NOBLE BEARS
Coach: GREG GEORGE
4-7
Noble heads into 2026 after a 4-7 season under longtime head coach Greg George, who is entering his 13th year leading the Bears. George describes this as “A young team that needs a lot of young players to step up and take the next step towards Friday Night players,” stressing that they will “need to continue to get better each day.” With four starters returning on each side of the ball, Noble is in a developmental phase but sees upside in its underclassmen.
Offensively, the Bears will operate out of a spread attack built around their returning skill talent. Junior running back Koen Soel leads the way after carrying 99 times for 501 yards and two touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 185 yards and three more scores, giving Noble a versatile threat in both the run and pass game. Senior receiver Hayden Kudrna adds experience on the perimeter after recording five receptions for 89 yards, and sophomore running back Dallas Hensley showed promise with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as a freshman. With a young but talented backfield and receiving corps, the Bears will look to grow into the system as the season progresses.
Defensively, Noble also returns four starters and will line up primarily in a 3-4 front. Senior linebacker Rylin Carpeter anchors the middle after posting 65 tackles, while senior defensive end and Top 100 nominee Connor Wines added 50 tackles and sets the edge with physical play. Senior defensive tackle Tristan Hays, listed simply as a “Run stopper,” brings size at 6-foot, 275 pounds and is expected to control the interior. As with the offense, younger defenders will be asked to grow quickly around that senior core. Wines is Noble’s Top 100 nominee, and George describes him as a “Tough kid that plays hard every snap” who “Leads by example.” He is also a state championship wrestler at 190 pounds, which speaks to his strength, leverage and competitiveness in the trenches. Sophomore Sean May is tagged as the underclassman to watch, with George saying they “expect big things from him next three years,” and Jack Barrett is “a young man that puts other people first in his life” and “will do whatever it takes to play.” If Noble’s young core develops as hoped around that leadership, the Bears could take a step forward in 2026.
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