HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
The Charleston Tigers, from the 3A-1 conference, and the Pottsville Apache’s of 4A-4, are set to play a non-conference matchup for the third consecutive year on Friday night in Pottsville. The teams split the first two matchups, with Pottsville taking a back-and-forth 38-35 win at home in 2024, and Charleston getting revenge in 2025 with a 42-7 win at Alumni Field. All time, Charleston holds a 5-1 series advantage.
The 2026 senior high Charleston Tigers opened their season with a tough 34-27 loss to neighboring rival Booneville, but there were plenty of positives to take away from the game. Charleston, despite trailing 34-12 with under 6 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, never quit and battled back to make the score 34-27 with 3:32 remaining in the game. The Tigers were led by Junior Quarterback Lukas Burleson, who finished with 187 yards on 13 of 17 passing, and two passing touchdowns and one rushing. Both touchdown passes were caught by junior running back Finn Schmalz. Junior Matteo Goana added 7 receptions for 99 yards.
Ultimately, what would have been a historic comeback fell short. “They never gave up at any point, despite being very short handed,” said Charleston Head Coach Ricky May. “We had several kids that never came off the field except for when they were banged up.”
Pottsville also fell behind in their opening contest of the year, trailing Prairie Grove 30-12 at halftime. But the Apache’s clawed back, capped off by Jhostin Molina kicking a 38 yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to put the Apache’s up for good, 49-46. Pottsville was led by fullback Tyson Thacker, who tallied 3 touchdowns on the night. “Tyson played great for us, but I also want to call out Penn Helton. He had a big night with 110 yards rushing and 13 tackles on defense,” said Pottsville Head Coach Bryan Rust. When asked about what he told his Apache’s in the locker room down 30-12, Rust responded: “At halftime, I told the kids to just keep playing, and to stop turning the ball over! The kids really responded and I felt like we leaned on them offensively to wear them down.”
Coach May understands the challenge that Pottsville presents to Charleston. “They are massive up front and very skilled in the backfield. It will take us playing a great game with no turnovers and no mistakes to beat them.”
The Tigers face the daunting challenge of having a small roster, the byproduct of losing the largest graduating class in school history with the class of 2025. “Obviously we are concerned because of the low number of players, and would love to have more options, but the kids that we do have played hard,” said May. “Hopefully by playoff time, we will have developed a little bit more depth.”
Coach May and Coach Rush, former teammates at Booneville, both have a lot of respect for each other and their programs. When asked how he values playing Charleston, Coach Rust had high praise for the Tigers. “We love to schedule teams that show us what we’re bad at in conference. It helps us prepare for the stuff we are going to see. Charleston is a state level team year in and year out.” May added, “There is not a better guy in the world than Bryan Rust. He was a tough, overachieving player, and the same can be said about his kids, because he gets the most out of his guys.”
Charleston ended the 2025 season with a 10-2, 6-1 record, after a heartbreaking and controversial loss to eventual state runner-up Fordyce in the playoff quarterfinals. Pottsville finished their 2025 campaign at 6-5, 4-3 with a loss to Blytheville in the playoffs. Kickoff time will be 7 PM at Needham Field in Pottsville, with a forecast of HOT.
