Underrated Teams with State Title Potential: Class 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're in the deep part of the high school football offseason, where the portal has somewhat calmed down, and schools are beginning their prep for spring ball. With a lot of pieces coming in and veterans graduating, I thought it would be fun to talk about some sleeper state championship squads for every classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next in this series, let's discuss five teams in the Class 2A state title picture who aren't getting talked about enough.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huntingdon and Milan are the clear programs to beat at the moment, but that doesn't mean there aren't teams that can stop them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2007174} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Photo-Nov-05-2025-7-02-10-PM.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2007174" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Marion County ATH Quincy Milles. Taken by Marion County Athletics.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marion County High School – (13-2 in 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marion County is a team that I was on the fence about. They were just in the state title game this past season, but aren't getting talked about as much as they probably should. The Warriors lose one of their best players, RB/OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1282609' first='Mason' last='Mays'], but return several starters from the 2025 team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a large portion of their elite defense back, including 2028 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1691522' first='Quincy' last='Mills'], who is one of the best in Tennessee. Overall, there's a lot of familiarity coming back for the 2026 season, where they should compete for another state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1702926} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/dray.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1702926" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Former Lewis County RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103499' first='Drew' last='Ray'].</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lewis County High School – (10-2 in 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis County High School is an interesting team heading into the new year. They're coming off a successful 2025 season, where they went 10-2 and made a run to the second round. The Panthers lose several offensive players, including their quarterback, leading rusher and three receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, they had one of the best defenses in the classification, and returned some big pieces on that side of the ball. The most notable one is 2029 Brayden Cooper, who led them in tackles. This is also a program that has consistently won, so I trust the staff to make the necessary changes and development to keep them competitive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1544224} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/kyoung2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1544224" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: East Robertson QB [player_tooltip player_id='1422904' first='Kason' last='Young'] warms up for a game.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Robertson High School – (12-1 in 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having East Robertson on this list could be controversial, given who they lose. Mr. Football winner [player_tooltip player_id='820950' first='Zach' last='Groves'] is gone, along with Bowling Green State signee [player_tooltip player_id='1630972' first='Cade' last='Brooks'], leading rusher Caleb McNeil and do-it-all playmaker Zayviyan Groves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The critical piece they returned is starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1422904' first='Kason' last='Young'], one of the best players in 2A. Several other key contributors are back as well, but it's no secret they lost a ton of proven production. However, I trust the coaching staff, who have won a lot recently. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Could this make me look like a fool next year? Absolutely. Am I willing to take that risk? Also, absolutely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2122728} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/02/Photo-Feb-07-2026-12-34-01-PM-crop-1320x867-1770489529.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2122728" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Bledsoe County ATH Dallas Bridges. Photo from his Instagram.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bledsoe County High School – (10-3 in 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bledsoe County is coming off a solid 2025 season, but they're not done. This is one of the schools I have more faith in because they have brought back several key pieces who have already proven to be studs on the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors bring back their starting quarterback, second-leading rusher, a few good receivers and several defensive contributors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a legitimate state title threat last season and was a mere field goal away from playing in the 2A semifinal. With so much coming back, I like Bledsoe County to have another good campaign and make a run at the state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1904003} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/happyvalley-crop-1252x823-1758559399.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-1904003" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Happy Valley football players celebrating. Taken by The Kingsport Times News. </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Happy Valley High School – (11-1 in 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Happy Valley High School is one of the best sleeper teams. They had a breakthrough year in 2025, going 11-1, but many key players will be back for another season. Second-leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='2085665' first='Lane' last='Parker'] looks to be a dark horse Mr. Football candidate, along with several receivers and some big pieces on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HVHS must replace its starting quarterback, but that's one of the only questions that I have about this squad heading into another season. If they can get that taken care of and further develop their players, this is going to be a team that nobody wants to play come postseason time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->