TSSAA Week Two Freshman Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school football is finally back in the state of Tennessee and the second week of the season allowed for programs to get another look at freshmen players on their team.<br><br>As the talent level inside the state continues to increase, the number of freshmen that are making immediate impacts continues to increase as well.<br><br>These six 2030 prospects made a large impact for their teams in week two of the 2026 high school football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">East Robertson RB Isaac Prince</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isaac Prince leads the list for a second straight week as he led East Robertson to their second straight last minute victory. During the game, he carried the ball 40 times for 251 yards with a pair of scores against DII-AA private school JPII.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team has clearly found their running back of the future and he has delivered strong results in the present, beginning his high school football career in a loud way. As he continues to lead the rushing offense, he pairs with a productive senior quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id='1422904' first='Kason' last='Young'] to form one of the best small school backfields in the entire state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/issacprincejr/status/2093548127806493127?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/issacprincejr/status/2093548127806493127?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bradley Central RB [player_tooltip player_id='1596142' first='Hezekiah' last='Thomas']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1596142' first='Hezekiah' last='Thomas'] earned more opportunity moving forward with his week one performance and he delivered upon an expanded role against Walker Valley on Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He produced another close-range touchdown, punching it in from four yards out to put the Bears up 14-7 early in the game. He ended the game with 79 rushing yards while running for over five yards per carry, leading the way for the Bradley Central offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">McCallie RB [player_tooltip player_id='1307180' first='Macc' last='Chapin']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1307180' first='Macc' last='Chapin'] came in to a top program this offseason and has immediately taken over the backfield with back-to-back premier performances, this time rushing 12 times for 90 yards and a trio of touchdowns as McCallie took down one of the better teams from the state of Maryland on Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He has faced solid programs in each of his first two games at the high school level and has carved both up just the same. He was perceived as the future at the running back position for the program, but he has proven that the future is now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Tornado now boast one of the most productive and deepest tailbacks in the entire state and it will play perfectly into the strengths of a vertical passing attack this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MaccChapin/status/2093844514792144980?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MaccChapin/status/2093844514792144980?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grace Christian Academy (Knoxville) WR [player_tooltip player_id='1695516' first='Braylen' last='Mathis']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1695516' first='Braylen' last='Mathis'] played a handful of snaps on the high school varsity team last season as an eighth grader and that helped prepare him for his freshman year, opening his season with a pair of touchdown receptions in a blowout victory over a solid local 4A team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He has a strong frame with good size and flexibility for the position and it will allow for GCA to move him around the formation and expose some matchups this fall. The Rams hold an exciting offense and the freshman receiver will elevate the ceiling of the unit to an entirely new level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/braylenM_2030/status/2093744757382017493?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/braylenM_2030/status/2093744757382017493?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lipscomb Academy DB [player_tooltip player_id='1307084' first='Ace' last='Eschenburg']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1307084' first='Ace' last='Eschenburg'] proved to be a key piece of the Mustangs defense in the second game of the season against last year's 6A runner-up team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was clutch when it mattered the most, delivering a fourth down stop from the nickel position, to cause a turnover on downs and seal the high-profile road victory for his team. He finished the game with five tackles and a pair of pass breakups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eschenburg and defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='2338957' first='Uriah' last='Groomes'] were relied upon heavily in another game against a top in-state opponent and both delivered strong returns, showing the future is bright at Lipscomb Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2093525281252184277?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2093525281252184277?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->