25 Teams in 25 Days: Stone Tomcats

The Stone Tomcats are coming off their most successful season under head coach Jacob Aycock after finishing 8-4 in 2025. Although their playoff run ended in the second round for the second consecutive season, expectations remain high heading into 2026.

Replacing 18 seniors is no easy task, but Aycock believes the Tomcats have the experience and leadership needed to remain one of South Mississippi’s top programs.

“Our backfield offensively. We have a lot of experience back their in our quarterback Zander Howard who will be a third year starter, so he’s played a lot of football games,” said Head Coach Jacob Aycock. “We have two running backs that will be juniors and we also have a senior running back that we feel really good about in JT Theriot, so I think our offensive backfield should be able to keep us in ballgames.

Leading the offense is quarterback Zander Howard, who returns for his third season as the team’s starter. Howard will be surrounded by one of the area’s deepest backfields, featuring juniors Ayden Green and Amarion Fairley along with senior JT Theriot.

Green enters the season after rushing for more than 1,300 yards last year, while Fairley added more than 500 yards on the ground. Together, the duo found the end zone 22 times and are expected to play an even bigger role this fall.

“Me and Ayden and all the other running backs have been just hitting it hard this year. In everything we do we earn it. The coaches make sure we do that and nobody’s slacking,” said Amarion Fairley. “I love seeing Ayden do what he needs to do and we stick together like we’re suppose to. Our brotherhood is great.”

Howard says the Tomcats’ offensive success will come from sharing the ball and taking advantage of the playmakers around him rather than relying on one player.

“Getting everybody involved. We have two great running backs, we’re got great people on the outside and I think we’re doing a really good job of just getting everybody the ball,” said Zander Howard. “We don’t need to be self centered and give the ball to one person because we’re too good for that.”

While the skill players may receive most of the attention, Stone believes its offensive line will be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Senior guard Tyler Jones says the group has added both size and strength during the offseason, giving the Tomcats confidence they can control the line of scrimmage.

“I really think we’ve got good size on our offensive line,” said Tyler Jones. “I think we’ll be able to move a lot of people off the ball and I think we’re definitely stronger than we’ve been in the past so that’s a really positive thing. We’ve been hitting the weight room really good.”

Special teams could also become a major advantage for Stone this season. Aycock is especially excited about senior kicker Ren Hendrix, who impressed at several kicking camps over the summer and has developed into one of the top specialists on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“We have a senior kicker who I think is going to be a big time name honestly on the coast in Ren Hendrix,” said Aycock. “He’s 6’0″ 200 lbs. and he kicks the ball really well. He’s gone to some camps and has competed and won some camps over the summer, so I think that’s going to give us the advantage in the special teams game.”

As exciting as the returning talent is, perhaps the biggest story surrounding the Tomcats this season has nothing to do with the roster.

For the first time in school history, Stone High School will have a football stadium of its own after spending decades playing home games at Perkinston.

“That’s just amazing,” said Fairley. “To have our own field and not have to go anywhere else. It’s amazing for everybody.”
“I think it’s been like 80 years we’ve played at Perk. It’s going to be really exciting. It’s a big step for our school and everything,” said Jones.”
“I’m really excited to play on our own field, so I hope we can make a statement,” Howard said. “First year on our field, let’s go win state. At least make it to South State because I know we can.”

The Tomcats will officially open their new home on Aug. 28 when they host Hancock to kick off the 2026 season. With an experienced offense, proven playmakers and the excitement surrounding a brand-new stadium, Stone hopes this season ends with its deepest playoff run yet.