In a way, the 2026 seasons of the Charleston Tigers and Cutter-Morning Star Eagles have been very similar. Charleston (6-4, 5-1) started the season 0-3 before finding its stride, winning six of their last seven. Cutter-Morning Star (4-6, 4-3) started 0-6, but are riding a four-game winning streak coming into the playoffs with 3A-4 conference wins over Jessieville, Conway Christian, Danville, and Two Rivers.
Despite the 0-6 start to the season, Charleston cannot afford to take the Eagles’ explosive offense lightly.
Cutter-Morning Star will be led by junior wide receiver Kingstyn Hollingsworth and junior quarterback Jacob Smith. The Eagles will present an offense similar to Charleston, a spread attack, mixing in a blend of passing, inside handoffs, and jet sweeps.
Smith has thrown for 2,321 yards on the season with 25 touchdowns. Twelve of those touchdowns were to Hollingsworth, with the junior contributing 929 yards receiving on the season. Senior Hunter Sanders has added eight touchdowns on 687 yards receiving. Smith is also the leading rusher with 266 yards and six touchdowns.
“No doubt those two can flat out play,” said Charleston head coach Ricky May on Smith and Hollingsworth. “We have to contain Smith and get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible. We have to do our best to keep Hollingsworth in front of us.”
The Eagles have struggled defensively on the season, allowing 30 or more points in eight of ten games. CMS had a chance to beat Perryville in October, with a 21-16 lead going into the fourth quarter. But Perryville scored late to take a 24-21 lead, eventually giving them the 3-seed and CMS the 4-seed.
The game will mark the first all-time meeting between the two schools. CMS, based out of Hot Springs, established their football program in 1977. The Eagles were in conference 2A-5 from 2006-2021, spent two years in 8-man football, and have been in the 3A-4 since 2024. CMS is 0-6 all-time in playoff games. First-year head coach, Josh Brown, has seen plenty of playoff success as a former assistant at Bryant.
Charleston, on the other hand, is one of the most decorated programs in the state. The Tigers have made the playoffs every season since 1988, an ongoing state record. During that span, Charleston has won 25 conference championships, finished as state runner-up twice, and captured six state championships. Ricky May is in his eighth season as head coach of Charleston. May has led the Tigers to three conference titles, and one state championship in 2022.
Charleston opened the 2026 season against a brutal non-conference schedule that included 9-1 Booneville and 10-0 Ozark, tumbling to an 0-3 start. However, after falling behind 21-10 at halftime in their fourth non-conference game at Clinton, the Tigers have been a completely different team. Charleston came back in that game to win 24-21, and went 5-1 in conference play. Their only loss was 38-28 to defending 3A state champion Mansfield, in which Charleston turned the ball over twice at the Mansfield goal line.
After a difficult start to the season, Charleston has put itself in position to make another postseason run. The Tigers will look to utilize a home playoff game and continue building on the momentum they’ve established the last seven weeks.
“I feel like our team is really coming together,” said May. “They have gotten a lot better together since the early games. Hopefully they enjoy playing together, might get to keep playing for a while.”
Charleston is a young team with only a handful of seniors. They are led offensively by junior running back Finn Schmalz, with 1,105 yards rushing on the season. He also has 289 receiving yards with three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Lukas Burleson is a dual-threat, with 1,168 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, and also has 582 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns. Junior Matteo Gaona is the leading receiver with 625 yards and five touchdowns.
Charleston will attempt to extend their first round playoff winning streak to seven games. The last time the Tigers lost in the first round was in 2019 to Prescott. Cutter-Morning Star is seeking their first-ever playoff win, but will have to do so at Alumni Field in Charleston.
“It’s always good to play in front of your home crowd just so they can get loud,” said May.
As has been in years past, playoff tickets are only available digitally through GoFan. Only AAA passes will be accepted. Tickets can be purchased on the GoFan app, or click the link here. Action starts at 7 p.m. Friday night in Charleston.
