The 2026 football season kickoff with some excitement in Baileyton as Chuckey-Doak visits North Greene in a cross-county clash.
“Geographically Greene County is big county, but community wise its relatively small,” Chuckey-Doak coach Billy Kaylor said. “Most of these kids know each other. There is a lot of crossover between families. This game means a lot to our kids, it means a lot to our community and it means a lot to our school. This is what high school football is supposed to be about.”
Friday will mark the 50th meeting between the two programs who met every year from 1975 to 2022 before taking a two-year break. Chuckey-Doak leads the series 42-7 and has won the last 18 meetings. Last year the Black Knights prevailed 39-30.
“These kids have not been a part of that streak. They lost last year, but that’s it,” North Greene coach Eric Tilson said. “The streak is just something for fans to talk about. It doesn’t mean anything to this team. This team has to worry about going out and executing on Friday night, what happened last year does not matter this year. I expect a tough football game. I expect a great football game. Its going to be loud, our fans will be excited. I’m glad we are playing it at home this year.”
North Greene is coming off two of its best seasons in program history, winning six games in both 2024 and 2025, but now it is replacing much of their starting lineup and will bring a new look into Friday’s season opener.
Senior Leon Johnson is back at running back and Tilson feels he is poised for a big year. At quarterback Jared Swatzell has moved into the starting role, and his favorite target will be senior Matt Boyd. The Huskies will also count on four new starters on the offensive line.
Chuckey-Doak went 4-6 and missed out on the playoffs for the second year in a row. But in that time the Black Knights played a lot of young guys, and now they are expecting that experience to pay off.
Behind center junior Kiptyn Ball returns as a two-year starter, but the Black Knights are also excited about freshman Brody Myers, and both saw action last week in the jamboree. Kaylor is keeping his game plan close to the vest, but it is likely both will be on the field at the same time on Friday.
“We’ve got two kids that can play quarterback and they both have played well. It’s an interesting dynamic, but it’s about getting our best 11 on the field and getting the most out of talent we have. We’re still trying to get a feel for what we are going to be offensively.”
The Knights also have a stable of running backs returning, and that group will be highlighted by Brayden Greene and Marcus Britt. Out wide Skylar Davis returns while Braxton Lowe will be looked at to take on a bigger role.
Kickoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 PM at the newly refurbished Tundra at North Greene High School. If you cannot make it to Baileyton the game will be streamed on the Greene Sports Zone Facebook page and YouTube channel. It will also be broadcast live on WIKQ 103.1 FM and 95.5 WSMG FM.
