KINGS MILLS — Alex Garvin knows what Kings High School football has looked like when the Knights have been at their best.
The question entering 2026 is how this particular group will get there.
Kings is coming off a 9-2 season in which it went 8-1 in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, finishing second behind eventual Division II state runner-up Anderson. The Knights won nine of their first 10 games before their season ended with a 35-31 loss to Harrison in the playoffs.
Much of the production behind that run has moved on, leaving Garvin with a roster that may be less proven but has given him plenty of reasons for optimism.
“Every team’s story starts with their leadership, starts with their identity,” Garvin said. “And this senior class has been everything we’ve asked them to be.”
That leadership will be important as Kings works through one of its more significant transitions in recent seasons. Kings has finished .500 or better in each of the last 16 seasons.
The Knights scored 355 points last year behind an offense that produced nearly 2,600 yards through the air and another 1,432 on the ground. Quarterback Grant Nurre completed 170 of 271 passes for 2,564 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 547 yards and 11 more scores. Running back Max Lockwood led Kings with 622 rushing yards and also scored 11 touchdowns.
Andrew Lyman finished with 838 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, while Jaxon Frisk had 567 yards and seven scores.
Replacing that collection of production won’t fall on one player.
Garvin expects the Knights’ offensive and defensive fronts to provide a foundation while a new group of skill players settles into larger roles.
“We feel like we got a really good offensive and defensive line,” Garvin said. “We’ve got a good running game, a quarterback who can run and throw. So we feel like we can be dynamic with a couple playmakers.”
One of the most established playmakers is senior Nathan Tucker.
Tucker caught a team-high 48 passes last season, turning them into 578 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed in the return game and on defense. Garvin said Tucker will play receiver and cornerback while also serving as a backup quarterback, punt returner and kickoff returner.
“He’s our everything,” Garvin said.
Tucker is one of four captains along with Jack Pearson, Charlie Pearson and Alec Gendreau.
Jack Pearson provides the most returning defensive production among that group. He recorded 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season while forcing a fumble and recovering two. Charlie Pearson also saw varsity action defensively, while Gendreau caught eight passes for 64 yards at tight end.
The Pearson brothers are twins — and two members of a set of triplets — who have spent multiple seasons contributing on Friday nights.
“They’re our leaders,” Garvin said. “The two up front. And then Alec, our tight end, and Nathan Tucker. … They’re just great kids and great leaders, and really proud of them.”
Garvin has established considerable consistency during his tenure at Kings. He enters his eighth season as head coach.
The Knights went 13-2 in 2022 and have posted winning seasons in three of the past four years, including back-to-back nine-win campaigns in 2024 and 2025. Kings went 9-3 in 2024 before improving to 9-2 last fall.
Last year’s Knights were particularly effective after their lone regular-season loss, a 49-24 setback against Anderson. Kings responded by winning its final five regular-season games, beating Lebanon, Little Miami, Milford, Turpin and Walnut Hills while averaging 37.6 points during that stretch.
The 2026 schedule offers little time for a young roster to grow comfortable.
Kings opens at home against Sycamore on Aug. 21 before beginning ECC play at Winton Woods on Aug. 28.
Garvin isn’t putting expectations on the new group based solely on what last year’s team accomplished.
“Not a lot of them have a lot of minutes under their belt,” Garvin said. “But their effort all offseason was great. Their leadership, their willingness to sacrifice, play any position, bring the younger kids along has been great.”
Garvin saw noticeable improvement from one preseason scrimmage to the next, particularly in the physicality of his team.
“I thought overall our energy and effort has heightened, and that’s really what’s gonna carry us,” Garvin said. “We’ve got a great group as long as we play hard.”
