Ever since the sun set on the Macomb High football team’s season on a rainy November afternoon, the start of the 2026 campaign could not get here soon enough.
The 29-0 playoff loss to the Maple Leafs brought the curtain down on a 9-2 season that the Bombers believed ended too soon.
“I think a lot of our guys took that loss to heart,” said MHS coach Tanner Horrell. “It motivated us all off-season. We had a really good off-season in the weightroom.”
“We really had to hit the weight room hard,” he added. “That was a big difference between us and Geneseo across the board. And we’re always trying to get faster. I thought we did those two things well.”
And as always, Horrell noted the team was looking to add schemes on both sides of the ball.
As the new season approaches, hopes and enthusiasm are high for the orange and black.
“There’s a lot of excitement because of all the guys we have back,” said Horrell. “It’s not very often you have the luxury of having nine starters back on both sides of the ball and your kicker back as well.”
“Just based off that there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” he added. “We have high goals for ourselves, but that’s what you want. You want to go into a season with high expectations.”
Aiden Reynolds (6-feet, 195 pounds, senior), Sam Potter (5-8, 225 junior), Eli McClure (6-5, 220, junior), Charlie Bodiford (6-5, 350, senior), Will Thomas (6-0, 220, senior) and Blaze Howell (defense) (6-0, 185, senior) are the foundation up front.
“I think it all starts up front with our O-line and D-line,” said Horrell. “Offensively, setting the tone, allowing us to move the football on the ground and defensively, taking those double-teams and allowing linebackers to make plays.”
Howell recorded 53 total tackles last year (11 solos and 42 assists), while Thomas added 34 (5-29) and Potter 20 (4-16).
At linebacker, the Bombers feature all-stater Drake May (5-11, 195, senior), who recorded 141 total tackles a year ago (48-93). Jeshua McPheeters (5-8, 170, senior) was second for MHS with 79 total tackles (27-52) and junior Cameron Keene (6-0, 180) added 36 total tackles.
South Fulton transfer Colby Martin (5-8, 190, junior) adds to the mix. He had 39 tackles on defense, while also running for 945 yards and 12 TDs for the Rebels last season.
In the defensive backfield, Drake Taber (5-8, 185, junior) moves from linebacker, while Carter Havens (5-10, 190, senior) and Kyler Norton (6-2, 170, senior) also return.
Taber recorded 52 total tackles a year ago, while Norton and Havens added 41 and 38 respectively.
Offensively, senior quarterback Kaden Knupp (6-0, 200) is back with a year under his belt.
He was 85-of-155 for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions a year ago. He also ran for 344 yards on 62 carries with eight TDs.
“This off-season you can just tell such a big difference in his development,” said Horrell. “He’s much more comfortable. We’re putting a little more on his plate, so it’s exciting to see his progress.”
“I think you usually take a big jump from your first to second year,” he added. “We’ve had a lot of success with our quarterbacks making that jump from their junior to senior years. Hopefully that trend continues.”
May also made his presence felt offensively, rushing for 1,138 yards and 15 TDs on 163 carries.
Norton and Havens both recorded 13 catches each for a combined 492 yards with Norton scoring five touchdowns.
Another key returnee for the Bombers is senior kicker Hayden Katz (5-9, 150). Katz made 38 of his 39 pointafter touchdown-kicks last season and was 1-of-3 in field goal attempts.
Horrell stated that numbers in the programs were up with more than 60 kids currently on the roster.
That includes newcomers from other sports in senior Nick Elbe (6-3, 200) from basketball and junior Tyler Shulz (6-0, 160) from baseball.
“We’re really excited about that,” said Horrell of the numbers. “We’ve still got to stay healthy. We still want to get our best out on the field in that crunch time. But we do like our depth this year.”
As for the schedule, the LincolnLand Conference realigned in the off-season, creating a third division.
Much of the slate remains the same with Bombers joining West Hancock, Illini West, Farmington and Elmwood/Brimfield in the newly formed West Division.
The Bombers will see Knoxville and Rushville-Industry again this season, with Stark County and Highland new to the slate.
“Every year, it’s something a little bit different,” said Horrell of the schedule. “But our expectation every year is that we’re competing for a conference championship. We’ve been close the last couple of years and haven’t taken care of the job, so that’s probably goal number one this year, trying to win the conference again.”
Conference crown or not, being on top of their game come playoff time is the prime objective for the Bombers.
“We just want to be the best version of ourselves come week 10 and see what happens,” said Horrell. “It all comes down to the draw and who you get in week 10 and 11 anyway.”
“We’ll do our best to put ourselves in the best situation to host a playoff game,” he added.
The season may be different, but for Horrell, the keys remain the same.
“I think it all starts up front,” he stated. “You’ve got to stop the run. If we make (the opposition) throw the football, we like our chances of getting to the quarterback and making them make some mistakes.”
“Offensively, we want to run the football first,” Horrell added. “We want to ground and pound and control the game on the ground. But we have to take a step forward in the pass game. Last year, having a new quarterback, we were limited a little bit at times. But we think this year, we’re going to take that next step and give some more schemes to some teams and hopefully get some receivers open and make some big plays through the air.”
While the squad features a large number of returning players, Horrell is looking for someone to step up into leadership roles in replacing graduated seniors Drew Watson and Nolan Hoge.
Watson had 47 catches for 800 yards and seven TDs on offense, along ith 34 tackles and four interceptions on defense.
Hoge had a team-high five interceptions, three forced fumbles and 51 total tackles (23-28), along with 11 catches for 209 yards and two scores.
“Drew (Watson) and Nolan (Hoge) did a great job of being leaders for us,” said Horrell. “They won football games when it mattered. Nolan on the defensive side was always there to make a big interception or make a big play, cause a fumble. Drew was our ‘get out of jail free’ card on offense. We’d throw it up to him on thirdand- long or fourth-and-long and it seemed like he was always there to make a play.”
“We’re going to be looking for some guys to step up in those crunch times, but we have a lot of guys that have played a lot of varsity football,” he added. “We’re confident that the Kyler Nortons, the Carter Havens will make those plays for us.”
Members of the 2026 Macomb High Varsity football cheerleading squad include the following. Front row, left to right, Ava Huston, NaLeigha Mitchell, Paityn Havens, Hallie Kane and Violet Sparks. Back: Anna Crosby, Brooklyn Welch, Adalynn Gilbert, Lily Gabriel, Mullen Butcher, Autumn Starbuck and Reagan Knowles.
Players for the 2026 Macomb High junior varsity football team include the following. Front row, left to right, Mavix Honsman, JT Duffy, Carson Knoblock, Gavin Livermore, Dean Wagoner, Joe McKee, Quincy Adler, Arthur Krohe, Justice Harshbarger and Aiden Rowland-Pilger. Second row, left to right, Jayden Panapitya, James Liebsack, Aiden Seward, Conor Clauson, Kody Knupp, Tyrese Cole, Terrell Crawford, Peyton Williams and Owen Carney. Back row, left to right, Zach Nelson, Mason James, Reed Brookman, Easton Karlinski, Carter Van Vleet, AJ Moon, LJ Barry, Keyshaun Sanders and Jaric Royer. Not pictured: Jordan Murray.
Members of the 2026 Macomb High Junior Varsity football cheerleading squad include the following. Front row, left to right, Olivia Hawkins, Piper Riggins and Braelyn Powers. Back: Emma Rigg, Lily Winbigler, Delaney Jackson and Kaylea Chambers. Courtesy photos
