2026 Preview: York Cougars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions through July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season.&nbsp;</em><a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe"><em>Simply head to our subscription page</em></a><em>&nbsp;and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026 season will be a learning experience for quite a bit of the York Cougars roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We graduated all our defensive linemen and all our offensive linemen except one," tight end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824661' first='TJ' last='Bratton']</strong> said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Our young JV defensive and offensive linemen are really going to have to step it up this year for us and prove that they can compete at this level," safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819735' first='Bennet' last='Reeder']</strong> added.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head coach Dean Boyd also spoke about some of the inexperience within his group and how he expects that to play out during the course of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We're cautiously optimistic with this young group we have this season," Boyd said. "We do have all our wide receivers coming back, but we're really young on the defensive line. Those young linemen are going to have to play above their age and help us compete up front."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boyd did also discuss some of his returning players that he knows are going to be stars for him throughout the season, players like quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379090' first='Ryan' last='Brochu']</strong> and linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819733' first='Jah'Maud' last='Moore']</strong> (pictured above).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boyd also mentioned returning yet still young receivers <strong>Zee Islom</strong>, <strong>Tamer Thrower</strong> and <strong>Caiden Tano</strong>, two juniors and a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379090' first='Ryan' last='Brochu']</strong> QB, 2028 - Brochu began the 2025 season as the backup for the Cougars and started to make some appearances around halfway through the season. He did struggle, completing just 38.6% of his passes and throwing four interceptions, but his head coach strongly believes in his abilities for the upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819733' first='Jah'Maud' last='Moore']</strong> LB, 2027 - Moore is the heartbeat of the defense, and he expects to outperform what he did as a junior, collecting 117 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss. He garnered high praise from his teammates and coach at Media Day, something that showed just how highly he is thought of.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819735' first='Bennet' last='Reeder']</strong> DB, 2027 - Reeder will be one of the leaders of the secondary and will hope to build off of a solid 2025 campaign where he posted 77 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles and six passes defended. He's a part of an experienced secondary that also includes seniors <strong>O'Ryan Cartwright</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819736' first='Ben' last='Powell']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818071' first='Imon' last='Mitchell']</strong> RB, 2028 - Mitchell finished the 2025 seasons with the second most carries (62) and rushing yards (279) and did find paydirt once. He's quick and shifty, something that allows him to get out of trouble and break into the open field. With another offseason of training and conditioning, Mitchell is poised to easily surpass his sophomore year production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23143192/697448b0b4632078464d50c5u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a5fba667666e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEY LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noah Morrison</strong> LB - Morrison was an excellent partner for Moore at linebacker last season, and he put up outstanding numbers with 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 15 hurries and six sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tayshon Freeman</strong> QB - Freeman was the man at the helm last season, and his production will be missed. He threw for 1,354 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also leading the team in rushing with 398 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Owen Hill</strong>, DL - 2029 - Hill is a part of a young defensive front that includes two sophomores, one junior and one senior. Coach Boyd spoke highly of Hill's power and physicality, something that should allow him to hold his own against older and more experienced competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ty McConnell</strong> WR, 2029 - Another sophomore receiver, McConnell did not see any action as a freshman, meaning he'll be learning alongside Thrower and the aforementioned Tino and Islom.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1881803"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a5fc011b4ed3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>Tamir Thrower</strong> WR, 2029 - Thrower is a part of a young receiver core that is expected to produce at a high level. Despite being just a sophomore, Thrower was heavily involved as a freshman, collecting 23 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">He can absolutely fly, something that makes him a deep ball threat on offense, as well as excellent defender in coverage. His speed is also a factor on special teams, as he'll return punts and kicks and is a threat to break off a big return at any given moment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->