Tigers kick off season against Harlan County Central

MANCHESTER, Ky. – After a summer filled with workouts, 7-on-7 competition and a pair of preseason scrimmages, Clay County will kick off the 2026 regular season on Friday, August 21, against the Harlan County Black Bears. The Tigers and Black Bears will meet at Campbell Field in Corbin, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00PM sharp.

Head coach Mike Sizemore enters Week 1 encouraged by the progress his team has made throughout the offseason but knows Friday night will provide an immediate test for a Clay County squad featuring several players stepping into meaningful varsity roles.

“I like the direction we are going heading into Week 1,” Sizemore said. “The team is working hard to improve and have played well through the 7-on-7s and the scrimmages. We are still identifying playmakers and guys that want to embrace the challenges that it takes to be successful, but I like where we are this early.”

Clay County enters the opener after showing steady improvement throughout the preseason, including a strong performance in its final scrimmage against Casey County. Now, the Tigers will look to carry that progress into a game that counts. “Harlan County will be a big test for our team this early, but we want our guys to embrace it and get out there and play their best on Friday night,” Sizemore said. “It will be a great environment, and we have a lot of guys getting their first meaningful varsity time, so we need them to adjust to the speed of the game quickly once we get going.”

For Sizemore, one of the biggest keys Friday will be execution. With an inexperienced group in several spots, the Tigers will need to trust their preparation and handle the adversity that naturally comes with an early-season matchup. “We have to come out and execute on both sides of the ball against a good opponent,” Sizemore said. “Our kids need to be able to really focus in on the details of their positions that we are working on and take what they are learning into the game.”

Standing across the field will be a Harlan County program that Sizemore expects to provide a physical challenge. The Black Bears return several experienced players from last season and have seen their numbers increase in recent years.

“I think Harlan County is going to be a solid opponent,” Sizemore said. “They return a lot of quality kids from last year's team, so they will have experience. They are a bigger school and have a larger enrollment than we do, so I expect them to have good numbers. Even in their down years, they still have a solid roster of kids there that always play.”

Clay County has plenty of reason for optimism surrounding its own numbers as well. Sizemore said participation and attendance throughout the summer have been encouraging, continuing a trend that has helped the Tigers establish one of the most successful stretches in program history.

“I also feel like our numbers have improved again this season and we've had great attendance this summer,” Sizemore said. “In a time where football numbers are down at most places in the state, ours has held pretty solid over the past decade, and that's a testament to the kids that we've had come through here that has built a football program instead of just a football team that has success once in a while.”

The Tigers have enjoyed sustained success over the past several seasons, both in the win column and in helping players earn opportunities to continue their football careers beyond high school. Sizemore believes that success has helped create continued interest in the program.

“We're on one of the most successful, sustained multi-year runs that our school has had over the past several seasons in terms of wins and also having our players get opportunities to play at the next level,” Sizemore said. “That's definitely made it easier to get kids out to play.”

Clay County entered last season expecting to rely heavily on an experienced group, but a string of early injuries forced several younger Tigers onto the field sooner than anticipated. While difficult at the time, those varsity snaps could pay dividends in 2026.

“We knew several years ago we would have some youth this season as we expected to be a veteran-led team last year,” Sizemore said. “But if there is any silver lining to the amount of young kids, we had to play last season, it may have got them ahead of where they would have been going into this year.”

The preseason evaluations are now finished. Friday night, a young but battle-tested group of Tigers will get its first opportunity to show how far it has come.