08/27/2026
WEEK 1 PREVIEW ā THE COAL BOWL āLEBANON AT HONAKER
Brought to you by Variety Mobile Homes, Lebanon Physical Therapy, Whittās, Combs-Hess Funeral and Cremation Service, Keene Carriers, Stars & Stripes Lawncare, Russell Oil
Mountain Mojo Sports SWVA Game of the Week
There are rivalries.
And then there are games where the name on the front of the jersey means a little more. Where families have picked sides for generations. Where the guys across from you arenāt strangers, theyāre kids youāve grown up with, go to church with, played ball with, worked out with and heard about your entire life.
Lebanon. Honaker. The Coal Bowl.
Thursday night, the Pioneers and the Tigers collide for the 63rd time, and you can throw just about everything else out the window when these two towns get together.
Lebanon owns the all time advantage at 42-18-2, but the recent history tells you just how competitive this rivalry has become. Honaker has taken 9 of the last 15 meetings, while Lebanon enters Thursday night riding a two game Coal Bowl winning streak, with both victories coming by double digits.
Now Honaker gets another crack at bringing the trophy back home. And Lebanon is coming to make darn sure it doesnāt happen.
Both programs know what it feels like to play deep into November. Lebanon reached the Class 2D semifinals a year ago before its season ended against eventual Region 2D runner up Ridgeview. Honaker made its own run to the Class 1D semifinals, where the Tigers were eliminated by eventual Region 1D runner up Eastside.
Both lost pieces from those teams. Both believe theyāve reloaded. And both expect to be playing meaningful football again when the weather turns cold.
For Lebanon, everything starts with Layne Jessee. Jessee isnāt just one of the best players on this field, heās one of Southwest Virginiaās legitimate college prospects, already holding Division I offers. Heās the kind of player who can dictate a football game from either side of the ball, and Lebanon will look for its veteran leader to set the temperature Thursday night.
But there will be a new face taking snaps for the Pioneers. Will Jessee steps into the quarterback role previously occupied by Mike Reece, and what a way to get your first taste of this rivalry. The younger Jessee will walk into one of the most emotional environments in Southwest Virginia with a talented group around him.
Easton Taylor, Ethan Horne and Ayden Cook give the Pioneers more names Honaker has to account for, while Blair Clark and Brayden Hart adds another fascinating wrinkle to this matchup. Just like Layne and Will, the former Honaker Tigers will now walk onto Fuller Field wearing Lebanon colors and line up against players they knew extremely well. When Lebanon needs somebody to set the tone in the trenches, look toward Wesley Alexander. The big man anchors a Big Red front that will have one enormous assignment, handle Honakerās young, physical defense and give its new quarterback time to operate.
Because the Tigers are bringing plenty of firepower of their own. Honaker returns sophomore quarterback Parker Lowe, and calling him a promising young quarterback might already be underselling it. Lowe has begun attracting Division I attention, and after being thrown into the fire as a freshman, he enters Year Two with swagger, experience, confidence and an almost ridiculous collection of targets. The Honaker line has a trio of sophomores in Peyton Duty, Haiden Miller and Hayden Robinson who have grown up over the last year and put in a ton of work to protect their quarterback.
Honaker can put some serious size on the field. Kam Beavers. Levi Honaker. Jeremiah Rose. Kam Keen. Weāre talking about receivers hovering in the 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-5 range.
And then thereās the guy who doesnāt fit that mold at all. At around 5 foot 9, Ty Hubbard may be the smallest of Honakerās weapons and he might also be the most dangerous. The shifty slot receiver gives Lowe a completely different weapon underneath, in space and probably has the best rapport with Lowe. Honaker can throw it up to its big bodies, spread you out, or get the football into Hubbardās hands and let him go to work.
Pick your poison. The Tigers can hurt you on the ground, too. Malachi Gilbert and Cole Morrison give Honaker a pair of physical runners capable of lowering their shoulders and making a defense pay. Both bring that same physicality to the defensive side, where Honaker has plenty of young talent that already plays with an edge.
Sophomore Brayden Justus has continued to emerge defensively, Levi Johnson is rugged and dependable, Keaton Smith brings the attitude, and Gilbert, Morrison and Levi Honaker give the Tigers defenders who arenāt afraid to come downhill and hit somebody.
Thatās where this game gets really interesting.
Lebanon has the proven Division I talent in Layne Jessee. It has size up front. It has athletes. It has a young quarterback surrounded by enough weapons that he doesnāt have to win this game by himself.
Honaker has a sophomore quarterback with a year of varsity experience already under his belt, a forest of big receivers, speed underneath, physical running backs and a young defense that doesnāt play young.
Lebanon has won two straight. Honaker has won 9 of the last 15. Lebanon wants to make it three in a row and remind everyone that despite the pieces it graduated from last yearās postseason run, Big Red isnāt going anywhere.
Honaker wants its trophy back. And if you think anybody inside either locker room needs to be reminded whatās at stake, youāve never been around the Coal Bowl.
This is Lebanon and Honaker. Neighbors. Rivals. Families and friends divided by two sets of colors. For 62 meetings, theyāve written this rivalry one hit, one touchdown and one memory at a time. Thursday night at Fuller Field, they write Chapter 63. And somebody is walking out with bragging rights for the next 365 days.
LEBANON. HONAKER. THE COAL BOWL.
This one doesnāt need any extra hype. Just turn the lights on.
šø Deanna Keen
