Wagner, Falcons look to silence critics this season

Jeremy Wagner welcomes the task of building Volunteer's football program from the ground up. Hard to faze a guy who spent 5 1/2 years in the U.S. Army and fought in Afghanistan.Being the Falcons' third head coach in as many seasons and overseeing a program which has lost 24 straight games, Wagner knew there would be doubters. But that's nothing new for him. And given his background, he's hoping to lead a culture change by example."I had a lot of people doubting on me when I graduated (Volunteer) too. I was told I'd flip burgers for a living, I was told I was not going to graduate," recalled Wagner, who most recently served as an assistant coach under Spencer Riley at Jefferson County. "What it did was it motivated me, growing up from the circumstances I came from in a home with no power and a single parent household and living with my grandparents here in Hawkins County. I went through what a lot of these kids are going through, so I relate to them. And think honestly the relationships are more important than the Xs and Os."Since taking the reins of his alma mater, Wagner has not only implemented an overhaul of Volunteer's weight program. But he's quickly gotten to know his football players on a first-name basis."These kids here have grown to love one another. The doubters will always doubt, and the believers will always believe," Wagner said, while emphasizing his three biggest principles — discipline, grit and sacrifice. "Without discipleships in our lives, we are nobody. We are always one. And we're always under the microscope."Hawkins County has always had rural people. I love rural people, and these rural people know how to work. They find a way. Hawkins County is a special place because of that. And sacrifice, it takes what it takes. These kids have sacrificed quite a bit this summer, two to three hours a day. That's what I stand on."MORE OF MOWELLJunior quarterback Jameson Mowell enters his third year behind center for the Falcons. An injury cut his sophomore year short, after he'd thrown for 559 yards and four touchdowns through four games, while rushing for 25 yards and two more scores.While Wagner officially left the quarterback competition open, Mowell is naturally the frontrunner given his experience."The most important thing to me is their leadership capability, if you can lead from the front with the offensive line," Wagner said. "Jameson shows that. He has a good arm and he does things well. It's about leadership."MULTIPLE ON OFFENSEWagner indicated Volunteer will show multiple looks on both sides of the ball, sticking with whichever approach gives the Falcons the best chance to win.Volunteer returns its top receiver from 2024 in senior Nate Simpson, who had 373 yards and three touchdowns on 24 receptions. Fellow senior Owen Fleenor and sophomore Amarion Graves, a transfer from Dobyns-Bennett, give Mowell other reliable options.Fleenor is also the Falcons' top returning rusher, having gained 201 yards on 34 carries last year while catching 13 passes for 125 yards and three TDs.Several backs are likely to tote the ball at some point, sophomore Bryson Christian standing out to Wagner in the preseason."Kid is lightning in a bottle," Wagner said. "He's a special kid. I absolutely love that kid. He puts his head down and has a blue collar mentality. The kids love blocking for him, and he's a very physical running back. He's a punisher."Bryton Landry, John Hale and Coltin Kochensparger are all expected to share the load in the running game.TWO-WAY THREATSAs for Volunteer's offensive line, Wagner noted Jaylynn Livesay, Davis Murphy and Elijah Housewright are the most likely to start at this point. Juniors Jacoby Hyatt and Sebastian Memis along with freshman Carson Griffith are likely to see time in the trenches both offensively and defensively.Isaiah Ward, who had 22 catches for 306 yards and three scores on offense in 2024, is now projected to lead Volunteer's linebacking corps along with Fleenor. Seniors Brayden Cheek, Brandon Begley and Ossie Franklin have all battled for minutes at linebacker along with Fleenor and freshman Eli Franklin.Senior, Raymond Landry, Bryton Landry, Mowell, Christian and Simpson are currently the frontrunners to start in Volunteer's secondary.Evan Wilder, a standout soccer player for Volunteer's historic Region 1-AA tournament run this past spring, will handle kicking duties.VOLUNTEER ROSTERNo. Name Pos. Class0 Bryton Landry WR/DB Jr.1 Nathan Simpson WR/DB Sr.2 Colton Huff WR/DB So.3 Dakota Ragle WR/OLB Jr.4 Raymond Landry WR/DB Sr.5 Evan Wilder K Sr.6 Kaiden Barker WR/DB Jr.7 Amarion Graves WR/DB So.8 Jameson Vowell QB/DB Jr.9 Brody Patterson TE/LB Jr.10 Hayden Grigsby WR/OLB Fr.11 Isaiah Ward TE/LB Sr.12 Brandon Begley WR/DB Sr.13 Lincoln Wilson QB/DB So.14 Cayden Checa WR/DB Fr.15 Dallas Honeycutt TE/LB Fr.16 Aiden Reece QB/OLB Fr.17 Dace Rodefer WR/DB Fr.18 Owen Fleenor RB/OLB Jr.19 John Hale RB/DB So.20 Lucas Smith WR/DB Fr.21 Bryson Christian RB/DB So.22 Connor Begley TE/OLB Fr.24 Connor Greenwell RB/DB Fr.25 Justin Jesse RB/OLB Fr.26 Bryson Fugate WR/DB Fr.27 Ashton Parks WR/DB Fr.29 Tommy Sadler WR/DB So.32 Connor Williams QB/DB So.33 Jesse Peters WR/DB Fr.35 Skyler Trivette RB/DB Fr.36 Coltin Kochensparger RB/OLB Sr.40 Christian Bullock TE/LB Sr.41 Gavin Roop TE/OLB Sr.42 Eli Franklin RB/LB Fr.44 Christian Wilson DL Sr.45 Ossie Franklin TE/LB Sr.50 Jaxon Frost OL/DL Fr.51 Spencer Crigger OL/DL Jr.52 Davis Murphy OL/DL Sr.55 Sebastian Memis OL/DL Jr.56 Carson Griffith L/DL Fr.57 Brayden Cheek OL/LB Sr.58 Mathias Reeves OL/LB So.60 Jacoby Hyatt OL/DL Jr.62 Wyatt Franklin OL/DL Fr.63 Matthew McBee OL/DL So.64 Elijah Housewright OL/DL Sr.65 Blaine Griffith OL/DL Sr.67 A.J. Puckett OL/DL Fr.68 Jon Mullins OL/DL Fr.69 Jason Harrell OL/DL So.72 Ryder Hicks OL/DL So.74 Aiden Weatherly OL/DL So.75 Channing Cradic OL/DL Fr.77 Jaylynn Livesay OL/DL Sr.78 Gavin Stout OL/DL Jr.Head coach: Jeremy Wagner.Assistant coaches: Mike Castle, Jeremy Sommers, Garrison Barrett, Josh Swayer, Braden Allen, Ken Stepp, Patrick Wilson, Austin Linton, Andy Franklin, Matt Smith.