Lanier High School head football coach Tommy Kelly during practice Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Jackson. Kelly played in the NFL for Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2014. His Lanier Bulldogs were undefeated through the first eight games of the 2025 season. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Knolyn Bailey, a bright-eyed, just-turned-16-year-old, 10th grade running back, has grown up attending football games at Lanier High where his mother teaches. Most years, he says, there was little to cheer where the Bulldogs were concerned.