The North Greene football reached new heights over the past two seasons, but heading into the 2026 season a new group of Huskies are going to have step up to build on that success.
In the program’s history the Huskies only have three winning seasons and two of those came in the last two seasons. The talented senior class that led that effort is now gone and North Greene will rely on new faces throughout the lineup this season.
“With the amount of new faces, and guys stepping into new roles, it has almost felt like starting a new program,” North Greene coach Eric Tilson said. “There is a lot of excitement, a little bit of worry, and little bit of everything going into this year. We have had to find new leaders and new playmakers this offseason, and our senior group has done good job stepping up. There are some unknowns, but I’m excited to see how everything comes together.”
Even with a new look the expectations are still the same for the Huskies. They want to be at playing home when the calendar flips to November. Earning a home playoff game will be tough in the eight-team Region 1-1A with Cloudland, Hampton, Unaka, Hancock County, Cosby, Jellico and Sunbright on the league slate. In non-league play North Greene will play Chuckey-Doak, South Greene and West Greene
“We always have the same goals. We want to have a winning record, we want to make the playoffs, we want to host a playoff game, and we want to win in the playoffs,” Tilson said. “It seems like every year those goals get more difficult as the teams in our region improve and we add more teams to our region. But we are ready for the challenge.”
Among the new faces in the lineup will be junior quarterback Jarden Swatzell. Swatzell has worked hard in the offense and elevated his game to a level that has Tilson confident in his ability to lead the offense.
“We had a little bit of a quarterback competition this offseason,” Tilson said. “Jared Swatzell elevated his play over the offseason. We have picked him to be the guy and he has really run with it. Jared has great vision and he makes really good decisions. We need him to be our point guard. He needs to find the right person and let them make plays to score.”
Backing up Swatzell will be Tanner Collins. North Greene’s coaches are excited about his strong arm and athleticism, but he is deaf. That has created some challenges, but the Huskies are getting better at sign language every day and they are finding new strategies to communicate in game with a player they think has an exciting future.
At the skill spots North Greene has a few key returning players that will help Swatzell progress. That starts with running back Leon Johnson who has gotten stronger and faster in the offseason, and Tilson feels he is ready for big senior campaign. At receiver Matt Boyd has emerged as one of North Greene’s most important leaders in the offseason, and his size and athleticism will make him one of Swatzell’s go-to targets. Both will also be two of the Huskies’ top defenders.
“It all starts with Matthew Boyd and Leon Johnson. Both have been really productive throughout their careers. Matthew has really embraced that captain role and being the guy that we look to lead this team. Leon has really been helping out the younger guys and lifting them up. He has been a very productive player for us, and we expect him to step that up this year and lead our offense,” Tilson said.
Senior Kelson Eastep also returns as big-bodied receiver that has proven he can make plays on the varsity level. North Greene will look for sophomore Parker Collins and junior Turner Collins to step up and make plays on the perimeter. Both are speedsters who Tilson hopes can create mismatches in space.
In the tight end role senior Levi Gray and junior Caen Massey return to the Huskies’ lineup with experience.
Spelling Johnson in the backfield will be sophomore Charles Price.
North Greene only returns one starter on the offensive line, but Shawn Russell is a big, strong and talented player that Tilson will count on to lead that new-look group.
Caleb Gillam and Caleb Dilks are back in the lineup with experience, but their roles are going to be bigger this year. Liam Spalding is someone Tilson describes “as the most physically ready freshman” he has seen on the offensive line. Junior Justin Hock, junior Doug Blake, and sophomore Brock Norton are also vying for a starting spot.
“If we are going to have a young group anywhere I want it to be on the offensive line. That is my baby, that is the position I coach and take care of. We try to make things simple on those guys with our scheme, and we just want them to play physical,” Tilson said.
On the defensive side of the ball Tilson expects improvement from the Huskies after giving up 29.6 points per game last year. They are moving back to a 3-3-5 alignment to take advantage of their team speed, and Ed Tilson has come out of retirement once again to be the Huskies defensive coordinator.
“I feel like with our personnel we can defend the pass pretty well, just because of the athletes we have,” Tilson said. “When we have given up big plays in the pass game it is when we have had to bring extra people into the run box. Our big focus this year is making tackles at the point of attack. Some of that is schematics and some of that is how we are teaching tackling. We have really evaluated how we are teaching tackling, and we have seen some of that payoff in our scrimmages. We can fix coverage in the pass game pretty easily, but seeing improvement in the run game gives me hope that we will be better on defense.”
At the linebacker spots the Huskies have a veteran group that bring speed and power to the position. Seniors Johnson, Gray and Eastep will be counted on to hunt down the ball make life tough on opposing offenses.
Boyd will play free safety for the Huskies and Tilson expects him to not only stop the pass but be one of the team’s top tacklers.
At corner Swatzell returns as a starter, and Parker Collins comes in as a ball hawk that has impressed Tilson in the preseason with his ability to take away opponents’ passes. The other two safety spots are Tuner Collins and Tanner Collins.
The Huskies plan to use a lot of guys in the defensive front, including senior Dylan Gentry who back in the lineup after a knee injury a year ago. Massey comes back as an All-Region defensive end. Blake is a nose guard that Tilson thinks can play a big role for his squad this season. T.J. Bowers, Norton and Dilks are guys who Tilson is confident can come into the game and “create chaos”.
Juan Soto is back as the Huskies’ kicker, and Parker Collins will handle the punting duties, but Tilson said, “If at all possible we will go for it on fourth down.”
North Greene kicks off the 2026 campaign on August 21 at home against Chuckey-Doak.
