Trigg County's seven football seniors
Trigg County honored its 2025 football team at its annual postseason awards banquet held on Sunday at the school.
The Wildcats were 2-7 in a season filled with adversity, missed opportunities, and achievement.
In dealing with the adversity, the Wildcats saw one of its top athletes, running back, quarterback, and leading receiver, all miss time due to injury.
Trigg also lost two one-point games in the second and third weeks of the season for the first time in program history.
The result was missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Head coach Chris Ezell told his players at the banquet that adversity is expected each season.
“Every team experiences adversity, especially in football, throughout the season. We couldn’t predict what they were,” said Ezell. “There are lessons to be learned from that. We probably would have had a lot more joy in winning more games if those things hadn’t happened. You never know what’s going to come your way. The thing you have to do is control what you can control.”
Trigg County honored its seven seniors – Kane Noel, Ahmari Alexander, John Stevens, Thye White, Quin Baggett, Peyton Williams, and Davaree Gude.
“I’m going to miss you guys. The different personalities, you know, it was a fun group. It was. I got to experience a lot of things with you guys. I wish these last three years, you all would have experienced more victories on Friday nights,” Ezell said, adding, “But ultimately, I think the lessons that you were able to learn, and the adversity that you guys were going through in your career are only going to make you better as men.”
However, the adversity didn’t just strike the players. Assistant coach Dixie Jones suffered medical issues earlier this year that kept him off the Trigg County football sideline for the first time in 15 years.
“It was very weird for me this year not having him around. And, you know, I’m sure it was for a lot of our kids too because they were accustomed to having Coach Jones there,” Ezell said. “Coach Jones was my head coach in high school, and the amount of lessons that were taught in high school by that man, you can’t even begin to add up what that really truly means. He is a great example for every young man who walks through the building. And so not having him this past year definitely hit home.”
Jones began the Headhunter Award when he was Trigg County’s head coach in the 1980s. The award uses a point system Jones developed to reward the team’s top defensive player. Junior Brody Calhoun, who has led the team in tackles each of the last three seasons, was the 2025 Headhunter of the Year.
Mr. Wildcat – Aiden Goodwin
Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Davaree Gude
Big Play Award – Peyton Williams
Most Impactful Defensive Award – Deon Edison
Special Teams Player of the Year – Brody Renfroe
Scout Team Player of the Year – Evan Spraberry
Academic Awards – John Oliver, Bryce Huseman, Brody Renfroe, and Camden Rathburn.
Letter Winners – Cooper Adams, Reagan Addison, Ahmari Alexander, Quin Baggett, Connor Bellows, Brody Calhoun, Travis Cavanaugh, Braxton Creekmur, Deon Edison, Aiden Goodwin, Davaree Gude, Bryce Huseman, Zander Lilly, Kane Noel John Oliver, Camden Rathburn, Brody Renfroe, Caden Scott, John Stevens Kolbey Tyler, Thye White, Peyton Williams and A.J. Wharton.
