HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
For the second straight season, Charleston vs. Greenland will feature a father/son duo of opposing head coaches, aptly named “May Bowl II.” Brock May of Greenland and his father Ricky May of Charleston both pull for each others teams during the other nine games on the schedule. But make no mistake about it, at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 16th at Jonathan Ramey stadium in Greenland, both coaches are here to win.
“Last year being the first year was obviously really fun and pretty unique,” said Greenland second-year head coach Brock May. “We got to coach together for two years (at Waldron) and to this day, those were the two best and most special years of my career.”
No longer on the same coaching staff, Brock May also added that being able to coach opposite of his father is still fun as well.
“Getting to coach against him now is pretty special as well,” he said. “I’m a Charleston fan every week of the year except for one. It’s just a blessing for both of us to be able to do what we love and one week out of the year compete while doing it.”
“I feel the same,” said Charleston head coach and Brock’s father, Ricky May. “Getting to coach with my sons are the most special years I’ve had.”
Ricky May also roots for Greenland in every game, except for one.
“I love rooting for him and the Pirates but one time a year,” he said. “I can’t root for them to win against us. But he has done a great job up there with the morale and the kids.”
Ricky May has also previously coached with his younger son Bryson May, who served as an assistant at Charleston for the past four seasons. Bryson recently joined the Booneville coaching staff, a school he is familiar with as he is one of the all-time leading rushers in Bearcat history.
Charleston won the first game last year between the two coaches 38-6. Charleston finished with a 10-win season, and Greenland finished with a 2-8 2025 record. Regardless, with conference victories over West Fork and Cedarville last year, Greenland was clearly trending upwards. And 2026 has proved that to be true.
Brock May has doubled his 2025 win total, leading the Pirates to a 4-2 start and a 1-1 record in Conference 3A-1.
“We are just trying to build off of the foundation that we started last year and continue to improve,” said Brock May. “We want to run the ball and play good defense and throw the ball when we want to, not when we have to.”
Greenland is led offensively by the running back duo of Braxton Story and EJ Johnson. Quarterback Kyle Farquharson is also a dual threat for the Pirates. Against West Fork, Story went off for 309 yards and five touchdowns.
“They have two really good RB’s with Johnson and Story,” said Ricky May. “The QB can play as well. He can throw and is a dangerous runner. Their offensive line is physical.”
Charleston is coming into Friday’s contest as one of the hottest teams in 3A. The Tigers got off to a rough 0-3 start against 4A-4 opponents Booneville, Ozark, and Pottsville, which currently hold a combined 17-1 record. But since then, the Tigers have reeled off three straight wins, including two come-from-behind victories on the road against Clinton and Paris.
At home against Cedarville, on Homecoming, many media outlets predicted the Pirates would upset the Tigers for the first time since 1985. Instead, Charleston played their most complete game of the season in a decisive 44-8 victory. Junior running back Finn Schmalz led the Tigers with 122 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, and also added a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Coach Ricky May gave credit to his offensive line for a great game.
“I feel like our offensive line is gelling as a unit,” he said. “They have played great and there were a few times where Finn wasn’t getting touched until the second level. Finn has been running with reckless abandon too!”
“Charleston had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state,” said Brock May about the Tigers. “They are battle tested after making it through and rolling into conference play.”
“We had to grow up early, which is now paying off,” said Ricky May when asked about how the non-conference schedule prepared them for where they are now. “Those teams are some of the best in the state so probably not going to play better.”
Coach Brock May also had high praise for Charleston’s style of football as well as the coaching staff.
“If there is one thing I know about the Tigers, it’s that they play extremely physical and disciplined,” he said. “They have two of the best football minds in the state on both sides of the football in Coach May and Coach (Matt) Stewart.”
All photo credits to Ronni Tate Young of Resident News Network.
