Countdown to Kickoff: Pioneers look to build on pre-season progress entering 2026 season
· Yahoo Sports
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — As we count down to kickoff, the David Crockett Pioneers look to turn pre-season development into wins in the 2026 season.
Crockett finished 4-7 overall last year but went 3-2 in region play to finish third, earning the program its first winning record in region play since 2021.
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Head coach Hayden Chandley enters another season at the helm with an experienced senior class leading the way and a talented group of underclassmen that will be asked to step into larger roles.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors that’s played a lot of football for us,” Chandley said. “I think we’ve got five seniors that’ll be three-year starters for us. We’ve got a really, really good sophomore class, guys that are going to have to play a lot of snaps for us and grow up really quickly.”
Among Crockett’s returning offensive leaders are seniors Marckis Carier and Colton Mullis, along with quarterback A.J. Wynn. Defensively, Carier and Christian Brady return in the secondary, while leading tackler Ezra Hoss is also back.
Carier said the Pioneers’ goal is to turn their offseason work into more success on the field.
“Everybody out here wants it,” Carier said. “Obviously, the biggest goal is go out here, win a lot of games, go a little deeper into the playoffs and all around, just play together as a team this year.”
Chandley said he’s proud of the progress his team has made since spring practice but knows there is still plenty of room to grow before the season begins.
“We’ve grown a lot, which every team has, but just really proud of how far we’ve come,” Chandley said.
David Crockett opens the season at home against Unicoi County on Friday, Aug. 21.
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