The build up to the 2026 season is over, and it’s time to start playing real football games. Livingston had one last scrimmage, an outing at Woodville Thursday. Lion coach Tucker Carter came away from the scrimmage impressed with his defense, which forced a few turnovers and kept Woodville out of the end zone.
Compared to this time last year, the coach said his younger team may be more mature than the 2025 group with now a year in his system.
“I feel like we have gained a lot of ground in a bigger amount of time,” Carter said. “There's still the unknowns of Friday night, but I do feel like we are ready to compete, and compete until the final whistle.
“Going into it last year, none of our kids had played in a spread offense, and so I didn't really know what to expect going into week one. You can rep it all you want in practice until the bullets start flying, and then you really see, this is what we can do well, (and) this is who's going to play well when the lights come on. I feel good about at least the kids having some retention of what we did last year as far as verbiage, formations, motions, all that stuff.”
On defense, the team will show a different look with two linemen and four linebackers. There has been an emphasis to put speed on that side.
“Defensively, we look a little bit different structurally and we're doing some different things as far as overall scheme, but it's all under the umbrella of our same verbiage, and kids not having to learn a completely new language. I've tried to put a big emphasis on being a good defensive football team. They're trying to understand that we're athletic enough to play well on that side of the ball and buy into what it takes to win at this level. It is a lot of new and there's some nuances of each position of what we're doing, but once again, at least our base understanding is higher than it was going into last year.”
With many Lions playing on both sides of the ball, some will need to endure more time than they have the last two weeks combined. The coach said there is more clarity of rotations to keep everyone as rested as possible. Those who may not start on either side could play a key role in special teams. Everyone on the Livingston roster of 40 should see action Friday night.
“There's a lot of opportunity to make an impact in the game,” Carter said. “I think one thing about our kids playing both ways right now is it doesn't feel like offense versus defense every day. It feels like the team, what it takes for the team to win. That's going to be big, as kids embrace their roles, whether that's punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, offense, defense – whatever. It takes all of it to win. That's what's so unique about football. It's just truly independent phases that are so dependent on each other.
“We would like to sustain some drives, stay on the field, rotate guys in, and then on defense be able to be as fresh as possible. I just feel like we need to have our best 11 on defense all the time. When that fourth quarter comes, it's going to be an ironman test. We have a roster of about 40 kids. They have a roster of 36 kids. We're not very different in that sense. So, it's pretty evident when we get to the fourth quarter, it's going to be who can execute when they're tired, who can be tough, who can push through the adversity and try to go win a game.”
Rusk head coach, Cody Welch, was the defensive coordinator at Whitehouse during Carter’s time at the Tyler-area school for several years.
“When you talk about guys I respect in the coaching game, he is the very top of the list. We spent a lot of time together in the office and on the practice field. It's interesting, because I've never really coached against somebody that I'm very close with. At the end of the day, it's about the kids, but it's going to be fun. Their offensive line coach was our offensive line coach at Whitehouse the whole time I was there. There's a little extra in it, you know, when you're coaching against someone you like and you care about. And so, we both want to win.”
Rusk’s current defensive coordinator was also at Whitehouse at that time. Carter anticipates the Eagles to be well coached and to play physical. Just as he has needed to adjust at Livingston, he expects Welch will have changed enough to fit the athlete’s capabilities in Rusk.
Welch was 1-9 in 2025, his first year at Rusk, defeating only Brownsboro. However, the young group from last season is a year older, and expected to improve. Several of the losses were one- or two-score games, with a few blowouts to perennial state powers in Athens and Carthage.
The offense has shown a power spread look in scrimmages, with a tight end on the field. The Livingston staff believes they will be tested by the run, with two accomplished running backs in Kiceriun Teague and Damian Reggie.
“One is, I believe, a sophomore that's got several Division I offers. The kid that comes in for him is a very talented back as well. They're big offensive line-wise, and they're probably more sound on defense than anyone we've seen scrimmage-wise right now. It'll be a tough challenge.”
Look for a 4-3 alignment when the Eagle defense takes the field.
“You never really know what someone's about to come out in after those scrimmages. They can be completely different on both sides. I think their defensive line is very well coached. That's a guy that I worked with a while, Evan Beaton, that works with their D-line. I think they play with their hands really well. They've got a corner that's very dynamic and twitchy. Their safeties are good run fitters that are downhill kids who will hit you. Their inside linebacker is probably one of the better kids we've played in the last year or two, just as far as seeing it and going and tackling well. It's a pretty solid unit all around. They've stifled people pretty well in their scrimmages.”
