25 Teams in 25 Days: East Central Hornets
For the second consecutive season, the East Central Hornets finished with a 2-8 record. But as they prepare for the 2026 campaign, the message around the program is simple: history doesn’t have to repeat itself.
Head coach Sam Huff believes his team has learned valuable lessons from the past two seasons and is ready to put them into action.
“They had the opportunity to get together and meet and come up with their own little slogan and they want to win, so that’s it, win,” said Head Coach Sam Huff.
“We’re hungry for some wins,” said Kash Litton.“We had to watch all of our teammates above us and our seniors throughout the year not get the wins they deserved, so we just want to win and get what we’ve been working so hard for.”
“We’ve felt out how the other teams were last year. We didn’t win a bunch, but we felt it out and now we know how it is,” said Adrian Marsalis. “Everyone on our team has played varsity, last year especially. We know how it is and we’re going to be good.”
The Hornets enter the season with one of their most experienced rosters in recent years. East Central graduated just nine seniors and returns 15 veteran players, including its entire defensive line. That continuity gives Huff confidence that his team can take a significant step forward this fall.
“Our whole defensive line is coming back, so we’re excited about that,” said Huff. “Lucas Smith and Adrian Marsalis on the edge and Carter Green in the middle next to Mason Whitis, so those four guys we’re hoping they’re going to do some really good things for us.”
The experience is very good because last year we had experience but it was a lot of our class because only nine seniors graduated, but the experience will help us out a lot because most of us have been on a varsity field since the tenth grade,” Marsalis said.
“Kash Litton is going to be a senior and he started a few games for us last year and we’re excited to have him back,” said Huff. “He’s had a ton of growth from last year to now and we’re looking forward to it.”
“You get a sense of leadership and sense of control. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m up for the challenge and I can’t wait to see what we do this year and it is an honor,” said Litton.
The experience extends to the offensive side of the ball as well. With a senior quarterback leading the offense and several veteran playmakers returning, the Hornets hope to become more balanced offensively. While East Central has traditionally relied on a run-heavy attack, Huff says this year’s personnel could allow the team to stretch the field through the air more often.
“We do have a few key guys in skill positions that’ll give us the option to hopefully throw the ball down field a little bit. We’ll see,” said Huff.
“I have two huge receivers in Kyler Seymour and Wyatt Garrard. They’ll be big targets on my passing scheme. We have Landyn Hicks who’s shifty, fast and quick. We have a lot of playmakers spreadout throughout our offense,” said Litton.
“I’m ready to catch some balls this year. I didn’t get a lot last year, but I think we’re going to throw a lot this year and be successful with it,” said Garrard. “Me and Kash are pretty good friends and our other wide receivers we’re all three pretty tight, so we know how eachother works. We have a lot of chemistry with eachother. We’ve played together since peewee, so it’ll help us out a little bit just being together throughout our childhood.”
With experience on both sides of the ball, a defense returning its core, and added versatility on offense, the Hornets are optimistic about what they can accomplish in 2026.
East Central will begin its season on Aug. 28 when it travels to face Greene County, giving the Hornets their first opportunity to prove that this year’s team is ready to write a different story.
