After a successful 2024 campaign that saw South Greene finish 8-2 with a Region 1-2A Championship and a TSSAA playoff game at home, the Rebels look to build upon that same success again in 2025.
The coaching crew is back together again. Shawn Jones steps into another season as Head Coach with assistants Joe Case and Joel Burns by his side. Notable names back on the field for South Greene consist of Nash Rader, Tripp Neas, Heath Norton, Colton Silvers, and Lucas Couch coming back as upperclassmen.
Winning seasons have been a tradition at South Greene with seven-straight seasons with a .500 or better record and eight-straight playoff appearances. After a summer of grit, adversity, and determination the Rebels are ready to show what they’ve got.
South Greene won the Region 1-2A Championship last year and looks to defend that title again this season. It’s a new schedule for the Rebels with new opponents on the calendar. Eagleton Academy moved to Region 2 and Hampton reclassified to Class 1A which makes Region 1-2A a four-team region again. That means South Greene will continue their postseason streak with an automatic berth.
For South Greene it’s not just about making the playoffs though. It’s about making that deep run. As always, health will be a key factor that plays into those goals.
“One big factor is health. In a small school it’s very, very tough if you get people hurt to do it,” Jones explained.
Eagleton will remain on the schedule along with other Region 1-2A opponents West Greene, Cumberland Gap, and Happy Valley. The County Cup will be back up for grabs as North Greene hops back on their schedule after taking two years off. Chuckey-Doak will renew their yearly rivalry also. The season opens with new opponents Morristown East, Daniel Boone, and Johnson County in the first three weeks. The final team rounding out the group of ten is first-year varsity program Concord Christian in Knoxville.
“It’s a tough schedule, but hey, it’s South Greene. We don’t shy away from tough schedules,” Jones exclaimed.
South Greene’s offense will have a lot of familiar names on the depth chart, but one key switch up. After playing exclusively at the running back position his sophomore and junior seasons, Nash Rader will step back into the quarterback position that he once shared as a freshman.
Jones explained, “We decided at the end of the year last year looking ahead to next year and what we were gonna do. We felt like we’d take our best athlete and put his hands on the ball every snap so we’ve moved Nash Rader, senior, to quarterback.”
Backing him up will be Charlie Lane, Trent Haynes, and Dawson Ripley.
Rader shared the backfield with Tripp Neas last season and Neas will be the lead running back going forward.
“He’s played ever since he was a freshman. Nash got banged up when he was a sophomore and Tripp started a couple games there and he’s been playing ever since and doing a great job,” Jones mentioned.
Lane and Haynes will back up Neas also.
The pass catching rotation will be very similar to last season with returning playmakers Lucas Couch and Simon Burns setting up out wide. Couch will play tight end and stand in at receiver at times. Burns will start at receiver and share the field with Shawn Ownby as a projected starter.
Rounding out South Greene’s wide receiver options are Noah Shelton, Noah Wright, Angel Sanchez, Wyatt Fender, Charlie Lane, and Trent Haynes.
Jaden Estepp, Bryce Hoag, Jackson Taylor, Dawson Rosenbalm, Colton Green, John Harris, Micah Jenkins, and Dalton Thornburg round out the offensive reserves for South Greene.
Two senior linemen will be determinant to South Greene’s success as Heath Norton and Colton Silvers serve as returning starters on the o-line.
“I tell the boys the line is where the team’s made. We know we’re anchored on the outside with Heath Norton, senior, as our left tackle and Colton Silvers will be our right tackle,” Jones explained.
The Rebels will have three open spots up for grabs on the offensive line and hope to build depth at the o-line positions to keep the line fresh.
Iaasic Bouthillette, Pablo Rosario, Bryce Crum, Lucas Murdock, Braxton Crittenden, Dylan Shelton, Thomas Mayhew, and Justin Habberstad will be in the running for those starting spots and will be put in rotation to gain varsity minutes.
Leland Wagers, Chris Seiber, Keith Irvin, Damien Davis, Forrest Wagers, and Kayden Trentham will be other options for the offensive line.
Brant Wilhoit will return for his senior season and resume his duties as South Greene’s kicker and punter.
“He’s worked his butt off and went to a lot of camps. He’s punting the ball really well and kicking the ball really well. He’ll do all our kicking and punting duties,” Coach Jones said.
Flipping over to the defense, the Rebels will stick to their normal odd-front formation. Thomas Mayhew and Lucas Murdock will rotate at the nose tackle position. Heath Norton and Colton Silvers will start outside of them at defensive end.
Pablo Rosario, Iaasic Bouthillette, Bryce Crum, Braxton Crittenden, and Dylan Shelton will rotate up front and help build depth on the line.
Tripp Neas and Charlie Lane will serve as both inside linebackers and control the middle of the defense. Lucas Couch will start as the strong outside linebacker. Trent Haynes and Shawn Ownby are still fighting for the weak side linebacker and neither have proved who is the worthy starter as of yet. Micah Jenkins will look to gain minutes in rotation also.
Simon Burns will return to his starting spot as a corner and will be joined by Angel Sanchez. Noah Shelton will provide coverage during Friday nights too. Nash Rader and Noah Wright will man down the safety positions and round out the secondary starters.
For a small 2A school like South Greene you can expect to see each player playing both sides of the ball on offense and defense. Most offensive skill position reserves will serve as reserves in the linebacker core and secondary. The same can be said for the linemen.
“You’re not just mentioning one kid on one side of the ball. Most of these guys that we’ve mentioned will play both sides of the ball,” Jones said.
The Rebels currently have 38 players on the roster that will wear the maroon in 2025. Returning to the coaching staff is Joe Case, Joel Burns, Chase Carter, Brad Malone, and Bubba Rader. Marc Wright joins the coaching staff again after a couple years away from the program.
The season officially opens up on Friday, August 22nd with Morristown East making a visit to Rebel Hill. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
