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The Callaway football team did not get the ending to the 2024 season that they were hoping for, falling in the second round of the state playoffs, but it was another big season for the Cavaliers. Callaway won a 12th region title in program history and subsequently saw 16 players named to the All-Region teams alongside their head coach. 

It started at the top of the Cavaliers as Pete Wiggins was named the Region 2-2A coach of the year. Wiggins has led the Cavaliers for 20 seasons, accumulating a record of 187-61 in that span.

This season, Wiggins led the team to a 9-3 record including a perfect 5-0 in region play to win a third consecutive region championship. The team outscored region opponents 206-54 this season as it was a well-deserved honor for Wiggins.

It was a season of trials and tribulations for the head coach. Wiggins suffered a severe back injury in the offseason and had to coach the first two games of the season from the press box. He also had to introduce a new defensive coordinator for the first time since 2004. The Cavaliers started the season 0-2 and then proceeded to rattle off nine straight wins before falling in the second round of the state playoffs.

While Wiggins was the leader on the sidelines, one of the leaders on the field was Xae Anderson. The two-way stud was named the region’s defensive player of the year for the work he did as a linebacker this season. The junior led the team with 130 tackles while also accumulating five tackles for a loss, four sacks, three PBUs and two interceptions. Anderson already holds offers from Vanderbilt and Navy among other schools.

Anderson also got it done on offense, catching four touchdowns and was always a willing blocker. 

Anderson was joined by seven Cavaliers on the All-Region defensive team. Fellow junior linebacker Ant Reeves was one of those players. He finished second on the team in tackles with 72 while leading the team in tackles for a loss with nine. Reeves racked up three sacks and three PBUs. Reeves was also a playmaker on offense, accumulating over 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 

The Cavaliers had three defensive lineman make the All-Region team — Juniors Tyrone Fitten and Josiah Garrett as well as sophomore Hudson Norris. 

Fitten led the Cavaliers in sacks (5) while also generating 57 tackles and six tackles for a loss. The junior is getting the attention of those at the next level and recently received an offer from Appalachian State. 

Garrett finished with four sacks and 32 tackles while Norris racked up 36 tackles and two sacks. 

The Callaway secondary was also well represented with three players earning a nod on the All-Region team. Kavius Leonard was not just an All-Region player but was also one of just eight players in the region to make the All-Academic team. Leonard, who holds offers from Army and Navy, led the defense as a captain this season. The senior finished with 55 tackles, nine PBUs and an interception.

A pair of junior defensive backs made the team alongside Leonard — Jeffery Ellis and Jeremiah Dunn.

Ellis enjoyed a real breakthrough season and finished the year tied for the team lead in intersections with three while also finishing with five PBUs. The player he was tied on interceptions with? Dunn, who was a two-way stud for the Cavaliers. Dunn finished second on the team in receptions (16) and third in yards (257) while tying the team leaders with four receiving touchdowns. 

The Cavaliers were well represented on the offensive side of the ball as well with eight players being named to the All-Region offense. 

Callaway was led by junior quarterback Blake Harrington, who earned the spot by throwing for 1,477 yards, rushing for 909 yards and scoring 29 total touchdowns.

Harrington found a regular connection with receivers Kaiden James and Bryceton Sanders. The former holds offers from Alabama and Georgia Southern among a laundry list of other offers. James led the Cavaliers with 22 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns. 

Sanders, who missed all of his junior season with an injury, returned to the lineup as a senior this year. The wideout finished with 14 catches for 331 yards and four touchdowns. 

The Cavaliers are a run-first team and the leader in that department this season was Tyren Buggs. Despite missing the first four games with an injury sustained in the offseason, Buggs did it all down the stretch to earn a spot on the All-Region team. The senior finished his final run in red and black with 111 carries for 955 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Cavaliers saw two of their tight ends make the All-Region team — BreShun Hall and Ni‘zerick Houston. Both were two-way players with Houston mostly serving as a blocking tight end on offense. Hall was a true Swiss-army knife for the Cavaliers, rushing for 209 yards with 150 yards receiving and eight total touchdowns. Like his teammate Buggs, Hall missed the opening four games of the season with an injury before returning to make a big impact. 

Hall holds multiple Division I offers, including one from UAB. 

Offensive lineman Curt Willis and Elijah Rowe did a lot of the dirty work this season to earn a spot on the All-Region team. The duo helped Callaway rush for 2,391 yards this season while helping the team pass for another 1,477 yards. Willis just recently received an offer from Brevard College while Rowe holds offers from Appalachian State and Georgia State. The pair are both juniors and will return to the fold next season. 

Callaway will return all but three of its All-Region players with Buggs, Hall and Leonard set to graduate in May.