Cloudland's Cole has 'confidence back' coming into new season

ROAN MOUNTAIN — The 2025 campaign got off to a rough start for Cloudland running back Grayson Cole before it officially was underway. Ahead of the season opener, the Highlanders participated in the annual Carter/Greene County jamboree and took on West Greene for a quarter of exhibition action. The opening drive went well for Cloudland, which ended in a rushing touchdown for the then-junior running back. However, the series also saw Cole suffer a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the early part of the regular season. "It affected my confidence, honestly," Cole said of the injury. "It was rough coming back, just being worried about getting more hurt. But, coming back this year, I feel like I've got my confidence back. I feel a lot better going into this season." When healthy, Cole has shown well for himself in the 'Lander backfield. In 2024, he ran for 1,104 yards in just nine games as a sophomore, which put him fifth in the region. Cole was also third in Northeast Tennessee in rushing touchdowns with 17 scores. Now healthy heading into his senior season, Cole will be forming a duo in the backfield with fellow senior Landon Barnette. "I remember him freshman year at Hampton," Cole said of Barnette, "he was just ecstatic to go in on defense. Now, he's one of my best friends. Getting to watch him grow and seeing him run the ball being right there with me is awesome." The pair were two of the team's leading rushers in the back half of last season to go alongside quarterback Bryce Birchfield. Now with Birchfield graduated, Cole and Barnette will be looking to shoulder more of the load for Cloudland in 2026. According to head coach Zac Benfield, the pair has prepared itself well for the season ahead. "They've grown big time in the weight room," Benfield said. "Their consistency, especially Grayson, in the weight room has been huge. They've set the bar for the freshmen in terms of how they've been able to work as well. They've done a great job from basically March when basketball season ended until now. They've been very consistent. I think it's going to pay off, hopefully." The Highlanders went 5-6 overall and 5-2 last year, having a chance to win a share of Region 1-1A in the last week of the year if they could beat Hampton. However, the Bulldogs came to Orr Field and took the outright title with them. The result forced the 'Landers to hit the road for the playoffs, the second year in a row of doing so following a dominant run in conference to earn home-field. Before the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the last time Cloudland wasn't at home to start the postseason was in 2011, when it missed the dance entirely. Cole is determined to lead the way for the Highlanders back to home playoff games, and is hopeful for a strong personal season to spearhead the effort. "One of my goals is I'd love to rush for 2,000 yards," he said. "I really want to be first in the conference this year as a team and I want to make a strong playoff run." Cloudland will embark on the 2026 campaign on Aug. 21 when it hosts Midway.