The focus for the Walton-Verona Bearcats heading into the 2026 season is simple: start faster and finish stronger.

Through two seasons under Coach Gary Pence, the results have been steady but not yet a major jump in the win column. The Bearcats have gone 5-6 and 5-7, compared to 4-6 the season prior to his arrival. While the overall record hasn’t dramatically improved, the postseason trajectory has. Walton-Verona missed the playoffs the year before Pence took over, made the playoffs in Year One, and then won a playoff game last season before falling to Beechwood in the second round.

A clear trend under Pence has been slow starts. The Bearcats opened 1-5 in both seasons before rallying late. Injuries played a role, but every program deals with adversity, so they must do a better job overcoming that. In 2025, Walton-Verona held halftime leads in three losses but couldn’t close. If this team wants to take the next step, finishing games will be critical.

Personnel-wise, the Bearcats lose five starters on offense: QB Avery Howe, WR Brayden Donato, WR Michael Oldfield, OL Shawn Sinkhorn, and Bryce Swanson. Defensively, only two starters depart (Donato and Sinkhorn), meaning the strength of this team should be on that side of the ball.

Key returning players include Seniors. AJ Yutze, Cooper Burch, Samuel Koester, Juniors Andrew Lynn, Lucas Engel, and Sophomore Wesly Simpson. With experience and depth returning defensively, Walton-Verona has the pieces to be solid. The biggest question mark will be at quarterback. The competition is expected to come down to junior Andrew Lynn and sophomore Braxton Parr. How quickly that position settles could determine the ceiling of this team.

Year Three is often when programs begin to show clear identity and growth under a new coach. If Walton-Verona can avoid another slow start and learn to close out tight games, this could be the season they push forward and reestablish themselves as a consistent contender as they were in the 2010's under coach Barth.

2026 Schedule

Scrimmage #1 – at Dayton (vs. Dayton and Lynn Camp)
Scrimmage #2 – at Pendleton County

Week 1 – at Bishop Brossart
Week 2 – Bye
Week 3 – Ludlow
Week 4 – at Boone County
Week 5 – at Harrison County
Week 6 – Bracken County
Week 7 – at Beechwood
Week 8 – Gallatin County
Week 9 – at Owen County
Week 10 – St. Henry
Week 11 – at Grant County

Out of curiosity, how are next year’s freshman and sophomore classes looking?

8 hours ago, PP1 said:

Out of curiosity, how are next year’s freshman and sophomore classes looking?

They had 19 freshman last year, and currently have 17 incoming freshman who have regularly been attending off season weights. So number wise they have good numbers. In the freshman class last year out of those 19, ten were first year football players. So still a lot of learning and improving to do now in year two of playing football for many of them. 

Walton-Verona is bringing on board coach Ed Smart to be an assistant coach this season. Coach Smart brings in over 30 years of coaching experience, with over 20 of those years being as a varsity head coach. Many of those years as a head coach being at Grayson County High School. He should bring great knowledge and experience to the staff at Walton-Verona. 

9 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

Walton-Verona is bringing on board coach Ed Smart to be an assistant coach this season. Coach Smart brings in over 30 years of coaching experience, with over 20 of those years being as a varsity head coach. Many of those years as a head coach being at Grayson County High School. He should bring great knowledge and experience to the staff at Walton-Verona. 

Excellent addition for the Bearcats and it is always good to see experienced (retired) coaches continue their public service. 

Bump.

From Walton-Verona Bearcat Football:

What a great day for our Walton-Verona High School and Middle School football programs! Our players had an incredible opportunity to attend the Bengals practice together.

A huge thank you to the Cincinnati Bengals for an outstanding experience! We truly appreciate the reserved transportation parking, the quick and easy entry into practice, and the Bengal sunglasses for all of our players.

It was a first-class experience that our players won’t forget!

#OneHeartbeat #WhoDey

On 5/5/2026 at 11:51 AM, futurecoach said:

Walton-Verona is bringing on board coach Ed Smart to be an assistant coach this season. Coach Smart brings in over 30 years of coaching experience, with over 20 of those years being as a varsity head coach. Many of those years as a head coach being at Grayson County High School. He should bring great knowledge and experience to the staff at Walton-Verona. 

Coach Smart was at Brossart last year and parents and players really liked him. We were hoping he’d be back this year but glad to see he’s still coaching.