2025 ETB OFFICIAL TROUP FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Tiger by the tail? LOL, not this one! | Troup aims to start, and finish, strong in ’25

TROUP – If Troup High School could start the season hot, the way they’ve heated up the last two seasons, it’ll go a long way to helping them live up to high expectations for the fast-approaching 2025 football season.

To be certain, a lot is expected.

The cupboard is a far cry from being bare after a season that saw the Tigers finish as the runner-up to New Diana in District 11-3ADivision II, reaching the area, or second, round of the University Interscholastic League’s 3A-DII postseason. The Tigers were 8-4 a year ago and are 23-11 in three seasons with Wells as head coach.

Continuing to build on the success of last season, “Dominate the Day” is this year’s catch-phrase, the order of business, around the Tigers’ practice facility as they prep for the upcoming season.

There’s good reason for such lofty expectations. Welcoming players back such as running back / linebacker Brett Wells, wide receiver / defensive back James Pierce, offensive lineman / D-lineman A.J. Dewberry, linebacker Noble Kendrick, offensive lineman Logan Lockey, and defensive lineman Caden Starkey.

Junior quarterback Josh Childress, who was a starting wide receiver last season as a sophomore, and tight end Riley Blackmon are why Dave Campbell’s Texas Footballhas the Tigers penciled in as favorites in this competitive East Texas district made up of Arp, defending champion New Diana and West Rusk, all of which reached the playoffs a year ago, as well as Elkhart, Buffalo and Winona. Like the saying goes ‘on any Friday night in Texas’.

The Tigers return as many as nine starters both ways from last season’s team, have speed and depth.

Wells (5-8, 180) is the preseason selection as defensive most valuable player, after a season in which he made 117 tackles as an outside linebacker.

Coach Wells and his defensive coordinator Shannon Clakley have more than a handful of all-district choices returning as well. Among those are free safety James Pierce (6-1, 175), who finished 2024 with 62 tackles and six pass breakups, as well as inside linebackers Jackson Waller (5-9, 175; 114 tackles); Luke Skillern (5-8, 160; 123 tackles); outside linebacker Noble Kendrick (6-0, 190; 100 tackles); and Starkey, a 6-0 190-pound senior defensive tackle credited with 18 tackles for loss last season.

The other defensive tackle, Dewey, a junior all-district selection, is an imposing sight for opposing offensive lineman at 6 feet, 305 pounds, and coming off a season in which he was credited with 35 tackles, nine for loss, and four sacks.

Junior Logan Chambers (6-0, 170) in the secondary is another all-district selection from a year ago. Cameron Williams (5-10, 165, Soph.), De’Carryon Hollie (5-10, 155, Jr.) provide depth in the secondary, as do defensive tackle Clayton Morris (5-10, 195, Jr.), defensive end Billy Borja (6-0, 170) and inside linebacker John Allen (5-8, 190, Jr.) up front.

Offensively, Childress receives the nod to step in and up at quarterback, replacing the multi-talented Bryce Wallum, who not only served as quarterback for the Tigers last year, but also punter and kicker.

Wells believes Childress, a junior, is also a dual threat (running & passing), who threw well in 7-on-7 competition earlier this year and is ready and capable of the task at hand.

Brett Wells, at running back, gained all-district accolades as a sophomore, and has already rushed for 2,655 yards in his two seasons thus far on the varsity. He, like Childress, is more-than-ready. As a sophomore, Pierce, meanwhile, earned all-district recognition as well with 28 receptions for 504 yards and eight touchdowns, and Blackmon, an all-district performer at tight end, had five catches for 62 yards.

Dewberry is a two-year starter on the offensive line, joined there by seniors Lockey (at center) and tackle J.W. Becerra (6-2, 225) and junior Anthony Zuniga (5-9, 210) at guard.

The Tigers kick off the season on Aug. 29 at Shelbyville and then face Edgewood, Harleton and Rusk before opening district play at home against Arp on Sept. 26. See a complete schedule below.

To be a business on the ETBlitz.com Troup 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 Tigers play – and the poster will be on every Troup High School football story on ETBlitz.

Here’s an example of what it might look like:

And see more about how to listen to Troup football every week on Tigersportsnet.com; find them on Facebook at Tigersportsnet, and on Instagram, @tigersportsnet1.

Before the season begins, fans can meet the Tigers and their coaches on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.