Jeremy New, who is preparing for his first season as Heritage High School’s head coach, did not hesitate to label senior running back Brayden Slaughter the key to the Generals’ success on offense in 2025.
After packing on 20 pounds over the offseason, Slaughter looks well positioned to handle the role of bell cow in the backfield after he averaged 102 rushing yards per game in 2024.
Slaughter sure gave East Hamilton’s defense fits during limited action in a scrimmage Saturday night as part of the two-weekend Prelude to a Championship at Finley Stadium. He broke away for 83 rushing yards on just four carries, which included a 42-yard touchdown down the sideline.
“I will be honest, the whole offense is kind of built around him,” New said of the physical Slaughter. “Setting up the run with him to help set up the pass. He does a phenomenal job of setting things up. He is a great teammate and cares about everyone’s success on this team. Not just his own. He is a great leader.”
With opponents having to worry about stopping Slaughter, the passing game for Heritage looks to be lethal — especially with a shiny new weapon at its disposal in junior receiver Brayden Stoker, who transferred this year from Gordon Lee, to go with one of the area’s top targets in senior Cody Bryan, who had four games with at least 170 receiving yards last season, including a high of 259.
Bryan and Stoker had touchdown catches of 35 and 80 yards, respectively, on passes from junior quarterback Caden Hight as the varsity squad finished its half of play with a 23-14 lead over East Hamilton before both teams put in their junior varsity players. Sophomore Caiden Foster added a 46-yard catch for Heritage.
On defense, the Generals showcased their pass rush as Kane Romano and Jett Walker each recorded multiple sacks, and Logan Cheatwood made an impressive one-handed interception near the sideline. Meanwhile, Heritage’s Jake Collett — the Texas-committed kicker who is a member of the Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen — drilled a 39-yard field goal in the scrimmage.
“The thing I love about this team the most already is their selflessness,” said New, a former Generals assistant. “They work hard and play for each other already, and that is a key element to having a good team. They are fun to be around. For the first time under the … lights, I thought everything went really good. Our pass rush got home, which was good, and we are excited for the season to begin.”
East Hamilton senior Jermaine Heathington starred for the Hurricanes as he made a leaping interception and also had 80 receiving yards as he showed his burst after the catch. Seniors Grayson Maddox and Kobe Maddux-Rivers accounted for the team’s touchdowns on a reception and an interception, respectively.
Jaden Haywood, who is committed to East Tennessee State University was sticky in coverage for East Hamilton’s defense as he broke up three passes, and he also had a 17-yard carry for the offense before being sidelined by a shoulder injury.
In the other scrimmage, which went to halftime with Tyner leading Hixson 26-14, Tyner sophomore D’Aerion McNealy had one of the plays of the night as the lead tailback made an impressive 31-yard run after the catch on a screen pass where he spun around two defenders. McNealy finished the first half of action with a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Rams.
Hixson led briefly at 14-13 as quarterback Jake Pollock drove his way in for an 8-yard score before senior safety Ryan Burney returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. Burney had four defensive scores last season and was recently featured for his strong defensive play on a podcast produced by former NFL players.
Tyler Anderson and Marcus Turner each completed touchdown passes for the Rams, covering 15 and 20 yards, respectively. Both look to be used this season to complement each other and push the Rams’ attack.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.