HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Tennessee High linebacker Preston Feagins always focused on task at hand

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

LEF: Tennessee High's Preston Feagins, left, tackles Sullivan East quarterback Peyton Lingerfelt during a 2024 game at the Stone Castle.

Tim Hayes

Reliable.

Relentless.

Rugged.

Resilient.

Those are all apt descriptions of Tennessee High senior linebacker Preston Feagins and there's another word that also applies in advance of Friday night's season-opener at rival West Ridge.

Ready.

"His head's in the right place, his heart's in the right place and his love for the game here at Tennessee High is in the right place," said THS coach Josh Holt.

Keep a close eye on the dude wearing No. 44 for the maroon-and-white clad Vikings and you'll see he is usually always in the right place on the football field.

He amassed 50 solo tackles, recorded seven sacks and recovered two fumbles last season, all of which led Tennessee High.

People are also reading... HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Chilhowie, John Battle and Grundy scrimmaged on Thursday. Here are some things to know. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Kaeden Groseclose is a big man with a plan for the Graham G-Men HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Five observations from Virginia High's 42-21 preseason victory over Sullivan East HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Individuals from J.I. Burton, Castlewood, Northwood, North Greene to know from Saturday's Jamboree in Wise 2025 BHC BASEBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Jimmy Gobble, John Battle Caldwell apologizes for Speedway Classic concession shortcomings HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: With the season here, just a few of the games to check out in 2025 2025 BHC SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Donnie Frazier, J.I. Burton Damascus couple opening fly fishing shop 2025 BHC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jett Humphreys, Abingdon Bristol native Beach chosen Head of School at Morrison School MLB: Hunter Stratton (Sullivan East) notches save for Atlanta Braves in win at Cleveland State Liners returning to Bristol, Virginia, to play in all-new stadium Sai Sushi serving Japanese-style offerings at Abingdon location HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Abingdon's Tykenevan Thompson hopes to make a name for himself

Feagins was among the leaders of a determined defensive unit that held seven of the 11 teams it faced last year under 100 rushing yards and will look to be even stingier in 2025.

Frank Reed, Feagins' fellow linebacker, earned rave reviews in the preseason.

Meanwhile, Kalel Honaker, Kai Allison, Erasmo Cobian, Isaac Stevens, Josiah Beidleman, Peyton Lomas and Spencer Miller are among the valuable members of a deep defensive line.

"Our defensive coaches, all the way around, are hard on us and that's what makes us good ballplayers," Feagins said. "They always make sure we do the little things right, so when we get on the field it's all habit."

Feagins is an old-school player, a no-frills linebacker always in pursuit of both the ballcarrier and perfecting his craft.

"He's kind of the epitome of what we want," Holt said. "Tough, hard-nosed, competitive, works hard in the classroom, works hard in the weight room, goes hard in practice and it all shows on Friday night."

Feagins has left a trail of battered running backs and quarterbacks in his wake.

"He's a thumper," Holt said. "If he latches on to you, you're going down and going to be tackled."

Feagins could play a bigger role on offense this season as an h-back and fullback. He had six catches for 73 yards last season.

"I like to do what I can," Feagins said.

Tennessee High hasn't won its season-opener since 2018 (last year's loss to Greeneville in Week 1 was later overturned when the Greene Devils forfeited due to an ineligible player) and one of the Vikings' primary goals this fall is to host a home playoff game for the first time in five years.

"I'm really confident and looking forward to the season," Feagins said. "If we can put it together, I think we can do a lot of big things this year"

As another football season begins, Feagins is focused on being his same ol' self.

The tackling machine is in perfect working order.

"Feagins has done exactly what Feagins always does," Holt said. "He shows up and works extremely hard and always sets the tone physically. He is a leader for us and we are very excited he is a Viking."

Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter

Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Tim Hayes Author facebook Author twitter Author email Follow Tim Hayes Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today