POWELL, Tenn. (WATE) — The 2026 high school football season is set to kick off with Powell at Anderson County Thursday.
The Panthers have been one of the best teams in Class 5A in recent history but will not have the quarterback who led them to three straight nine-win seasons.
Deuce Rodgers has graduated, and so the Panthers will have a new player under center. Whoever that is, he will have a lot of options of who to throw the ball to.
“This is the deepest receiver core we’ve had in quite some time,” said Powell Head Coach Matt Lowe. “I think we’re extremely talented up front in the offensive line, and so there’s a lot of talent around that quarterback position.”
One of those talented receivers is senior Zi Jackson, who picked up 1,212 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns last season.
“I tell them all the time, ‘Hey if you don’t know who to throw the ball to, throw it to Zi because he’s really good and really fast,'” said Coach Lowe. “He’s a dynamic player.”
Although Jackson found success last season, Lowe said he’s still one of the hardest workers on the team, a common theme from his seniors.
“I’ve always said your best teams are ones where your best players are your hardest workers,” said Lowe. “I certainly think we have that in this group of seniors and this group of leaders. There’s a bunch of kids working extremely hard to make sure their senior season is going to be something they’re never going to forget.”
Powell starts the season on Thursday, Aug. 20 at Anderson County.
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