2025 ETBLITZ FOOTBALL PREVIEW / TATUM | Lots of new faces, but talent there to help Eagles soar
EDITOR’S NOTE: We got a little behind on our 15 In 15: 15 Previews in 15 Days. But all 15 of the high school football programs in the ETBlitz.com coverage area will still be previewed here on the site between now and Thursday. This is preview No. 11, the Tatum High School Eagles, so there are four more to go: Kilgore, Arp, Gladewater and Leverett’s Chapel, all to run by Thursday. We’re not telling when each preview will hit — just look for them here on ETBlitz. To read each of the previews so far, if you’ve missed any, or just want to go back and read them again, this link lists them all: WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ | Scrimmage schedule for this week; previews coming today, finishing Thursday. Here’s a link with all 15 schedules, sponsored by Kilgore Mercantile & Music: THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS! | Regular season begins next Thursday, Friday; here are schedules for all teams in the ETBlitz coverage area! | Presented by KILGORE MERCANTILE & MUSIC. And thanks for reading!
TATUM – Between his time as first a head soccer coach and football assistant, and since a very successful head football coach, Tatum High School’s Whitney Keeling has just about seen it all.
Keeling’s soccer teams at Kilgore High in the early 2000’s laid the foundation for what was to come: multiple state title appearances, multiple district titles and a state championship for the Bulldogs.
He was an assistant coach for Mike Vallery’s team that went unbeaten and won the 2004 state football title.
Keeling had left way before the Bulldogs captured that soccer championship in 2017, went to Pleasant Grove briefly, then eventually landed at Waskom, where “all” he helped the Wildcats do was win two state football championships and 114 games.
And now he continues to reshape the Tatum Eagles (he calls them the War Eagles), and he knows the Eagles will have their hands full with another super-challenging schedule in 2025.
“Well, we open with the No. 10-ranked team in 3A-DI,” Keeling said, referring to the Eagles’ season opener next Thursday, Aug. 28, at Winnsboro. “Then, we’ve got the No. 9 team in 3A-DII coming to our place (Daingerfield). We’ve got the No. 5 team in 3A-DI (Newton) coming in in week three. We go to (rivals) West Rusk and Sabine, and then we get three more state-ranked teams (Liberty-Eylau, Atlanta and Jefferson) all in district. We’ve got our hands full.”
(See the Eagles’ complete 2025 schedule below)
Keeling knows the hard work that’ll need to be done. After all, he has those two state titles at Waskom and a truckload of experience to draw upon.
Tatum’s coach and athletic director has a 132-62 career record as the season starts, an 18-15 record after three seasons at Tatum.
The Eagles were hit hard by graduation, to be sure, with players like quarterback JaCorie Bradley having accepted his diploma, and all-everything, all-purpose player Cayden Tatum and wide receiver/ defensive back Luke Sigler also both gone, among others.
Tatum, Sigler and Bradley all were big pieces in the Eagles’ UIL Class 3A, Division I state basketball championship this past spring.
Now Keeling will have to replace them, and many others: the Eagles have three starters back on defense, and three on offense.
“We’ve got a lot we’ll have to figure out,” Keeling said, “but we’ve got some kids that can help us out.”
Offensive skill positions were hit the hardest, as Bradley and Tatum made up quite a bit of the Eagles’ offense. In fact, Keeling and his coaches will have a completely new backfield.
Grant Adcock, just a very good overall athlete, looks to take over at the quarterback position and will still likely play defense, where he was excellent last year.
Ty Moore, Keeling noted, will be Tatum’s starting fullback, and Dameon Pippens will start at halfback.
Brandon Howard and Elijah Williams will start at slot receiver, and Quincy Davis, back from last year, will be at wideout.
One place where the Eagles do return experience is on the offensive and defensive lines – oh, and Mr. Peoples.
Center Harrison Freeman and right tackle Chris Guiososa, both two-year starters, are returning, and Damarion Tolbert will play both on the O-line (at right guard) and at nose guard on defense.
“Mr. Peoples,” of course, is linebacker Qwardai Peoples, who opposing teams will have to find before every snap. Peoples had 47 tackles, 11 for loss, a year ago.
Tatum is even new on varsity at kicker and punter.
Keeling said Cody Hines, a familiar name to Eagles baseball fans, will handle extra points, while Pintor will have kickoff chores and punting.
Assistants for the Eagles this year: Paul Burkhead (offensive coordinator), Justin Watson (defensive coordinator), Clancy Parker (special teams coordinator), Jayme Bradley (wife receivers), Cade Fant and Wesley Williams (offensive line), Justin Russell (secondary), Jeremy Kubiak (outside linebackers), and Jared Listenbee and Justice Warner (defensive linebackers).
Tatum has one more scrimmage left, and it’s at home Thursday night against another team from our coverage area, Ricky Meeks and the Henderson Lions. That’s set for a 6 p.m. start Thursday at Eagle Stadium.
A couple of items involving Tatum football that fans might need to know:
Help offset the cost of pregame meals: Feeding Tatum High School football players isn’t cheap! And sponsors are being sought to help cover the team’s weekly pregame meal, about $500 a week. Those who sponsor will get a shout-out on the Eagle Stadium jumbotron during the game.
To find out more or contribute, visit Tatum High School Football on Facebook and send them a message through Facebook Messenger.
Ads on the Eagle Stadium jumbotron during games: Ads are now on sale to support Tatum High School athletics in unique fashion: on the jumbotron scoreboard at Eagle Stadium.
Only 20 spots are being sold and they’re on sale at a first-come, first-serve basis. There are four sponsorship levels: $1,000 for first down ads, $500 for touchdown ads, $250 for extra point ads, and $300 for time out ads.
The Eagles have five home games this year: Newton, Daingerfield, Liberty-Eylau, Atlanta, and Jefferson.
Spots can be paid for using either cash or check. For more information or to try and get a spot, contact Lori Malone Bess at bessl@tatumisd.org, or coach Whitney Keeling at keelingw@tatumisd.org.
ETBlitz.com Tatum team poster: Here is the Eagles’ 2025 schedule, followed by our ETBlitz.com Tatum team poster. The team poster is a community ad that will be on every single Tatum football story on ETBlitz.com this fall. To be a business on the ETBlitz Tatum team poster this season, email Jenna Lucas at ads@etblitz.com. The cost is just $100, and gets your ad on the poster for as long as the Eagles play.
