Walnut enters final season with veteran core focused on one last playoff push
Region: 1-2A
2025 record: 3-8, 0-3 in region play; reached first round of Class 2A playoffs
Head coach: John Meeks, 15th season
WALNUT — There will be no next season for Walnut football, at least not under the name generations of Wildcats have known.
Walnut enters 2026 with a veteran group at many of its most important positions, a familiar schedule and plenty of motivation after last year’s 3-8 finish. But this season carries significance beyond wins and losses. When the school year ends, Falkner High School will close and its students will move to the Walnut campus, which will be renamed North Tippah High School. That makes 2026 the final football season for both Walnut and Falkner as separate programs.
For Walnut, the final chapter will be led the most familiar figure in the program’s history.
John Meeks enters his 15th season as head coach with an 88-72 record at Walnut, tying him for the most coaching victories in Tippah County history. Meeks will take direct control of the defense this fall, while T.J. Seago coordinates the offense. The two will split responsibilities on special teams.
The Wildcats are trying to rebound from a 2025 season in which they finished 3-8 overall and 0-3 in Region 1-2A. Walnut defeated Holly Springs, Alcorn Central and Ashland during the regular season, but losses to Hamilton, Hatley and Baldwyn left the Wildcats fourth in the region. Their season ended with a loss at Water Valley in the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Meeks is searching for Walnut’s first playoff victory since 2020.
Experienced skill group gives Wildcats options
Junior Sawyer Cardwell returns as one of Walnut’s experienced options at quarterback after seeing starting time at the position previously. He will direct an offense that should have considerably more familiarity with its system than it did a year ago.
This is Walnut’s second full season in the scheme, and the Wildcats expect the increased comfort level to allow them to play faster and make better use of a versatile group of backs and receivers.
The running game will not belong to one player. Senior Jarvis Poplar and juniors Eli Lively and Kylan Steele give Walnut multiple options in the backfield. Lively flashed his potential last season by rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 carries.
Cardwell will also have experienced targets around him. Senior Josh Luster gives Walnut size and athleticism at receiver, while senior Carson Jones is expected to contribute at tight end and senior Brayden Welch will fill an H-back role.
Several of those players are coming off postseason recognition. Linebacker Wit Wright earned first-team all-district honors last season, while Jones, Luster and Welch were each named second-team all-district. That gives Walnut a proven group of upperclassmen who have already shown they can produce against region competition.
Up front, Walnut will have to develop quickly. Senior Rilan Woolam is expected to work at guard, but the offensive line enters the year as one of the Wildcats’ less experienced position groups.
Sophomore Cade Jones and freshman Jaylen Cox could help provide additional versatility. Both are capable of lining up in multiple spots and could become increasingly important as the season progresses.
Among the 14 players identified in Walnut’s projected offensive and defensive rotation, six are seniors, six are juniors, one is a sophomore and one is a freshman. That concentration of upperclassmen gives Meeks a relatively experienced core for the program’s final season.
Wright anchors the defense
If Walnut is going to make a jump in 2026, its defense has an obvious player to build around.
Senior linebacker Wit Wright returns after piling up 89 tackles, four sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries last season. His production earned him first-team all-district honors, and he enters the fall as the centerpiece of Meeks’ defense.
Luster is another player expected to make an impact on that side of the ball. He recorded 42 tackles and an interception last season on his way to second-team all-district recognition and is projected to start at cornerback along with Poplar.
Junior Carson Weeks will work at nose tackle, with senior Carson Jones and senior Dylan Rider expected on the edges. Jones was also a second-team all-district selection last season.
Welch joins Wright at linebacker and gives Walnut another proven defensive presence after earning second-team all-district honors in 2025.
The secondary will feature Poplar and Luster at corner, with Jones also capable of working on the back end. Junior Caden Hamer is another option at safety.
That experience could be particularly important once region play begins. Walnut struggled to slow its three region opponents last season, making defensive improvement one of the clearest paths toward a better finish in 2026.
A familiar road, only reversed
There will be very few surprises on Walnut’s schedule.
The Wildcats face the same 10 regular-season opponents they played in 2025, with the home and road locations reversed.
Walnut opens at home against First Assembly Christian on Aug. 28 before beginning a three-game road stretch at Belmont, Holly Springs and Alcorn Central. The Wildcats then return home for consecutive games against Myrtle, Ashland and Biggersville.
Region play begins Oct. 16 when Hamilton visits Walnut. The final two games of the regular season send the Wildcats to Hatley on Oct. 23 and Baldwyn on Oct. 29.
That creates a straightforward measuring stick for a team trying to show how much it has improved. Walnut went 3-7 against those 10 opponents during the 2025 regular season. This fall, the opponents remain the same. The venues simply change.
Players to watch
Wit Wright, LB, Sr.
Wright returns as the centerpiece of the defense after recording 89 tackles, four sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and three recoveries. He was a first-team all-district selection last season.
Eli Lively, RB, Jr.
Lively made the most of limited opportunities last season, gaining 165 yards and scoring twice on just 18 carries. He should see an expanded role in the Wildcats’ running-back rotation.
Josh Luster, WR/CB, Sr.
Luster will be asked to contribute on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he returns after making 42 tackles and intercepting a pass last season. He earned second-team all-district honors.
One final season
There are football seasons built around rebuilding, championships or proving what a young team might become.
Walnut’s 2026 season carries something different.
There is no 2027 Walnut team waiting behind this one. When the Wildcats walk off the field for the final time, one of Tippah County’s longtime high school football programs will have completed its last season before Walnut and Falkner come together under the North Tippah name.
For Meeks and a veteran group that already includes four returning all-district players in Wright, Jones, Luster and Welch, that gives every Friday night a little more weight.
The Wildcats have a playoff drought they would like to end, a 3-8 season they would like to improve upon and one final opportunity to decide how Walnut football will be remembered.
