08/17/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - As the Flora Wolves head into the 2026 football season, they have a lot to be proud about from last season's 10-2 finish.

Coach Brian Tackitt and his club accomplished a first for the program.

With a victory over Nashville in the 2A first round, the Wolves won their first ever playoff game.

After beating the Hornets, 42-39, they took down Pana, 17-14, in the second round before losing to Maroa-Forsyth 48-17 to finish the season.

Several key players return for the Wolves as they want to continue their current playoff run of making the postseason for the seventh time in the last 12-seasons.

Top rusher 5-11 senior Kormik Massie, who rushed for over 1,300-yards a season ago, is back.

Six-three, 170 wide receiver and kick returner senior Kehlin Crawford came up big last season as a deep threat along with returning kicks.

Six-three senior wide receiver Gage Dugan also put up good numbers.

Five-eleven senior Zane McKinney returns for the Wolves and will be a big part of the offense and defense as a running back/linebacker.

On the offensive look for a couple of starters returning to lead the blocking for Massie again.

Five-nine senior, 270 Brendan O’Donnell started at center last year while tacker Connor Brooks, a 6-3, 215 senior, also returns. 6’3” 215 started at tackle last year.

Coach Tackitt also mentioned junior linebacker 6-foot Memphis Moore and 5-6 junior Ashton Williams who is a defensive back.

Thane Warren, a 5-11 senior, will be the starting quarterback this season, replacing graduated senior Parker Helm from a year ago.

Flora will have 6-2, 225 junior Hudson Kohn, 6-4, 220 senior Caleb Shehorn 6-foot sophomore Wesley Moore and Jerron Lewis, a 5-7 sophomore, looking to step into new roles for the Wolves.

Linebacker 5-10, 190 senior defensive back Paxon Pearce looks to be a contributor along with 5-8, 160 senior linebacker Andrew Wilson.

Dane Conklin, a 6-1, 107 sophomore back and 5-8, 220 sophomore Kyptin Enyart will be joined in the lineup by 6-1, 170 junior Cooper Hanson and 5-8 sophomore defensive back Cohen Spicer.

“We will go as far as Kormik takes us this year. He is definitely the heart beat of our team. We hope he has an even better year this year. We will use various running backs to help limit his touches to keep him fresh. We feel like we have very good skill kids on the outside to catch the ball. This will help our offense be as unpredictable as we can. “Thane will do a great job running our offense. He knows the offense better than anyone. He is a different type of quarterback than what we had last year. But he is very good at what he does and will give our offense a bit of a different look. We will have to replace three offensive linemen from last year. We have about four kids we are looking at to fill those three spots. Defensively is our biggest shoes to fill. Our entire defensive line is gone due to graduation,” said Coach Tackitt.

Johnston City, with first season head coach Marshall Mummert in charge, charged into the postseason unbeaten last fall, running the table in the Black Diamond at 9-0.

A playoff win at home over Wesclin, 38-25, was followed by a season ending 41-6 defeat at Maroa-Forsyth to wrap up a 10-2 campaign.

A bunch of key seniors left the building in the spring but the Tribe has had an abundant of talented athletes step on the field the past several years and that should continue.

Bryson Long, a 5-9, 185 senior, steps into the quarterback role replacing graduated senior Kaden Koenig.

Long is also a linebacker on defense.

Senior Marcus Leitzen, a 6-foot RB/LB, returns along with Hayden Burton, a 5-9, 195 senior running back/linebacker.

Senior Wyatt Kerley, a 6-footy, 190 tight end/defensive lineman, is also a varsity veteran.

Lineman 5-7 senior Keegan Deason is back as well as 6-1, 270 senior lineman Noah Pollard.

Coach Mummert also looks for Collin Hermetz, a 5-10, 205 senior, and 6-4, 185 junior lineman Maverick Smiley are part of the returning defensive standouts.

Junior lineman 5-11, 240 Trenton Shadowens, 5-1, 195 junior tight end/lineman Dakota Ridlen and Trenton Basenberg, a 6-foot, 150 junior running back/defensive back are all part of a returning group to keep the playoff streak alive with their sixth consecutive trip.

“We have had a good off-season and preseason. Seeing a lot of growth in some younger players that we will need to rely on this season in new roles. We have to prepare as usual and put our best foot forward to be competitive each week and pray to stay healthy,” said Coach Mummert.

There have been some tough defeats in the postseason for team's to have to swallow over the years but last season's playoff loss at Petersburg PORTA was hard to deal with, and even more difficult to explain, for Coach Justin Townsend and his Fairfield Mules.

The officials of their playoff game gave the host Blue Jays an extra down in the final moments, which allowed PORTA to kick a game winning field goal for a 9-8 victory.

This heartbreaking defeat ended the Fairfield year at 6-4.

One of the bright spots for the Mules and Coach Townsend last season was this mentor picking up his 150th win in the regular season finale against Hamilton County.

Coach Townsend was inducted into the IHSFCA Hall of Fame this past spring and he will head into his 26th season as his club looks to qualify for the playoffs for the 13th straight campaign.

Senior running back 5-11, 180 Michael Barner is over 2,000-yards rushing heading into his final prep season.

Barner rushed for 1,458-yards a year ago, scoring 15 touchdowns while averaging 9.3 yards per attempt.

Also in the backfield will be quarterback Alex Basnett, a 6-foot, 180 junior, who takes over from graduated senior Jude Carter.

Austin Grieve, a 5-9, 165 senior running back/defensive back, returns along with Cooper Berg, a 5-10, 175 senior fullback.

Berg added 405-yards on the ground as a junior for the Mules.

Another running back that Coach Townsend can use is junior Grant Otey.

“We have experience returning on the offensive side the ball at the skill positions and up front. We feel we can build on the success we had last year and hopefully be even more explosive on offense,” said Coach Townsend. “We will have to retool the defensive side of the ball, but we have the players and we just need to get them in the right spots.”

Fairfield will have several seniors returning on both sides of the line.

Six-three, 225 Aiden King, 6-3, 270 Jack Copeland, and 5-10, 220 Braxton Marshel fit the mold of linebackers and lineman as returning starters.

Senior Breychan Kovacich, a 6-1, 185 senior, plays tight end and defensive back for Fairfield.

Five-ten, 245 junior linebacker/fullback Clinton Odell rounds out the returning starters for Coach Townsend.

Senior Micah Smith, a 5-11, 245 lineman, 6-4, 225 senior defender and tight end Braxton Galiher-senior, 6-1, 260 lineman Kamden Vaughan along with Levi Olson, a 6-foot, 300 junior lineman, will be counted on as the Mules begin their playoff quest in the Week 1 opener against Edwards County on the road.

“We have two goals every year, one is to win the BDC. The other is to win playoff games. If we stay healthy, I think we can compete with the top teams in the conference and hopefully go on a playoff run,” said Townsend.

With graduation taking a bunch of talent from last season, the Sesser-Valier/Waltonville Red Devils head into 2026 with some question marks for head coach Nick Wingo.

Eleven seniors left from the 6-4 playoff team.

After a 1-2 beginning of the season, the Red Devils won 5-of-6 games the rest of the regular season.

A 42-14 road loss at Greenfield/Northwestern in the first round of the 1A playoffs ended the first year of Coach Wingo's head coaching career.

Wingo and some key players return.

Upfront the Red Devils have three returning starting linemen.

Six-foot, 245 senior Beau Camden, 6-4, 225 senior Colten Coffey and 6-foot, 330 Miller Rounds return.

Newcomers 5-11, 215 senior Alex Emery and 6-5, 345 junior Kase Harris will add size to the line.

Brian Mann, a 5-11, 155 senior, takes over the quarterback assignment.

Jacob Potts, a 5-10, 155 junior, will head up the Red Devils' backfield, along with
6-foot, 180 junior Stetson Packer.

Coach Wingo will count on sophomore Amontee Steele, a 5-11, 160 running back on the offense.

“We graduated a lot of talent from last year, but I am excited to watch this group grow. We don’t have a ton of varsity experience, but they are very coachable and a working hard every day. In my opinion, that is all you can ask for,” said Coach Wingo. “As is always the case in 1A football, staying healthy will be very important, but if we can do that, I think we’ll have a successful season we can be proud of.”

The 0-9 finish was the first no-win season for the program since going 0-6 in the Covid19 shortened season and you have to go all the way back to 1967-68 to find the last 0-9 campaign for Carmi.

Part of the good news is that many of the players who were part of the goose egg season return with improvement on their minds.

Five-nine, 150 junior Dakota Brown will play quarterback and defensive back for the Bulldogs.

Also carrying the ball from the backfield will be Jazz Duckworth, a 5-8, 165 senior running back and defensive back.

Kyzen Edwards, a 5-10, 195 junior running back and linebacker, will also suit up for CWC.

Six-foot, 160 junior running back and defensive back Cooper Hill give the Bulldogs options.

On the outside there is Lex Day, 165 junior wide receiver/defensive back.

At tight end on offense and linebacker on defense, 6-foot, 190 junior Branson Burnett, will be part of the mix along with 5-8, 190 tight end and linebacker Cole Evans.

Coach Wolff has three returning linemen, a senior and two juniors with experience.

Five-eleven, 220 senior Jayse Digman, 6-2, 220 junior Ian Goemaat and 6-2, 240 junior Josh Mendenhall are upfront on both sides.

Add senior Laeden Vargas, a 5-9 220 senior lineman to the list along with 5-11, 150 junior wide receiver/defensive back Isaac Northcott and Reese Jamison, a 5-11, 170 sophomore Reece Jamison a defensive back/quarterback to the returning unit who will open the season at Johnston City.

“Last year was a difficult year for us. We were a very young team with several sophomores starting. We also had several injuries and several other sophomores and freshmen were forced to play varsity football,” said Coach Wolff. “Although last year was a tough year, our younger players gained valuable varsity experience. With only four seniors on the team this year, we will be leaning a lot on our junior and sophomore players to play some big snaps this year. But with the experience they got last year we are excited to see what they can do.”

But the roster for the Foxes this fall has many more names and uniform fillers as the program has attracted more kids to participate.

Hamilton County will need everyone wearing Kelly Green and White to help turn things around.

The Foxes had just a single victory (over Carmi-White County) in 2025 as they finished just 1-8.

Coach Vaughan has 10 returning starters to try and shape this program into a playoff team, something that hasn't happened since 2019-20.

“We have nearly doubled our roster from last year. A strong freshman class gives us the opportunity to play Monday night games while also adding much-needed depth to our varsity roster. “Last season, we competed every week, but having 11 guys playing both ways—and most on special teams—simply wasn’t sustainable. Injuries eventually took their toll,” said Coach Vaughan.

Junior quarterback Dallas Benbrook returns to run the show.

Running backs included senior Celso Ramirez, senior Kyle Williams and senior Chase Peyton.

Junior wide receiver Kal Welch and junior tight end Austin Boone are back.

The linemen are junior Braylan Allen, junior Jacob Sample, junior Jayke Friar, and senior Kaden Harrawood.

Having experience back is a key.

“For the first time in a few years, we’re entering the season with our core group healthy and eligible. This team was built in the dark. We took our share of blows last season, but these guys kept showing up and working with a quiet confidence that better days were ahead,” said Coach Vaughan. “I believe this group has rebuilt its identity over the past year. Now, we want to play with a clean slate and rediscover the joy of competing together. If we stay committed to one another, have fun, and play for our love of the game regardless of the circumstances, I’ll consider this season a success.”

The Eldorado Eagles will have a lot of work to do this fall in hope of making a push towards the IHSA playoffs.

According to head coach Joe Clark, the group he has taking the field this season are coachable and determined to make things better.

The Eagles only beat Edwards County, Hamilton County and Carmi-White County last fall, the same three teams that finished below them in the Black Diamond Conference standings.

The 3-6 finish marked the fifth straight season (not counting the Covid19 spring) without a trip to the postseason.

Eldorado will begin the season with a couple of players that could each spend time at quarterback.

Five-eleven junior Clayton Hendrix, or possibly 6-foot freshman Kruise Foles, could be calling signals in the opener Saturday against CZR.

One of the main passing targets this season is 6-2, 225 junior tight end/linebacker Nolan Rilying, who was a starter last season.

One of the running backs will be 5-8, 215 sophomore Darin Sinks.

Paxton Walters, a 5-8, 150 sophomore and 5-8, 150 sophomore Zayne Boulds also will get rushing attempts.

On both sides of the line of scrimmage you will fine sophomores 6-foot, 275 lineman Cooper Morse and 6-2, 275 lineman Karson Baseden.

Coach Clark feels his sophomore class will progress and get better as they gather in more playing time.

“Our kids are coming in and just getting after it. They are coachable and just try to do it the right way. That’s just a credit to the kind of program we’ve had the last 20-years since I’ve been around here as either a head coach or an assistant,” said Coach Clark. “We’ve had some turnover with some assistants and some offensive and defensive plans, things like that, but we’ve had some consistency, too, and that’s always a positive. We feel like there’s some carryover from year to year.”

For the cooperative Christopher/Zeigler-Royalton/Elverado, last season produced a huge turnaround of fortunes.

Coach Mike Rude took over a program that had lost 20-consecutive games, including back-to-back 0-9 seasons.

But things turned around in a hurry with the Bearcats winning their opening game of 2025 over Eldorado and they came up with four other victories to qualify for the 3A playoffs.

A road loss to Vandalia closed the book on a 5-5 reversion.

But several seniors are missing from that club and Coach Rude and his coaching staff have work to do to keep the momentum rolling forward.

The starters this season will include senior running backs and defensive backs Kaiden Nibblett and Tripp Fletcher.

The Bearcats will have four returning senior linemen.

Memphis Pontious, Noah Wilson, Abram Tomaszewicz and Jackson Gaddis.

Offensively CZRE will have a pair of senior tight ends; Brody Richardson and Frankie Guerra, who also is in the defensive backfield.

Senior Johnny Gaddis is also a defensive back that will see time on offense while Spencer Pettit, a junior tight end, will also be part of the offensive unit..

Two linemen from the junior class; Kane Stephens and Jaxon Heflin, and junior defensive back Brydon Huie are also starters that will take the field when they travel to Eldorado on Saturday night to open the campaign.

The Bearcats have switched their offense to a single wing running attack for the 2026 season.