Whether it be the packed out student section, passionate community members, or committed coaches, the Viking community places a large amount of pressure on its football team to succeed.

That might be a little bit more difficult in 2025. The Vikings are a very young, homegrown team this year. With leading rusher Trent Dowdell graduating this past spring, the focal point of the offense is somewhat of a question mark.

When a team loses an extremely talented and reliable ball-carrier like Dowdell, you have an interesting choice to make and a certainly large void to fill. Dowdell rushed for 1,386 yards last year, which made him the 34th leading rusher in state and the number one leading rusher in 5A Region 1 according to MaxPreps. Dowdell was the feature back for the Vikings and garnered a majority of the touches on offense.

Head Coach Josh Holt is very aware of the impact Dowdell had on the 2024 season as well as the contrast it had with most previous seasons. The Vikings are not typically a team that uses just one feature back.

“That was kind of surprising the way that worked out,” Holt said. “We never go into a season expecting someone to carry the ball 180 times. We’ve always been kind of a running back by committee school.”

Holt describes Dowdell as a player who could heat up very quickly over the course of a game.

“You know, a lot of times when the game went on, Trent got stronger, so we had to get him the ball,” Holt said.

An experienced back with that snowball-effect-like ability to take over a game can be a valuable weapon to any team’s arsenal.

This creates an interesting dilemma: who are the main “guys” on offense in 2025 and how do the Vikings fill the gap left by a gifted senior back like Dowdell? Coach Josh Holt seems to have an early vision for the Vikings offensive unit.

Holt appreciates the depth of young pieces the Vikings are returning this year and is quick to voice his confidence in his returning players.

“You worry a little bit, but we feel really good about what we’ve got coming back in this batch,” Holt said.
The point of emphasis in the running back room is on sophomores Carter Smith and Cannon Stalnaker, who both recorded carries in multiple varsity games as freshmen, as well as junior Elijah Plumbar who was a part of the one-two punch on offense with Dowdell last season up until the point he suffered a complete ACL tear in late November.

“Having Plumbar, he won’t probably be back until about week four, which is not necessarily a bad thing because that’s when conference play starts, but he’ll be super fresh,” Holt said.

When he returns, Plumbar will bring a much needed spark to the offense with his immense speed and natural athleticism. He succeeds at beating defenders to the edge and isolating himself in an immediate one-on-one in the open field; when there, he is known to make a man miss and is an efficient tackle breaker who takes care of the ball.

“When he touches the ball, there’s a chance it can be taken to the house,” Holt said.

Naturally, Plumbar feels the same anticipation that the coaching staff does, and he’s rearing to get back. He himself, as well as the coaches, praise his ability to stay motivated at practice while rehabbing his injury.

While awaiting the date he is cleared to return to action, Plumbar is able to practice like normal, just not full-contact, and his speed hasn’t lost a step.

Coach Holt credits athletic trainer Kelly Flanary who is playing a big part in Plumbar’s recovery process, and helping get his knee back to 100%.

“A lot of these guys, I mean, I see them making big plays and me knowing that I can just do that too, it just motivates me,” Plumbar said. “It just keeps pushing me.”

Plumbar is no stranger to the injury bug, having dealt with recurring knee injuries since his freshman year. But his drive is infectious to the rest of the team and coaching staff.

Plumbar is a track runner in the spring, and his track-speed transfers over to the football field on Friday nights in the fall. The team will be glad to have that back in week four.

Until then, the Vikings are turning to Carter Smith and Cannon Stalnaker in the run game, two young players who have received plenty of praise from the coaching staff as well.

“We feel really good about those guys stepping right in,” Holt said.

Notably, after Elijah Plumbar went down with injury, when their numbers were called, the then-freshmen duo was able to step in comfortably on varsity.

“They run the ball hard. They’ve got very good ball security. They know what to look for to make cuts. So we’re comfortable with those guys,” Holt said. “They get the same coaching as Trent [Dowdell] got the past few years. So we’re excited to see what those guys can do.”

Coach Holt is very appreciative of the coaching staff around him and the impact that the staff has on the players, especially as it’s gone through major changes this past offseason. Former longtime defensive line coach Daryl Shanks and former running backs coach Derek Dowdell both retired from their coaching duties following the 2024 season.

In addition to the coaches, the homegrown nature of this senior class has created a sense of self-inspired leadership that Holt observes, as well as a group of players he believes in.

“So the words that we speak, they’ve not heard anything else, and they’ve done a great job pushing that down, all the way down to the pups as freshmen, you know, they take care of the locker room,” Holt said. “They take care of business every day as leaders, and I’m super proud of the way they do that. And I think that’ll bleed over onto the field on Friday nights.”

The defensive side of the ball is no different.

Defensive coordinator and linebackers Coach Matt Chandler understands the adversity of football as well as anyone. Chandler played in both high school and college, and this is his 34th year coaching. Chandler has experienced the difficulties of playing football, and the hardships that can hit a team throughout a season both as a player and a coach.

“I knew from the time I was young, I wanted to be a coach. So, I mean, I obviously loved playing the game, and I got to play it in high school, college. I can still remember what a hard sport it is to play,” Chandler said. “And to me, it takes very special people to endure what they do every day. So I just appreciate everybody that’s out there from the first string everything to the guys who are playing scout team every day.”

Chandler was led to a career in coaching through influence from great coaches who made a genuine impact on his own life. Chandler was inspired to be that coach as well. He understands and appreciates the importance of the bond between player and coach on a football team.

“I want to just try to, in some way, positively influence these young men. And I think football is a great way to teach those life lessons,” Chandler said.

With many moving pieces and changing faces on defenses, as well as a schematic overhaul, the kind of leadership and positivity Chandler exemplifies is very helpful.

Throughout all the transition, the defense is still built on playmakers and disruptors who are ready to make an impact. Coach Chandler is known to move guys around on defense, creating interesting looks for offenses, and putting his versatile players places you might not expect.

Some of the key contributions on defense this year will come from seniors Preston Feagins, Kalel Honaker, Cooper Booher, Kai Allison primarily a part of the front seven, and Riley Price and Dayne Musick in the secondary. Junior Jackson “Frank” Reed will also provide aid as the other starting middle linebacker next to Feagins.

The defense is chock-full of guys who were taught to play defense relentlessly and with an intense energy under the guidance of Chandler for the last few years.

Coach Chandler’s philosophy on defense is just that. Relentless. All hats to the ball. Or as Chandler would say, his guys on defense are, “sharks on blood.”

“I want aggression. I want relentless pursuit to the football,” Chandler said.

The Viking defensive scheme is similar to that of a college football program you may have heard of, The Alabama Crimson Tide.

Second year defensive coordinator at Alabama, Kane Wommack, introduced “Swarm D” to the Crimson Tide’s program, which emphasizes speed, athleticism, physicality, and the ability to force turnovers because of how many players “swarm” the ballcarrier. Many comparisons can be drawn to the Viking defense and Coach Chandler’s philosophy. The team certainly has the talent and attitudes to fulfill that philosophy shared by Chandler and Wommack.

In a year following a second straight playoff loss to Powell High School, the Vikings are entering a season full of adjustments. Throughout the early adversity, and feeling the pressure of success once again, there is a palpable sense of belief that the coaching staff has for the players, whether they’re playing their senior season or just left the middle school for the first time.

Coach Holt likes to keep things simple, and the four pillars of the team rest on that. And Holt believes those four pillars will lead to success and give the players, and coaches, the final push in the right direction.

“So those are kind of the four things that Viking football is built on, and that’s really answered what fuels everything we do every year: physicality, discipline, simplicity and consistency.”