Tennessee landed a massive commitment on the recruiting trail Thursday afternoon with 2026 two-way athlete Salesi Moa. The Vols beat out several strong programs for the elite prospect, including Michigan State, Michigan, Washington, and the home-state Utah Utes.

Moa is ranked as a five-star athlete according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He also comes in as the No. 31 player in the nation, the No. 2 athlete in the class, and the top-ranked player from the state of Utah.

Standing at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Moa demonstrates the ability to play on both sides of the ball at Fremont High School in Ogden, UT. He’s shown to be an impressive prospect at both wide receiver and in the secondary, giving Tennessee’s coaching staff a range of options to get him on the field. Initial reports suggest that he could be a wide receiver at Tennessee, but this also isn’t the type of prospect to put in a single box early on.

He’s got the tools to be an impact player in whatever position group he lands in. And maybe even both. 247 National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins says that Moa “could legitimately be a two-way player in college” and has a skill set to land as a high-round NFL draft pick down the road.

Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong says that Moa is an “outstanding pickup” and “someone (he) expects to be one of the best players for the Vols by year two in Knoxville.”

High praise and high expectations, but Moa’s got the talent to live up to the billing.

Moa’s got the five-star tag for a reason. He’s a dynamic playmaker who is able to create space as a receiver and minimize space as a safety. He’s also a multi-sport athlete in track & field, with speed that translates over to the football field. According to Biggins, Moa clocked a personal best 10.74 100-meter time in April ’25.

After his commitment to Tennessee on Thursday, Moa is now the third highest-ranked prospect in the Vols’ No. 9-ranked 2026 class behind five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon and five-star offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda. This was a huge win for the Vols this week, and gives Josh Heupel a true impact player in the next few years.

More From RTI: Tennessee Football Starting Receiver Sidelined To Begin Fall Practice

Here’s a look at the talent that class of 2026 athlete Salesi Moa is bringing with him from Utah to Tennessee as part of the Vols’ ongoing recruiting class:

ATH Salesi Moa Highlights

The Friday night lights will soon be turned back on.

The 2025 high school football season officially begins in Pennsylvania on Monday with the heat acclimatization period. Teams are allowed to practice with only helmets, shoulder pads, and shorts during the first five days, and practice time is limited to a 5-3-5-3-5 hour schedule over the first five days. No practice can last longer than three hours and teams must have at least two hours of rest between sessions.

Full practices can begin on Aug. 11, and scrimmages are scheduled for Aug. 16.

The games begin on the earliest date ever in Pennsylvania, Aug. 22. The games continue for at least three months, until Thanksgiving Day,  on Nov. 27.

Of course, all teams hope it goes even longer, into the first weekend of December when the PIAA championships are held on Dec. 4-5-6.

In the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, the schedule structure remains the same as it was last year.

The 18 teams are divided into three divisions and aligned by county – Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton.

The teams could schedule whoever they wanted during the first three weeks of the season, and some decided to go completely outside the area with those games. Easton is playing Central Bucks West, Spring-Ford, and Erasmus Hall of Brooklyn, for example.

And others decided to stay within the league. Dieruff, for example, is playing Pocono Mountain East, Pleasant Valley, and Pocono Mountain West.

In Week 4, league games begin. Each team plays the other five members in its division and one game against an opponent from each of the other divisions.

Last year’s division champs were Emmaus (Lehigh County), East Stroudsburg South (Monroe), and Easton (Northampton).

Parkland rebounded from a Week 10 loss to Emmaus to beat the Green Hornets for the District 11 6A title. East Stroudsburg South won the District 11 5A title, but for the first time since 2019 and just the second time since the PIAA went to six classifications in 2016, no EPC team won the D11 4A title as Southern Lehigh routed Bethlehem Catholic 28-7 in the championship game.

Bethlehem Catholic is one of several EPC programs with new coaches as Joe Bernard, who previously was the head coach at  Nazareth (1990-95) and Stroudsburg (2011-12) and worked under Chuck Sonon and Bob Stem in the early 1980s, has returned to the Golden Hawks.

Bernard replaces Ty Ward, who went 13-13 in two seasons before leaving to become the head coach at Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland.

Allentown Central Catholic also has a new coach, as Rob Melosky resigned after going 13-10 in two seasons. He was replaced by 2005 Vikings graduate Jake Reichard, who spent the previous six seasons as an assistant at Emmaus.

The list of top returning players starts with Nazareth quarterback Peyton Falzone, who made plenty of news in the offseason. Falzone de-committed from Virginia Tech, committed to Penn State, and then de-committed again earlier this summer to accept an offer from Auburn.

Falzone threw for 2,135 yards and 23 touchdowns and ran for 697 yards and eight scores last season after throwing for 2,528 yards and 19 TDs as a sophomore in 2023.

Nazareth’s Marquez Wimberly, who ran for 851 yards and scored 13 touchdowns, returns as a Sacramento State commit.

Parkland returns TJ Lawrence, who is also one of the area’s best basketball players. Lawrence ran for 1,148 yards and 13 touchdowns.

East Stroudsburg South returns quarterback Ivan Laubach, who threw for 2,163 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, and Easton’s Cole Ordway is also back at QB after throwing for 2,007 yards and 15 TDs.

Liberty wide receiver Jake Pukszyn figures to be a key to the Hurricanes’ offense after catching 49 passes for 701 yards and five scores, and Whitehall’s Talon Dogmanits also returns after 52 receptions for 848 yards and six TDs.

On the defensive side, Emmaus lineman Robert Edwards III, who made 92 tackles, including six sacks last season, returns after being voted the EPC defensive MVP last season.

When it comes to one of the highlights of the season, Sept. 5 figures to be special. One night after he takes all the bows as a Super Bowl champ after the Eagles open their 2025 season against the Cowboys, Saquon Barkley returns to Whitehall, where he will be inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. The Zephyrs will be playing East Stroudsburg South in a rematch of last year’s District 11 5A final on the same night.

The complete schedule:

Scrimmages

Saturday, August 16

Allen at Pottstown, 10 a.m.

Allentown CCHS at Bonner-Prendie, 10 a.m.

Becahi, Souderton at Parkland, 10 a.m.

Central Bucks West at Whitehall, 10 a.m.

Downingtown at Emmaus, 10 a.m.

Easton at Central Bucks South, 10 a.m.

Freedom at Central Buck East, 10 a.m

Lehighton at Pocono Mountain East, 9 a.m.

Liberty at Delaware Valley, 11 a.m.

Nazareth at Dieruff, 9 a.m.

Northwestern Lehigh at Pocono Mountain West, 9 a.m.

Pleasant Valley at Catasauqua, 10 a.m.

Scranton Prep and Notre Dame-Green Pond at East Stroudsburg South, 1 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Hazleton, 10 a.m.

Upper Perk at Northampton, 10 a.m.

Williamsport at East Stroudsburg North, 12 noon

Friday, August 22

Abington Heights at East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m.

Allentown CCHS at Trinity, 7 p.m.

Central Bucks West at Easton, 7 p.m.

Gov. Mifflin at Pleasant Valley, 7 p.m.

Hazleton at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

Honesdale at East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m.

Neshaminy at Emmaus, 7 p.m.

Northampton at Pennsbury, 7 p.m.

Parkland at George Washington, 7 p.m.

Pennridge at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain East at Dieruff, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain West at Scranton, 7 p.m.

Wallenpaupack at Stroudsburg, 7 p.m.

Wilkes-Barre at Whitehall, 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 23

Downingtown West at Freedom, 1 p.m.

East Pennsboro at Becahi, 7 p.m.

Dobbins Tech at Allen, 7 p.m.

Week 2

Thursday, August 28 

Allentown CCHS at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Dieruff at Pleasant Valley, 7 p.m.

Friday, August 29

Allen at Martin Luther King, 7 p.m.

Easton at Spring-Ford, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South at Northampton, 7 p.m.

Emmaus at Becahi, 7 p.m.

Freedom at Parkland, 7 p.m

Pocono Mountain East at Honesdale, 7 p.m.

Wallenpaupack at East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m.

Whitehall at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Wilkes-Barre, 7 p.m.

Week 3

Thursday, September 4

Scranton at Pocono Mountain East, 6 p.m.

Friday, September 5

Becahi at Berks Catholic, 7 p.m.

Dieruff at Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg North at Allen, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South at Whitehall, 7 p.m.

Emmaus at Reading, 7 p.m.

Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn at Easton, 7 p.m.

Liberty at Stroudsburg, 7 p.m.

Nazareth at Wilson West Lawn, 7 p.m.

Northampton at Parkland, 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley at Exeter, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 6

Freedom at ACCHS, 7 p.m.

Week 4

Thursday, September 11

Pleasant Valley at Parkland, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 12

Allen at East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m.

Allentown CCHS at Pocono Mt. East, 7 p.m

East Stroudsburg North at Dieruff, 7 p.m.

Liberty at Northampton, 7 p.m.

Nazareth at Freedom, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain West at Whitehall, 7 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Emmaus, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 13

Easton at Bethlehem Catholic, 7 p.m.

Week 5

Thursday, September 18

Pocono Mountain West at East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m.

Friday, September 19

Dieruff at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Emmaus at Easton, 7 p.m.

Freedom at Allen, 7 p.m.

Parkland at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley at East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m.

Whitehall at Northampton, 7 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Pocono Mountain East, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 20

Becahi at Allentown Central Catholic, 7 p.m.

Week 6 

Thursday, September 25

Allen at Parkland, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg North at Liberty. 7 p.m.

Nazareth at Pleasant Valley, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 26

Allentown CCHS at Emmaus, 7 p.m.

Easton at Stroudsburg, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South at Freedom, 7 p.m.

Northampton at Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m.

Whitehall at Dieruff, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 27

Pocono Mountain East at Becahi, 12 noon

Week 7

Thursday, October 2

Freedom at Becahi, 7 p.m.

Friday, October 3

Easton at Northampton, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South at Pocono Mountain East, 7 p.m.

Emmaus at Whitehall, 7 p.m.

Liberty at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

Parkland at Dieruff, 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley at East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 4

Allen at Allentown Central Catholic, 7 p.m.

Week 8

Friday, October 10

Allentown CCHS at Parkland, 7 p.m.

Becahi at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

Dieruff at Emmaus, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg North at Stroudsburg, 7 p.m.

Liberty at Easton, 7 p.m.

Northampton at Freedom, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain East at Pleasant Valley, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain West at East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m.

Whitehall at Allen, 7 p.m.

Week 9

Friday, October 17

Allen at Emmaus, 7 p.m.

Allentown CCHS at Dieruff, 7 p.m.

Becahi at Liberty, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South at Stroudsburg, 7 p.m.

Freedom at Easton, 7 p.m.

Nazareth at Northampton, 7 p.m.

Parkland at Whitehall, 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley at Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain East at East Stroudsburg North 7 p.m.

Week 10

Friday, October 24

Easton at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

East Stroudsburg North at East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m.

Emmaus at Parkland, 7 p.m.

Northampton at Becahi, 7 p.m.

Pocono Mountain West at Pocono Mountain East, 7 p.m.

Whitehall at Allentown CCHS, 7 p.m.

Stroudsburg at Pleasant Valley, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 25

Dieruff at Allen, 2 p.m.

Liberty at Freedom, 1 p.m.

Week 11

Friday-Saturday, October 31-Nov. 1

District 11 3A and 5A semifinals

District 11 2A, 4A, 6A quarterfinals

Week 12

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 7-8

District 11 3A and 5A championship

District 11 2A, 4A, 6A quarterfinals

Week 13

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15

PIAA 3A & 5A first round

District 11 2A, 4A, 6A championship games

Week 14

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-22

PIAA 3A & 5A second round

PIAA 2A, 4A, 6A first round

Week 15

Thursday, November 27

Northampton at Catasauqua, 10 a.m.

Phillipsburg at Easton, 10:30 a.m.

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 28-29

PIAA semifinals

Week 16

Thursday-Friday-Saturday, December 4-6

PIAA championships at Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg.

Originally Published: August 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – As more than 1.7 million students and 125,000 teachers return to classrooms across Georgia, education leaders say this school year will be about more than just test scores.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods said the Georgia Department of Education is emphasizing literacy, teacher support, mental health and equity across districts.

“I’m excited about being able to make a difference in a student’s life,” Woods said.

Investing in literacy

This year, the department is investing over $14 million in literacy efforts. That includes expanding access to reading coaches and training teachers in a curriculum model called the “Science of Reading,” which focuses on decoding and phonics to improve comprehension.

Woods said 60 coaches were sent to underperforming schools last year and helped boost reading performance by 15 points.

“I think that if a kid can read, then every door opens up,” he said.

Teacher retention, recruitment

Georgia’s investment in teacher pay raises in recent years has led to a teacher retention rate that now exceeds the national average. Still, recruitment remains a challenge in some areas.

The state is partnering with colleges and universities to offer incentives for hard-to-fill teaching positions.

“Georgia is known as the Peach State. Well, we want to be known as the ‘Teach State’ as well,” Woods said.

Mental health and student support

The state has increased funding for school counselors and mental health resources, with a new focus on reaching rural students.

Through partnerships with outside agencies, telehealth services are being introduced to provide access to care in underserved communities.

“You’ve got to feel safe before you’re worried about ABCs and 123s,” Woods said. “It’s a comprehensive plan to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Addressing equity

For the first time, Georgia’s education funding formula includes additional support for districts with high numbers of low-income students. Woods said the change is intended to bridge long-standing equity gaps.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.

It’s go time for Greater Cincinnati high school sports athletes primed to compete in the fall 2025 season.

Most sports teams begin practicing Aug. 1, though Ohio golf season already started and some Kentucky teams have been practicing.

The Cincinnati Enquirer high school sport staff, however, never really let up the gas after the 2024-2025 school season ended, providing fall preview content throughout July.

Writers James Weber, Brendan Connelly, Alex Harrison and Jack Schmelzinger, with an assist from Xavier University beat writer Shelby Dermer, have been churning out by-position lists for football, soccer and volleyball as well as some features and league/sport previews in between vacations and, in Shelby’s case, a wedding.

Our roster of preseason content planned for August is strong from start to finish. Our athlete of the week voting is expected to begin Aug. 25, after the first Friday/Saturday Night football weekend.

Here are links to all of our stories so far. The Enquirer will update this file throughout August as content is published.

General

Cross country

Coming in August.

Golf

Field hockey

Coming in August.

Football

Features

League previews

Positional lists

Soccer

Positional lists

Tennis

Volleyball

Features

Positional lists

Water polo