Riverside
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Week 9 takeaways
What to take away from each result in rural West Tennessee in Week 9
Week 9 Blitz
Your guide to this week's games across rural West Tennessee.
Early look at playoff races in each region
Who's in the playoffs, who's not, who's in contention for region championships
Week 8 Blitz
Your guide to this week's games across rural West Tennessee.
West TN Blitz top 10 after Week 7
Here's a look at the latest top 10 in rural West Tennessee
Week 7 Takeaways
What to take away from each result in rural West Tennessee in Week 7
Week 7 Blitz
Your guide to this week's games across rural West Tennessee.
West TN Blitz top 10 after Week 6
Here's a look at the latest top 10 in rural West Tennessee
Week 6 Takeaways
What to take away from each result in rural West Tennessee in Week 6
Week 6 Blitz
Your guide to this week's games across rural West Tennessee.
Week 5 Blitz
Your guide to this week's games across rural West Tennessee.
Week 4 Takeaways
What we took away from the results from Week 4
Quick hits
The Panthers returning from last year’s team said they’ve learned a lot from the 2025 season, particularly working through losses in the first five games, and two of them finishing within one possession in the final score.
The Panthers aim to try to stay healthy this year as by the end of that losing streak, the team had 11 starters out for injury, eight of which were out for the season.
This year’s senior group was the freshman class three years ago when the Panthers won the Class 2A state championship.
The seniors said they’re making a point to try to lead this year when there was a leadership vacuum in the locker room a year before and the coaches had to step into that leadership role.
Because of all the injuries last year, Frost said he likes the amount of experience returning this year, which is considerably higher as players had playing time that probably wouldn't have had the injuries not happened.
Position groups
Offensive line — This could be the strongest group Frost has had in his time at Riverside, but that will mean nothing if it doesn’t translate on the field. J.P. Gray is back in the tackle position after ending his season early with a knee injury against Huntingdon. Chris Pittman is nearly 6-feet-4-inches tall and weighs about 340 pounds of hard-to-stop athleticism. River Fowler will play one guard, while Austin Pritchard moves over from center to guard. Slade Gibson is a transfer from Lexington that will be helpful, and Frost feels good about a group of eight that can rotate in and out and have quality depth.
Backfield — Murrell Perez is back after rushing for more than 1,000 yards last year, and Joby Lopez did a good job in relief. Sophomore Caden Butell got good time at the end of the season and split time with Lopez in that backup role to provide good depth. Brayden Mayes is a big freshman who might can help with short-yardage situations by the end of the season. Mack Hernandez is the returning starter at quarterback and will be backed up by Cupples.
Receivers — This group won’t be heralded as the most talented receiver group in the region, but senior Jack Cupples is a leader who’s experienced the good and bad times in recent years in Panther football. Charles Eaves is a junior who’s about 200 pounds and stands at 6-feet-3-inches tall and one of the strongest guys on the team. Lee Grissom has transferred in from Lexington and has added some depth to the group with ability.
Defensive line — Gray, Pritchard and Pittman will play both ways along with most of the offensive line group. Brayson Hardin is one that can be a definite help on defense.
Linebackers — Mason Tucker will be the starting middle linebacker, while Hayden White will start on the outside. They were the two leading tacklers last year. Sophomores Caden Butell and Zeke Sanders will be a part of the rotation, while Murrell Perez and Joby Lopez will be in there too.
Secondary — No starters are back for this group, but the older guys that are back do have meaningful experience. Jeremiah Cole is back from Spring Hill in Middle Tennessee after moving away with his family in middle school. Gavin Newberry, Caden Roach and Cupples will be safeties with good depth. The coaching staff worked all summer finding the best combinations of guys working together. Colt Stewart started three games last year and began to figure things out toward the end.
Special teams — Caden King will step into the punter role as he’s a soccer player who’s figured out the drop kick and can punt a soccer ball 80 yards. Judah Morgan will help in special teams as well.
2026 stats
| Games | Points | Yards | Passing | Rushing | Allowed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1 | 21 | 395 | 256 | 139 | 239 |
| Per game | — | 21.0 | 395.0 | 256.0 | 139.0 | 239.0 |
Game by game
| Wk | Opponent | Score | Yards | Pass | Rush | Allowed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Camden | W | 21–16 | 395 | 256 | 139 | 239 |
Passing
| Player | Cmp-Att | Yards | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Duck | 16-26 | 256 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrel Perez | 15 | 84 | 5.6 | 0 |
| Jacob Duck | 4 | 24 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Jobe Lopez | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 1 |
| Jack Cupples | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Catches | Yards | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Cupples | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 1 |
| Merrel Perez | 3 | 53 | 17.7 | 1 |
| Charles Eaves | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 |
| Cade Roach | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 0 |
| Jobe Lopez | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 0 |
| Kayden Beutel | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 |
| Colt Steward | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 |
| Lee Grissom | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 |
| Chase Snider | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 |
Defence
| Player | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Newberry | 5 | |||
| Hayden Wyatt | 5 | 2 | ||
| Jack Cupples | 3 | |||
| Jobe Lopez | 3 | |||
| Austin Pritchard | 3 | 1 | ||
| Kayden Beutel | 2 | |||
| Jon Parker Graves | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Mason Tucker | 2 | |||
| Colt Steward | 1 | |||
| Lee Grissom | 1 | |||
| Christopher Pitmon | 1 | |||
| Max Hernandez | 1 | |||
| Name? | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tayvon Jimenez | 1 |