Hawks embrace new challenge
The 2026 football season is just around the corner for Clinton Middle School, and the Hawks will face an immediate challenge.
Clinton opens the season at home on Thursday, Aug. 13, against Cherokee, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The opener could be the Hawks’ toughest test of the season.
“We’re going to find out where we’re at in a hurry,” Clinton Coach Eric Woodard said. “Cherokee hasn’t lost a game in seven years, and the last time they lost was in the championship game eight years ago.”
The Hawks enter the season in a new conference, a move that pushed the start of their schedule back by a week.
“We’re looking forward to competing in the new conference,” Woodard said. “We wanted to be in a league that mirrored the high school season, and we wanted to give these kids the chance to play a little bit in what appears to be closer to cold weather.”
Clinton’s new league includes Cherokee, LaFollette, Jacksboro and Scott County. The Hawks also have nonconference games against Lake City, Horace Maynard, Gatlinburg-Pittman and Oneida.
“We’re hoping to compete, and obviously everybody wants to make the playoffs, win a playoff game and play for a championship,” Woodard said.
Clinton returns a solid group of experienced players, with much of its veteran leadership coming at the skill positions.
Top returners include eighth-graders quarterback Westin Glandon; wide receiver/cornerback Christian Frazier; wide receiver/cornerback Jacob Deel; running back/defensive end Kooper Baylis; running back/defensive end Lane Lowe; offensive lineman/linebacker Reece Adkins; and lineman/defensive lineman Emmitt Dortrait.
That experienced group will be joined by a promising class of newcomers, including seventh-graders quarterback Jaxson Sherwood; running back/linebacker Bentley Draper; running back/linebacker Corbyn Miller; and running back/linebacker Noah Collins; and sixth-grade wide receiver/linebacker River Hazlehurst;
Woodard said Clinton’s biggest question marks are on both the offensive and defensive lines.
“We have to build depth up front,” he said. “We have some talented guys on the line, but they’re just inexperienced.”
Despite those concerns, Woodard believes the Hawks’ greatest strengths are at the skill positions.
“On defense, we have experience on the back half with our linebackers and in the secondary,” he said. “We have two experienced defensive ends who are both eighth-graders, and they’re really going to help us.”
Clinton also boasts depth at running back and wide receiver, giving the Hawks plenty of options as they begin a season filled with high expectations.
Tony Cox | The Courier News
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