Jim Mashek

GATAHS OPEN SEASON AGAINST TENNESSEE SQUAD ON FRIDAY EVENING AT ALLEN COUNTY-SCOTTSVILLE

Greenwood High School’s football team will be led by a familiar face this fall, and first-year head coach Tony Adams is quick to embrace the challenge.

In fact, you might say Adams has a full-time mentor in his maiden voyage with the Gators, as he succeeds longtime Greenwood head coach William Howard, after several seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“We’re still figuring some things out, about ourselves, but the transition, really, has been seamless,” Adams said in a joint interview with Howard last month over breakfast at Ruby May’s Kitchen on Louisville Road. “William’s been great; he’s still on the faculty, and he’ll be keeping an eye on our weight room. He’s been a great resource.”

Howard spent eight years as the Gators’ head coach, stepping down a couple months after his youngest child, former Greenwood tight end/defensive end Griffin Howard, played his final down on the Scottsville Road campus.

Howard became the school’s all-time winningest coach in his eight years at the helm, compiling a 48-40 record that included a 7-5 finish in 2025. The Gators had a memorable first-round victory in the KHSAA Class 5A playoffs, outlasting Madisonville-North Hopkins, 21-18, at The Swamp. One week later, however, Howard’s squad traveled to Owensboro High School, and the Red Devils raced to a 42-14 victory over the Gatahs.

Owensboro would go on to win the KHSAA Class 5A state championship, crushing Pulaski County 35-7 in the title game at UK’s Kroger Field in Lexington.

Tony Adams’ Greenwood squad played host to an extensive 7-on-7 tournament in mid-July, which drew powerhouse programs such as Paducah Tilghman, South Warren, Highlands and Owensboro Catholic to the GHS campus. Two of the Gators’ district rivals — tradition-rich Bowling Green High School and Warren Central — also were on hand for the tournament, which went well into the morning on July 18 because of extensive rain and lightning in the area.

The Gators will open the season at Allen County-Scottsville High School on Friday, playing Station Camp High School from Gallatin, Tennessee, in the opening game, set for a 5:30 p.m. start. Longtime AC-S coach Brad Hood’s Patriots will square off with another Tennessee squad, Westmoreland High School, in the nightcap of the Cole Lumber Bowl.

“We’re still finding our way on offense,” Adams said. “We’ll probably lean on our defense early on, which is tough to do against a really good offense like Station Camp. They’re very physical, and their quarterback (Colton Overbey) has played a lot of football. He does a great job of making their offense go.

“Our defensive line will have to play well for us to find success.”

Coincidentally, former GHS coach William Howard was a defensive lineman, at Allen County-Scottsville and later Western Kentucky University, Former Greenwood standout Loftin Howard is entering his redshirt junior year as a tight end with the Hilltoppers.

“In this business, a lot of people move from school to school, but that’s just not me,” William Howard said last month. “I just felt like all the stars kind of lined up (for his departure) … I was really happy that Tony was the one who got the job. Not only for him, but for the program.

“My Dad always said you want to leave something like this, better than you found it.”

Former Warren East head coach Tanner Hall moves into a new role as the Gators’ offensive coordinator, and Greenwood will have a new quarterback, Tyson Howell, working with a revamped offense at the skill positions. Workhorse tailback Davis Chaney scored 18 touchdowns in his final season with the Gatahs, who also lost key players such as quarterback Levi Wyatt, tight end Griffin Howard and offensive tackle Blaine Haynes.

Greenwood returns standout receiver Max Isenhower, who had a team-high 23 receptions for 421 yards and four touchdowns. Isenhower made a critical touchdown catch in the Gators’ 21-18 victory over Madisonville North-Hopkins in the KHSAA Class 5A playoffs.

“Station Camp’s defense has a lot of returners, and they’re super physical at linebacker,” GHS coach Tony Adams said. “They’re very athletic in the secondary, too.”

The Gators’ defense brings more experience to the table.

Senior GHS lineman Karon Tidwell recorded 7.5 tackles for losses last season, including four sacks, and linemen Aiden Mbanfou and Bryson Boggs return inside. In the secondary, the Gators have returning starters in juniors Ryder Lambert and Degan Haycraft.

Greenwood faces a challenging schedule before beginning district play against Grayson County in mid-September, with road trips to crosstown rivals Warren East and South Warren before the Gators play host to Class 4A powerhouse Logan County.