Stephen Saulter had been waiting for his chance to put on a signature performance for Pearl-Cohn football this season.
That wasn't an easy proposition for the Western Kentucky WR commit in the opening four weeks of the 2026 campaign, as Pearl-Cohn faced off against three teams ranked inside the top 15 in the USA TODAY Network's latest Super 25 rankings.
In Week 4 it was one-point loss to defending 6A state champion Oakland which left a sour taste in Saulter's mouth. He ensured no such pain would be endured by his teammates in a non-region clash against Kenwood on Sept. 18.
Saulter caught seven passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns as the Firebirds secured a 56-0 win to improve to 2-3 on the year, heading into a potential Region 6-4A title decider
against Springfield in Week 6. Firebirds QB LJ Funk completed 14-of-16 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns while CharDarius Trammell rushed for an additional two scores.
"I feel like I kind of needed that game, to brush off a couple of the games (we've) played in," Saulter said. "I was very excited. It was my last homecoming game. I was ready to come into the game, all power, not letting my foot off the gas. Just trying to keep the connection going with (LJ Funk)."
The Firebirds may be sitting below .500 heading into the midway point of the TSSAA season, but don't expect any panic around Pearl-Cohn. Coach Tony Brunetti has made a habit of scheduling a daunting non-region slate which ultimately prepares Pearl-Cohn players for a deep postseason run.
The Firebirds have reached the state semifinals or better in each of the past four seasons, but three of those four campaigns saw Pearl-Cohn winless through its opening two games. In a similar position once again, Pearl-Cohn's belief in its state championship potential has scarcely wavered.
"They're used to it," defensive coordinator Andre Davis said of the Firebirds schedule. "And we coach them through it. It's not like we just throw them out there without coaching. Without the conversations of the process ... We're going into those games to win. That speaks to the mentality of the team."
Last season Pearl-Cohn was 0-4, but won 10 consecutive games to reach the Class 4A state championship game against Alcoa. This year Pearl-Cohn avenged its 2025 loss to DII-AAA semifinalist CPA and little has changed in the way of end-of-season expectations.
"We know going into the season, the first four weeks we got to buckle up," Funk said. "It's going to be tough every year and we knew it coming in last year, the year before. It's an every year thing.
"Two and three obviously doesn't look good, we don't like it. I think as a team, it almost humbles us. Which is good, we need that. We know we got to go out there and still fight and practice. Our coaches remind us when we're slacking like, 'We're 1-3.' That was the message this whole week."
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why losses haven't shaken Pearl-Cohn football's championship aspirations
