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 Golden Tigers! Good Luck Golden Tigers!
Working to improve our schools and the future of our children.
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FROM THE EDITOR
GOOD LUCK TO ALL FRANKLIN COUNTY TEAMS
The time has arrived: high school football season. Don’t miss the chance to get in on all the high school football fun, from pep rallies and parades to halftime shows and concession stand goodies – and, of course, the actual gridiron action under the Friday night lights.
We hope you’ll make this year’s Franklin County Football magazine part of the festivities. We put our all into it, bringing you the stories and photos that highlight everything our students and coaches and other adult leaders are putting into the season.
Even if you’re not a football fan, consider supporting one or more local teams this fall. 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.
You likely have a grandchild, neighbor or fellow church member who is a player, 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 an alum. The point is, we all have a reason to support our teams.
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.
Welcome back to football season!
Season!
L to R: Chris Wallace, Jason Miller, Joseph Baldwin, David HesterSeated Barry Moore, Chairman and Probate Judge
Cover photo by Bart Moss
Season preview with Coach Dustin Goodwin, RUSSELLVILLE
The Russellville Golden Tigers enter a new era for the 2024 season as the team attempts to win the region title for the fifth consecutive year.
New head coach Dustin Goodwin enters his first season as leader of the program, and he is no stranger to RHS, having served as an assistant under his father, who was head coach of the Golden Tigers from 2007-10.
“The summer has been really good,” Goodwin shared. “You’ve got some vacations and trips and recruiting visits that you’ve got to work around, but the kids have been showing up and working hard. During the practice that we’ve been able to do, they’ve progressed fairly well.”
That being said, “I know we’ve got a good group of kids, but we have a lot of inexperience.” The Golden Tigers are returning three players on offense and four on defense from a team that went 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the AHSAA Class 5A playoffs a year ago.
On offense, seniors Neyland Baker and Eddie Velasquez return at the tackle position, along with 2023 firstteam ASWA All-State running back Cam Phinizee, a junior this season. “They had a really good year running the ball last year, so we know that we should be able to run the football, but we’re going to have to play well up front to do it,” Goodwin said. “We also need to be able to help the run game by keeping 11 guys out of the box. How we do that is determined largely by what the quarterback can do.”
Houston Askew
Taurus Davis
Richard Scott
Bryson Cooper
Daniel Aycock
Keifer Hallmark
Koger
Braxton Duncan No.
Devin Morris
Brandon Mederos
Johnce Knight
Brody Rikard
Karson Fletcher
Jose Francisco
Rayne Vincent
Sophomore Tripp Cleveland and freshman Whit Goodwin are working at the quarterback position. “Tripp and Whit both are doing some really good things and still making some mistakes because of their youth. We will figure out what each one of them can do best and see if either one of them steps up to take the job and how we move forward depends on their strengths,” Goodwin explained.
On defense, RHS will be looking to replace a large group of experienced and talented players who graduated. “A lot of guys have the opportunity to win a job, and defense generally comes down to alignment, assignment and effort,” Goodwin said.
“We want 11 guys that know their role and their responsibility defensively to align properly and to get to the ball in a hurry and try to dislodge it when they get there,” he added. “Coach Czervionke and the defensive staff are doing a great job with them. There’s a lot of energy and a lot of movement, so they’ll give us a chance. We have to have a firefighter’s mentality on that side of the ball. When the bell rings, we attack the field and do what we have to do to get the ball back so we can try to score again.”
Look for Ben Pounders, Paxton Wray, Jah Williams and Zay Hubbard to use their experience gained a season ago to be some of the leaders on the defensive side of the football.
Russellville will compete in Class 5A Region 7 with Ardmore, East Limestone, Fairview, Lawrence County, Priceville and West Point.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 23 Deshler at RHS
Aug. 30 RHS at Mars Hill
Sept. 6 RHS at Lawrence County
Sept. 13 RHS at East Limestone
Sept. 20 Ardmore at RHS
Oct. 4 Fairview at RHS
Oct. 11 Hatton at RHS
Oct. 18 RHS at West Point
Oct. 25 RHS at Priceville
Nov. 1 Athens Golden at RHS
Story by Brannon King
Photos by Joseph Romans Photography and by Josh Kennedy
No. 42 Jackson Smith
No. 43 Dakota Little
No. 44 Efrain Francisco
No. 45 Christian Hernandez
No. 47 Carter Clement
No. 48 Isaac Otzoy
No. 49 Uriel Alonzo
No. 50 Josh Gonzalez
No. 51 Tyrese Wilson No. 56 Andres Gaspar
No. 57 Eddie Velasquez
No. 73 Santiago Hernandez
No. 70 Bronner Hellums
No. 58 Adolfo Lopez
No. 74 Aiden Hamby
No. 71 Walfre Martinez
No. 59 Bryan Ruiz
No. 75 Samuel Wilson
No. 60 Neyland Baker
No. 77 Luke Greenhill
No. 61 Alejandro Bermudez
No. 78 Parker Medley
No. 64 Amdrew Hulsey
No. 62 Jeremy Velez
No. 81 Gavin Willis
No. 79 Tyde Rogers
No. 65 Fernando Acosta
No. 63 Tristan White
No. 86 Dylan Gutierrez
No. 80 Parker Odom
No. 66 Patrick Johnson
No. 88 Zade Hester
No. 67 Jeremiah West
No. 89 Jake Sturdivant
No. 68 Christian Jimenez Morales
No. 99 Christobal Franco
Season preview with Coach Heath Childers, RED BAY
The final counts reflect winning seasons for the past two years for Red Bay – but the Tigers want more.
A 6-5 record counts as a winning year, and each included a postseason berth, but there remains a feeling that it’s not enough.
“You always want more,” said offensive lineman/defensive end Reed Hamilton, “but you can’t really complain about making it to the playoffs.”
Faced with lower expectations for this season, the Tigers hope the naysayers will inspire them. “A lot of people say we’re not going to be that good this year,” explained tight end/halfback/linebacker Jayden Smith. “Maybe we can use that as motivation and prove people wrong
Braxton Payne No. 74 Jamyce Anderson No. 77 Shawn Craig
and be a pretty good football team.”
Red Bay Coach Heath Childers said his team has a lot to do if it wants to reach that goal. The Tigers have a scant number of returning starters from last year’s team that lost in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs at Tuscaloosa Academy.
“The players have worked hard this offseason,” said Childers, touting his team’s work ethic. He said their youth and inexperience, however, might be their biggest challenges for the season.
Last year, Red Bay had nine returning starters on both offense and defense before it matched 2022’s 6-5 finish. The team two years ago lost in the first round to eventual Class 2A champion Fyffe.
“Our goal each year is
to be better than we were the year before,” Childers said. “Get a little better each day and be the best version of ourselves that we can be.”
Such efforts, he added, are not always reflected in the win-loss record. “If that’s six wins, that’s six wins. If people don’t like that, I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” Childers said. “But if we’re the best version of ourselves and it’s six wins, eight wins, 10 wins, 12 wins – as a coach, I can lay my head on the pillow at night and go to sleep.
“We want to be the best version of ourselves we can be.”
One key returning starter is running back Jaxon Vinson, who posted impressive numbers last year as a sophomore. He ran for almost 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“You kind of expect it a little bit, for him to get up there in the numbers,” Hamilton said. “It was pretty good what he did as a sophomore.”
Vinson was stepping in last year for Brady Hardin, who ran for more than 1,900 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022.
The Tigers, as a team, had more rushing yards than in 2022, Childers said – but Vinson set a strong precedent last year to try to meet this season.
“It’s also going to depend on how he develops,” Childers said. “Just because you’re good as a sophomore, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be good as a junior. And if you’re good as a junior, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be worth a crap as a senior.
“The offensive line is
going to have to block for him. He’s going to have to continue to develop and get better himself as a player. We’ll wait and see how many yards he can get.”
SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 Red Bay at Lamar County
Sept. 6 Red Bay hosts University Charter
Sept. 13 Red Bay at Winston County
Sept. 20 Red Bay at Lexington
Sept. 27 Red Bay at Belmont
Oct. 11 Red Bay at Tharptown
Oct. 18 Red Bay hosts Decatur Heritage
Oct. 25 Red Bay hosts Tanner
Nov. 1 Red Bay hosts Phil Campbell
Story by A. Stacy Long, TimesDaily Contributions by Bart Moss
Photos by Scotty Kennedy
Good Luck
Red Bay Tigers!!
Franklin County Superintendent of Education
Greg Hamilton
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Frankli� Count�
Hig� Schoo� Footbal� Team�!
Season preview with Coach Jonathan Raper, BELGREEN
The field is a ripe green with blazing royal blue end zones, an artificial-surface jewel atop a hillside a short ride from Belgreen’s campus.
Jonathan Raper, the coach of Belgreen’s fledgling program, stands in a temporary shed, sifting through equipment to hand out to his Bulldogs.
Starting a football program is no easy task, but it’s something both Raper and the Bulldogs are embracing with enthusiasm. “It’s all been pretty crazy, but now we get to play football,” said quarterback/safety Landon Cox, who will be one of five seniors on Belgreen’s first known varsity team in 90 years. “We’re all looking forward to it.”
The Bulldogs, after an anonymous $1.5 million donation two years ago specifically to start football, now have a field and a concession stand. Stands, as of early August, still had to be delivered. A locker room, both for the Bulldogs and any visiting team, will have to wait at least a year.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming season, and we are very excited to get to host our first-ever home football
No. 1 Collin McCalpin
No. 2 Zedaki Wilson
No. 5 Kaleb Taylor
No. 6 Landon Cox
No. 7 Dylan McGee
No. 10 Brayden Messer
No. 12 Bryant Britton
No. 14 Hunter Woodruff
No. 15 Carlos Alban
No. 16 Lucas Chambless
No. 18 Antone Puckett
No. 22 Carter Raney
No. 23 Isaac Hammond
No. 28 Gabe Wilson
No. 50 Thomas McKinney
No. 51 Dalton Gardner
No. 52 Skylar Hardy
No. 54 Xander Cantrell
No. 55 Landon Cantrell
No. 56 Giancarlo Alban
No. 60 Ty Hamilton
No. 61 Logan Taylor
No. 62 Trey Hicks
No. 64 Jason Bolton No. 65 Eli Boyd
No. 68 Wayne Shelnutt
No. 81 Jesse Clay
“It’s definitely going to be tough, but it’s varsity,” senior running back/ linebacker Gabe Wilson said. “Last year was just JV or junior high, but it prepared us. We got a lot of kinks worked out.”
Belgreen played a five-game JV-only schedule last year, all away from home, and will have a hybrid schedule this season.
games in our new football stadium,” Raper said. “This year we will have four varsity home games and four junior high home games. Our guys have had a great summer, and they have worked extremely hard toward building a strong football program. We would like to have a big crowd out this season to support our young men and to pack out our football stadium.”
Belgreen officials, originally unsure if the school had ever had football before, have learned the school had one junior high team in the late 1970s. Wilson said his uncle, Ricky Gardner, was on the team. There was also a team in the 1930s that disbanded due to lack of funds during the Great Depression, according to Belgreen native Royce Massey. Either way, this year’s team is making history. “It will be completely different from playing on Thursday or Tuesday night,” Cox said. “Friday Night Lights just have that atmosphere.” Raper, while juggling the logistics of starting a team, said he’s happy with the enthusiasm his players have shown.
Last year’s JV-only season ended with a 3-2 record –with one senior. “I wish I could be back one more year,” said Will King, last year’s senior who was helping coach the Bulldogs this month before leaving for college. The season was promising enough that Belgreen initially declared to be eligible for the playoffs this season.
“Everybody is always asking, ‘How are they looking? How are they doing?’” he said. “They’re glad we have football.”
“The kids are understanding the drills and practice scenarios more and what they will help us accomplish. That should help us continue to improve and help us build our football program at Belgreen.” Raper said he senses enthusiasm around the school and community.
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Belgreen hosts Shoals Christian Aug. 30 –Belgreen at Sumiton Christian Sept. 6 –Belgreen at Tharptown Sept. 20 –Belgreen hosts Tanner Sept. 27 –Belgreen hosts Cherokee Oct. 25 –Belgreen at Victory Christian Nov. 1 –Belgreen hosts Vina Story by A. Stacy Long, TimesDaily Contributions by Bart Moss Photos Contributed
However, the Bulldogs reconsidered when the AHSAA’s reclassification pushed the school from 1A to 2A. Instead, the Bulldogs will begin with seven varsity games.
Season preview with Coach Jacob Hamilton,
PHIL CAMPBELL
Jacob Hamilton and his players are in lockstep when it comes to Phil Campbell’s goals for this season. They aren’t shying away from them, either.
“I want to be good,” said Hamilton, the Bobcats’ second-year coach. “I want 10 wins, plain and simple.”
It’s a lofty number, especially considering the season records the program has put up in the 21st century.
Only once has Phil Campbell reached the double-digit win plateau – when it went 11-2 in 2000. The Bobcats went 9-2 the next year before enduring 18 straight losing seasons. They did win seven games in both 2021 and 2022.
Last season presented its own challenges in what was more like a roller-coaster adventure: one win followed by three losses; another
Jace Wingo
2 Colton West
3 Jayden Taylor
4 Bentley Wilson
5 Chandler Benford
No. 8 Nick Galloway No. 9 Joseph Wingo No. 10 Hagen Raper No. 12 Logan Cooper
No. 14 Noah Raper
No. 16 Daniel Hill No. 19 Liam Jones
No. 23 Braxton Downey
No. 25 Ethan Hallman
No. 27 Mason Weeks
No. 34 Braxton Mayfield No. 50 Landon Hibner
No. 51 Brayden Santoni
No. 52 Brady Williams
No. 54 Carter Williams
win preceding two more losses; two more victories and finally two more defeats. The final result was a quick playoff appearance and a 4-7 mark.
Hamilton was hired from Tharptown at the end of last July, leaving him little time to mold the program how he wanted it to run. This year, Hamilton was able to do spring practices, install an offense he wanted to run and swap out the workout program. It contained a lot of “pulling sleds, running hills and lifting heavy.”
“Our swagger, our confidence – it’s something this football program hasn’t had in a long time,” Hamilton said. “It’s a 180 (degree) difference from what it was. I’m really excited about it.”
“I believe our greatest strength is experience and confidence,” he added. “All 11 of our starters on offense started in at least one varsity game last year. We have worked really hard this offseason, and with that work, our confidence in ourselves and others around us has grown. We have high expectations for this upcoming season, and we are excited to show how hard work pays off.”
“The greatest challenge we face is entering a new region,” Hamilton added. “Most of the
teams we play we don’t know much about, but they don’t know much about us either. We are excited to play new competition, and expect to compete in this new region.”
Perhaps getting into the playoffs isn’t enough. It certainly doesn’t seem to be.
“The past four years, we’ve made the playoffs but couldn’t get past the first round,” said offensive/defensive lineman Johan Vasquez. “We want to go further. We think we can.”
Goals, after all, are im-
portant – and the clearer they are, the better.
“I want the public to know that Phil Campbell football is my life,” Hamilton said. “I love this school and this team. I am extremely committed to seeing this program succeed, and I have high expectations that I truly believe we can achieve.
“I push the kids hard because I know how good they can be, but I always tell them at the end of every day that I
love them and that I am proud of them.”
SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 PCHS hosts Hamilton
Sept. 6 PCHS at Oakman
Sept. 20 PCHS hosts Winfield
Sept. 27 PCHS at Hackleburg
Oct. 4 PCHS at Midfield
Oct. 11 PCHS hosts Carbon Hill
Oct. 18 PCHS at Gordo
Oct. 25 PCHS at Hanceville
Nov. 1 PCHS at Red Bay
Story by David Glovach, TimesDaily Contributions from Bart Moss
ina coach Cody Renfrow looks at the Red Devils’ long list of returning starters and sees potential.
Sure, Vina’s recent years haven’t yielded much success, but Renfrow – the team’s second-year head coach – said he believes the program could be ready to take the next step.
“I see a ton of improvement,” Renfrow said. “I’m looking forward to it, and I know the kids are looking forward to it.”
One positive thing for Vina is Renfrow being on the job for the entire offseason. He was promoted to head coach just as practice began last year. “I’ve seen a lot of growth, based on this point last season,” Renfrow said. Our greatest strength this up-
coming season will be our senior leadership. We will have seven seniors that have played a lot of football over the past few years. They each have a great work ethic and attitude, so I believe that will be a great asset for us as a team this season. “
He said he sees determination and grittiness from several players, but a few stand out.
There’s Cai Lawler, a running back/linebacker who has led the Red Devils in tackles each of the last two seasons. His campaigning efforts to Renfrow have paid off, too: Lawler was primarily a safety last year who also played some linebacker, but this year, he need not worry about safety.
“He begged me all year to move him there last year,” Renfrow said. “He may be one of the smallest guys, but he gives the biggest effort.”
Strong safety Tristen Farr just might give Lawler a proper race. “He might be our next-best tackler on defense,” Renfrow said. “He hadn’t played much football until he came to Vina last year as a junior. Now, he’s a lot stronger and faster, and he wants to be coached. He’s someone who is really going to help us.”
Running back Trevor Baker, who also plays defensive line, will also be a factor, Renfrow said. “If you can keep him healthy and keep him in the game, our offense really runs through him end at him.”
The Red Devils, who beat Waterloo in last year’s season
finale to snap a 30-game losing streak, have returning starters at 18 positions, including quarterback Christian McCarley. They also have desire, Renfrow said.
“I just want people to know about how great our young men are. We truly have some special kids in our program, and they are constantly working to improve. I can’t hardly get them out of the weight room,” Renfrow said. “These guys have had a good attitude throughout the summer, and we’ve averaged 16 or 17 kids per workout.
“That may not seem like a lot, but when you have 25 on the team, that’s big for us.”
SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 – Vina hosts Brindlee Mountain
Sept. 6 – Vina at Phillips Sept. 13 – Vina hosts Shoals Christian
Story by A. Stacy Long, TimesDaily Contributions by Bart Moss Photos by Hayden Moss
Good Luck
Vina Red Devils
Season preview with Coach John Johnson, THARPTOWN
With the start of each season, coaches turn to their upperclassmen to set the tone for younger players and lead by example. At Tharptown, that responsibility will fall to four players.
“This will be a very young and inexperienced team,” said Coach John Johnson. “We’ve talked about how they’ll have to have a lot of grit and determination to be successful.”
The Wildcats will take the field with two seniors and two juniors on the roster. Johnson, however, said it will be the team’s commitment, not its numbers, that will decide if a successful season is on tap.
“We are pretty much starting over from scratch this year,” Johnson said. “A lot of younger kids did get to play last season, but there are also a lot of new faces on the roster. The kids made the effort to show up to summer workouts.
No. 1 Austin Chaney
No. 3 Clayton Harper
No. 5 Christopher Fretwell
No. 9 Joah Wilcoxson
No. 10 Trey Long
No. 11
Cody McCluskey
No. 14 Jayden Burnett
No. 19 Braden Hamilton
No. 20 Jessie Jones
No. 22 Joby Wilcoxson
No. 25 Branden Peeden
No. 56 Zach Little
No. 32 Elijah Armstrong
No. 40 Bryson Morgan
No. 52 Daryan McCaig
No. 55 Owen Gardner
No. 58
Luis Dircio
No. 65 Brantley Kelly
No. 68 Brian Juan
No. 70 Jackson Grissom
No. 72 Zachary May
No. 76 Tristin Johnson
No. 78 Angel Morales
Not pictured: Jesus Lopez, Gregory Vasquez, Eusebio Molina, Christgin Willoughby and Cameron Watkins.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 23 –Tharptown at Danville
Aug. 30 –Tharptown at Waterloo
Sept. 6 –Tharptown at Belgreen
Sept. 19 –Tharptown at Decatur Heritage
Sept. 27 –Tharptown at Vina Oct. 4 –Tharptown at Tanner
Oct. 11 –Tharptown hosts Red Bay
Oct. 18 –Tharptown hosts Winston County Oct. 25 –Tharptown at Lexington Nov. 1 –Tharptown at Phillips
Story by Shane Herrmann, TimesDaily Contributions by Bart Moss
Photos by Hayden Moss
Sophomore Angel Morales has been playing varsity since he was in the eighth grade and is expected to see time at tackle on offense and nose guard on defense.
“I enjoy being right in the middle of everything,” Morales said. “ There is a lot of responsibility, especially on offense, making sure everyone is protected. I have a good feeling about the offensive line this season because we had a really good summer in the weight room.” Johnson said not all new players are familiar with football but can still contribute. “On any given season, you could have some players who are extremely athletic but have never played football before,” Johnson said. “Those kids can help us; it just depends on the commitment level.”
Joah Wilcoxson, senior running back and middle linebacker, said staying positive is one key. “This is my third year to play, but there is a different perspective in attitude,” Wilcoxson said. “You really have to stay positive as much as possible because other players are looking up to you. It’s your responsibility as a leader to lift other people up.” Johnson said he expects anywhere from 25-31 players to suit up, which is about average for the Wildcats, and they’ll have experience on the line on both sides of the ball. “No matter what level of football you play, it all starts up front,” Johnson said. “We have several linemen coming back that got playing time last year.”
We are hoping that commitment translates to what you will see on the field.” Tharptown was 1-9 in 2023. With numbers proving to be a consistent obstacle, the Wildcats are looking to snap a streak of 10 straight seasons with a losing record. The program posted a 5-5 mark in 2013. Johnson added that talking about change and actually committing to change are two very different things. “We need to hold ourselves accountable, which I believe this team is in the process of doing,” he said. “There is always a lot of talk about change, but talk is cheap. You have to be able to get out there and put in the work.”
