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Are you ready for some football? Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com gets you set for the 2025 High School Football season with content you can’t find anywhere else.
As part of our comprehensive coverage, we count down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification. It’s found exclusively on this web site with updates weekly during the season.
#10 – Lebanon Pioneers
What to Know: The decision by Lebanon’s administration to hire a 28-year-old Abingdon grad and former Castlewood assistant as its Head Football Coach proved to be a smart one. Hunter Norris led Lebanon to a quick turnaround as the Pioneers enjoyed their first 7-0 start since 2004. However, the finish was not a real memorable one, dropping four straight games to the likes of Graham, Virginia High twice and Tazewell. The 62-61 double-overtime loss to Tazewell in the regular season finale stung, but above all else, the defense yielding 46.8 points per game in that stretch showed there are still strides to make.
In year two of Norris’ system, a senior and junior heavy team should continue to reap the rewards on offense, where they put up 39.1 points per game in 2024. It all starts with a mighty productive quarterback in Mike Reece (6-4, 220), a Class of 2026 talent already committed to UVA-Wise. Reece truly blossomed last year as he completed 197 of 324 passes for 3220 yards with 41 touchdowns and three rushing scores. He also set a VHSL record with 42 completions in a game.
Reece’s top target will be senior Toby Baker (6-0, 185), who caught 74 balls for 1200 yards and 16 TD’s a season ago. The Pioneers plan to attack all areas of the field in its up-tempo, air raid style of offense. Three other senior receivers – Luke Garrett (5-8, 170), Francisco Hernandez (5-11, 190) and Brock Keene (5-8, 170) – can take advantage when defenses key in on Baker. Don’t expect them to be one-dimensional and rely strictly on the pass either.
At tailback, sophomore Layne Jessee (6-1, 220) is a serious weapon, having rushed for 1191 yards and 19 TD’s during his freshman debut to go with 15 catches for 230 yards and four more scores. ACC schools Syracuse and Virginia Tech have already offered Jessee. Only two starters return on the o-line in seniors Luke Monk (6-0, 225) and Lucas Peck (6-0, 285), so it’ll be critical that new faces like sophomores Haiden Sears (6-3, 320) and Dylan Clark (5-10, 265) as well as freshman Wesley Alexander (6-0, 295) get acclimated quickly.
In last year’s 27-14 loss to Graham where they led by a touchdown early in the third quarter, Lebanon struggled mightily protecting Reece, surrendering 11 sacks. With six starters returning on their own defense for 2025, the Pioneers are looking to be better at making those finishing plays. Norris believes this group will be faster with the off-season speed training they’ve done to go with the new additions of the promising youngsters like Alexander at nose guard and sophomore SLB Easton Taylor (5-11, 190).
Two seniors at defensive end, Tanner Kinder (6-0, 215) and Kolby Frye (6-1, 190), plan to swarm to the football. A couple of the new faces in addition to Taylor at linebacker are seniors Ethan Wright (5-10, 185) and Brayden Hill (5-10, 215). The coaches expect Hernandez and Jessee to double and remain vital cogs at linebacker. Baker and fellow senior Brennan Hess (6-1, 185) give them two experienced corners with junior Luke Spencer (5-10, 180) stepping into a crucial role at free safety.
The schedule is an interesting one for Lebanon, which has finished above the .500 mark just three times in the past ten years. Three of the first four games are against Class 1 schools with a home opener against a Honaker team that likes to sling it around similarly to them, followed by a visit to Patrick Henry-Glade Spring. The home opener comes on September 19th against Rural Retreat.
Coming off the bye, the slate gets much fiercer with a trip to Big Stone Gap to take on Union on October 17th. Right after that is a matchup with Graham, who they have not beaten since 1988, dropping nine straight to the G-Men. Their October 24th visit to take on the defending Class 2 State Champs will be another pivotal test for a program striving to compete with the best around.
Final Class 2 Rankings from 2024:
#1 – Graham (15-0)
#2 – Glenvar (12-2)
#3 – Strasburg (13-2)
#4 – Poquoson (12-2)
#5 – Union (9-4)
#6 – Riverheads (9-3)
#7 – Buckingham (12-1)
#8 – Gretna (9-4)
#9 – Ridgeview (9-3)
#10 – Clarke County (10-1)
Matthew Hatfield has served as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com since 2016 and been writing for the web site under the Rivals umbrella dating back to 2004. Matthew also has served as the Play-by-Play Voice for Old Dominion Women’s Basketball since 2021. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV, where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.
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