JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL PREVIEW
And just like that, we’re on the tail end of the 2026 Charleston junior high football season, with only three games left (two conference). The Tigers have been dominant on the season, and plan on continuing this trend with their upcoming road trip north to West Fork. Despite the looming game against Mansfield next week, Coach Matt Stewart reiterated his team’s focus.
“We are continuously prepping on us. That’s where our focus has been, and the distractions of a long season have not deterred our progress.”
Charleston’s 2026 season has been a complete success to this point. From the opening benefit game against 4A power Elkins, it was evident this team was going to be something special when the Tigers came out with a 14-6 victory.
In the first official game, Charleston visited rival Booneville and quickly asserted themselves, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown en route to a 35-0 halftime lead.
This continued with non-conference victories over Pottsville and Ozark, and each 3A-1 conference game has seen the mercy-rule clock roll in the second half. Last week’s game against previously undefeated Greenland had the potential to be much more competitive, but was instead just more Charleston dominance with a 42-0 halftime lead.
I asked Stewart about his team’s confidence after the statement win last week, but he was quick to downplay it.
“This group is even keeled,” he said. “They don’t get too high, nor do they get too low. This morning (Monday) they showed up ready to lift, and prep for West Fork like any other day. They will be ready to go Thursday.”
The Tigers are led by the steady hand of freshman quarterback Daeton Stewart, who has completed 71% of his passes this season for 779 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s only played in the second half once this season, against Ozark.
Tanner Schilling leads the receiving corps with six touchdown receptions, followed by Jaxson Todd with three, Cooper Carruth with three, and Carson Lensing with two.
Charleston leaned pass-heavy last week against Greenland due to an early injury to power running back Grant Little, but Stewart confirmed that Little and the rest of his Tigers are good to go this week.
“We’ve been blessed this season with the health of our team,” he said. “This is the time of year where you want to get your guys to the game so they can perform to the best of their ability. Last week we had a couple of kids get dinged up, but both are back at it today.”
After opening their season with a win over Yellville-Summit, West Fork has struggled and lost six straight for a 1-6 record going into the game against Charleston.
Charleston is 7-0, 4-0 in conference play, and will face also-undefeated Mansfield next week for the conference championship. Mansfield plays Greenland this week.
