers like Kason Hicks and Hunter Minton wearing purple and gold, the region hardware will have a place on the wall at SCHS and possibly postseason showdowns with teams like Meigs County and Tyner.
WINNER: Sequatchie County, CONTENDER: Giles County
Both squads of Warriors from Marion County and Bledsoe County had a strangle-hold of first and second place in Region 3-2A in 2025 and will look to come out and play once again in 2026. After back-to-back state championship game appearances, the Warriors from Jasper will have no shortage of playmakers in their quest for three straight appearances at Finley Stadium in December. Austin Peay commit Zaiden Humphrey, Chris Graver, and Quincy Mills are just a few examples of the leadership head coach Tim Starkey will rely on. Marion County’s road trips to Bledsoe County and Grundy County will be the toughest tests before the playoffs. Both will be battling for second place and a home playoff game, as the purple-clad Marion County Warriors prepare to chase state championship number six.
WINNER: Marion County, CONTENDER: Bledsoe County
The 2025 region race was closer than it has been in years with Sale Creek breaking onto the scene and ending the season with an 11-2 record, hosting and winning a playoff game for the first time in school history, led by veteran coach Jason Fitzgerald. However, South Pittsburg showed that going toe-to-toe with the Pirates would be no small feat on the heels of a 56-0 shutout of the Panthers in October that proved to be the deciding factor in another region title. Coach Wes Stone’s team would reel off 14 straight wins after falling to Silverdale enroute to the Pirates’ eighth state championship, with their sights set on trophy number nine. Tennessee commit Dayon Cooper and Red Bank transfer Cayden Loveless are just a few of the playmakers South Pittsburg will lean on, while Whitwell and Lookout Valley look to play the role of spoiler. While Sale Creek is one of the most improved programs in our area, there is something about South Pittsburg that you simply do not bet against, and this year will be no different as the Pirates will show why they are favorites to win another 1A state title.
WINNER: South Pittsburg, CONTENDER: Sale Creek
The Dalton Catamounts are the lone wolf, or cat, as far as local teams in Region 7-AAAAA. They’ll contend with state powerhouse Cartersville, who went a perfect 10-0 during the 2025 regular season, along with Cass. The Cartersville Hurricanes and the Cass Colonels made the region their playground last season and will continue to do that in 2026. Chris Prewett is heading into his second season as the head coach at Dalton, which won three games in 2025 in his rookie campaign after the Catamounts went 0-10 the year before. Elijah Long, Ayden Ashlock, and Caine Woods are among the upperclassmen that will look to lead their team as the Catamounts continue the climb towards the standard Dalton football is known for. Don’t expect a tropical depression out of Cartersville in 2026; prepare for another Hurricane warning and another region championship.
WINNER: Cartersville, CONTENDER: Cass
A perennial state power in Calhoun plus a heated rivalry in Whitfield County between Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield help shape and mold this Peach State region. The Heritage Generals will have to find a way to replace key playmakers from 2025, but they do bring back senior QB Caden Hight along with Brayden Stoker. The Bruins from Northwest Whitfield will begin a new era at quarterback with Gavin Nuckolls graduating after setting the record for touchdown passes in a single season. Shane Cauthorn was named head coach at Ridgeland back in December and will look to help the Panthers improve on their 2-8 campaign in 2025. But all the teams in this region will be looking up and chasing Calhoun, who went unbeaten in region play and will likely do so again in 2026.
WINNER: Calhoun, CONTENDER: Heritage
Ringgold, Coahulla Creek, and LaFayette make up the local flavor in Region 7-AAA and all have key storylines that will help shape their 2026 seasons. Ringgold will have to replace veteran Haddon Fries, but Jeremiah Frost has proven he can tote the rock and help the Tigers have success on offense. Coahulla Creek, led by fourth-year head coach Drew Carter, and LaFayette, being coached by rookie Lee Bohannon, look to improve on region finishes of eighth and sixth. North Murray and Rockmart were leaders in the clubhouse of the region standings so to speak, and while Rockmart will have the top spot on the podium, Ringgold looks to earn their stripes and have a say in the region race.
WINNER: Rockmart, CONTENDER: Ringgold
Four different counties make up the local representation in this region with Gordon Lee (Walker), LFO (Catoosa), Christian Heritage (Whitfield), and Dade County and the veteran coaches that lead them. LFO is coming off a 2025 season that saw the Warriors snap a losing streak to original Catoosa County rival Ringgold on the way to a 7-4 season. Gordon Lee, coming off an 11-2 season and a region title in 2025, looks to add to their trophy case, while Christian Heritage and Dade County look to play spoiler. The Gordon Lee Trojans will rely on key players like Dyllan Currie and Braxton Daniel, while Rayshawn Toliver and Khris Lewis will be just a couple that LFO veteran coach Mac Bryan will look towards to continue their recent run of success. Fannin County enters the mix in 2026 and will have some battles with our local squads. The Rebels host Gordon Lee on October 9, which will likely decide the region race. Fannin County will defend their turf, but it won’t be easy.
WINNER: Fannin County, CONTENDER: Gordon Lee
