The first week of the high school football season has arrived.
Whether defending a state championship or reloading behind new leaders, five Sedalia-area programs enter their season openers Friday, Aug. 28, set to navigate different roads to a common goal.
Here is a look at each team ahead of the first Friday Night Lights of 2026.
While a Class 1 state title sits atop the list of last season’s accomplishments, Tipton is not focused on anything that happened in the past.
Or anything that may happen in the future, for that matter.
“We don’t even talk about [the state title],” head coach William Duke said. “We talk about what we have to do today. Last year, we did a really good job of focusing on what we’re doing today, and ‘we’ll let tomorrow take care of itself,’ kind of thing … I think this team has carried that over again into, ‘OK, we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, we don’t know what’s going to happen next week, but we do know that we have an opportunity right now here today to do this.’”
Tipton, co-oping with Bunceton, enters the 2026 season on an 11-game win streak following a 39-14 victory over Putnam County in the Class 1 Show-Me Bowl.
Although last year’s senior core graduated, the Cardinals return four First Team All-State seniors: Ty Bixler, Levi Street, Reid Broyles, and Cooper Doss.
Tipton opens its season at Holden. The Eagles feature a familiar face in head coach Brennan Claas, who spent the past two years at Harrisburg.
“He’s familiar with what we do on offense, defense and special teams,” Duke said. “We have some jamboree film on them, and it looks like some Harrisburg stuff, but he’s certainly got athletes … It’s going to be a good test for anybody they play this season, not to mention us, but they’re going to roll 50 kids out there and we’re going to roll out 39 and see what we can do.”
The Cardinals will host Pierce City for their first home game on Sept. 4.
Windsor’s Rowan Cox (22) carries the ball during the Class 1 District 5 championship game against Adrian on Nov. 14, 2025.
File photo by Jack Denebeim | Democrat
Windsor enters its first season under the leadership of head coach Artravius Addison, who last coached at Maysville.
Addison takes over a Greyhounds team that went 9-2 and lost to Adrian in the Class 1 District 5 championship game last season.
“We’re a young team in terms of Friday night experience, however, we’re definitely super athletic,” Addison said. “I’ve been soaping up everything like a sponge in terms of what I’m wanting to do offensively, defensively and just the culture in general. I’m very optimistic about it. Our kids are present, they work hard and you definitely got to love that.”
One piece Addison will rely heavily on in his first season is All-State senior running back Rowan Cox.
Cox returns alongside fellow seniors Andrew Scott, Malaki Shipps, Ryan Millington, Corbin Logan, Jackson Frazier, Michael Denton and William Breshears.
Addison also noted players like Ayden Cox and Samuel Bishop as underclassmen he expects big things from.
The Greyhounds visit Plattsburg to open their season Friday. They then host Sherwood on Sept. 4 for their first home game.
“I’m looking forward to just putting it all together,” Addison said. “When you’re inheriting a new coach, new systems, and stuff like that, it takes time to kind of get the train going … I think the plan and the goal as a program [Friday] night is to put it all together and play four quarters of football.”
The Cole Camp offensive line awaits the snap of the ball.
Democrat file photo
After a one-win campaign in 2024, Cole Camp broke into the Missouri Media’s Class 1 top 10 rankings last season, finishing 6-4.
However, the Bluebirds must replace a heavy senior class that included All-Staters Grant Rodriguez and Garrett Elliott.
“Anytime you replace that many, it’s hard,” head coach Kevin Shearer said. “The key to football that people have to understand is the more grown men I can put on the field, the better off we’ll be … We have a lot to replace, but I think maybe if we catch some breaks, we can definitely find a way to win a few games.”
Seniors Kolton Phillips, Wyatt Keith, Lucas Eckhoff, Evan Corpening, Landon Bauer, Kyan Bale and Blake Abey will lead Cole Camp. Shearer also expects juniors Bryce Klaiber, Carson Webb, Eli Glenn, Chaning Alumbaugh and Braedyn Snell to step into big roles.
Cole Camp opens its 2026 season on the road against Russellville — the same team that eliminated them last fall.
“Coach [Tim] Rulo is legitimately one of the best football people as a human, and is one of the best football minds in the game,” Shearer said. “We played them in our first and last games of the year and split with them. They look better. I predict they’ll be ranked. I think it’s a great opponent for us and I think it’s going to be a big test.”
Cole Camp’s first home game is against Carrollton on Sept. 4.
Northwest's Connor Thorp sheds a tackle during a game against Concordia on Sept. 13, 2024.
File photo by Jack Denebeim | Democrat
Northwest 8-man football finished 8-3 last season — its best mark in modern MSHSAA records — falling just one win shy of a district title against eventual state semifinalist Concordia.
“We came up a little short in that district championship game, so we’re trying to get over that hump,” head coach Caleb Crooker said. “This group of seniors is taking that and running with it, and trying to help us make a run.”
No longer in a co-op with Otterville, the Mustangs are led by seniors Connor Thorp, Daniel Tarasov, John Smolyuk and Jacob Smolyuk.
Levi Klein, Anthony Hieronymus and Cale Thorp also return to the mix.
Northwest hosts Paris to open its season Friday.
“Everybody’s 0-0 right now, and everybody’s got the same goal,” assistant coach Tim Barnes said. “The big thing as coaches, you just want to go out there and see how much fight the guys have and what do you do when adversity happens because it’s going to happen, you know, how do you finish the game? We’re just excited to go see the kids compete.”
Lincoln’s Grayson Rutherford (10) carries the ball during a game against Paris with Faith Walk on Oct. 10, 2025.
File photo by Jack Denebeim | Democrat
The second go-around tends to be easier than the first.
After making the shift to 8-man football two weeks before the start of the 2025 season, Lincoln is entering this year with a full offseason under its belt.
“There’s no question we’re more prepared,” head coach Lane Johnson said. “We were on the second day of practice in August when we made the difficult decision to drop, and this year we’ve known the whole time, so our entire camp and everything we did this summer and the first five weeks of practice, we’ve had a plan in place.”
Despite learning the 8-man game on the fly, the Cardinals went 5-4 and picked up a postseason win over Osceola last season.
With much of last year's production graduating, this fall's squad features just one senior, Colton Reedy. Lincoln will rely heavily on underclassmen like Braeden Ferguson, Grayson Rutherford, Tanner Cramer, and Brooks Heimsoth.
The Cardinals open their season with a 121-mile trip to Ottawa University in Kansas to face the Wichita Defenders, a homeschool 8-man program.
“It’s a very awesome opportunity and experience for our kids,” Johnson said. “The kids get to play in what should be a really fun environment in a college stadium. We’re fired up.”
Lincoln’s home opener is Sept. 25 against Lockwood with Golden City.
Sports editor Jack Denebeim can be reached at 660-530-0142.
