The King’s Academy Cancels 2025 Football Season

News Summary

The King’s Academy has canceled its football season for 2025, focusing on long-term program development. Despite recent struggles and leadership changes, the school aims to strengthen its football program by engaging with the community and developing younger players.

Knoxville, TN – The King’s Academy (TKA) has announced the cancellation of its 2025 football season, a decision confirmed on July 25 following an email sent to families within the school community. This marks the second cancellation in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s (TSSAA) Division II-A East Region, joining Webb School – Bell Buckle.

According to TKA’s Interim Athletic Director Matt Crowder, the school is not abandoning football but is focusing on long-term development to ensure a stronger program in the future. The cancellation is specifically for the 2025 high school football season, although no exact reasons for this decision have been provided.

As part of their commitment to development, TKA plans to work on building their football program from lower levels. current players will still receive support through structured workouts and personalized athletic development initiatives. The school’s Middle School football program continues to grow, which may aid TKA’s ambition to have a competitive high school football team by the 2026-2027 season.

This cancellation comes on the heels of a significant change in leadership, as former football coach and athletic director Jonathan Sellers resigned on June 16, creating a leadership void that may have influenced this decision. Sellers joined the program in 2018, following the departure of Matt Lowe for another coaching position. Under Sellers, TKA experienced some success, including three winning seasons and six playoff appearances, with two slots in the quarterfinals. However, the program has struggled recently, exhibiting a dismal record of 6-26 since 2022. The team went winless during the 2023 season and managed only a 2-9 record in the most recent season.

Despite these setbacks, interim head of school Kelly Sullivan-Connatser sees this moment as a valuable opportunity to strengthen the entire school community. Sullivan-Connatser is optimistic about the future and encourages a shared vision among stakeholders at TKA as they work toward rebuilding the football program.

A full schedule for the 2025 season had been prepared, which included a highly anticipated rivalry game against Webb-Bell Buckle on October 31. However, with the cancellation of the season, TKA plans to replace those scheduled football games with community-building events, allowing families and local residents to engage with the school through different activities.

In summary, The King’s Academy is taking a step back from the 2025 football season in pursuit of rebuilding and development, targeting a return to competitive play in subsequent years. With a focus on the growth of their younger players and engagement with the school community, TKA is paving the way for a hopeful resurgence in its football program.

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Additional Resources

• Knox News: The King’s Academy Cancels Season
• Tennessean: Tennessee High School Football Schedule – Week 11
• Knox News: John Slaughter Transfer Portal
• Tennessean: Tennessee High School Football All-State Teams
• AOL: Tennessee High School Football Schedule