A special publication of The Franklin County Times — Fall 2013
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The Game Plan
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Russellville 4
Table Of Contents
32 35 38 40 41 42 45 46
Phil Campbell 11
Red Bay 17
Tharptown 22
Vina 27
Cheerleaders Bands UNA Alabama Auburn SEC Previews SEC Schedule NFL Schedule Publisher Jonathan Willis Editorial J.R. Tidwell and Kellie Singleton Sales Peggy Hyde, Nicole Pell and Emily Pendley Circulation Alton Zills
P.O. Box 1088 • Russellville, AL 35653 256-332-1881 • fax: 256-332-1883 www.franklincountytimes.com
The Game Plan
All of the helmet art contained in this magazine was created by Mike Gardner and may be found on mghelmets.com. Used with permission.
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Head coach Michael Jackson, now in his third year at the helm of Russellville, will look to continue the success of last year’s 9-3 season. “We’ve had a really good summer,” he said. “Our attendance has been good, and our kids have worked hard. “They’re excited about changing from the offseason to real football. That’s always a welcome change. We had a good first week of football. “It was a long week, but they made it through it well. We’ll just keep trying to get ready next week.” Class 5A Region 8 is one of the toughest regions in high school football, as is showcases the best 5A talent that Northwest Alabama has to offer. “We have a very competitive schedule,” Jackson said. “Our guys are going to take it one step at a time. “They understand that it’s a process and about getting better each and every day. We’re going to take it one game at a time, and our first game up is a jamboree against Brooks. We’ll try to get better from there. “Just about every game is a big one. We start off against Deshler, which is always a huge game in front of a lot of people. “Then the Muscle Shoals game is going to be a huge game. As far as the region goes Cullman, Athens and Hartselle will be huge games. “Walker was the Region 6 champ last year. Fayette County played for the (3A) state championship last year, so that will be a big game at the end of the year. “There are three teams in our region that’s ranked in the preseason top 10 in 5A football.” The Golden Tigers were loaded with tal-
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ent across the board last year, but many seniors that played a big part of the success in 2012 have now been lost to graduation. Still, Russellville has a history of reloading every year, and 2013 should prove to be no different. “Defensively Jalen Scott at free safety will be big,” Jackson said. “Austin Kitterman at rover will play a big role. Our defensive line, Tra Bonds, Tyrone Wilson and Chris Hill, should be one of the better defensive lines in the region. “I feel good about our linebackers like Matthew Davidson, and I feel good about our corners, with Jesse Vincent, Judd Ward and Shemar Hamilton. “Offensively our line should be our strength, with Hayden Evans up front. We have a great set of skill guys, with Chris Owens coming back from last year. “Reed Smith, Austin Bohannon, Colby Thompkins, Trey Williams and Deyon Hill all contribute a lot to our skill game. “We have a couple of quarterbacks that have taken the lead at that position. Zack Garrison and Peyton Nichols had a good week. “Our kicking game with Clay McNatt should be one of the strengths of the team.” With such a tough schedule, Jackson said he and his team will focus on taking each opponent as they come up. “We’re going to go one game at a time,” he said. “To reach different goals you have to reach the first one. “We set many goals throughout the season to get us on the path we want to be on and play our best football four months from now with a chance to be in the playoffs and do something.”
AHSAA Class 5A, Region 8 2012 Record: 9-3 COACH
Michael Jackson This will be the third season for the Golden Tigers with head coach Michael Jackson at the helm. Jackson coached at Buckhorn for nine years before returning to Russellville, his alma mater, in 2011. Jackson has a career record of 67-56. The Golden Tigers will look to continue last season’s success. 5
2013 Russellville Golden Tigers football schedule
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8/30
Deshler
Away
9/6
Muscle Shoals
Home
9/14
East Limestone
Away
9/20
West Point
Home
9/27
Walker
Home
10/4
Cullman
Away
10/11
Athens
Away
10/18
Lawrence County
Home
10/25
Hartselle
Away
11/1
Fayette County
Home 6
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
Deyon Hill
Corey Beckwith
Trey Williams
Jalen Scott
No. 7
No. 8
Jesse Vincent
Judd Ward
Colton Hargett
No. 10
No. 11
No. 12
No. 13
No. 14
No. 15
Payton Nichols
Reed Smith
Tanner Miller
Christian Foster
No. 16 Jacob Hamilton
Austin Kitterman
JJ Johnson
No. 17
No. 19
No. 20
No. 21
No. 22
No. 23
No. 24
Colby Tompkins
Zack Garrison
Nate Franklin
Tyler Pike
Khem West
Enrique MartinMiguel
Colin Garrison
No. 1
No. 6
No. 25
No. 26
No. 28
No. 29
No. 30
No. 31
No. 32
Austin Bohannon
Kyle Tidwell
Brady Isom
Cody Boshell
Ben Chard
Wesley Holt
Austin Bennett
No. 34
No. 36
No. 38
No. 39
No. 41
No. 42
No. 43
Matthew Davidson
Cameron DeArman
Chris Owens
Lewis Pano
Sid Willis
George Bahena
Jose Martinez
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No. 47
No. 49
No. 50
No. 51
Chris Hill
Cody Greenhill
Robbie Curnutt
Slate Wallace
Jared Thornton
No. 52 Damian McGlaughn
Taishun Abernathy
No. 54
No. 55
No. 56
No. 57
No. 58
No. 59
No. 60
Arman Norris
Hayden Evans
Hunter Winsted
Tyrone Wilson
Ryan Mitchell
Konner Bendall
Drake Hipps
No. 61
No. 62
No. 65
No. 66
No. 67
No. 69
No. 70
Drew Wiginton
Jason Vargas
Chase Holland
Elvis Ambrosio
Charlie Chard
Raul Mojica
Gabby Pedro Juan
No. 71
No. 72
No. 74
No. 75
No. 77
No. 79
No. 80
Alex Fuller
Hunter James
Jacob Devaney
Hunter James
Jacob Aycock
Austin Stidham
Caleb Evans
No. 81
No. 82
No. 83
No. 84
No. 85
No. 86
No. 88
Russ Carpenter
Josue Vargas
Logan Seay
Braden Newton
Alfredo Roman
Blake Bendall
Michael Bricker
No. 44
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No. 53
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Not Pictured:
No. 91
Clay McNatt
No. 94
No. 95
Enrique Pascaul
Francisco Andres
Shemar Hamilton Gerado Tomas Jesus Sanchez Logan Wallace Tra Bonds Jonathan Escobar Jose Cerna
Chase Robinson Louis Monterroso Braxton Dempsey Isaiah Valdez Ben Loyd Marvin Betancourt
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The Phil Campbell Bobcats did not have the kind of year the players, coaches, school and community hoped for last season. The 2-8 record was another mark in a list of seasons that did not go the Bobcats’ way. The team has also had to overcome the difficulties of renovations on the game field, losing a large group of seniors and most of all the late-summer departure of former head coach Jason Hill, who was at the helm of Phil Campbell for just one year. New head coach Ryan Swinney has not had a lot of time to get adjusted to his new position, but he is optimistic about the direction in which the team is headed. “[The summer] went pretty well,” he said. “We have been working out four days a week in the mornings, we have pretty good numbers and the kids have worked really hard. I’m really proud of them and kind of excited. “We have some boys that have showed a lot of improvement in the weight room throughout the summer, and our numbers have grown. “We had a few kids turn out that haven’t been playing. We’re pretty enthusiastic about starting practice.” Phil Campbell plays in the same Class 2A, Region 8 as Red Bay, so are oppo-
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nents will be very tough this year just like in 2012. “We have a pretty tough schedule, but the boys seem to have bought into the program,” Swinney said. “We have put in some offensive and defensive sets, and the players are catching on really well to them. We are going to try some different guys out at some different positions. “We start the year with Tharptown, and then we get right into the region with Hatton. Of course Tanner, Lexington, Sheffield and Red Bay are region games. “Our region is really tough. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a tougher (2A) region then what we play in.” The young team and first-year head coach at Phil Campbell will face much adversity this season because of the number of seniors lost after last year and the difficulty of the schedule. Given these circumstances, a guess at how well the Bobcats will do in 2013 is hard to surmise. “It’s hard to say,” Swinney said. “With the schedule we have the season will be pretty tough. We’re optimistic, and I’m never one to put a number down as far as wins and losses. “Our goal is to be competitive in every game we play and put ourselves in an opportunity to win games. We’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
AHSAA Class 2A, Region 8 2012 Record: 2-8 COACH
Ryan Swinney Ryan Swinney is the new head coach for the Bobcats this season. Swinney marks the third head coach Phil Campbell has had over the past three years. The Bobcats have struggled on the gridiron for most of the new millenium and are looking to turn things around. 12
2013 Phil Campbell Bobcats football schedule
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8/29
Tharptown
Home
9/6
Hatton
Home
9/13
Sheffield
Away
9/20
Red Bay
Home
9/27
Phillips
Away
10/4
Cherokee
Home
10/11
Lexington
Away
10/18
Colbert Heights
Home
10/25
Tanner
Away
10/31
Hackleburg
Away 13
No. 2
No. 4
No. 7
Alston Tidwell
Eli Snider
Nick Smith
Tristan Godsey
No. 16
No. 19
Malique Nalls
Austin King
Michael Bittle
No. 20
No. 21
No. 22
Colby Baker
Casey Galloway
Ryan Scott
No. 30
No. 31
No. 33
No. 44
Mikie Stone
Matthew Stancil
Austin Hopson
Trey Nalls
No. 50
No. 51
No. 52
No. 55
No. 58
No. 61
No. 67
Cory Cheek
Daniel Uptain
Colton Baker
Logan Cole
Zack Winsted
Nick Swinney
Nathan Duncan
No. 68
No. 70
No. 75
No. 77
No. 78
No. 79
No. 84
Matt Wilson
Chipper Galloway
Trevor Farley
Tristen Ergle
Quinten Leary
Aaron Miller
Spencer Adams
No. 1
No. 15
No. 89
Justin Baker The Game Plan
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Meet New PCHS Head Coach Ryan Swinney
Phil Campbell High School has had its fair share of issues with the varsity football program over the past few years. There have been two head-coaching changes in the past two years. Two years ago Bo Culver was head coach before leaving the program. Last summer former head coach Jason Hill took over, but he too resigned this summer to take a coaching spot elsewhere. In this time the Phil Campbell Bobcats have struggled in a tough 2A region, including playing against last year’s 2A state champ in Tanner. Phil Campbell High School was tasked with finding a new head football coach once again, but this time the candidate chosen is not someone from outside of the school and program. Since the decision was made to promote from within this go around, no one familiar with the Bobcats should fail to recognize new head coach Ryan Swinney. Swinney is a familiar face to most around Phil Campbell, given his roots and time at Phil Campbell Elementary School. “I am 46,” Swinney said. “I graduated from Phil Campbell High School in 1985. My wife Tina is a 1987 graduate. “I attended Northwest for two years, where I played baseball. I transferred to the University of North Alabama, where I got a Bachelor’s degree in physical education and a Master’s degree in physical education. “I’ve been in the Franklin County school system for 22 years. I spent two years at Belgreen and 17 and a half at The Game Plan
East Franklin Junior High. “I coached basketball at both schools. I transferred to the elementary school here at Phil Campbell. This will start my fourth year here. I’ve been an assistant football coach here for four years.” Swinney is no stranger to Phil Campbell, the Bobcats’ football team or the Franklin County school system. What he is new to, however, is being a head football coach. “This is my first head-coaching job in football,” he said. “I was responsible for the junior high for a couple of years. “I’m excited about it. It has always been a dream of mine to coach football. I told several people when I came out of high school and college that I always desired to coach football, but it always felt like the Lord led me in different directions. “I love basketball, and I participated in all sports when I played. I’ve always wanted to coach football, and I finally had the opportunity to become an assistant coach four years ago, and that led to this. “I was born here and went to school here at Phil Campbell. My son graduated here class of 2012 and I have a daughter that is just starting ninth grade here.” The Bobcats football team posted just a 2-8 record each of the past two seasons, and two major components that have factored into the program’s struggles have been coaching changes and the toughness of region opponents. “I would like to think stability is one thing, because there have been a lot of coaching turnaround in the last few years,” Swinney said. “Stability will help that, and I think that will help with the number coming out to play. My plan is to stay here and stick with it. Stability is No. 1. “We had a lot of kids graduate from the football team last year, and when you lose that amount at a 2A school it can be pretty tough. We’re going to take the ones we have coming back, the new ones that want to come out and we’re going to work hard and strive to be successful. “We want to make it successful for several years. Our ultimate goal is to compete yearly in the region. “We have a really rough region. Tanner won the 2A state championship last year, and that’s a region game. “You can go down the list: Red Bay, Hatton, Colbert Heights, tanner and Sheffield. Sheffield just moved down [to 2A] a couple of years ago. “I don’t know if you can get any tougher [in 2A] than the region we’re in.” Swinney will have a lot on his plate as he works to turn Phil Campbell back into a winning football team. Still, he is quite optimistic about the tasks at hand. “We’re excited,” he said. “We met [Tuesday] morning and had a workout. “We’re kind of behind because we got a late start on things, but we’re going to jump right in and start implementing some of the things we are going to do immediately.” 16
Red Bay The Red Bay Tigers went 8-4 and reached the second round of the 2A state playoffs under first-year head coach John Ritter last season. Red Bay came in second in Class 2A, Region 8 in 2012. The Tigers lost a lot of talent to graduation in the offseason, but the program has a history of reloading each year despite the losses. “We’ve had a great summer,” Ritter said. “We had great attendance, and kids have been working hard. “The team has set some pretty lofty goals, and the kids are working pretty hard to achieve them. I’m very excited. “We are returning a lot of guys, and we have a great senior class that works extremely hard, and the kids have been great leaders. “I’m excited to see how we transition all of our hard work in the weight room onto the field.” Region 8 has one of the toughest regularseason schedules that Class 2A has to offer, so the list of quality opponents and tough games will be long for Red Bay. Tanner was the only 2A team to beat the Tigers during the regular season last year.
“Obviously Tanner in week two is a big game,” Ritter said. “They are the defending state champions (in 2A). I think they have a 33-game winning streak in the region; they haven’t lost a region game in four or five years. That is obviously No. 1. “Sheffield and Lexington, weeks six and eight, those are going to be big game because we will all be in the dogfight to see who wins the region and who qualifies for the playoffs.” Playing a full season filled with quality opponents will take its toll on the relatively small group, but that is a bit of adversity that all teams at smaller schools must face. “We have to stay healthy,” Ritter said. “That’s always an issue in 2A. “We have to continue to work hard, and how we respond to adversity will tell us kind of how our season will go. “We play Central (Florence) and Tanner weeks one and two. You never know how those games will go. Central is a 4A and Tanner is the lead dog in 2A. “I think if we can stay healthy and continue to work hard every day, we have a chance to have a successful year.”
AHSAA Class 2A, Region 8 2012 Record: 8-4 COACH
John Ritter John Ritter got his first chance to be a head coach last year at Red Bay. His team’s stingy defense allowed the Tigers to have a solid season that ended in the playoffs. Ritter will look to continue last year’s success in his second year at the helm in Red Bay.
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2013 Red Bay Tigers football schedule 8/30
Central Florence
Away
9/6
Tanner
Home
9/13
Hatton
Away
9/20
Phil Campbell
Away
9/27
Belmont
Away
10/4
Sheffield
Home
10/11
Cherokee
Away
10/18
Lexington
Home
10/25
Colbert Heights
Away
Marion County
Home
11/1 The Game Plan
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No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
Matt Senkbeil
Austin Milam
Jade Pounds
Jesus Kelly
Troy Borden
Chandler Allen
Payton Thorn
No. 8
No. 9
No. 10
No. 11
No. 12
No. 13
No. 15
Ethan Mobley
Reed Holt
Nick Thorn
Zachary Humphrey
Tate Ozbirn
Tyler Reach
Kaleb Burroughs
No. 21
No. 22
No. 24
No. 25
No. 40
No. 50
Bailey Turbyfill
Austin Childers
No. 23 Andrew Richardson
Issac Spencer
Blake Hester
Barry Reach
Dustin Burks
No. 51 Taylor Weclowski
No. 52
No. 56
Kurtlan Hiser
Dylan Pearson
No. 65
No. 66
No. 67
Kyle Fuller
Dylan Gresham
Kevin Miller
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No. 60
No. 61
No. 62
No. 64
Jordan Turbyfill
Bryson Farris
Lee Alan Page
Dustin Holland
No. 68 Devante Patterson
No. 70 Colby Knoblock
No. 72 Jamal Anderson
No. 73
No. 74
Rickey Esparza
Austin Belue 20
Good Luck Tigers!!
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The Tharptown Wildcats football team went 3-7 last season, which was a disappointment considering the high hopes players and coaches had going into the year. Tharptown has not produced a varsity program for that long, and the school has been getting progressively better across several sports. Head coach Bill Smith and his players believe that having the best season in program history may soon be a real possibility, and hopes are that this year may prove to be that time. “We had a lot of kids that came and worked hard this summer,” he said. “It went pretty well for what it has been in the past. “Our kids have good attitudes. They had a good practice yesterday. There are a lot of things we still have to get done, and we still have a long way to go. “Overall I’m pleased with this group of boys. I think they’re going to work hard, try to improve and do what we need them to do.” Most of the players that are expected to do great things for the Wildcats this year are veterans that any fan of the program will recognize. “We have our quarterback back, Kelby Hallmark, who has been there since he was a ninth grader,” Smith said. “Mike Rice is one of our running backs; he’ll be a junior. He’s been playing for the past three years. “Matthew Brasuell will be a sophomore. He’s one of our young kids that has done well for us in the past. “We have some experienced linemen, and some kids are coming out of our junior high program will be playing. “We’ve got some players coming back that
The Game Plan
are showing some leadership. We’re excited about it.” Standing in the way of Tharptown’s goal to have a great season are several quality Class 1A opponents. “All of our region games are big,” Smith said. “We open the season with Phil Campbell. They are a 2A and a county opponent, and they only beat us by a touchdown last year. If we can get off to a good start against them that would be great. It would have helped us last year. “I looked in our area, and Hackleburg, R.A. Hubbard and Shoals Christian will probably, I would think, be the top three teams. “It would be great to upset one or all of them. Phillips has a new coach, so we don’t know what they will be doing. “Vina is in the county, so that will be a big rivalry game. We play them the second game of the season.” Given the experience of the majority of the players and their commitment to be a better team, Smith has high hopes for how the 2013 season may turn out. “I think we will be improved,” he said. “I felt like last year that we should have won at least five games. We were in enough of them that five or six would have been a possibility. “I really think we’ll be better all the way around. Our offense has performed well for three years. We score enough points, but we don’t play good defense. “That’s going to be the key thing we have to get done. Kids are just not stepping up on the defensive side of the football like they need to. “I believe this group can make a difference. If we play good defense, I think we can have a good season.”
AHSAA Class 1A, Region 8 2012 Record: 3-7 COACH
Bill Smith Veteran head coach Bill Smith is going into his fourth year at the helm of the Wildcats. Tharptown showed much improvement over the previous season, but the 3-7 record is not what anyone had in mind. Good defensive play will be the key if the Wildcats hope to add more wins to their tally this season. 23
2013 Tharptown Wildcats football schedule
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8/29
Phil Campbell
Away
9/6
Vina
Away
9/13
Waterloo
Home
9/19
Decatur Heritage
Away
9/27
Cherokee
Home
10/4
R.A. Hubbard
Away
10/11
Shoals Christian
Home
10/18
Phillips
Away
10/25
Hackleburg
Away
11/1
Alabama School for the Deaf
Home 24
No. 2
Allen Bohannon
No. 3
No. 5
No. 10
No. 11
No. 18
Trent Miller
Kelby Hallmark
Heath Hatton
John Donner
No. 8
Morgan Sharp
Carson Petree
No. 20
No. 22
No. 26
No. 30
No. 32
No. 44
No. 50
Christian Brasuell
Carlos Montes
Will Little
Tristan Brasuell
Mike Rice
Matthew Brasuell
Gant Dill
No. 51
No. 52
No. 54
No. 55
No. 58
No. 60
No. 61
Isaiah Garner
Chase Garner
Shawn Hines
Michael Burgett
Santos Lopez
Orlando Diaz
Tristan Love
No. 62
No. 65
No. 72
No. 74
No. 75
No. 78
No. 80
Mikey Palmer
Alex Hamilton
Jonah White
Fidel Bonilla
Chris Amos
Tre Behrens
Carlos Mentes
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Smith ready for 38th year on the sideline
Bill Smith has had a long run as a head football coach. He took command of his first team, Mount Hope, all the way back in 1975. That year the school went 1-9, and Smith continued there until moving to Hackleburg for the 1978 season. Eight of his 11 seasons with the Panthers produced winning records. Smith went on to coach Red Bay for three years, Phil Campbell for four, Sulligent for three, Vina for 10 and Tharptown now for four. He has amassed a record of 171-217 (a 44.1 winning percentage) in that time. Smith stands with only a handful of other coaches around the state who have coached for this amount of time. “I was always involved in athletics,” he said. “I started as a manager at Russellville in fifth grade. “I either played, managed or coached from then on. I enjoyed being around kids after I got older, and I had great in high school that inspired me. I saw the things they did with me and a lot of other kids, and it just seemed like something I would like to do with my life. “I was a little bit older when I started coaching, and I’ve been in it for 38 years now. The preparation and getting kids ready for Friday night is pretty exciting.” When you have coached for 38 years, your sport has obviously taken up much of your time. However, for Smith, it was well worth it. “It takes up a lot of your time,” he said. “My wife was an elementary school teacher, and her life revolved around kids, too. It really didn’t seem like time taken up, it was time well spent as far as we were concerned. The Game Plan
“It still is for me. Every minute I spend with these kids, even through frustration and feeling bad about some things, is worth every bit of it.” Wins and losses are always something had coaches are concerned about at least to some degree, but high school coaches have a lot more to worry about when it comes to their players. “You have kids that you want to help, and you have kids that need football more than football needs them,” Smith said. “I can see kids gain something from the program that helps them later on in life. I guess as a coach, not just me but any coach, sometimes you don’t get your reward to you come across a former player when they’re a family man themselves and have gone out and accomplished something. “They say ‘coach I remember you told me this, and at the time I had a hard time understanding it, but now I now what you meant.’ It means a lot knowing you reached them, even if it took a few years for it to sink in. “My goal has always been to make productive young men out of these players. I’m like anyone else; I love to win. I was brought up in a system in Russellville that did win, and I was fortunate enough to play with athletes who cared about each other, and we won a lot of ball games. “When you go into coaching, you say I’m not going to lose. Some of the programs I’ve gone into it has been really tough. “I’ve gone into quite a few situations where we try to get something going. I wanted to win a state championship, but things seem to slip away from you towards the end. I have had my opportunities. “I had teams at Red Bay, Hackleburg and Sulligent where I had chances, but it didn’t work out.” Smith is also in a unique club where he may very well be the sole member; he has been the head coach at every school with a football team in the county. “It’s great in a way,” he said. “I have coached at every school in the county other than Russellville. I coached at Russellville as a college assistant, but I’ve been head coach at all the county schools. “Up until now each place I’ve coached I’ve got them to the playoffs. I haven’t here yet, and I don’t know what the situation will be. We’ve got a good group of kids here. It’s been fun. “I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone I have worked with at these schools. I’ve appreciated the people giving me the opportunity to be there and be a part of their programs.” Since Smith is entering his 38th season as a head football coach, it is clear that something has made him stay in it for this many years. “It’s been my life,” he said. “It’s something that I was meant to do, and every morning I wake up I can’t wait for practice to get here. I guess if you’re given the chance to play all your life, you need to take advantage of it. I try to.” 26
Vina The Vina Red Devils have been struggling when it comes to boys’ athletics. Thanks to the small size of the school, Vina went from the 2012 baseball season to the 2013 baseball season without a win in a boys’ sport. Head coach James Pharr will look to turn things around this year at VHS. “We have been blessed,” he said. “We got a lot of rain, and it has been a mild summer. “I think our kids have worked hard. The ones that have been coming to workouts, I can tell they have improved. I think they have done pretty fair. “It’s like always, we have some guys that need to be here but aren’t dedicated enough. Then we have guys that are dedicated and make it regularly. “I’m really proud of those kids. I think we have a good attitude, and our kids are ready to play hard.” Other than the small size (meaning small pool of talent to draw from) of Vina, another factor standing in the Red Devils’ way is the quality of opponents in their 1A region. “With us, we start right off the bat we
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have a jamboree with Phil Campbell,” Pharr said. “We want to take them one at a time. “If you try to eat a hog and shove the whole thing in your mouth, you’ll choke to death. I think a man ought to take one bite at time. “I’m sure Hackleburg will have a good team. Tharptown will have a good team. They have some kids coming back at some skill positions that will make them a better opponent. “I think they’ll be ready to go. Shoals Christian has a lot of players returning. In region play, Shoals, Hackleburg and Tharptown will be tough. Bear Creek always puts points on the board.” Despite small numbers, Vina is not without some talented football players. “I think Andrew Hester is going to be a good ball player,” Pharr said. “He has worked hard, and I think he will rise to the occasion. Up front our kids need to do a good job.” When you are returning after an 0-10 season, the only way to go is up. Pharr summed it up with this simple statement. “I hope we have improvement,” he said.
AHSAA Class 1A, Region 8 2012 Record: 0-10 COACH
James Pharr This will be Coach Pharr’s fourth year at the helm of the Red Devils. Vina went 0-10 last season and will look to improve on that mark, but its number of players may put Vina at a disadvantage. The Red Devils are 4-26 under Coach Pharr over the past three seasons. 28
2013 Vina Red Devils football schedule
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8/30
Cherokee
Away
9/6
Tharptown
Home
9/13
Shoals Christian
Away
9/20
Phillips
Home
9/27
Brilliant
Away
10/4
Hackleburg
Away
10/11
R.A. Hubbard
Home
10/17
Decatur Heritage
Away
10/25
Waterloo
Away
11/1
Hubbertville
Home 29
No. 3
No. 7
No. 8
No. 11
No. 12
No. 13
No. 22
Tyler Renfrow
Andrew Hester
Hunter Kennedy
James Barnes
Drake Hester
Hunter Haithcock
Eddie Dees
No. 30
No. 31
No. 51
No. 61
No. 65
No. 66
No. 70
Joseph Emerson
Daniel Wooten
Andrew Upton
Adam Ozbirn
Chris Brewer
Austin Petree
Joshua Cochran
No. 78
No. 80
No. 82
John Spencer
Bradley Duncan
Dakota Riley
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Russellville Cheerleaders Contributed The members of the 2013-14 Russellville High School varsity cheerleading squad are (in no particular order): Michaela Cox, (Co-Captain) Brooke Smith, (Captain) Julie Masterson, Nicole Crittenden, Lacey Oliver, Lynsi Bragwell, Hannah Prince, Kennedy Palmer, Caitlyn Tompkins, Brooklyn Hall, Amber Gibson, Bryanna Smith, Jill Masterson, MichaelAnn Blackburn and Ashley Brown. Mascot “CHAMP” is Stacy Godsey. RHS Varsity Cheer Coach is Stephanie M. Mayfield.
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Phil Campbell Cheerleaders J.R. Tidwell/FCT The 2013-14 Phil Campbell High School cheerleaders are (left to right) front row: Andrea Fugate, Taylor Allen, Mia Hutcheson; middle row: Karli Hill, Madison Hardy, Sydnee Bishop; back row: Meaghan Hardy, Chloe Brown, Jordan Sharp, Courtney Baker, Elizabeth Benford and Brook Scott.
Red Bay Cheerleaders J.R. Tidwell/FCT The members of the 2013-14 Red Bay High School cheerleading squad are (in no particular order) Katie Burks, Holly Hardin, Carley Hopkins, Emma Howard, Alyssa Hutcheson, Aubry Ingle, Clair Kennedy, Paige Lewey, Mary Katherine Markham, Anna Mason, Hannah McKinney, Jordyn McKinney, Jodi Paige and mascot Katlyne Hiser. The Game Plan
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Tharptown Cheerleaders Contributed
The 2013-14 Tharptown High School cheerleaders are (left to right) bottom row: Kamri Sears, Dixie Chavez; middle row: Ashlynn Vandiver, Debbie Gomez, Kinleigh Sellers, MaKayla Franks; back row: Lindsey Stancil, Sierra Robinson and Blanca Aguirre.
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The Marching Hundred
Contributed ROCK YOU! “The Music of Queen”
The fall of 2013 season brings the 69th edition of the Russellville High School “Marching Hundred”. This year’s production features music of the legendary British rock group, “Queen”. Formed in 1970, “Queen” rose to become one of the biggest stadium rock groups in the world producing 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles, and 10 number one DVDs. Their classic rock anthems are still prevalent today. The “Marching Hundred” production begins with the taste of Bohemian Rhapsody and quickly transitions to a fanfare of Fat Bottomed Girls and We Will Rock You. We then move into a Latin jazz treatment of Bicycle Race. With a driving bass line, the middle section of our show features Queen’s hit Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Our show concludes with segments from the rock opera, Bohemian Rhapsody, and ends with the classic, We Are the Champions. The two songs are tied together with God Save the Queen as the auxiliaries proudly display the British National Flag.
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(Americans will probably recognize the melody as My Country Tis of Thee.) Never wanting to forget their heritage, “Queen’s” lead singer, Freddy Mercury, would pay homage and proudly display the “Union Jack” at the end of their concerts with a rendition of God Save the Queen.
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The Phil Campbell Band
The Red Bay Band
Contributed by Scotty Kennedy The Game Plan
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Lions picked to finish third in Gulf South
U. of North Alabama Lions
went through spring, worked out in the offseason and summer and are so much farther along. “We also have a good senior class,” Wallace added. “We could start as many as 18 seniors and I never thought that would happen.” Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Valdosta State and defending GSC champion West Alabama tied for first with 23 points each in the GSC poll. UNA is third at 14, followed by Delta State and West Georgia with 12 each and newcomer Florida Tech with six. “You have the defending national champion and the defending conference champion picked tied for first and that speaks highly of the GSC,” Wallace said. “Every team in our conference is dangerous and you have to be ready to play every week. We have the toughest schedule that I can remember and it will be a big challenge. But the opportunity is out there for us. It will depend on how we work and progress but we control our own destiny.” Emphasizing the difference a year has made at UNA, the Lions lead all GSC schools with 10 members on the pre-season All-GSC team. UNA placed three players on the pre-season All-GSC offense with sophomore running back Lamonte Thompson of Florence, senior receiver Jason Smith of Gurley, Ala., and senior guard David Lundberg of Winfield, Ala. The Lions have six players on the defensive squad with two at each position. Junior Taylor Carney of Killen, Ala., and senior Dimitri Orr of Eastaboga, Ala., were selected on the defensive line. At linebacker, UNA is represented by senior Tavarius Wilson of Jackson, Miss., and senior Gabe Poe of Pheba, Miss. Poe transferred to UNA this fall. He was a 2011 first-team All-GSC pick at West Alabama and then Photo courtesy of earned his degree and did not play in 2012. Malisa McClure In the secondary, UNA’s selections include senior Caleb Massey of Sulligent, Ala., and sophomore Floyd Jones of Town Creek, Ala. Also named pre-season All-GSC is UNA senior punter Michael With 40 lettermen and 16 starters back from last season, the University Schuster of Decatur, Ala. of North Alabama has been picked to finish third in the 2013 Gulf South “Having 10 people picked for the pre-season all-conference team Conference race in a pre-season poll of the league’s head football shows we have come a long way pretty quickly,” Wallace said. “But the coaches. only thing that matters is what happens when the season starts.” UNA finished 5-5 a year ago after a 5-1 start and relied heavily on its The Lions report for pre-season drills on August 14 and Wallace said freshman class to contribute since that team returned just three starters. UNA Head Football Coach Bobby Wallace says the difference a year it will be exciting to see the team in action. “It will be fun to watch these players compete,” he said. “We have has made is remarkable. “The biggest thing is that at this time last year we were relying on the competition at every position and that will push us to be better.” UNA opens its season at home on Thursday, Sept. 5 against Miles unknown,” Wallace said. “It is a world of difference from this time last College at Braly Stadium at 6:30 p.m. year. We had 50 kids in the program a year ago that didn’t know what college - courtesy of UNA Sports Information was all about. Now we’ve got players who have experience and have a season of maturity. We have a lot of young kids who played a year ago,
Bobby Wallace
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2013 UNA Lions football schedule
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9/5
Miles College
Home
9/14
Jacksonville State
Away
9/21
Delta State
Home
10/5
Shorter
Away
10/12
West Georgia
Home
10/19
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Home
10/26
Valdosta State
Away
11/2
West Alabama
Home
11/9
Florida Tech
Away
11/16
Tarleton State
Away 39
Crimson Tide looking for third-straight national title
Nick Saban
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The two-time defending BCS national champion Alabama Crimson Tide return 14 starters and 48 lettermen for the 2013 season with 23 lettermen and six starters on offense, 23 lettermen and seven starters on defense and punter Cody Mandell returning on special teams. Quarterback AJ McCarron headlines the returning starters on offense after setting the school record in 2012 with 30 touchdowns passes last season only three interceptions. His entire receiving corps also returns with 2012 Freshman All-American Amari Cooper, senior Kevin Norwood and junior Christion Jones anchoring the unit along with Kenny Bell and Chris Black. Veteran tight end Michael Williams has departed and the Tide must replace three starters along the offensive line, but two awards candidates will look to lead the line: Cyrus Kouandjio at left tackle and Anthony Steen at right guard. Ryan Kelly appears to be in line to replace Barrett Jones at center while Brian Vogler is the probable choice to get the bulk of Williams’ duties at tight end.
The defense features at least one returning starter on each level with 76 combined starts among defensive end Ed Stinson, linebackers C.J. Mosley, Trey DePriest and Adrian Hubbard along with defensive backs Deion Belue and HaHa Clinton-Dix. Add veteran safety Vinnie Sunseri and the Tide returns 84 career starts on defense. Alabama’s returning defensive personnel accounted for 68 percent of the tackles in 2012 along with 67 percent of the sacks and interceptions. Veteran punter Cody Mandell is back to anchor the specials teams after setting the school single-season record with a 44.3 yards per punt average in 2012, when he booted 14 punts over 50 yards and landed 19 inside the 20-yard line. Alabama is armed with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, a group that — combined with the returning roster — gives the Crimson Tide a potent squad that could be primed for a run at another Southeastern Conference title and possible contention for a third straight national championship. - from the 2013 Alabama Crimson Tide media guide
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Auburn looking to rebound after 3-9 season Two years ago the headline of this story read “Auburn looking to rebound after 4-4 SEC record.� Who knew that a 4-4 SEC record would be a MAJOR improvement over how last season would turn out. The Tigers went 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the SEC. Auburn only managed to defeat non-conference opponents LouisianaMonroe (31-28/OT), New Mexico State (42-7) and Alabama A&M (51-7). After such an awful and disappointing season, everyone saw the writing on the wall that the termination of Gene Chizik as head coach was imminent. In steps Gus Malzahn, who was the offensive coordinator at Auburn from 2009-2011. Aided by the amazing ability of former quarterback Cam Newton, Malzahn helped Auburn win the national championship in 2010 with his explosive spread offense that favored the run. Four wins over SEC opponents in two years is unacceptable for the vast majority of SEC football members,
especially just two years after winning it all. The microscope will be on Malzahn this year, as all of the Auburn faithful will be wondering if the new head coach will really be able to turn things around after the disaster of a season last year. Malzahn is likely to have offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee run his explosive offense, which has proven effective in the past, although it never worked all of the time. Nick Marshall, a JUCO transfer to the university, was recently named as the winner of the quarterback battle against Jeremy Johnson, Jonathan Wallace and Kiehl Frazier. Frazier was moved to a safety role, leaving Wallace as the back-up for Marshall for now. Hopefully Marshall will be able to perform at the position. It may be wise to redshirt Johnson during his freshman season and let Wallace fill in if needed. 2013 may be a turning point for Auburn, or it may be more of the same from 2012. Only time will tell what will happen this season.
Gus Malzahn
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Coach says “Two or three plays can affect the outcome of a game. So your players’ commitment to a standard of excellence to be prepared, to have the passion toward the commitment and the standard, to be prepared, to give the effort, play with the kind of toughness, have the discipline, execute every play in the game like it has a history of its own is very, very important because you never know when those plays are 2012 13-1 overall, 7-1 in the SEC – First in coming up. So you really have to play the SEC Western Division, defeated Notre every play. That’s what we’re trying to get dame in the BCS National Championship our players to buy into so they’re going to put themselves in a position to play those Game plays in what will most certainly be a competitive season and a challenging season Projected finish against some great football teams.” First in the Western Division Nick Saban Briefly Players say The Crimson Tide will look to return to championship caliber this season under “(On preventing a slide) “I think that’s experienced QB A.J. McCarron. The team one thing that myself and C.J. have preached is purpose. Like I said, everyis loaded with young talent. one goes through their era in college football. Miami was good for years, then Key players returning Cyrus Kouandijo (LT), AJ McCarron Florida State, then Nebraska. Everyone (QB), Amari Cooper (WR), C.J, Mosley has their time and then it falls out after (LB), Deion Belue (CB), HaHa Clinton-Dix two or three years. Our thing, is why does (S), T.J. Yeldon (RB). The Crimson Tide it have to leave? I think it goes back to has 14 returning starters from last year’s the leaders and what they’re passing on.” Quarterback AJ McCarron National Championship winning team. Key losses You might not know Jesse Williams (DL), Damion Square (DL), Dee Milliner (CB), Chance Womack If Alabama becomes bowl eligible this (OL), Barrett Jones (C), Robert Lester (S), season, they will have made 61 bowl D.J. Fluker (RT), Eddie Lacy (RB). The appearances, a recurring NCAA record for Crimson Tide lost 11 starters from last the Crimson Tide. year’s team. season. Real excited about our players. We’ve asked a lot of them since they’ve been back. They really bought into the ‘New Day’ theme, putting the past behind them. They had a very good spring, feel like we improved in the weight room this summer. We’ve gotten stronger, which we needed to in a big way. Academically, really proud of our guys. Last semester, we had one of the best academic semesters in the history of Auburn football. 2012 3-9 overall, 0-8 in the SEC – Seventh in That usually carries over to discipline and character on the field. Off the field, I’m the SEC Western Division very proud of our guys, too. Back for eight months, no off-the-field issues. That’s a Projected finish tribute to our players, real proud of those Fifth in the Western Division guys.” Gus Malzahn Briefly The Tigers will look to improve on last Players say year’s pitiful 83-8 performance, especially the 0-8 SEC record. The biggest question On preseason expectations with new is how well the team will do under new coach Gus Malzahn: “As much winning as we are destined for. If you put in the head coach Gus Malzahn. work during the week, there’s no telling how much winning there can be. The Key players returning Tre Mason (RB), Jay Prosch (FB), difference in this year’s team is we have Reese Dismukes (C), Cody Parkey (PK), the same guys but more mentally tough Nosa Eguae (DL), Gabe Wright (DL), and mature.” Defensive end Dee Ford Chris Davis (DB), Jonathan Mincy (DB). The Tigers have 19 returning starters from You might not know last year’s team. Terry Bowden has the best winning percentage in the 20th Century among Key losses Emory Blake (WR), Philip Lutzenkirchen Auburn coaches who coached at least (TE), Corey Lemonier (DE), Daren Bates two seasons. Bowden compiled a .731 (LB), T’Sharvan Bell (DB). The Tigers lost (47-17-1) record. Mike Donahue is a very close second six starters from last year’s team. with a .730 (99-35-5). Dye comes in third with .711 (99-39-4), and Shug comes in Coach says “I’m blessed to be back at Auburn as fourth at .675 (176-83-6) in his days at the head coach, looking forward to the Auburn.
The Game Plan
and that was my head strength coach and my director of operations. They’ve been home runs for us. I want to say thanks. I’ve had people reach out to me over the last two days. My hometown that I came from had a fire that took down a number of buildings in my town. When you only got 2,000 people, there’s not a lot of buildings. 2012 It wiped out quite a few. I appreciate all the 4-8 overall, 2-6 in the SEC – Sixth in the people reaching out to me over the last SEC Western Division couple days. It means a lot to me. I can’t wait to help out.” Projected finish Brett Bielema Seventh in the Western Division Players say Briefly “On being low-ranked: We embrace The Razorbacks will look to turn things being the underdogs. Last year was a lot around after a disappointing 2012 season. of hype and high expectations. Now, the Brett Bielema will be the head coach at spotlight is off of us and we can focus on Arkansas for the first time this year. us. The main thing at the end of the day is just playing football. We went through a lot Key players returning of stuff but now we can focus on moving Byran Jones (DT), Chris Smith (DE), forward and getting better each and every Kiero Small (FB), Travis Swanson (C)3 day as a football team.” The Razorbacks return 16 starters from Defensive end Chris Small last year’s squad. “On transition to a new coach: This Key losses spring was awesome. Really smooth tranTyler Wilson (QB), Knile Davis (RB), sition, not only for us but for the coaches Cobi Hamilton (WR), Alonzo Highsmith as well. Obviously it is a new program and (LB). The Razorbacks lost 11 starters a new setting for everyone. With the phifrom last year’s squad. losophy, we’ve all bought in. That’s what I took away from this spring. It didn’t take Coach says much to buy in, to be honest.” “The summer is in process. I can’t Center Travis Swanson really be with our players. But my strength coach Ben Herbert, who I brought with You might not know me, has been a valuable asset to our pro- This will be Brett Bielema’s first time as gram. When I took the job, I told Jeff Long, head coach of the Razorbacks. He has I need to be able to hire two people that been a head coach for seven years previhave nothing to do with coaching football, ous, all at Wisconsin. from a character standpoint, from a buy-in standpoint. When you have eight comefrom-behind wins in a season, that says a lot about where you are as a program and where your kids are as far as the buy-in is concerned, which obviously excites me. Two things we emphasized last year was turnover margin in 2011, we went from 2012 -12, to 2012 we went to +15, which is a 11-2 overall, 7-1 in the SEC – Second difference in a season, difference playing in the SEC Eastern Division in a BCS bowl game.” Will Muschamp Projected finish Third in the Eastern Division Players say On his confidence level this year: “It’s Briefly easier to be more vocal when you’re the The Florida Gators fell just behind set quarterback. When there’s a competiGeorgia last year in the SEC East. The tion, you don’t want to step on anyone’s Gators will look to have another great toes. I’m a lot more confident because year under third-year head coach Will I’ve played more and gotten a lot more Muschamp. snaps and played one year as the starting quarterback. I’d say the guys respect Key players returning me a lot more this year. I’ve opened my Jeff Driskel (QB), Quinton Dunbat (WR), mouth a lot more and just being around Dominique Easley (DL), Loucheiz Purifoy the guys, it just comes with it. You don’t (DB), Jaylen Watkins (DB). Florida has 10 flip a switch; it grows.” returning starters. On the balancing act with running and Key losses throwing the ball: “Me running the ball is Mike Gillislee (RB), Jordan Reed (TE), definitely a weapon for us, but I’m just Omar Hunter (DL), Jelani Jenkins (LB), going to have to be smart with it and get Caleb Sturgis (K), Jon Bostic (LB). The out of bounds if I can or slide if I have the Gators lost a whopping 23 starters. first down and not take a big hit.” Quarterback Jeff Driskel Coach says “We made some strides in our second season. I think as you look back from year You might not know one to year two, obviously the record was Eric Rhett rushed for 4,163 yards durbetter, which is good. But more than any- ing his career at Florida, making him the thing to me, the roster in our locker room is school’s all-time leading rusher. Emmitt much better. From a discipline standpoint, Smith is in second place with 3,928 yards.
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2010 will serve to motivate us throughout this 6-7 overall, 3-5 in the SEC – Third in off-season, what’s left of it, and throughout the SEC Eastern Division our camp. Once again, the goal is to get back to Atlanta. That’s it for us. You get Projected finish to Atlanta, once you get there, you win Second in the Eastern Division that game, you got a chance to play for a national championship. Sounds like a broken record, but that’s the real deal. The fact that we’re in the type of league that is so rugged that people understand even 2012 team has one loss, they still might 12-2 overall, 7-1 in the SEC – First in ifbeaworthy of an opportunity to play for a the SEC Eastern Division national championship, that’s exciting to be a part of that type of league.” Projected finish Mark Richt First in the Eastern Division Players say Briefly “On coming back for one season: To The Bulldogs will look to continue the come that close to winning a championsuccess they had last season under quar- ship and being able to compete terback Aaron Murray, but without the national championship, it’s hard tofornota help of several lost defensive starters from give it one more go if you have the opporlast season. tunity. I had to take it. I’m very excited. Offensively, this is the best offense I’ve Key players returning been a part of: the whole offensive Aaron Murray (QB), Todd Gurley (RB), ever line, the best running back duo in the Arthur Kynch (TE), Garrison Smith (DE), country, some unbelievable receivers, and Jordan Jenkins (OLB), Damian Swann some incredible tight ends. We have a lot (CB). The Bulldogs have 16 starters of work to do. We have to stay hungry, returning. stay dealing.” Quarterback Aaron Murray Key losses Tavarres King (WR), John Jenkins (NT), You might not know Jarvis Jones (LB), Alec Ogletree (LB), The Bulldogs never gone undeBacarri Rambo (S). The Bulldogs lost feated in the SEChave under head coach Mark eight starters. Richt. The closest Georgia has come was in 2002, 2011 and 2012, with the Bulldogs Coach says a 7-1 conference record each “It’s been a tremendous season last compiling year. We really, I thought, played extreme- of those years. ly well. Got a taste of how close you can get and not quite get it done. I think that
embracing that process and working hard each and every day to improve this team. With that being said, very encouraged with the way things have gone so far. Tremendous fan support. Blew us away at the spring game with over 50,000 fans. So that’s been incredible. Excited about the renovations that are going on in our program. So good things are going. 2012 Really excited about the way recruiting 2-10 overall, 0-8 in the SEC – seventh has gone for us. in the SEC Eastern Division Really happy with the way 2013 ended, that momentum has carried into 2014. So Projected finish excited with the way that’s going.” Seventh in the Eastern Division Mark Stoops
A year ago we lost three games by 13 points. We lost to one Western Division opponent in the last 90 seconds of the game. We return 14 starts, eight on offense, four on defense. We had 11 leave our team as juniors and put themselves available to the NFL Draft. We had nine NFL draftees in the last draft, a school record. I think the piece we want to play for a championship and graduate, that’s very much alive at LSU. We’re in our second year, graduating our players in the 70 percentile. We’ve won more games in the last eight years, 85 victories, than any other conference opponent or conference team. We put 51 in the NFL. So for us, we’re fortunate that we can offer a young man a great opportunity at an education, a great opportunity beyond football and beyond college, a great career, and an opportunity that if he really shows the ability, like the 51 drafts, he can also end up in the NFL.” Les Miles Players say On quarterbacks in the SEC – “There’s a lot of great talent in this conference. This conference has been known for its defensive prowess and I think quarterbacks will get their shot this year to see what they can do in the SEC.” Quarterback Zach Mettenberger
tation was to try to get our young men to compete very passionately for our university, over a 60-minute span in a game. Let the results take care of themselves, whatever that may be. Had very little knowledge at that time of exactly what we did or did not have. Obviously I have more today, so I feel more comfortable talking about our team. But I do think that we accomplished that in year one. With the exception of two halves, I thought our kids were extremely competitive, played with a great amount of passion and energy, and represented our great university and our fan base in a way that made them excited and proud to watch our team play. So I think that was accomplished. We made great strides in a lot of areas. Academically, we went from having right at a 920 APR to a 944 in one year. I think all of that has to do with us holding each other personally accountable. I still think that is the key to being a very successful team.” Hugh Freeze
2012 10-3 overall, 6-2 in the SEC – Tied for second in the SEC Western Division Projected finish Third in the Western Division Briefly LSU must recover from losing a lot of talent to graduation and the draft after last season. Key players returning Odell Beckham (WR), Zach Mettenberger (QB), Jeremy Hill (RB), Jarvis Landry (WR), Jalen Mills (CB), Lamin Barrow (LB). The Tigers have 14 starters returning from last year’s squad. Key losses Josh Dworaczyk (OT), Barkevious Mingo (DE), Sam Montgomery (DE), Kevin Minter (LB), Eric Reid (S), Brad Wing (P). The Tigers lost 13 starters from last year’s squad.
You might not know Les Miles has been the head coach at Coach says LSU for nine years now. Prior to this he “But I’m looking forward to football, in was the head coach at Oklahoma State case you wondered. It’s one of those from 2001-2004, where he amassed a things that you, as a football coach, can’t record of 28-21. wait to get to because it’s why you’re here.
The Game Plan
Briefly Players say The Wildcats are looking to turn thinsga “On new coach Mark Stoops: “I knew round under first-year head coach Mark where he came from and how he had Stoops. turned the Florida State program around, so I was excited to have him as the head Key players returning coach and am looking forward to the Kevin Mitchell (OT), Jalen Whitlow (QB), future with him. I’m proud to have him.”” Jonathan George(RB), Donte Rumph Defensive tackle Donte Rumph (DT), Bud Dupree (DE), Ashely Lowery (S), Avery Williamson (LB), Darrian Miller “On opening against Western Kentucky: (OT). The Wildcats have 13 starters from “We’re looking forward to August 31. They last year’s team returning. disrespected our field celebrating that they won. We hear a lot of tweets and different Key losses things, so August 31 is the date.” Matt Smith (C), La’Rod King (WR), Running back Raymond Sanders Larry warford (WR), Collins Ukwu (DE), Cartier Rice (CB), Martavius Neloms (S). You might not know The Wildcats lost 11 starters from last The Wildcats hosted the Samford year’s team. Bulldogs on Nov. 17 at Commonwealth Stadium last year. It was the first-ever Coach says meeting of the two teams, and the third “Excited about the opportunity we have team Kentucky faced in 2012 with the at Kentucky. We understand there’s a lot nickname Bulldogs (Miss. State, Georgia). of hard work that lies ahead, but we’re
2012 7-6 overall, 3-5 in the SEC – Fifth in the SEC Western Division Projected finish Fourth in the Western Division Briefly Mississippi will look to keep building on last year’s success under second-year head coach Hugh Freeze. The Rebels have some much-needed young talent after signing a stellar recruiting class.
Key players returning Donte Moncrief (WR), Bo Wallace (QB), Jeff Scott (RB), Vince Sanders (WR), Players say C.J. Johnson (DE), Bryan Bennett (DT), On the expectations for the upcoming Denzel Nkemdiche (LB), Charles Sawyer season: “We just know that we can do (CB). The Rebels are returning 19 start- better than we did last year. There were ers. a lot of small things that we messed up on and Coach [Hugh] Freeze says, ‘the Key losses small things will beat you.’.” Randall Mackey (RB/WR), Ferbia Allen Wide Receiver Donte Moncrief (TE), A.J. Hawkins (OG). The Rebels lost only five starters. You might not know Ole Miss was founded in Oxford, Miss., Coach says in 1848. The Rebels first-ever football “I stood before you last year and talked game was a 10-0 loss to the Arkansas about, in year one, the reasonable expec- Aggies on Oct. 1, 1915.
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Key losses Johnathan Banks (DB), Corey Broomfield (CB), Chad Bumphis (WR), Josh Boyd (DT). The Bulldogs lost 10 starters from last season.
2012 8-5 overall, 4-4 in the SEC – Fourth in the SEC Western Division Projected finish Sixth in the Western Division Key players returning Dillon Day (C), Gabe Jackson (OG), LaDarius Perkins (RB), Tyler Russell (QB), Denico Autry (DE), The Bulldogs have 14 starters returning this season.
Coach says “As you consistently win, at that point you’re going to have the opportunity to go on and continue to take those next steps and go compete, which our ultimate goal is to find a way to get to Atlanta and compete for an SEC Championship. Every year, that is always number one goal, try to find a way to get to Atlanta in December.” Dan Mullen Players say On the upcoming season: “I’m ready to get back on the field. Our team started really well really early in the year and kind of fell off towards the end. Partly, I put it all on my shoulders. I feel like if I would’ve played the last two games like I’m capable of playing, we would’ve won those last two games.” Quarterback Tyler Russell Key losses Justice Cunningham (TE), Marcus Lattimore (RB), Ace Sanders (WR), D.J. Swearinger (FS). The Gamecocks lost 12 starters from last year’s team.
Coach says “It’s been sort of neat watching our players develop and the way they train now. They train like champions. They go to everything. They go on time. Hopefully it will pay off in a conference championship. We know we’re not favored to win it, but we think we’re going to have a team 2012 11-2 overall, 6-2 in the SEC – Third in capable, capable if everything works out, some guys really come around, get a the SEC Eastern Division. break or two. That’s something we’ve not done at South Carolina, is won a conferProjected finish ence championship.” Second in the Eastern Division Steve Spurrier Key players returning Players say Bruce Ellington (WR), Connor Shaw (QB), Jadeveon Clowney (DE), Kelcy On Heisman potential: “It’s not really Quarles (DT). The Gamecocks have 12 a big deal for me. The big deal for me is starters returning from last year’s team. trying to win an SEC Championship and get selected high in the NFL Draft.” Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney Key losses Ryan Swope (WR), Spencer Nealy (DT), Kenric McNeal (WR), Jonathan Stewart (MLB), Steven Terrell (FS). The Aggies lost 13 starters from last year’s team. Coach says “It’s a great time to be at Texas A&M. People ask me all the time what about expectations. There’s a lot of expectations on our program. For us, that’s a good thing. I think you want to be a part of a situation where you have some relevancy in your own league, you have 2012 some relevancy in some conversations 11-2 overall, 6-2 in the SEC West – across the country. We work very, very Tied for second in the SEC Western hard at that. As a coach, that’s really Division where you want to be. Projected finish Kevin Sumlin Second in the Western Division Players say Key players returning (On expectations for this year) “I’ve Johnny Manziel (QB), Mike Evans worked a lot to get better. I’ve worked (WR), Ben Malena (RB), Deshazor with the new guys, and that’s the biggest Everett. The Aggies have 14 starters thing is making sure my teammates are returning from last year’s team. prepared because we’re the ones who will take it to the next level.” Quarterback Johnny Manziel
The Game Plan
(TB), T.J. Moe (WR). Missouri lost eight starters. Coach says “Certainly excited about this season. Last year obviously was a difficult year for us. We’re used to winning. Had some adversities we didn’t overcome. So our players I think have worked tremendously hard; the staff has worked tremendously hard. I’m excited that August is close by and we get a chance to get back out and 2012 compete.” 5-7 overall, 2-6 in the SEC — Fifth Gary Pinkel in the SEC Eastern Division Players say Projected finish Tough first year in SEC, how do you Sixth in the Eastern Division respond? “Focus on staying healthy. Not just as me individually, but as a team. Key players returning We had a lot of key injuries last year. We James Franklin (QB), Marcus Lucas need to work better as a team. We have (WR), L’Damian Washington (WR). The to have more confidence in each other Tigers have 14 returning starters. and build that chemistry. Everybody has to eat to live and when the ingredients Key losses mix well together, the food tastes a lot Elvis Fisher (OL), Kendial Lawrence better.” Quarterback James Franklin Zach Rogers (WR), Herman Lathers (LB), Prentiss Waggner (DB). The Volunteers lost nine starters from last year’s squad. Coach says “I talk to each player about they were responsible for building their own identity. They were responsible for taking ownership in their own self-determination, for their self-improvement. That would lend that self into building their own identity. 2012 We talk about that championship mindset 5-7 overall, 1-7 in the SEC –Sixth in that you must have to be a championship the SEC Eastern Division football program.” Butch Jones Projected finish Fifth in the Eastern Division Players say On new head coach Butch Jones: “It Key players returning has been the easiest transition out of James Stone (C), Zach Fulton (G), all the coaches that we’ve had. Coach Rajion Neal (RB), Maurice Couch (DL), Jones made a genuine introduction of A.J. Johnson (LB), Justin Coleman (DB). himself. He got off the plane, walked into The Volunteers have 16 starters returning the team room with his family and introfrom last year’s squad. duced his sons and his wife to the team. It was quite an impression that stuck with Key losses every single player.” Tyler Bray (QB), Justin Hunter (WR), Defensive lineman Jacques Smith Key losses Jordan Rodgers (QB), Zac Stacy (RB), Archibald Barnes (LB), Trey Wilson (CB). The Commodores lost 10 starters from last season. Coach says “Very proud of the fact that we’re part of what we call the 20-20-20 Club. That is us and Notre Dame are the only two schools in the country that finished in the top 20 on 2012 the football field, that had a top 20 recruit9-4 overall, 5-3 in the SEC – Fourth in ing class, and are in the top 20 academic the SEC Eastern Division institutions. We’re very, very proud of that stat as well.” Projected finish James Franklin Fourth in the Eastern Division Players say Key players returning On staying focused during the season: Jordan Matthews (WR), Chris Boyd “Coach Franklin is really good at show(WR), Jonathan Krause (WR), Walker ing us his vision and really keeping us May (DE), Jared Morse (DT), Karl Butler on track. Sometimes there will be a few (LB), Andre Hal (CB). The Commodores bumps in the road, but if you trust the have 16 starters returning from last sea- process, stay consistent, and focus on son. the little things, good things will happen.” Wide Receiver Jordan Matthews
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The Game Plan
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2013 National Football League Schedules 2013 NFL Schedule WEEK 1 Thursday, September 5 Baltimore at Denver, 8:30 Sunday, September 8 Atlanta at New Orleans, 1:00 Cincinnati at Chicago, 1:00 Kansas City at Jacksonville, 1:00 Miami at Cleveland, 1:00 Minnesota at Detroit, 1:00 New England at Buffalo, 1:00 Oakland at Indianapolis, 1:00 Seattle at Carolina, 1:00 Tampa Bay at NY Jets, 1:00 Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 1:00 Arizona at St. Louis, 4:25 Green Bay at San Francisco, 4:25 NY Giants at Dallas, 8:30 Monday, September 9 Philadelphia at Washington, 7 Houston at San Diego, 10:15
WEEK 2 Thursday, September 12 NY Jets at New England, 8:25 Sunday, September 15 Carolina at Buffalo, 1:00 Cleveland at Baltimore, 1:00 Dallas at Kansas City, 1:00 Miami at Indianapolis, 1:00 Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 San Diego at Philadelphia, 1:00 St. Louis at Atlanta, 1:00 Tennessee at Houston, 1:00 Washington at Green Bay, 1:00 Detroit at Arizona, 4:05 New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 4:05 Denver at NY Giants, 4:25 Jacksonville at Oakland, 4:25 San Francisco at Seattle, 8:30 Monday, September 16 Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 8:30
WEEK 3 Thursday, September 19 Kansas City at Philadelphia, 8:25 Sunday, September 22 Arizona at New Orleans, 1:00 Cleveland at Minnesota, 1:00 Detroit at Washington, 1:00 Green Bay at Cincinnati, 1:00 Houston at Baltimore, 1:00 NY Giants at Carolina, 1:00 San Diego at Tennessee, 1:00 St. Louis at Dallas, 1:00 Tampa Bay at New England, 1:00 Atlanta at Miami, 4:05 Buffalo at NY Jets, 4:25 Indianapolis at San Francisco, 4:25 Jacksonville at Seattle, 4:25 Chicago at Pittsburgh, 8:30 Monday, September 23 Oakland at Denver, 8:40
WEEK 4 Bye: Carolina, Green Bay Thursday, September 26 San Francisco at St. Louis, 8:25 Sunday, September 29 Arizona at Tampa Bay, 1:00 Baltimore at Buffalo, 1:00 Chicago at Detroit, 1:00 Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1:00 Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1:00 NY Giants at Kansas City, 1:00 Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 1:00 Seattle at Houston, 1:00 NY Jets at Tennessee, 4:05 Dallas at San Diego, 4:25 Philadelphia at Denver, 4:25 Washington at Oakland, 4:25 New England at Atlanta, 8:30 Monday, September 30 Miami at New Orleans, 8:40
WEEK 5 Bye: Minnesota, Pitt, Tampa, Wash Thursday, October 3 Buffalo at Cleveland, 8:25 Sunday, October 6 Baltimore at Miami, 1:00 Detroit at Green Bay, 1:00 Jacksonville at St. Louis, 1:00 Kansas City at Tennessee, 1:00 New England at Cincinnati, 1:00 New Orleans at Chicago, 1:00 Philadelphia at NY Giants, 1:00 Seattle at Indianapolis, 1:00 Carolina at Arizona, 4:05 Denver at Dallas, 4:25 San Diego at Oakland, 4:25 Houston at San Francisco, 8:30 Monday, October 7 NY Jets at Atlanta, 8:40
WEEK 6 Bye: Atlanta, Miami Thursday, October 10 NY Giants at Chicago, 8:25 Sunday, October 13 Carolina at Minnesota, 1:00 Cincinnati at Buffalo, 1:00 Detroit at Cleveland, 1:00 Green Bay at Baltimore, 1:00 Oakland at Kansas City, 1:00 Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 1:00 Pittsburgh at NY Jets, 1:00 St. Louis at Houston, 1:00 Jacksonville at Denver, 4:05 Tennessee at Seattle, 4:05 Arizona at San Francisco, 4:25 New Orleans at New England, 4:25 Washington at Dallas, 8:30 Monday, October 14 Indianapolis at San Diego, 8:40
WEEK 7 Bye: New Orleans, Oakland Thursday, October 17 Seattle at Arizona, 8:25 Sunday, October 20 Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 4:25 Buffalo at Miami, 1:00 Chicago at Washington, 1:00 Cincinnati at Detroit, 1:00 Dallas at Philadelphia, 1:00 Houston at Kansas City, 1:00 New England at NY Jets, 1:00 San Diego at Jacksonville, 1:00 St. Louis at Carolina, 1:00 Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1:00 San Francisco at Tennessee, 4:05 Cleveland at Green Bay, 4:25 Denver at Indianapolis, 8:30 Monday, October 21 Minnesota at NY Giants, 8:40
WEEK 8 Bye: Balt, Chi, Hou, Indy, SD, Tenn Thursday, October 24 Carolina at Tampa Bay, 8:25 Sunday, October 27 Buffalo at New Orleans, 1:00 Cleveland at Kansas City, 1:00 Dallas at Detroit, 1:00 Miami at New England, 1:00 NY Giants at Philadelphia, 1:00 San Francisco at Jacksonville, 1:00 NY Jets at Cincinnati, 4:05 Pittsburgh at Oakland, 4:05 Atlanta at Arizona, 4:25 Washington at Denver, 4:25 Green Bay at Minnesota, 8:30 Monday, October 28 Seattle at St. Louis, 8:40
WEEK 9 Bye: Ariz, Den, Det, Jax, NYG, SF Thursday, October 31 Cincinnati at Miami, 8:25 Sunday, November 3 Baltimore at Cleveland, 4:25 Atlanta at Carolina, 1:00 Kansas City at Buffalo, 1:00 Minnesota at Dallas, 1:00 New Orleans at NY Jets, 1:00 San Diego at Washington, 1:00 Tennessee at St. Louis, 1:00 Philadelphia at Oakland, 4:05 Tampa Bay at Seattle, 4:05 Pittsburgh at New England, 4:25 Indianapolis at Houston, 8:30 Monday, November 4 Chicago at Green Bay, 8:40
WEEK 10 Bye: Clev, KC, New England, NYJ Thursday, November 7 Washington at Minnesota, 8:25 Sunday, November 10 Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 1:00 Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1:00 Detroit at Chicago, 1:00 Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1:00 Oakland at NY Giants, 1:00 Philadelphia at Green Bay, 1:00 Seattle at Atlanta, 1:00 St. Louis at Indianapolis, 1:00 Carolina at San Francisco, 4:05 Denver at San Diego, 4:25 Houston at Arizona, 4:25 Dallas at New Orleans, 8:30 Monday, November 11 Miami at Tampa Bay, 8:40
WEEK 11 Bye: Dallas, St. Louis Thursday, November 14 Indianapolis at Tennessee, 8:25 Sunday, November 17 Arizona at Jacksonville, 1:00 Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00 Baltimore at Chicago, 1:00 Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1:00 Detroit at Pittsburgh, 1:00 NY Jets at Buffalo, 1:00 Oakland at Houston, 1:00 San Diego at Miami, 1:00 Washington at Philadelphia, 1:00 Kansas City at Denver, 4:05 Minnesota at Seattle, 4:25 San Francisco at New Orleans, 4:25 Green Bay at NY Giants, 8:30 Monday, November 18 New England at Carolina, 8:40
WEEK 12 Bye: Buffalo, Cincy, Philly, Seattle Thursday, November 21 New Orleans at Atlanta, 8:25 Sunday, November 24 Carolina at Miami, 1:00 Chicago at St. Louis, 1:00 Jacksonville at Houston, 1:00 Minnesota at Green Bay, 1:00 NY Jets at Baltimore, 1:00 Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1:00 San Diego at Kansas City, 1:00 Tampa Bay at Detroit, 1:00 Indianapolis at Arizona, 4:05 Tennessee at Oakland, 4:05 Dallas at NY Giants, 4:25 Denver at New England, 8:30 Monday, November 25 San Francisco at Washington, 8:40
WEEK 13 Thursday, November 28 Green Bay at Detroit, 12:30 Oakland at Dallas, 4:30 Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 8:30 Sunday, December 1 Arizona at Philadelphia, 1:00 Chicago at Minnesota, 1:00 Denver at Kansas City, 1:00 Jacksonville at Cleveland, 1:00 Miami at NY Jets, 1:00 Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1:00 Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:00 Atlanta at Buffalo, 4:05 St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:05 Cincinnati at San Diego, 4:25 New England at Houston, 4:25 NY Giants at Washington, 8:30 Monday, December 2 New Orleans at Seattle, 8:40
WEEK 14 Thursday, December 5 Houston at Jacksonville, 8:25 Sunday, December 8 Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 1:00 Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 Cleveland at New England, 1:00 Detroit at Philadelphia, 1:00 Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 1:00 Kansas City at Washington, 1:00 Miami at Pittsburgh, 1:00 Minnesota at Baltimore, 1:00 Oakland at NY Jets, 1:00 Tennessee at Denver, 4:05 NY Giants at San Diego, 4:25 Seattle at San Francisco, 4:25 St. Louis at Arizona, 4:25 Atlanta at Green Bay, 8:30 Monday, December 9 Dallas at Chicago, 8:40
WEEK 15 Thursday, December 12 San Diego at Denver, 8:25 Sunday, December 15 Arizona at Tennessee, 1:00 Buffalo at Jacksonville, 1:00 Chicago at Cleveland, 1:00 Houston at Indianapolis, 1:00 New England at Miami, 1:00 New Orleans at St. Louis, 1:00 Philadelphia at Minnesota, 1:00 San Francisco at Tampa Bay, 1:00 Seattle at NY Giants, 1:00 Washington at Atlanta, 1:00 Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 NY Jets at Carolina, 4:05 Green Bay at Dallas, 4:25 Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 8:30 Monday, December 16 Baltimore at Detroit, 8:40
WEEK 16 Sunday, December 22 Chicago at Philadelphia, 1:00 Cleveland at NY Jets, 1:00 Dallas at Washington, 1:00 Denver at Houston, 1:00 Indianapolis at Kansas City, 1:00 Miami at Buffalo, 1:00 Minnesota at Cincinnati, 1:00 New Orleans at Carolina, 1:00 Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 1:00 Tennessee at Jacksonville, 1:00 Arizona at Seattle, 4:05 NY Giants at Detroit, 4:05 Oakland at San Diego, 4:25 Pittsburgh at Green Bay, 4:25 New England at Baltimore, 8:30 Monday, December 23 Atlanta at San Francisco, 8:40
WEEK 17 Sunday, December 29 Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1:00 Buffalo at New England, 1:00 Carolina at Atlanta, 1:00 Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1:00 Detroit at Minnesota, 1:00 Green Bay at Chicago, 1:00 Houston at Tennessee, 1:00 Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 1:00 NY Jets at Miami, 1:00 Philadelphia at Dallas, 1:00 Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 1:00 Washington at NY Giants, 1:00 Denver at Oakland, 4:25 Kansas City at San Diego, 4:25 San Francisco at Arizona, 4:25 St. Louis at Seattle, 4:25
2013 NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
The Game Plan
WILD CARD WEEKEND January 4-5
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DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS January 11-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday, January 19 SUPER BOWL XLVII Sunday, February 2 MetLife Stadium, E. Rutherford PRO BOWL Sunday, January 26 All times Eastern; dates and times subject to change
Sundays during weeks 11-17 are subject to flex
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EDUCATION RESIDENCY
FELLOWSHIP
General Surgery Advanced Laparoscopy, Bariatrics and Endoscopy St. Louis University Hospital St. John’s Hospital and Medical Center St. Louis, MO Detroit, Michigan
The Game Plan
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