Franklin Football 2023

2023

Russellville City Councilmen:

Good Luck Golden Tigers! Good Luck Golden Tigers!

Working to improve our schools and the future of our children.

A Great Place to Live, Work & Raise a family

David Palmer, District 1; Darren Woodruff, District 2; Gary Cummings, District 3; Dexter Hamilton, District 4; Jamie Harris, District 5; Mayor David R. Grissom

GOOD LUCK TO ALL FRANKLIN COUNTY TEAMS

Along-awaited moment has finally arrived. Sports-lovers everywhere rejoice: high school football season is here.

Whether you’re planning to go to a game or two or 10, chances are good you will be impacted in some way by those Friday night lights. We hope you’ll make this year’s Franklin County Football magazine part of the festivities.

High school football allows us to set aside “reality” for a couple hours and escape into a game. We get the opportunity to watch our children do what they love. Whether you’re a Golden Tiger or a Red Bay Tiger, whether you shout for the Bobcats or the Wildcats or the Red Devils, we’ve got it all covered in this special edition.

Players at our local schools would love to have a great crowd cheering them on as they take the field – and it’s not just the players you boost with your support. It’s also the band members, the dancers, the color guard, the cheerleaders and more, plus the adults who are coaching and mentoring these young people. Members of all these groups endure early mornings, late nights, staggering heat and icy cold – countless hours practicing to entertain fans throughout the fall.

Even if you’re not a football fanatic, you likely have a grandchild, neighbor or fellow church member who is a cheerleader, twirler or part of the band. Maybe you know the coach, or the band director, or the announcer in the press box. Maybe you’re a local alum.

The point is, we all have a reason to support our local teams as they take the field this season. We at the Franklin County Times extend our very best wishes to all for a successful fall – one that hopefully carries on into the postseason. We want to commend these students for their school spirit and show them how proud we are of their hard work and good attitudes, and we hope you’ll join us in cheering them on. Please show your support of their hard work by coming out to help root them to victory.

Don’t miss out on the chance to get in on all the high school football fun, from pep rallies and parades to halftime shows to concession stand goodies. As with most things, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

Even if you don’t actually attend a game, there’s another way for you to get in on the season. The return of football also means the return of the Franklin County Times’ football picks contest.

We know many of you are faithful yearly participants, but for those of you who haven’t taken a stab at it before, here’s the deal: Each week we print a lineup of games for you to guess which teams will be the winners. Our selection typically includes all Franklin County teams – barring a bye week – plus a selection of area match-ups. All you have to do is circle your choice or, if you’re taking advantage of online version of the contest form, select the circle next to your choice. In case we need a tiebreaker, we also choose one game and ask you to predict the score.

You jot down your name, phone number and address – and that’s it! Enter your submission for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Every week the contest form can be found in the paper and on our website at www.franklincountytimes.com – just click the “Football Play and Win” button on the homepage.

The contest is made possible in part by local sponsors, and we encourage you to support these businesses.

As is the case every year and with every product, we put our all into this year’s magazine, and we hope it will bring smiles to a lot of faces. If you need some extra copies to share, we have plenty available at our office in downtown Russellville, and you can also find the digital version online – just visit our Facebook page to find the link.

Happy football season!

“Whether you’re a Golden Tiger or a Red Bay Tiger, whether you shout for the Bobcats or the Wildcats or the Red Devils, we’ve got it all covered in this special edition.”

RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL GOLDEN TIGERS

The Russellville Golden Tigers have made the playoffs in each of head coach John Ritter’s five seasons as the leader of the program. RHS has won the region title three seasons in a row with an 18-0 record and will be looking to extend that streak in 2023.

Russellville went 7-5 t past season overall and advanced to the second round of the AHSAA Class 5A playoffs.

The Golden Tigers have been putting in the work to prepare for the season to come. “I thought it was a very productive summer even though it feels like it just started yesterday,” Ritter said. “It’s a good group of guys. They work hard and are very business-like when we’re here, and that’s a mark of a good team – hopefully.”

Russellville’s offense averaged 36.8 points a year ago, which was ninth-best in 5A, and that side of the ball features playmakers again this season. Starting quar-

No. 1 Zaye Hubbard

No. 3 Cam Phinizee

No. 4 Michael Scofield

No. 5 Jah Williams No. 6 Zaye Eggleston

No. 7 Carson McCalpin

No. 8 Cash Crumpton

No. 9 Harrison Burch

No. 10 Gunner Sappington

No. 12 Brock Reathford

No. 13 Cade Parker No. 14 Elliott Green

No. 15 Tripp Cleveland

No. 16 Reece Carson No. 17 Ben Pounders

No. 18 Javan Poss

No. 19 Ty Willis

No. 20 Martin Tomas

No. 21 Bralynn Vincent

No. 22 Chase Phifer

terback Harrison Burch returns for his senior year and is one of the leaders of the team. “Obviously, Harrison coming back is a staple of our offense,” Ritter said. “It’s always nice to have your quarterback back because you can do a lot of things, and you can break in receivers and running backs a lot easier than you can break in a quarterback.”

The offensive line has a group of blockers with starting experience. Included are Neyland Baker, Logan Lindsey, Tait Barnes and Weston Jackson. Rounding out the top seven on the line are Eddie Velasquez, Eric Hernandez and Bryan Ruiz. Nick Pounders at H-back and Shiloh Willis at tight end/H-back give the Golden Tigers a veteran front.

The skill-position players on the offense will be looking to replace a lot of production from a year ago. Cam Phinizee will be at running back this season after get-

No. 23 Nicklaus Pounders

No. 24 Tarus Davis No. 25 Richard Scott

No. 26 Braxten Goodson

No. 27 Paxton Wray

No. 28 Bryson Cooper

No. 29 Manny Martinez No. 30 Houston Askew

No. 31 Malachi Duncan

No. 32 Julyun Franscisco

No. 33 Jose Matis

No. 34 Connor Devaney No. 35 Joshua Reed

No. 37 Tony Flores

No. 38 Jamal Noel

No. 40 Peyton Scofield

No. 41 Daniel Aycock

No. 42 Karson Fletcher

No. 43 Shiloh Willis

No. 44 Brandon Morales

RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL GOLDEN TIGERS

ting playing time in 2022. Bralynn Vincent returns at receiver and is described by Ritter as “the spearhead of the receiving corps.” Also look for Cash Crumpton and Michael Scofield to contribute.

The 2022 Russellville defense was ranked 10th in 5A scoring, allowing 15.5 points per game. This season’s group has a lot of depth, experience and seniors. “You obviously start inside with Martin Tomas and Devin Green being back, which is huge for us,” Ritter shared. “Malachi Duncan is a three-year starter at outside linebacker, and Matthew James will be a three-year starter. Junior Baltazar has played a lot over the last three years, and JT Hill has played a lot over the last three years.”

In the secondary, Richard Scott returns, along with Jah Williams. Gunner Sappington got playing time a season ago, and he returns at safety while Ben Pounders and Zaye Hubbard are battling for a corner spot.

“A lot of senior leadership, a lot of good players and a lot of guys that have played in a lot of games,” Ritter said. “Early on, that’s going to be what we hang our hat on, and that’s playing really good defense and controlling the football.”

No. 45 Jeremy Winston

No. 46 Keifer Hallmark

No. 47 Tyler Rose

No. 48 JD Oneal

No. 49 Matthew James

No. 50 Devin Green

No. 51 Tyrese Wilson

No. 52 Juan Hernandez

No. 53 Junior Baltazar No. 54 Tait Barnes

No. 55 Jose Manuel

No. 56 Andres Gaspar

No. 57 Eddie Velasquez

No. 58 Adolfo Lopez

No. 59 Bryan Ruiz

No. 60 Neyland Baker

No. 62 Jermey Velez

No. 63 Devin Jones

No. 64 Uriel Alonzo No. 65 Christopher Lopez

No. 66 Jonathon Lopez

No. 67 Jeramiah West

No. 68 Weston Jackson

No. 69 Gerardo Marchant No. 70 Tomas Castro-Lopez

No. 72 Mauro Franscico No. 73 Eric Hernandez

No. 74 Logan Lindsey

No. 75 Sam Wilson

No. 76 Joshua Gonzalez

No. 78 Aiden Hamby

No. 81 Gavin Willis

No. 79 David Felix

No. 82 Giovanni Koger

No. 84 Maddox Herring No. 88 Brayden Taylor

No. 85 Devin Morris

No. 89 Adiel Juan Francisco

No. 80 Parker Odom

No. 83 Dakota Little

No. 86 Dylan Gutierrez

No. 90 Javonte Hill No. 99 Romario Francisco

RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL GOLDEN TIGERS

VALLEYCREDITUNION.NET

Don’t ask Coach Heath Childers about his team’s potential – because he knows potential is not the goal. Winning is. With 14 starters returning who have started since the 10th grade, the potential – there is that word again – is unlimited.

“Coming out of spring practice I had mixed emotions,” said Childers, “but I saw a lot of things I liked.

“There is an old saying that goes, ‘If you know what you are looking for, you will find it.’ Well, we left spring with a lot of potential. The thing about potential is, if you don’t put in the work to develop that potential, it is just wasted.”

Childers said the world is “littered with people and teams with potential that didn’t develop it –work hard and do the right things.”

“We have an opportunity, and we have a chance to take advantage of it,” added Childers, who is in his third year at Red Bay.

RED BAY HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS

No. 2 Brayden Tabbs

No 15. Levi Johnson

No. 3 Brady Bolton

No. 5 Kyler Watson No. 6 Landon Petree No. 7 Cason Johnston

No. 9 Eli Farris No. 10 Austin Orrick

No. 12 Jeremiah Thorne

No. 13 Noah Hester

No. 16 Gage Edgmon

No. 17 Cody Carnes

No. 18 Adian Pruitt

No. 22 Holden Inman

No. 23 Derek Todd

No. 34 Jaxon Vinson

No. 50 Kaden Blansette

No. 52 Jayden Smith

No. 56 Will West

No. 58 Rhett Lockhart

RED BAY HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS

Childers said he is encouraged about the direction of his program. “Our numbers are up from last year,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who have been with me from the beginning.

“My first year we practiced hard. That was by design,” he added. “We wanted to see who could be tough and grind it out. The guys who stuck it out are battle tested. We have to take care of ourselves and be willing to do what is necessary to be the best.”

One big piece missing this year from this past year’s team is star running back Brady Hardin.

“We are going to miss Brady and the other seniors who graduated,” said

Childers. “It will not be easy to make up 1900 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns of offense. We will have to do it by committee.”

Childers said one area where Red Bay will be stronger is the pass game. “We have worked hard on pass protection and passing the ball,” he said. “Now, that doesn’t mean we are going to go out there and throw it 50 times, but we will be able to make the throws we need to make in those situations to keep the defense honest.”

The Tigers are in a tough region and will battle it out with Lexington, Hatton, Falkville, Tanner and Sheffield for a playoff spot. Red Bay opens with Hamilton.

No. 64 Jack West

No. 66 Carson McGee No. 67 Braxton Payne

No. 68 Andrew Massey No. 74 Jamyice Anderson

No. 76 Shawn Craig

No. 77 Wes Mauldin

No. 60 Reed Hamilton

RED BAY HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS

H e r e a t F i r s t S o u t h e r n B a n k , w e a r e c o m m i t t e d t o h e l p i n g Y o u W i n w i t h y o u r F i n a n c e s !

F r o m l e a r n i n g t o s a v e , t o b u y i n g y o u r d r e a m h o m e , t o g r o w i n g y o u r s m a l l b u s i n e s s , W e W a n t t o H e l p Y o u T h r i v e !

D E E P R O O T S , H O M E G R O W N , S T I L L G R O W I N G

PHIL CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL BOBCATS

The Phil Campbell Bobcats lost more than 10 starters from the past year’s team and have a new head coach in Jacob Hamilton. None of that is dampening the confidence of the players, nor Hamilton himself, as the Bobcats prepare for the 2023 season.

Hamilton, who was head coach at Tharptown this past year, returns home to Phil Campbell, where he attended up until the 10th grade.

“I am super excited to be back home and to be able to coach these guys,” said the second-year head coach. “I coached most of these guys when they were in junior high. I am familiar with them, and they are familiar with me. There is nowhere else I would rather be.”

Four returning starters whom Hamilton coached as youngsters are seniors Jackson Clark and Gage Baker and juniors Noah Raper and Hayden Wingo. All four players have said they expect big

No. 1 Madden Welch

No. 2 Koltin Hester

No. 3 Jayden Taylor

No. 5 Chandler Benford

No. 6 Braden Chaney

No. 8 Isac Hill

No. 9 Hayden Wingo

No. 11 Drake Weeks

No. 12 Austin Elliott

No. 13 Hagen Raper

No. 14 Noah Raper

No. 15 Matthew Taylor

No. 16 Brady Williams

No. 17 Ethan Hallman No. 18 Boone Lawrimore

No. 20 Hayston Scott

No. 22 Gage Baker

No. 23 Aiden Cleveland

No. 24 Alex Allison No. 26 Logan Cooper

PHIL CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL BOBCATS

things from their team this year. Raper mentioned winning a region championship; Wingo mentioned making it past the first round of the playoffs; Baker said he wants to beat his rival; and Clark said he wants his last year to be special.

Hamilton, who was hired late in the summer after the abrupt departure of Kevin Barnwell, who took an assistant coaching position at Haleyville, said he is focused on getting his players into shape and keeping things simple.

“I know the offensive scheme we’ve been running,” said Hamilton. “I would be a fool to scratch everything. It is easier for me to learn something new than for 50 kids. We are installing some different things but keeping it in the terminology they already know.”

As far as work ethic, Hamilton said he wants to relate football to life.

“I’ve told our guys to treat school and football like a job. You

256.332.3720

CharlotteSmallwood1229@gmail.com

State Licensed - QRIS 4 Star

Shiloh Madden

No. 27 Mason Weeks

No. 34 Braxton Mayfield

No. 35 Kaiden Acevedo

No. 42 Seth Varney No. 50 Jackson Clark

No. 52 Jake Morgan No. 53 Guage Plumley

No. 53 Kamron Thomas

No. 54 Brayden Wilson No. 55 Johan Vasquez

No. 63 Keaton Baker No. 64 Logan Wright

No. 65 Gavin Judd

No. 68 Kaden Trapp No. 70 Westin Greenhill

No. 72 Jon Isaac Wilson

No. 77 Cody Sneed

No. 89 Brayden Reeves

No. 89 Zy Traywick

PHIL CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL BOBCATS

are on the clock. Take everything seriously,” he explained. “Be at school and on time. Do well in the classroom. Have good character. Work hard in the weight room and on the field. If they will do that, they will be successful later in life when they have to go to work.”

Hamilton said he is not worried about his players’ football instincts.

“We have kids who have high football IQs,” said Hamilton. “They’ve been playing since they were young, and they know what is going on.”

Phil Campbell opens and closes the season against the school’s two biggest rivals – Hackleburg and Red Bay – and a tough region in between.

“We play in a gauntlet,” Hamilton said. “Mars Hill is Mars Hill. We’ve always had a hard time with Lauderdale County. Colbert County is traditionally tough. We’ve had competitive games with Colbert Heights and Clements. Elkmont is getting better and better. There are no off-weeks.”

The Vina Red Devils will be under new leadership this year as Cody Renfrow replaces Luke Childers as head coach.

Renfow said he wants his team to focus on being positive, working hard and being competitive. “I expect our team to have a positive work ethic, show leadership and have the drive to compete every play,” he said.

Vina returns four players who can help the Red Devils build a foundation: Trevor Baker, Cai Lawler, Christian Purser and Andrew Shotts. “Trevor is a very hard-nosed and tough runner,” Renfrow said of the running back. “One of our most experienced players is Cai Lawler. He will

No. 1 Christian Purser

No. 2 Branson Vick

No. 2 Tristen Farr

No. 5 Brandon Henry

No. 7 Baylie Scott

No. 15 Cameron Riddle

No. 15 Matthew Patterson

No. 22 Cai Lawler

No. 23 Trevor Baker

No. 24 Manny Alatriste

No. 33 Ben Guin

No. 53 Lane Easterling

No. 54 Bryson Nichols

No. 55 Bryson Finch

No. 57 Buford Watson, Junior

No. 65 Zack Sparks

No. 72 Bryant Fisher

No. 72 Tre Ashley

No. 73 Alex Hargett

No. 75 Andrew Shotts

No. 87 Jamison Brown

No. 87 Preston Strickland

return as one of our leading tacklers from last season.”

Christian Purser will be making the switch to QB this season. Renfrow praised his leadership ability.

One of Vina’s top offensive linemen is Andrew Shotts. “He is a very tough young man and will play center,” said Renfrow.

The Red Devils have had some tough seasons, and Renfrow said it will take little successes to build the

Good Luck

VINA HIGH SCHOOL RED DEVILS

foundation of the program. “We have to adapt to the mindset of becoming 1 percent better with each day,” said Renfrow. “If we focus on the process of becoming a good foot ball team rather than the results, I believe we will find some success.”

Building foundations to programs takes older leaders as well as young players who will buy in and be patient. Renfrow said Vina’s young guys have stepped up

Vina Red Devils

and shown leadership themselves.

The schedule this year is not easy for the Red Devils, and there is no warm up.

Vina faces the No. 1 team in Class 1A – Addison – right out

of the gate. The Red Devils also have to go on the road to Hackleburg and Meek.

Co-coach is Ben Guin, joined by assistant coaches Kevin Scott and Randy Barnes.

For the second year in a row, the Tharptown Wildcats will be starting a new season under a new head coach. John Johnson was hired at Tharptown to replace Jacob Hamilton, who took the head football coaching job at Phil Campbell High School.

Johnson, who hails from Lawrence County, said he wants to lay a foundation for the Wildcats based on hard work and mental toughness.

“My expectation is that they come willing to put in the work to get better every day and learn as much about the game as they can,” he said.

Tharptown returns several seniors. With Johnson coming in so late, however, he hasn’t had a chance to evaluate how his players might respond in game situations. “Dawson Higgins has had a great preseason,” Johnson said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s got great field vision, very good breakaway

speed, and he can bulldog his way into another yard or two.”

For the Wildcats to be successful, Johnson said his team needs to focus on details.

“We have to do the little

things correctly – from winning that one-on-one battle to being in the right place every time.”

Johnson said he thinks his team understands the game is as much mental as it is physical.

No. 5 Logan Bevis No. 22 Joby Wilcoxson No. 68 Maddux Cochran

75 Tristan Johnson No. 78 Landon Hall

No. 8 Hunter Reynolds

No. 10 Dawson Higgins

No. 11 Cody McCluskey No. 12 Austin Chaney No. 14 Adrian Banderas

No. 52 Noah Capelton

No. 54 Zach Little

No. 55 Owen Gardner

No. 66 Hayden Parker No. 70 DeKaiden Clark No. 74 Landon McClellan

“They’re beginning to understand that there’s just as much, or more, mental work to becoming a good football player as there is physical work.”

Since moving up to Class 2A, the Tharptown Wildcats have faced challenging matchups. The schedule has never been kind to Tharptown, with teams like Red Bay, Hatton, Lexington, Tanner and Sheffield.

“This region is one of the tougher 2A regions in north Alabama, in my opinion,” Johnson said. “Each week will present a different challenge, from steamrollers to teams filled with athletes, and each one will be very well coached.”

The Wildcat open the season against Class 1A opponent Shoals Christian. For the full season schedule, turn to page 26.

AUG. 25

Russellville vs. Grissom

Red Bay vs. Hamilton

Vina — BYE

Phil Campbell vs. Hackleburg

Tharptown at Shoals Christian

SEPT. 1

Russellville vs. Deshler

Red Bay — BYE

Vina vs. Addison

Phil Campbell at Lamar County

Tharptown vs. Phillips

SEPT. 8

Russellville at Lawrence County

Red Bay at Lexington

Vina — BYE

Phil Campbell at Elkmont

Tharptown at Tanner

SEPT. 15

Russellville vs. West Point

Red Bay vs. Sheffield

Vina at Shoals Christian

Phil Campbell vs. Colbert County

Tharptown vs. Hatton

SEPT. 22

Russellville at East Limestone

Red Bay vs. Belmont

Vina vs. Woodville

Phil Campbell — BYE

Tharptown vs. Lexington

SEPT. 29

Russellville at Mars Hill

Red Bay at Hackleburg

Vina at Curry

Phil Campbell at Carbon Hill

Tharptown vs. Cherokee

OCT. 6

Russellville at Brewer

Red Bay at Tharptown

Vina vs. Phillips

Phil Campbell at Lauderdale County

Tharptown at Red Bay

OCT. 13

Russellville – BYE

Red Bay vs. Falkville

Vina vs. Cherokee

Phil Campbell vs. Mars Hill

Tharptown — BYE

OCT. 20

Russellville vs. Ardmore

Red Bay at Tanner

Vina at Meek

Phil Campbell at Colbert Heights

Tharptown vs. Sheffield

OCT. 27

Russellville vs. Fairview

Red Bay vs. Hatton

Vina at Hackleburg

Phil Campbell vs. Clements

Tharptown vs. Falkville

NOV. 3

Russellville at Athens

Red Bay at Phil Campbell

Vina at Waterloo

Phil Campbell vs. Red Bay

Tharptown at Whitesburg Christian