The summer months draw to a close with football on the horizon. 12 Upper Cumberland schools will see their football seasons begin very soon.
Livingston faces Cumberland County on Thursday night. Livingston’s Kaleb Qualls makes his head coaching debut with a Livingston team coming off their most wins in a season since 2021. Cumberland County hopes their changes in offense will result in a different result from last season. Livingston defeated the Jets by one point last season.
Upperman will head to the East Coast to battle Knoxville Webb at 6 pm Friday. Upperman returns most of their offense a season after making it to the state semifinals. Knoxville Webb finished 5-5 last season.
Clay County heads up north to face Glasgow in Kentucky at 6 pm Friday. Clay finished last season at 10-3, ending their season in the state quarterfinal. They look to defeat a Glasgow team that finished 5-6 last season.
Jackson County will also travel to Kentucky as they will face Clinton. Jackson County looks to remain undefeated on opening weeks against Clinton County. Clinton County finished 4-7 last season.
York and Stone Memorial will engage in battle. York came within two wins of winning the state championship last season, and will look to make another run with a roster that returns most of its starters. Stone Memorial started last season 5-2, but lost to York in Week 8, beginning a four game losing streak that would end their year.
White County heads home in their opener against Soddy Daisy. White County comes off a record breaking season, appearing in the second round of the state championship. David Foster takes over the reins as head coach. Soddy Daisy finished 9-2 last season, losing in the first round of the state tournament.
DeKalb and Warren will add a new chapter to their rivalry Friday night. DeKalb looks to start similarly to how they fared last season, starting 5-0 before finishing the year 1-4. Warren County looks for their first regular season victory since August 2023, when they defeated DeKalb at home.
Pickett County will head on the bus to face Oakdale. Pickett County head coach Cody Muse will make his head coaching debut for the Bobcats after manning the offensive coordinator position for several seasons. Oakdale finished 3-7 last season, but defeated Pickett County 44-6 on opening night.
Monterey travels to face Cannon County. Monterey looks to remain undefeated against Cannon County on opening weeks. Cannon County finished last season 6-5.
Cookeville will host Siegel Friday night. Cookeville looks to advance farther with their senior class of more than 25 students. The Cavaliers ended last season losing in the first round of the state tournament. Siegel finished last season 2-8.
