2026 Football Preview: Ashland Tomcats

ASHLAND, Ky. — Maybe Ashland Tomcats’ head coach Chad Tackett is a fisherman. He found himself last season saying, “You should have seen the one that got away.”

If it was for bad luck, the Tomcats might not have had any luck at all like an unlucky fisherman. Ashland went 7-5 and had numerous games that couldn’t have gone in their favor.

“We had a down year last year. Going 7-5 is not good enough here. We let a couple of games slip away from us. We lost one on a last-second field goal and we missed a last-second field goal on another one” said Tackett.

“And one game we had five turnovers, so it was one of those years. It was a growing year for some of our guys. Our team chemistry wasn’t great last year. I feel that’s something we improved upon the most this year, the way the guys love each other, and obviously, the work they’ve put in.”

One group that’s worked hard is the offensive line led by seniors Ben Ream and Wyatt Riley who started last season.

Add Brycen Charland (6-2, 257) along with Carson Pennington, Nathaniel Wayne, Gabe Traugott and the Tomcats have an excellent place to start.

“We feel like we have seven or eight guys who can play up front. Stature-wise they’re not all big, but they’re strong kids. They had a great winter in the weight room and they’re all putting up pretty good numbers on their lifts, so despite not being tall or big in stature, they’re big in numbers in the weight room and I think that will hopefully translate to the field” said Beam.

“Ben Ream and Wyatt Riley who were starters last season. Brycen Charland has had a great offseason and Carson Pennington. Nathaniel Wayne looks to be the center, John Weaver is here. He’s very capable. Gabe Traugott is a sophomore who can go in and give us some good minutes. We feel we have some guys who can go in there and play.”

Having a good offensive line should be a comfort for sophomore quarterback Tanner Stutler (5-11, 165).

“He only got to start the last three games of the season, so we felt like it was trial by fire. We tried to bring him along slowly at the beginning of the year and played him in some jayvee games. He continued to improve and we let him start the last couple of games of the season,” said Tackett.

“We thought he did a really good job considering he’s a freshman out there. He’s had a great offseason. He’s really worked on his throwing mechanics. His sprint out passing has gotten better. His pocket presence has gotten better, so I look for a big year from him.”

Right behind Stutler will be the trio of running back candidates comprised of senior Maverick Ashby (5-11, 205), junior Tre Taylor (5-11, 166), and senior Brody Simpkins (6-2, 215).

“Mav is coming back from ACL surgery. Hopefully, he’ll be healthy and have a good season,” said Tackett. “We’ve got Tre Taylor and Luke McCoy. They’re very good players on both sides of the ball.

“Daylen Farrow’s back for us and we’ve got a couple of young sophomores Nate Shavers and James McDaniels. Nate and James will give us some young options there. Luke, Daylen and Tre are strong juniors who will be running in the backfield, so we feel we’ve got one of the deepest running back rooms we’ve had here in probably 20 years since I’ve been here.

The wide receiver room took a hit with graduation, but Tackett has a good group returning led by Miami of Ohio and Trenton Gist, Cameron Davis junior Justin Hughes (6-4, 170), Sam Lyons senior Kody Millette (5-9, 180) sophomore Jaylen Strader (5-10, 150).

“We lost a couple of guys who were three-year starters for us, but we’ve got Justin Hughes back who has a Miami, Ohio, offer. Hopefully, he’s going to have a monster season. Kody Millette has had a good offseason. He’ll be one of our wideouts and Taner Woodman is a senior and he’ll play both ways,” said Tackett.

“We have a newcomer out with Jaylen Strader. He didn’t play last year as a freshman, but he’s played all the way up through eighth grade. He’s had a really good preseason for us. Trenton Gist had a tremendous camp for us. So, we have some guys who can go in there and give those guys a break. I’m excited about that room. It’s not super deep, but we’ve got kids who can come in and make plays for us.”

The defense will be a mirror of the offense with many of the players going both ways.

“Same kind of deal. We’re not very big, but we’re fast and we’re strong. This is probably one of the best athletic defenses we’ve had in a while,” said Tackett.

Last season’s leading tackler was senior Brody Simpkins and he is back inside along with junior J.J. Keyes (6-0, 205) who is also a returning starter.

Senior Taner Woodman (5-11, 175) is moving from defensive back to outside linebacker and he will be flanked on the other side by Gist. Also in the mix will be junior Nathaniel Williams and sophomore Hagan Samuels.

The defensive line will be led by Luke McCoy who is a returning all-area player anchors the defensive line.

“He’s a physical specimen. Just a strong, fast kid that any program would love,” said Tackett. “John Weaver at nose guard, Nathaniel Williams at D-tackle and Gabe Trogget at D-end. Avian Lee and Hagan Samuels had a great summer and could end up in the starting rotation.

“We feel pretty good about our front seven. Lot of experience with a lot of those guys.”

The secondary is headed up by juniors Noah Thompson (6-0, 178) and Logan Kincer (5-8, 160).

“We’re breaking in a few new faces. Hopefully, Mav Ashby will be back at safety, Nate Shavers could end up being one of our safeties, cornerback Tre Taylor is one of the top defensive backs in the state,” said Tackett.

James McDaniels and Cody Mollette will vie for one spot and junior Daylen Farrow (5-10, 175) is the other corner.

“Logan Kincer will end up being the free safety. Jaylen Strader plays some safety and Noah Thompson is our Swiss Army Knife. He can play safety, inside linebacker, outside backer and even D-line. So, he can play any position on defense,” said Tackett. “We feel pretty good with our guys back there.”

The Tomcats will face a tough schedule as they look to rebound from last year’s record. Ashland faces Montgomery County, Class A power Raceland, Tates Creek, talented Lawrence County, East jessamine, rivals Russell and Greenup County, Rowan County, arch-rival Boyd County, Johnson Central and Lexington Catholic.

Montgomery County, Tates Creek, Lawrence County, Russell, Boyd County and Johnson Central are all at home.

“I feel pretty good about our schedule. It’s going to be a gauntlet. It’s one of those year’s you just take it week by week,” Tackett said.