Pioneers prep for home opener
Brent Carden photos - The coin toss from last year’s battle between the Pioneers and Wildcats, which was the first meeting between the programs in 20 years.
There’s no changing what happened last Friday night in Smithville. There’s also no reason for Warren County to spend much more time thinking about it.
Coach Eric Belew has spent much of his time with the Pioneers preaching about “being where your feet are.” Friday night, Warren County’s feet will be planted inside Nunley Stadium for the first time this season.
The Pioneers will make their 2026 home debut Friday against Livingston Academy, kicking off a three-game homestand at Nunley Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and Warren County will be looking to even its record after falling 10-7 in overtime at DeKalb County in Week 1.
For Belew, moving forward hasn’t meant ignoring what happened in Smithville. It has meant fixing what needs fixing, building on what worked and getting ready for another opportunity.
“As frustrating as last Friday night was, it’s extremely exciting to just see how willing and ready they are for the next week,” said Belew on Thursday’s Coaches Show at Studio 605. “It’s great to be part of.”
And there was plenty Warren County can carry into its home opener.
The Pioneer defense allowed only seven points in regulation, forced three turnovers and twice stopped DeKalb County when the Tigers were threatening near the goal line. Offensively, Warren County rushed for over 200 yards, led by a breakout performance from junior quarterback AJ Whitman.
Whitman rushed for 158 yards and scored Warren County’s lone touchdown, a fourth-quarter keeper that tied the game at 7-7. His ability to create with his legs was one of the biggest developments to emerge from Week 1 and could become even more important as the Pioneers continue to build their offense around their new quarterback.
“I was thrilled with the highs that AJ had, having over 150 yards rushing and delivering some good balls, stepping up in the pocket and making throws,” said Belew. “I thought we blocked up front pretty well for the most part.”
Now Warren County gets to see what it can do with those positives in front of its own crowd.
“Anytime you get to play in front of your community is always special,” said Belew. “When you turn around and you see that many people in the stands, it’s an advantage. People talk about the 12th man. That’s so important and it’s real.”
A different Livingston awaits
Warren County knows what Livingston Academy can do. The Pioneers experienced it firsthand a year ago when the Wildcats rolled to a 38-3 victory.
But the player responsible for most of that damage is gone.
Kaden Weitzel scored all six Livingston touchdowns in last year’s matchup, including four rushing scores, a touchdown reception and a 90-yard kickoff return. With Weitzel and several other veterans graduating, second-year Livingston coach Caleb Qualls entered 2026 knowing the Wildcats would have to find a different formula.
They may already be finding one.
Livingston opened the season with a 55-7 victory over Cumberland County, getting production from two quarterbacks, several running backs and a defense that scored twice. The Wildcats finished with 351 yards of offense while holding the Jets below 100.
The competition will take a significant jump Friday. Cumberland County entered the season with a young roster under a first-year coach, while Warren County's defense showed in Week 1 it can make opponents work for everything they get.
Still, Livingston's opener provided a glimpse of what Qualls envisioned for his younger roster during the preseason.
Sophomore Logan Sells entered the year as the frontrunner at quarterback and wasted little time showing why. Sells completed 7-of-9 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against Cumberland County while rushing three times for 77 yards and another score.
Qualls knew before the season that Sells' athleticism could change parts of the Livingston offense.
“We’ve got two guys kind of battling it out. I would say Logan Sells is kind of leader in the clubhouse right now as a sophomore,” said Qualls during a preseason appearance on Upper Cumberland Reporter. “Obviously young, you’ll hear me talk about that a lot, but an athletic kid that will be able to do some different things than we were able to (do last year).”
Senior Eli Taylor gives the Wildcats another option. The Pickett County transfer also threw two touchdown passes in the opener, finding Isiah Honeycutt for a 28-yard score and Ayden Ray for a 17-yard touchdown.
Honeycutt caught touchdowns from both quarterbacks, including a 10-yard connection with Sells. The senior didn't play last season, but Qualls identified him in the preseason as a leader for a young receiving corps.
Sells' 48-yard touchdown run showed the other element Warren County will have to account for.
Livingston has incorporated more zone concepts into its offense specifically because of what Sells can do with his legs, while retaining much of the gap-scheme and RPO principles Qualls used during his first season.
“It’ll be relatively similar to what we’ve seen last year,” said Qualls. “We’ve obviously talked about moving to a little bit more zone principles just because we can run the quarterback a little bit.”
Qualls added, “Our personnel will be different, but we’re going to stay true to our core a little bit and some of the guidelines and principles that we go by as an offense. So it’ll be similar, but there’ll definitely be some wrinkles that we throw in there based on our personnel.”
Plenty of Wildcats to watch
One of those personnel changes is sophomore Jamison Kendall.
Kendall was moved into the backfield during the spring and impressed the Livingston staff enough to become part of a running-back-by-committee approach. He immediately showed his versatility against Cumberland County, scoring on a 32-yard run and adding a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“Jamison Kendall pleasantly surprised us, we’ll say, in the spring by throwing him back there,” said Qualls. “When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a guy that can be explosive. He’s a guy we want to try to get the ball to.”
Creed Taylor, Lucas Mansell and JC Stults are also part of the rotation. Stults scored on a 22-yard run in Week 1, while the Wildcats also got rushing production from Taylor, Mansell and Franky Guerrero.
Guerrero may be one of the more intriguing matchups for the Pioneer defense.
The 230-pounder can line up as a tight end, sniffer or in the backfield, giving Livingston a bigger body to move around its formations. Qualls made it clear in the preseason that getting Guerrero matched against smaller defenders was part of the plan.
“He’s explosive to be 230 pounds and we want to try to make DBs and guys like that tackle him,” said Qualls. “Offensively, he’s going to be just as big of a part, some way or another, if we have to just snap it directly to him.”
Belew sees the same versatility when watching the Wildcats.
“They are going to be more get-the-ball-in-space, misdirection-type stuff, probably a little more similar to us,” said Belew. “They’ve got a quarterback that can run really well. They’ve got a huge fullback that can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”
That makes eye discipline one of the biggest challenges for Warren County's defense.
Livingston will use motion and misdirection to try to pull defenders away from their assignments, something Belew compared to the same “eye candy” the Pioneers use offensively.
“Once you look over here, then the ball’s going to be over here,” said Belew. “We got to make sure we’re paying attention on what’s most important, what our keys are, whatever that may be. If we do that, with our defense and our coaching staff, I feel really good for our defense to be able to make some plays.”
Carter Lee helped the Pioneer defense shine in Smithville.
Pioneer defense ready for the challenge
Warren County will bring a defense into its home opener that gave the Pioneers every opportunity to win in Week 1.
Isaac Smith was everywhere in his Warren County debut, finishing with a team-high 14 tackles, seven solo and seven assists. Senior Ethan Holder added 12 tackles, while Cameron Redmore made an immediate impact with nine.
The production didn't stop there. Kolton Wood and Colton Gater finished with eight tackles apiece, Marek Sadlon had seven and Carter Lee and Camron Holder each recorded six. Even Christian Munoz, who entered the opener with some uncertainty about how much he would be able to play, finished with six tackles.
Lee provided one of the night's biggest defensive plays. After initially getting himself out of position, the senior recovered quickly enough to take away the throwing lane and intercept a pass at the Pioneer 1.
“What Carter Lee did is he took two poor steps and then his effort - sometimes effort can cover up those mistakes,” said Belew. “He sprinted back to his landmark and where he was supposed to be based on the route that was being run and he took the throwing lane away.”
Sadlon created another pivotal turnover in the fourth quarter when his hit jarred the ball loose and helped set up Warren County's tying touchdown drive.
“Marek’s so quiet outside of football, but he plays so loud,” said Belew. “He’s physical, he’s flying around all the time.”
The Pioneers like their depth in the trenches this season.
Strength against youth up front
The matchup in the trenches could be particularly important.
Warren County entered the season believing its offensive and defensive fronts could be strengths. Livingston entered knowing it would have to develop quickly in those areas.
Three-year starter Mark Ogletree provides experience for the Wildcats up front, while 6-foot-4, 320-pound Josh Burchett gives Livingston plenty of size. Sophomores Easton Hamrick and Kade Reagan were also expected to step into larger roles.
But Qualls acknowledged before the season there could be growing pains.
“There’ll be some growing pains with that group up front,” said Qualls. “We’re still looking to kind of find our fifth guy. And then obviously we need to build some depth.”
Qualls added that developing physicality would be a test for a young Livingston team.
Warren County will counter with its veteran offensive front and a running game that showed signs of being exactly what Belew hoped it could become.
Whitman's 158 yards were the headline, but his emergence as a runner creates opportunities beyond his own carries.
“Anytime you have that 11th man who’s that running threat, it’s going to open up lots of opportunities in the passing game, in the screen game, opportunities for the run game for other guys,” said Belew. “It just opens up so much.”
Livingston's defense presents a more familiar look than DeKalb's unusual fronts did last week. Belew described the Wildcats as more traditional and disciplined, with athletes on the perimeter despite youth in the secondary.
That familiarity could allow the Pioneers to spend less time identifying what Livingston is doing and more time attacking it.
“They seem to be where they’re supposed to be,” said Belew. “They’ve got some good athletes on the perimeter.”
For Warren County, the objective is to capitalize whenever they aren't.
“We’ve got to hurt them when they do make a mistake,” said Belew. “If an end gets up field or if a corner takes a poor step, we’ve got to take advantage of that. Mistakes are going to happen.”
Qualls remembers Nunley
Livingston's coach doesn't need anyone to tell him what Friday night's atmosphere could be like.
The Wildcats played Warren County at home last season, but Qualls had an opportunity to visit Nunley Stadium earlier in the year and see the Pioneer crowd firsthand.
He also hasn't forgotten Livingston's performance against Warren County.
“Warren County was probably our best game we played all year last year,” said Qualls. “When we got down there for the home opener - we were able to get down there last year and watch them play DeKalb with us playing on Thursday - and that place was rocking.
“It’s going to be no different that home opener, and I know Coach Belew will have them ready to go because he’s a great coach.”
Now the Pioneers finally get their turn to run onto their own field. It's the first of three straight Fridays at Nunley Stadium and another opportunity for a Warren County team that believes its best football is still ahead.
And, fittingly for a program constantly reminded to be where its feet are, there's nowhere else Warren County would rather be Friday night.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Jeff Simmons and Chris Sullens will have the live call on the Warren County Sports Authority Facebook page and Studio 605 Productions YouTube page. Michael Thrower, Ansley Mullican Murphree and Trevor Evans will provide sideline coverage and updates for the Warren County Way.
