CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood High football team earned a home playoff game in just their second year of existence last season, becoming the fastest to ever do so in 6A football in the state of Tennessee. Now reclassified to 5A, the Cobras are looking to make more history this fall.
“We want to compete for a region championship, that’s the goal the kids have set,” Kirkwood head coach Chad Watson told Clarksville Now. “Getting to the playoffs in year two and getting a home game was great, but we want to move on deeper into the playoffs.”
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
Kirkwood High School head coach Chad Watson during football practice on July 21, 2025. (Knox Rives)
The Cobras on the field this fall will be a fun team to watch as junior quarterback and Mr. Football semifinalist Miles Reding is set to lead the way for Kirkwood. Meanwhile, Kamari Blair, who just committed to South Carolina, will be batting in the trenches protecting Reding as the Cobras prepare to light up opponents with their passing attack, while remaining committed to pounding the rock down the field as well.
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While discussing team expectations this upcoming season, Watson said, “You’re going to see a group of guys who just want to play hard for each other, whether they have the ball in their hands or not. These last few weeks of summer, we’re going to find the best 11 that will be coachable and selfless to put on the field. The biggest difference this year is depth; we’ve got a lot of guys at most positions who can really go, especially at receiver.”
With a Cobra team that, as Watson puts it, is “bigger and stronger across the board,” they’re ready to make more history for their school this fall. To do it, they’ll have to survive the grind of the long season ahead, following one motto, “Cobras Don’t Quit.”
“We do the training at Fort Campbell every year for them to earn the right to be a Cobra,” Watson said. “No matter what the situation is, no matter what the scoreboard says, as long as our guys don’t quit and stay focused, we won’t worry about wins and losses, we’ll just worry about how we operate.”
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