The Tullahoma Wildcats open the 2026 football season with a trip down Highway 41-A to face the Shelbyville Golden Eagles this Friday. The neighbors have met 98 times on the gridiron since 1923, with the Eagles holding a 49-46-3 advantage.
Shelbyville is a member of Region 6-6A, with Brentwood, Coffee County, Franklin,
Independence, and Summit. Tullahoma remains in Region 4-5A with Columbia, Franklin County, Lincoln County, and Lawrence County.
Friday Night Thunder kicks off the coverage at 6 pm on 93.9 The Duck, previewing the night’s matchups. Pregame begins at 6:45 with kickoff at 7, and Friday Night Thunder will finish the night with its scoreboard show until 11. Scott Shasteen and Ken Keller begin their 10th season together calling the Cats on The Duck. Listeners worldwide can enjoy the night at 939theduck.com.
Each school has won five of the previous 10 games against each other, including last year’s 35-14 Wildcat victory. Both finished with a 5-6 record in 2025, and both lost in the first round of the playoffs. Shelbyville fell to Antioch and Tullahoma to Walker Valley.
The Wildcats will try to replace Marvancy Johnson, the second-leading rusher in program history, and most of its starting lineup from last year. Senior Patrick Riddle will start at quarterback. He started last year’s playoff loss to Walker Valley, completing 10 of 20 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Dominick Harris gets the start at running back for the Cats after rushing for 242 yards and two touchdowns last year. Julian Cole leads the returning receivers with 11 catches for 184 yards. Tullahoma must replace its entire starting offensive line and much of the defense. Senior Beau Williams, who missed last year with an injury, is back to lead his young teammates on the line.
The Golden Eagles must adjust to life after Robert Bailey and Stephen Bobo. Bailey ran for over 3,000 yards in his career and signed with Austin Peay State University. Bobo, a Vanderbilt University baseball commit, chose not to play football his senior season after passing and running for over 3,500 yards.
Junior Torrion Mathis will fill Bailey’s role after gaining over 700 yards as a sophomore. Reagor Edwards returns as the leading receiver, with 24 catches for 371 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Cy’Onn Rucker gets the start at quarterback after backing up Bobo last season.
Shelbyville won the 1923 contest 27-0, and Tullahoma didn’t beat the Golden Eagles until a 13-6 victory in 1937. The Wildcats’ largest margin of victory came in 1943, winning 46-0. The Golden Eagles put 59 points on the scoreboard against the Wildcats in 1995 and won 55-0 in 2015. Tullahoma broke a 21-game losing streak in Shelbyville in the season opener in 2017, the 1000th game in Wildcat history.
The 2026 regular season begins Thursday night with multiple matchups across the state, including private-school powerhouses Baylor and Brentwood Academy squaring off on ESPN. Locally, Franklin County is at Coffee County on Thunder Radio, Moore County hosts Community on Whiskey Country Radio, Lincoln County travels to Marshall County, and Lawrence County is at Summertown.
