Sports

Tri-Valley Conference Hocking – Conference Preview

By: Katie Bailey
Posted on: Monday, August 10, 2026

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Waterford Wildcats: 

Waterford finished at the top of the TVC-Hocking last season after winning every conference game. The Wildcats finished 9-3 after losing in the second round of the playoffs to Danville.  

Waterford’s dominance was thanks to quarterback Hayden Jones who led the team with an incredible 1,754 yards gained at the end of the season. Jones is expected to make a strong showing this year for his final season at Waterford.  

The Wildcats will open their season away against the Vinton County Vikings. Waterford has a pretty similar schedule line up as last year, so it will be interesting to watch and see if they make their way back up to the top of the league. 

 

Eastern Eagles: 

Eastern finished right behind Waterford with only one loss in the conference to the Wildcats. The Eagles also made it to the playoffs but lost in the first round to Colonel Crawford. 

Last year, Eastern was led by quarterback class of 2026 graduate Ethan Edwards. Edwards averaged 87 yards rushed, so the Eagles will have some large shoes to fill across the field. But young talent Blaise Gilmore is expected to make a strong impact after having 78 tackles last year. 

The Eagles will open their season against Meigs on a Saturday night game on Aug. 22 at home.  

 

Trimble Tomcats: 

Trimble is up next after finishing third in the conference. The Tomcats finished their season 7-5. Trimble was very strong on defense last season, and they had four games where they did not let their opponents score any points.  

Trimble was led by former Tomcat Luke Orsborne who graduated last year. Orsborne was a strong two-way athlete who rushed for 1,025 yards, scored seven touchdowns, and had 76 tackles. Overall, the Tomcats lost a strong number of seniors, so this season should be interesting to watch out and see who steps up for Trimble.  

Their season opens away against the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes in a non-conference matchup. 

 

Southern Tornadoes: 

Southern finished fourth in the TVC- Hocking last season after winning two conference games. The tornadoes wrapped up their season overall 3-7. Southern’s strongest game was against Green where they held them to zero points and scored 53 themselves.  

The tornadoes had a noticeably young team last season with strong performances in their own right. So, it will be a team to watch out for to see who steps up to the plate.  

Southern will face off against South Gallia week one of this season at home.  

 

Belpre Golden Eagles:  

Belpre only had one conference win last season against Federal Hocking. The Golden Eagles record overall was 2-8, after also beating Green as well.  

Malik Currie was an important aspect of the Golden Eagles team as a wide receiver last year in his junior season. Currie rushed for 418 yards.  

The Golden Eagles will need to rely on their young potential in hopes of moving up in the conference standings this season. This will begin week one when Belpre hosts Fisher Catholic. 

 

Federal Hocking Lancers: 

The Federal Hocking Lancers were last in the TVC-Hocking last season after not winning a single conference match up. Federal Hocking’s overall record was 1-9. Their only win came week one after defeating Green 58-26.   

The Lancers were very senior heavy last season, so they will have to rely on younger players to step up if Federal Hocking is looking to make a change in the conference. 

The Lancers will open up the season again versus Green during week one.