Region 7-2A Football: Will Huntingdon make a run at a second straight state championship?
After Milan’s Class 2A runner-up finish in 2024, the Bulldogs biggest rival Huntingdon made the run and won the Class 2A state championship last season.
Milan dominated the regular season meeting, but the Mustangs won by one point in the state semifinals.
Region 7-2A was the most competitive region in the state last season, and the same could be true this season.
Huntingdon is the favorite to make another run to Chattanooga, but Milan has the personnel to compete with the Mustangs, while Jackson Central-Merry, Peabody and Union City are right there with them.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Huntingdon
2. Milan
3. JCM
4. Union City
5. Peabody
6. Halls
7. Gibson County
Top region games
Milan at Huntingdon (Week 3; Sept. 4) – The Dog and Pony Show is the first region Friday of the season, so both teams will need to be playing well after their first two non-region games. Milan won that first meeting with a dominant second half, but it was the Mustangs that won the gold ball.
Huntingdon at JCM (Week 5; Sept. 18) – The Cougars are expecting to be back in the hunt for the region championship. They get to host the defending Class 2A state champions. Huntingdon will be strong on the offensive line, which could make the difference in this game.
Milan at JCM (Week 6; Sept. 25) – These two have had some battles, and depending on how the games against Huntingdon went, this game could have big playoff implications for both teams.
Jackson Booker (Halls, Sr., QB)
Amyre Bond (JCM, Sr., ATH/DB)
Taeshon Curry (JCM, Jr., RB/LB)
Jayland Eckford (JCM, Sr., DL)
Hayes Eubanks (Huntingdon, Jr., RB/LB)
Ty Hollingsworth (Milan, Jr., ATH/DB)
Luke Johnson (Peabody, Sr., OL/LB)
Carson Kelley (Milan, Sr., RB/LB)
Iziah Rice (Gibson County, Sr., WR/DB)
Rylan Robinson (Union City, Sr., ATH)
Alijah Simpson (Union City, Sr., OL/DL)
Caleb Sims (Peabody, Jr., QB)
Kenton Smith (Huntingdon, Sr., ATH/DB)
Taylin Strayhorn (Huntingdon, Sr., DL/OL)
Zak Summers (Milan, Sr., QB/ATH)
Team tidbits
Gibson County
Mascot: Pioneers
2025 record: 0-10 (0-6)
Coach: Kyle Pack (3rd season: 1-19)
What to know: The rebuild continues for Kyle Pack at Gibson County, and the first sign of improvement is that the Pioneers’ roster numbers are up. Coming out of dead period, Gibson County’s roster had around 30-35 players. Senior Sloan McCormick transferred in and will play quarterback for the Pioneers. Senior Iziah Rice and junior Trey Bailey should be McCormick’s top two targets in the passing game. Senior Jakayden Ivie will also be key for Gibson County this year. After sitting out last year with an injury, the hope is that Noah Cash will be healthy and ready to play at fullback and linebacker.
Halls
Mascot: Tigers
2025 record: 3-7 (1-5)
Coach: Blake Stigall (4th season: 13-18)
What to know: The move to Class 2A was not a positive for the Tigers. A win over Gibson County was Halls’ only region win, and the two out-of-region victories were against Fayette Academy and Humboldt. Senior Jackson Booker is back at quarterback to lead this offense that will need to be improved for Halls to win games. Booker threw for 1,036 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions last season. Junior Tamiyon Gooch led Halls in rushing yards last year, but it wasn’t one specific player rushing the ball. Four players rushed for over 200 yards, and three of those are scheduled to be back. But the Tigers did lose the top two receivers from last season. The defense might be the strength of Halls with junior Makai Ward leading the defensive line. Juniors Deshawn Johnson, Ward and Sawyer Tetleton were three of the top tacklers last year, and all three are set to return.
Huntingdon
Mascot: Mustangs
2025 record: 14-1 (5-1)
Coach: Eric Swenson (19th season: 175-52)
What to know: The Mustangs were underestimated going into the season (especially by me), and they proved lots of people wrong by winning the Class 2A state championship with a 20-7 victory over Marion County. Senior Kenton Smith returns at quarterback after being named MVP of the Class 2A state championship game. He threw for 595 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 801 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Mustangs did graduate two 1,000-yard rushers in Tyreke Hutch and Braylin Dearmon. The key is that Huntingdon does return four of the five starters on the offensive line from last season. But it might be the defense that carries the Mustangs this season led by players like senior Taylin Strayhorn on the defensive line and juniors Gavin Gray and Hayes Eubanks at linebacker.
Jackson Central-Merry
Mascot: Cougars
2025 record: 5-6 (3-3)
Coach: Erit Turner (5th season: 19-23)
What to know: After a strong 2024 campaign, more was expected of the Cougars last season, but this team has had all offseason to think on that and be ready to come out stronger. Three straight losses to Peabody, Huntingdon and Milan put JCM fourth in the region. The Cougars will have a new quarterback as Terrell Williams – who threw for over 3,000 yards over the last two seasons – graduated. Junior Taeshuon Curry led JCM in rushing last year. The Cougars do return three of the four receivers that had over 100 yards receiving last year. Senior Jimarious Douglas was the receiving leader with 448 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Jayland Eckford has committed to Austin Peay, and he will be back to lead the defense after recording 100 total tackles last year with 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks. But after Eckford, JCM graduated the next six leading tacklers on the team, so there will have to be some new players to step into key positions.
Milan
Mascot: Bulldogs
2025 record: 12-1 (6-0)
Coach: Wade Comer (2nd season: 25-3)
What to know: Replacing Jaydon Peete will be the toughest part of getting ready for the 2026 season. Peete was a finalist for the Tennessee Titans Class 2A Mr. Football award in 2025 after winning the award in 2024. The UT Martin signee recorded 90 tackles with 16 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception, while he also rushed for 1,697 yards and 30 touchdowns on 187 carries. Senior Carson Kelley along with junior Mason Taylor, who transferred in from West Carroll, and junior Ty Hollingsworth will get most of the carries for the Bulldogs. Senior Zak Summers has a year in Comer’s system under his belt. He completed 80-of-121 passes for 1,318 yards with 15 touchdowns, while also rushing for 323 yards and one touchdown last season. Hollingsworth and junior Jay Donaldson will try to fill the shoes left by Cordarius Johnson and Terrence Moses at receiver. The key will be the development of the line as Brian Dixon has the most experience coming back.
Peabody
Mascot: Golden Tide
2025 record: 9-3 (4-2)
Coach: Tab Vowell (2nd season; 9-3)
What to know: In Tab Vowell’s first season in charge, the Golden Tide won their first eight games of the season, but losses to Huntingdon and Milan put them third in the region and on the road for the playoffs. This year’s Peabody team will have a new look as graduation and transfers hit the Golden Tide hard. Junior transfer Caleb Sims should be ready to take over at quarterback. But running back Edward Agnew transferred to Humboldt. And playmakers like Jayden Jennings, Jamarcus Haynes and Mikhel Wilkes all graduated. So trying to figure who will be getting the yards offensively is an unknown, but Peabody has some young guys that are ready to stop in the spotlight. And that could set this team up well for 2027.
Union City
Mascot: Golden Tornadoes
2025 record: 3-7 (2-4)
Coach: Wade Maddox (1st season)
What to know: The Golden Tornadoes finished just outside contention for a spot in the Class 2A playoffs by losing four of their last five games. The lone win came against Gibson County. Union City should be better than last season, but can the Golden Tornadoes find a way into the playoffs? Junior Jack Theobald is back at quarterback, and last year’s experience could be huge going into this season. Union City also has more veterans on the field. Seniors Alijah Simpson and Rylan Robinson are two names that people will be hearing about for the Golden Tornadoes this season. Senior Grant Sinclair will be a leader on the defense.
Michael Odom is the sports editor for the Mirror-Exchange, Weakley County Press, Brownsville States-Graphic and Fayette Falcon. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @GCSportsWriter. Reach him by email at michaelodom@milanmirrorexchange.com.
