Happy Valley spring report: Warriors retooling after graduating strong senior class

Happy Valley is looking to post its fourth-straight winning season since the early 1970s this fall. But if they are to do it, they'll be doing so without some key cogs from the last three years. The Warriors graduated a dozen seniors off of last season's team that went unbeaten in the regular season. They then went on to win the program's first playoff game since 2017 before dropping a heartbreaker in the second round. That defeat to Bledsoe County was the last time Happy Valley saw another colored jersey until Tuesday morning when they welcomed David Crockett and Chuckey-Doak to Warrior Hill for 7-on-7 action. "It was fun to get around," Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. "We learned some things. 7-on-7's not real football by any stretch or form, but you learn some things about your kids and who competes. And I like the competitive spirit our guys showed." One of the key seniors Happy Valley will be looking to replace is starting quarterback Gabe McDougald. While the Warriors picked and chose their spots to throw the ball as a primarily running team, McDougald played his role to a tee. In the 2025 season, the senior went 19-for-31 for 486 yards, seven touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He was also a threat running the ball, carrying it 68 times for 554 yards and 16 scores. Now, three returners have been vying for the starting quarterback position in McDougald's place: sophomore Greyson Ensor, senior Artee Bahn, and senior Lane Parker. Ensor didn't get much playing time as a freshman, while both Bahn and Parker showcased strong abilities with the ball in their hands. Parker ran for 910 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught two passes for 82 yards, both for scores, and had 181 punt return yards with two return touchdowns. Bahn caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, had a kick return score, and amounted over 230 yards of return yardage. "The scoreboard's not lit up right now, so we're just trying to get guys live reps," Jarrett said of the competition. See who's best fit for that role. Right now there's no clear-cut winner in any shape of the matter. Those older guys have done really well." Over the course of Jarrett's 11-season tenure at Happy Valley, the Warriors have continued to have strong defenses. Since 2015, they have allowed just 17.6 points per game. That number is even smaller during this current run of winning seasons, just 11.4 points per contest. Despite the graduation of contributors like McDougald, Keelin Releford, and last year's leading tackler Tyler Bailey, the head coach is confident there won't be a major fall-off in production from the unit. "I think we're going to be just fine," he said. "Obviously, we've been missing some coaches this early part of summer to summer school and vacations and different things like that. So, we haven't gotten a lot of fundamental work on defense in June." "We've got a big, strong front, I feel like," Jarrett added. "Both from a defensive line standpoint and an offensive line. We're pretty skilled in the back end. I think we'll be just fine on that side of the ball. We've played great defense up here for a long time. We know how to play defense. We'll continue to improve, so I'm excited about that." The Warriors are also getting reinforcements from a transfer class, thanks in large part to the new TSSAA one-time transfer policy. While Jarrett declined to single out any one newcomer, he feels excited about the group. "We've had a handful of different guys come in from different schools," he said. "First and foremost, they're great kids. We think that a lot of them will be able to help us. We're just really excited. The transfer policy is what it is. It's just a sign of the times. You've just got to live with it. The ones that we got, we're glad to have them. They've just stepped right in and been a part of the team. The team has welcomed them in."