Boyd Buchanan will enter its 2026 football season with a 22-game winning streak in region play, but there are many reasons to think TSSAA Division II-AA’s East Region could be competitive this fall.
Notre Dame had a tremendous offseason when it comes to adding transfers and improving in the weight room, while Silverdale Baptist Academy returns the most proven playmakers in the region. However, could Knoxville Grace’s monster backfield prove too much for anyone in the league to handle?
For the next 13 days, the Times Free Press will preview a Chattanooga-area region in Tennessee or Georgia as the start of a new prep football season arrives in three weeks.
We kick off with DII-AA East.
Team to beat: Silverdale brings back a third-year starter in quarterback Connor Jenne, who threw 30 touchdown passes as as a junior in 2026, and his top three deep-threat receivers — Luke Bowman, Titus Hinkle and Cannon Rogers — also return. Jackson Deitch has massive breakout potential in the backfield, and the Seahawks have enough ball hawks and solid run stoppers to have a formidable defense. Vanderbilt-committed lineman Luke Burger is the top impact player in this region, as the 6-foot-7, 290-pounder can take over a game in the trenches.