Cougars Football 2026 Schedule Features Long Opening Homestand, Difficult Region Tests

Written By Justin Spurlock

Dickson, TN — The Dickson County Cougars will open the 2026 high school football season with four consecutive home games before facing a road-heavy second half and a pair of potentially decisive Region 7-5A contests to close the regular season.

Dickson County begins its 10-game schedule Friday, Aug. 21, against Columbia Central. The Cougars will remain at home to face LaVergne on Aug. 28 and Creek Wood on Sept. 4 before opening region competition against Henry County on Sept. 11.

The Creek Wood game renews the annual rivalry between Dickson County’s two public high schools. Although the matchup will attract considerable local attention, it will not affect either team’s region record. Dickson County competes in Class 5A, Region 7, while Creek Wood plays in Class 4A, Region 5.

The Cougars’ first road trip comes Sept. 18, when they travel to Northwest for their second region game. Dickson County returns home Sept. 25 to face Kirkwood, giving the Cougars three region games during a critical three-week stretch.

Henry County and Kirkwood enter the season as the two highest-rated teams in Region 7, according to the Sonny Moore preseason power ratings. Henry County is rated at 113.40 and ranked eighth in Class 5A, while Kirkwood owns a 110.01 rating and is ranked 15th.

Dickson County begins the season fourth in the six-team region with a rating of 87.08. The Cougars are behind third-place Kenwood, which has a rating of 93.61, but ahead of Northeast at 80.70 and Northwest at 65.49.

Following the Kirkwood game, Dickson County will play consecutive non-region road contests.

The Cougars will travel to Spring Hill on Thursday, Oct. 1. The game was previously listed for Oct. 2 but has been moved to Thursday night. Dickson County will then visit Lawrence County on Friday, Oct. 9.

The entire Region 7 schedule pauses during the week of Oct. 16, giving the Cougars an open date before the final two games of the regular season.

Those final two games could determine whether Dickson County reaches the Class 5A playoffs.

Northeast visits Dickson County on Oct. 23 for the Cougars’ final home game. Dickson County then travels to Kenwood for a Thursday night regular-season finale on Oct. 29.

The Northeast and Kenwood games are particularly important because those teams join Dickson County in the middle of the preseason region rankings. With four of the region’s six teams qualifying for the playoffs, the head-to-head results among Dickson County, Kenwood and Northeast could determine the final two postseason positions.

Dickson County’s five region games are against Henry County, Northwest, Kirkwood, Northeast and Kenwood. The Cougars host Henry County, Kirkwood and Northeast while traveling to Northwest and Kenwood.

The schedule includes six home games and four road games. However, after playing four straight games at home to begin the year, Dickson County will play four of its final six games away from home.

The Cougars also face a demanding group of non-region opponents. Columbia Central enters the preseason ranked 13th in Class 5A, while Lawrence County is ranked 20th. Creek Wood begins the season ranked 30th in Class 4A and third in its region.

Based strictly on the preseason power ratings, Dickson County is projected to finish fourth in Region 7. A probability model built from the Sonny Moore ratings gives the Cougars an estimated 73-percent chance of reaching the playoffs.

The clearest postseason path runs through the games against Northwest and Northeast, the two teams ranked behind Dickson County. A victory over Kenwood could allow the Cougars to climb into third place and avoid depending on tiebreakers.

The season begins with a lengthy stay at home, but Dickson County’s playoff fate may ultimately be settled on the road during the final Thursday night of October.

Dickson County Cougars 2026 Schedule

  • Aug. 21 — Columbia Central, home

  • Aug. 28 — LaVergne, home

  • Sept. 4 — Creek Wood, home

  • Sept. 11 — Henry County, home*

  • Sept. 18 — Northwest, away*

  • Sept. 25 — Kirkwood, home*

  • Oct. 1 — Spring Hill, away

  • Oct. 9 — Lawrence County, away

  • Oct. 16 — Open date

  • Oct. 23 — Northeast, home*

  • Oct. 29 — Kenwood, away*

*Region 7-5A game

Justin Spurlock