Hawks look to trenches as 2025 season kicks off
It’s football time in Tennessee — at least for area middle schools.
Clinton Middle School will open its 2025 campaign Thursday night at home against Christian Academy of Knoxville. Kickoff between the Hawks and the Warriors is set for 7 p.m.
Clinton hosted Wartburg Central in a scrimmage late last week and was scheduled to appear in the Horace Maynard Jamboree on Saturday in Maynardville as its final preseason tune-up.
Hawks Coach Eric Woodard, now in his fifth overall season and third of his second tenure, said he saw both progress and room for growth.
“We’re young in spots,” Woodard said. “We saw some positives, but we also saw things we need to work on. We lost 24 eighth-graders after last year.”
Clinton went 2-6 in 2024 and is seeking improvement this fall.
“Everybody wants to win; nobody wants to lose,” Woodard said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and they only take the top four teams in the conference. It’s going to take a couple of weeks to see what we have.”
The Hawks will rely on experience up front. Returning eighth graders Mason McGhee and Evan Ritter will anchor the offensive and defensive lines.
Other key returners include Jude Kunes (defensive back), Uriah Mounce (running back/defensive end), Brandon Bunch (running back/linebacker) and kicker Caleb Egeland — all eighth graders.
Woodard believes Egeland could make a difference this season.
“We’re going to kick this year, and Caleb has worked really hard in the offseason,” Woodard said. “We tried a couple of extra points last year.”
Key newcomers include seventh-grade quarterback Westin Glandon and eighth-grade running back/defensive back Levi Braden.
“We have a young quarterback, and in our scrimmage, he played OK,” Woodard said of Glandon.
After Thursday’s opener, Clinton — a member of the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference — visits Spring City on Aug. 14. The Hawks then begin a three-game homestand: Lenoir City on Aug. 21, Loudon on Aug. 28, and Knoxville Catholic on Sept. 4.
On Sept. 11, Clinton faces Robertsville at Oak Ridge’s Blankenship Field before returning there Sept. 18 to meet Jefferson. The regular season wraps up Sept. 25 at home against Norris.
Woodard said team strengths lie in the trenches.
“The backbone of our team will be the offensive and defensive lines,” he said.
Areas of concern include depth and inexperience.
“Our numbers are down,” Woodard said. “ On picture day, we had 42 guys. Last year, we had 62. We’re young at some key positions. We’re young at quarterback and in the secondary.”
