The Five: Surprising Undefeated Teams

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">After three weeks of action, we have multiple teams across the state that remain undefeated, including several that we didn't see coming. Some of these schools haven't tasted a lot of winning of late but they are right now and I see potential for them to continue doing so over the next few weeks. </h2>     Jackson Co. Blue Devils (Class 2A)   - It's been quite a while since Jackson Co. has started off their football season undefeated but here they are 3-0 with a confident ball club and an offense that shows potential to produce a lot of points. Expectations were a little higher than normal going into the 2026 season due to the upside at quarterback with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2001531' first='Colt' last='Loftis']. His presence behind center and within the team as a whole provided hope as the Blue Devils started the 2026 campaign and so far, the operation has looked good. Improvements of course need to be made going forward on both sides of the ball but being undefeated while finding ways to win is always a good thing.    The offense is balanced, led by Loftis and his passing abilities. Being able to throw the ball is a major bonus on the 2A level as most teams in this classification don't have the athletes on the back end to provide blanket coverage, so the Blue Devils have an advantage going forward with Loftis spinning the football. The Jackson Co. defense has been solid as well but still has plenty of work to do if the Blue Devils want to compete for their region title. Their schedule has been somewhat favorable thus far but you still must win the games and that's what Jackson Co. has done. Things do pick up over the coming weeks with matchups against Smith Co., Gordonsville, Cannon Co. and Grundy Co., so we will know how legit this Blue Devils team is by the time we reach postseason play.    - - - - -    Obion Co. Rebels (Class 3A)   - The Rebels go into “Week Four” as one of a select few undefeated teams sitting within the Class 3A level that I or others didn't see coming, especially after losing several key players off last year's squad but yet here they are. It's been an impressive start for the Rebels as they have beaten all three opponents by double digit points while receiving strong play from both sides of the ball. The Obion Co. offense has been explosive, providing balance with their passing game leading the way. Their O-line has held up well and the Rebels ball carriers have done enough with the run game to open up their passing. I am curious to see how the Rebels offense performs moving forward as they will face multiple good defensive teams down the road that will challenge them but it's so far so good with generating points.    The defense, led by high volume tackler Deacon Bentley, has been tremendous and the side of the ball that has impressed the most through three games. The last two weeks, the Rebels defense has allowed a total of 14 points. They have been stout in the trenches and opportunistic on the back end with two-way playmaker Chace Jenkins. The Rebels defense will be critical throughout the rest of the season as they chase towards a postseason berth. Obion Co. has tough upcoming games, starting this coming Friday against Westview, the number one team in the state along with other matchups versus Covington, Dyersburg, McNairy Central and others. I do like what I have seen from the Rebels thus far but will certainly learn more about this West Tennessee team over the coming weeks.    - - - - -    Volunteer Falcons (Class 4A)   - I don't know if anybody saw Volunteer starting the 2026 campaign at 3-0 but they are and gaining confidence week by week. The Falcons have looked good on the offensive side of the ball, averaging more than 40 points a game while receiving enough solid game play from their defensive unit. Volunteer is also already 1-0 within their region after beating Grainger on the road last week, 56-28. It's a great start for the Falcons but I'm interested to see if they can keep up their winning ways moving forward, especially with upcoming contests against the likes of Elizabethton, Seymour, Chuckey-Doak and Greeneville. We will certainly know a lot more this coming Friday with their game against the Cyclones, which will be their biggest test of the season thus far.    For this East Tennessee program to keep winning and place themselves as a postseason qualifier by the end of the regular season, the Falcons must receive stronger play from their defense. They have given up some points thus far to several teams that aren't offensively equipped and will face better offensive teams along the way. The Falcons may have to lean on [player_tooltip player_id='2154612' first='Bryton' last='Landry'] and their offense to continue scoring more points than the opposition to finish with a winning record and playoff placement. Regardless of what may be, it's still a sensational start for the Falcons that gives them confidence for the rest of the season. If the Falcons can continue building on their success, making postseason play is highly possible.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/blandry-e1788902345258.jpg?w=587" alt="" class="wp-image-2384534" style="width:225px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Kingsport Times News</figcaption></figure>   - - - - -    James Lawson Lightning (Class 5A)   - Under new teaching of head coach Montario Hardesty, the Lightning head into “Week Four” as one of the more surprising undefeated teams in the state that has done enough to get by but done so with an excellent defensive unit. The Lightning barely got by Stratford last week, beating the Spartans 6-0 but their defense was superb and has been through three games. The James Lawson defense has given up a total of 20 points on the year, doing so with strong play in the trenches, led by senior standouts [player_tooltip player_id='2089358' first='Tony' last='Suong'], [player_tooltip player_id='906621' first='Lawrence' last='Patterson Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1584112' first='Ramon' last='Brooks-James']. The back end has been good too but still has room for improvement. I think the Lightning defense will have to continue playing above their head the rest of the season with their offense still a work in progress. The run game shows promise with Le'Sean Bonds but the passing attack has been nearly non-existent up to this point.    While this is an excellent start for Coach Hardesty and his Lightning football team, things will get tougher over the coming weeks. I think they will be favorites over the next two weeks against Wilson Central and Northeast but after that, it picks up with big regional matchups against Nolensville, Page and on the road versus Centennial. If the Lightning can handle business against the teams they are supposed to beat, I can see them making their way into postseason action but that all depends on the health of their defense and the development of their offense. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this is a good start to build on for a new coaching staff and a young program still finding their way on the 5A level.    - - - - -    St. Benedict Eagles (D2-Class AA)   - There were a lot of unknowns going into the season for the Eagles and there still are but as they head into “Week Four”, St. Benedict sits undefeated at 3-0 and gaining more and more confidence as the weeks go by. It's been some rough times for the Eagles program over the years but maybe they are turning the corner this season. We will know how far along they are over the coming weeks as they have upcoming matchups against Briarcrest Christian, St. Georges, Lausanne, who is the region favorite and Evangelical Christian, among others. It's not a tremendously hard path for the Eagles but they will still be tested and be made to prove how good they can be.   It's been a good product thus far with the offense averaging 38 points a game while the Eagles defense has performed well up front while allowing almost 10 points a contest. There is still a lot of development and progression to go on both sides of the ball but the recipe the Eagles staff is implementing right now is working. As long as the players continue to raise their level of play while remaining healthy, I can see the Eagles potentially finishing inside the top three of their region with an outside shot at chasing after the title. They of course must win their regional games but if St. Benedict can find a way to get past Lausanne, placing themselves in the top spot is possible. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles continue to perform and how strong they can become by the end of the season.    - - - - -    Other Surprising Undefeated Teams   1A: Cornersville   2A: Grundy Co., Houston Co.   3A: Chuckey-Doak, McNairy Central   4A: Seymour, South Doyle, East Ridge, DeKalb Co., Livingston Acad., Montgomery Central,  Chester Co.   5A: Lincoln Co.   6A: Cleveland, Arlington   D2-A: Providence Christian   D2-AA: CAK, Lakeway Chrst., Franklin-Grace, St. Georges   D2-AAA: MBA, Chrst. Brothers    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/lawpatterson.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-2384545" style="width:263px;height:auto" /></figure>