Morgan County Football 2020

MORGAN COUNTY

FOOTBALL 2020

VERSUS THE VIRUS Area football teams gear up for year for the history books

Hartselle High School • Brewer High School • Danville High School • Falkville High School • Priceville High School Austin High School • Decatur High School • West Morgan High School • Decatur Heritage Christian Academy MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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Good Luck Hartselle Tigers!

Have a safe and successful season!

Lori Henry, CRNP

Jeb Hornsby, MD

Jessica Smith, CRNP

Call to schedule your appointment today!

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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21 On the cover: The look of the 2020 high school football season will be drastically different, with the impact of the coronavirus.

Fall camp began in late July after the AHSAA made the decision to move forward and play the regular season as scheduled.

The start of camp brought a huge sigh of relief for area coaches, as it was a sign the season was definitely going to happen.

After seeing spring sports canceled because of the spread of COVID-19, high school coaches and players have worked hard to ensure there will be a football season.

Still, questions abound concerning what the season will look like in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Football has seen almost every aspect of the offseason altered during the pandemic.

It started with the cancellation of spring practice and continued with a no-go on HARTSELLE SENIORS RYAN GARRISON summer team camps and 7-on-7s – events AND SETH LOCKETT during which coaches usually learn a lot about their upcoming teams.

Teams were allowed to have summer workouts with restrictions in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Coaches had to start taking daily temperature checks of every member of the team and staff, and players were kept apart as much as possible.

Schools saw the impact of the coronavirus when teams were forced to shut down workouts after a player or coach tested positive for COVID-19.

Photo by Dan Busey

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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Hartselle High School

16

Brewer High School

21

Danville High School

24

Falkville High School

28

Priceville High School

32

Austin High School

35

Decatur High School

39

West Morgan High School

41

Decatur Heritage Christian Academy

STAFF Managing Editor | Rebekah Martin Contributors | Russell Frye • David Elwell • Matthew Speakman • Dan Busey • Jeronimo Nisa Marketing | Baretta Taylor • Anna Baker Copy Editor | Alison James CONTACT US Hartselle Newspapers, LLC 206 Cedar St. NW P.O.Box 929 Hartselle, AL 35640 Phone: 256-773-6566 Fax: 256-773-1953 Copyright 2020 by Hartselle Newspapers, LLC

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

BEST OF: 2020 MORGAN COUNTY 1A-4A FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

BY RUSSELL FRYE

WEEK ZERO:

3A, Region 8. Priceville leads the all-time series 9-7.

Decatur Heritage at Falkville The season opener will be a rematch of last year’s 21-14 thriller, won by Decatur Heritage. The Blue Devils are returning a veteran squad led by the three-time AllState selection Christian Angulo. The Eagles come into the game led by QB Brayden Kyle and Sean Zerkle, an All-State selection after hauling in 80 receptions for 1,720 yards and 25 touchdowns. Zerkle transferred to Decatur Heritage from St. John Paul II. This year’s matchup will be the seventh meeting between the two schools. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 4-2.

WEEK SIX: Priceville at Rogers The Bulldogs travel to Rogers for a rematch of last year’s first-round play-off game, won 44-23 by Priceville. The game falls in the middle of a six-game stretch for the Bulldogs. Rogers leads the all-time series 3-2.

WEEK SEVEN: Decatur Heritage at R.A. Hubbard Region foes meet for the ninth time in this tightly-contested series. The game could have playoff implications for both teams. The Eagles enter the matchup having won four of the past five in the series. The all-time series is tied at 4-4.

WEEK ONE: Danville at Falkville Bitter Morgan County rivals clash in week two of the season. The Hawks are looking for some revenge following last season’s 34-21 loss, in which Falkville scored twice in the final 2:55, giving head coach Tyler Mitchell his first win.

Each team comes into the game with an experienced offense – except the Blue Devils are returning QB Peyton Sallee, and the Hawks are searching for a quarterback.

Danville leads the all-time series 27-18.

WEEK TWO: Priceville at West Morgan Another clash of Morgan County rivals takes place at Rebel Stadium. The matchup will be the region opener for the two teams that battled to a 24-22 game won by Priceville last season. Priceville is led by running back Jerry Burton, a 4A All-State selection who rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 33 touchdowns last season. The Rebels return a 1,000-yard rusher in Adam Lucas. Priceville leads the all-time series 7-3.

WEEK THREE: Danville at Lauderdale County Danville travels to Lauderdale County for a week three region tilt that could help decide the region championship. The Tigers finished second in the region last

WEEK EIGHT: Priceville’s Jerry Burton carries for a first down against Rogers during the game in Priceville.

Deshler at Priceville Priceville hosts Deshler in a late-season matchup between two veteran teams season and advanced to the second round looking to make a final playoff push. The of the playoffs. Lauderdale County leads Bulldogs are looking for their first victory over Deshler in a series dominated by the the all-time series 4-0. visiting Tigers. Deshler leads the all-time WEEK FOUR: series 4-0.

West Limestone at West Morgan WEEK NINE: This contest will be a matchup between two teams looking for possible play-off Falkville at North Sand Mountain positioning midway through the season.

This week nine matchup could very well West Morgan returns a veteran squad, decide who wins 2A, Region 7. The Blue with 10 starters returning on offense and Devils travel to North Sand Mountain seven on defense. West Limestone will for a matchup between teams that both be led by tight-end River Helms, who has advanced past the first round of the more than 15 scholarship offers from FBS playoffs last season by winning on the schools, including Florida State, Georgia road. Falkville leads the all-time series 1-0. and Oklahoma State. West Morgan leads WEEK 10: the all-time series 13-9.

St. John Paul II at Priceville WEEK FIVE: Priceville and St. John Paul II meet for the third time in series history and first as Priceville at Danville Priceville returns to Danville, looking non-region opponents. The Bulldogs won to avenge last season’s 26-25 loss to the 43-29 last year for Coach Chris Foster’s Hawks. The Danville win helped propel first victory. The teams have combined to DHS into the playoffs and cost the Bulldogs average more than 70 points a game in the a region championship. The matchup will previous meetings. The all-time series is be a non-region game with Danville now in tied 1-1.

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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BEST OF: 2020 MORGAN COUNTY 5A-7A FOOTBALL MATCHUPS

BY RUSSELL FRYE

WEEK ZERO: Austin at Hartselle Austin travels to Hartselle to open the season. The Black Bears return quarterback Quincy Crittenden and wide receiver Tre Shackleford to power the offense, while the Tigers open the season under new head coach Bryan Moore.

The Black Bears used a strong second half to defeat the Tigers 45-14 last season.

Hartselle leads the all-time series 30-22-1.

WEEK ONE: Decatur at Austin The River City Rivalry will be one to watch. The Black Bears defeated the Red Raiders 56-14 last season and now have a five-game win streak in the series.

Decatur leads the all-time series 36-24.

WEEK TWO: Cullman at Hartselle Bitter rivals meet for the 99th time to open the 6A, Region 8 season. The Bearcats scored twice in the final 5:57 to come from behind and defeat the Tigers 15-10. The win broke a five-game win streak for Hartselle in the series.

Cullman is led by star running back Jaylen Hughey, who has committed to South Alabama.

Hartselle leads the all-time series 48-46-4.

WEEK THREE: Hartselle at Decatur The Tigers and the Red Raiders will meet for the 87th time in this rivalry that dates back to 1917. The Tigers ran away with last year’s game, as they defeated Decatur 49-7.

Decatur leads the all-time series 59-27.

WEEK FOUR: Austin at Sparkman The Black Bears travel to Sparkman with some revenge on their mind in this 7A Region matchup. Both teams entered last season’s game undefeated. The Senators scored with 1:33 left to pull out

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

Hartselle defenders stop an Austin running back in their game last season. The Black Bears defeated the Tigers 45-14.

a 24-21 victory, and the win broke a sixgame winning streak for Austin in the series.

Austin leads the all-time series 11-7.

WEEK FIVE: Arab at Brewer Brewer hosts Arab for the 39th meeting between the two schools. The Arab series is the longest-running rivalry for the Patriots, who defeated the Knights 29-21 last season to give the Patriots a threegame win streak in the series.

Arab leads the all-time series 25-13.

WEEK SIX:

Hartselle leads the all-time series 14-11-1.

WEEK EIGHT: Albertville at Austin Austin hosts Albertville in a region matchup. The Aggies are in their first season in Class 7A. The game will be the teams’ first meeting since 1987. Albertville is led by star tight end/defensive end Trinity Bell, who committed to play college ball at the University of Tennessee.

Austin leads the all-time series 3-1.

WEEK NINE:

Brewer at Lawrence County Hartselle at Athens The Patriots travel to Lawrence The Tigers travel to Athens for a County for a region matchup that could region matchup with possible playoff have playoff implications. The last time implications riding on the outcome. The these two teams met was in 1999.

The all-time series is tied at 8-8.

Golden Eagles defeated Hartselle 28-19 last season to break a 14-game Tigers’ WEEK 10: win streak.

Hartselle leads the all-time series 39-31-2.

Mountain Brook at Austin Austin will host Mountain Brook in WEEK SEVEN: a Thursday night non-region matchup.

This game could be a preview of the Muscle Shoals at Hartselle Hartselle hosts the defending region playoffs. The past two meetings came in champion in the Tigers’ final home game the first round of the playoffs, with the of the season. Over the past decade, this Spartans getting the win in both – the last game has usually played a significant by a 31-0 score in 2018.

Mountain Brook leads the all-time role in the outcome of the region championship. The Trojans won last series 3-2. season 35-14.

BY RUSSELL FRYE he Hartselle Tigers enter the 2020 season under a new head coach for the second consecutive season. Bryan Moore was hired in January to replace Bo Culver, who resigned in November following a 4-7 season.

Moore comes to Hartselle after two years at Jasper. While at Jasper, he led the Vikings to back-to-back region championships. His team advanced to the third round in 2018 and the second round in 2019. His 2019 Vikings were ranked first in 5A for all but two weeks of the season.

His first head coaching stop was at Eufaula, where he guided the Tigers to three straight playoff appearances, twice to the second round. He comes into his first season at Hartselle with a career record of 48-12 and five playoff appearances.

He will be taking over a Tiger team that lost 26 seniors to graduation and its starting quarterback to transfer.

One of those seniors, linebacker Jackson Boyer, signed with the Naval Academy to continue his career.

Another senior, safety Addison Parker, signed to play baseball with

Tennessee-Martin.

Moore’s first season has not started the way he wanted, because of to the coronavirus. After getting a few weeks in the weight room during the spring, everything stopped when schools closed in March.

The Tigers were able to get on the field under Moore June 1 after the AHSAA allowed summer workouts to begin. Coach Moore has spent the summer working on getting his Tiger team ready to play this fall.

OFFENSE The Tigers will look to employ a downhill rushing attack out of a spread attack. Moore said he wants his Tigers to control the ball with their rushing attack and take shots downfield with play-action passes.

Look for Hartselle to utilize a lot of three-wide receiver sets with a running back and fullback in the backfield.

The Tigers have a quarterback battle between senior Parker Sawyer and junior JT Blackwood. Sawyer comes to Hartselle after being Moore’s starting quarterback at

Jasper last season. Blackwood played at Cullman last season.

“Sawyer started 12 games for Jasper last season and went 11-1. He is a good athlete who moves around really well in the pocket and is an accurate passer,” said Moore. “Blackwood has a big arm and can make all of the throws.”

Moore said both players can run the whole offense and won’t be limited in their roles. “We will ask Sawyer to use his feet more this season after not being asked to run a lot at Jasper due to having two senior running backs,” said Moore.

Junior Kaleb Moore returns at the running back position. He will be stepping into a starting role after spending the past season as a reserve.

The Tigers will be young at the receiver spot, with their top four players all being sophomores. Izayah Fletcher will lead the unit after seeing playing time as a freshman.

Moore said the Tigers’ offensive line is young and inexperienced in spots. Hartselle returns two starters from this past season in senior left tackle Mac Hardin and senior right MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

9

ROSTER

guard Ryan Garrison. Joining them will be junior right tackle Braxton Quattlebaum and sophomores Andrew Crittenden at left guard and Tyde Witt at center.

Moore said the tight-end position will also be a crucial piece for the offensive line. Senior Caleb Simmons will see time in the position after moving over from the offensive line.

“Offensive line play is the most critical piece to our team’s success,” said Moore.

DEFENSE Hartselle’s defense will look the same as it has over the past several years, with Coach Bert Newton remaining on staff following the coaching change. The Tigers will employ a 3-3-5 look. They return four starters.

The defensive line will be the strength of this year’s team, with senior Seth Lockett returning to lead the way. Joining him will be seniors Kelvin Morris and KJ McGhee, junior Jordan McCleskey and sophomores Dalton Green and Maurice Johnson.

Morris is joining the Tigers after moving to Hartselle from Clay-Chalkville, where he started last season as a junior.

Isaac Osteen has the most experience returning for the Tigers at the linebacking position. He started a couple of games last season. He will take over the starting middle linebacker position. A couple of freshmen, Jakaleb Goodwin and Peyton Steele, could see time at outside linebacker.

The Tigers return two starters from last year’s team in the defensive backfield. Junior Devron Turney moves from cornerback to free safety, and senior Tevin Shields returns at one of the cornerback positions.

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

No.

Name

No.

Name

2

Izayah Fletcher

48

Kayden Worley

2

Grant Hembree

49

Malachi Collett

3

EJ Colbert

50

Dylan Green

4

Devron Turney

51

Blaize Chaney

5

Seth Lockett

52

Dalton Green

6

Landon Blackwood

53

Xander Waddell

7

Deaigo Valentin

54

Austin Spivey

8

Parker Sawyer

55

Zeke Mchan

9

Tevin Shields

56

KJ McGhee

10

Ri Fletcher

57

Camden Chaney

11

Armahdeo Dunigan

58

Tyde Witt

12

JT Blackwood

59

Maurice Johnson

13

Eli Snelson

60

Braxton Quattlebaum

14

Peyton Steele

61

Colton Stinson

15

Jakaleb Goodwin

62

Jaxson Austin

16

Ethan England

63

Jordan McCleskey

17

Eli Tidwell

65

Skylar Isbell

18

Jack Smith

66

Briar Holt

19

Rylan Smothers

67

Reid Ellis

20

Coleman Mizell

70

Jonathan McKlesky

21

Hudson Crow

71

Chris Woods

22

Sage Smothers

72

Jagen Barnette

23

Jordan McCleskey

73

Ryan Aymett

24

JT Davis

74

Andrew Crittenden

25

Eli Beatty

74

Zyler Waddell

26

Walker Hoyle

75

Santi Lemus

27

Lincoln Bryant

77

Mac Hardin

28

Trent Wright

78

Ryan Garrison

29

Brian Torbert

79

Evan Pagani

30

Jake England

80

Nick Hughes

31

Jaxon Stutts

81

Connor Simmons

32

Dominic Simmons

82

Brody Leathers

33

Jake Haynes

83

Jud Collins

34

Kaleb Moore

84

Gavin Zanda

35

Traece Oden

85

Caleb Simmons

36

Ben Carnes

86

Tucker Smith

37

Brant Stringer

87

Drake Borden

38

Nolen Ricks

88

Zach Cliett

39

Stinnett Haggeman

89

RJ Gray

40

Michael Suit

90

Floyd McNutt

41

Coen Dutton

91

Kelvin Morris

42

Brody Kauffman

92

Lucas Smith

43

Brett Smith

93

Drake Posey

44

Issac Osteen

95

Crawford Lang

46

Zeke Priola

99

Anwesh Dhungana

47

Josh Cliett

SCHEDULE *Region game

Jay T. Pohl, M.D. Alan B. Walker, M.D.

Aug. 21

Austin

Aug. 28

Mae Jemison

Sept. 4

Cullman*

Sept. 11

at Decatur*

Sept. 18

Columbia*

Sept. 25

at Russellville

Oct. 2

at Athens*

Oct. 9

Muscle Shoals*

Oct. 16

at Hazel Green*

Oct. 23

at Buckhorn*

Oct. 30

Open

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SPECIAL TEAMS Sophomore Crawford Lang will be called on to be the starting placekicker and punter. He will be a valuable part of special teams on kickoffs and changing field position on punts.

COACHING STAFF The Hartselle coaching staff will be a mix of returning coaches and newcomers.

Matt Prater, a Hartselle alum, comes to Hartselle after spending 14 years at Austin. He will be the offensive coordinator and coach the offensive line. Joining him on the offensive staff will be quarterbacks coach Will Lang, running backs coach Gary Orr, wide receiver coaches Jesse Perrin and Zach Fletcher and offensive line coach Chad Gladden.

On the defensive side of the ball, Newton returns for his fourth season as defensive coordinator. He was named Frank Broyles High School Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018, one of the first to earn this honor. His staff will include defensive line coach Brad Bray, linebackers coach John Rogers, defensive backs coach Matthew “Moose” Cole, and outside linebackers/safeties coach Caleb Graham.

A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE Hartselle will face seven teams that advanced to the playoffs last season. “Every week will be a battle for us,” said Moore.

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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In Week Zero, the Tigers will host Austin, who defeated Hartselle 45-14 to start the season in 2019. Hartselle leads the all-time series 30-22-1.

In Week One, Hartselle will host Mae Jemison. These teams last met in 2009 when the school was known as J.O. Johnson. The all-time series is tied 3-3.

In Week Two, the Tigers open region play by hosting Cullman. The Bearcats came from behind to defeat Hartselle 15-10 this past season. The loss broke a five-game win streak in the series for the Tigers, who lead the all-time series 48-46-4.

In Week Three, Hartselle hits the road for the first time, traveling to Decatur for a region game. The Tigers defeated the Red Raiders 49-7 last season. Decatur leads the all-time series 59-27.

The Tigers host Columbia in a region game in Week Four. Hartselle defeated the Eagles 76-0 last season, and the Tigers lead the all-time series 4-0.

In Week Five, Hartselle travels to

Russellville for a non-region game. The teams last met in 2017, with the Tigers winning 51-0. Russellville leads the alltime series 24-9-1.

Week Six sees the Tigers traveling to Athens for a region matchup. The Golden Eagles defeated Hartselle 28-19 last season. The Athens win broke a 14game Hartselle winning streak going back to 2006. The Tigers lead the alltime series 39-31-2.

In Week Seven, Hartselle hosts region foe Muscle Shoals for the final home game of the season. The Trojans defeated the Tigers 35-14 in 2019.

Hartselle leads the all-time series 1411-1.

In Week Eight, the Tigers travel to Hazel Green for a region game.

Hartselle defeated the Trojans 37-6 last season. The Tigers lead the all-time series 10-0.

Hartselle travels to Buckhorn Week Nine for a region game to close out the regular season. The two teams last met in 1979. The Tigers lead the all-time series 2-0.

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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15

BY RUSSELL FRYE

he Brewer Patriots remain in 5A, Region 8, but that region will have a new look compared to last season.

Ardmore and East Limestone are holdovers from last season, with Russellville, Lawrence County, Mae Jemison and Lee-Huntsville rounding out the seven-team region.

The Patriots will play out-of-region games at Danville Aug. 21 and at home against Priceville Aug. 28, along with home games against Arab Sept. 25 and Fairview Oct. 16.

Brewer will face five teams that advanced to the playoffs last season; four of those teams had winning records.

HEAD COACH Geoff Walters is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Patriots.

This season will be his 20th walking

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

WORDS TO GROW ON

the sidelines as a head coach, with previous stops at Deerfield Windsor in Georgia, Shelby County, Sylacauga and Evangelical Christian in Tennessee.

He has a career mark of 104-107, with seven trips to the playoffs.

“As young as our team will be, we will have to take games one at a time and focus on improving every play,” said Walters.

PAST SEASON

QUARTERBACK

Wyatt Styles will be under center Brewer finished the 2019 season 3-7, for the Patriots this season. The junior but the win total does not tell the whole was thrust into a starting role in week story. The Patriots lost three games by three last year following an injury to six points or less. then-starter Patrick Johnson.

“Wyatt learned through trial and error last year,” said Walters. “Last The Patriots are 14-17 over the year’s lessons could pay off valuably previous three seasons with one play- this year for this young man.” off appearance. The 8-3 mark in 2018 was the team’s first winning season since 1999 and the fourth since 1984.

Brewer returning starters include The eight wins tied the school record Styles, tight end Micah Steffen and for wins, set previously in 1977 and lineman Cole Rathbun. Walters said he is looking for Steffen and Rathbun to 1983.

PAST THREE SEASONS

OFFENSE

ROSTER ROSTER No.

Name

2

Austin Brown

3

Cutter Eidson

4

Dakota Veal

5

Gonzalo Ramerez

6

Walker Latham

7

D.J. Burney

8

Langston Borden

9

Chevy Cantrell

10

Caden Childers

11

Neri Patino

12

Wyatt Styles

13

Micha Steffen

14

Braden Rusk

15

Carter Latham

20

Lee Murry

21

Jeb Bramlett

22

Connor Kirby

25

Konner Veal

28

Angel Altamirano

30

Cooper Smith

32

Maddox Ausley

33

Aaron Sharp

34

Sean Bohannon

44

Lucas Simpson

48

Caleb Barbee

50

Kaleb Hall

51

Noe Perez

52

Nichales Mosley

53

Houston Strickland

54

Ryan Daugette

55

Ben Johnson

56

Andy Jordan

57

Gabriel Lopez

58

Cole Craddock

60

Carson Humphries

62

Timmy Hunter

63

Chandler Brown

65

Micheal Renolds

67

Colton Mooney

70

Caleb Hodges

71

Brett Thompson

77

Connor Kinney

have breakout seasons for the Patriots.

Steffen has worked hard in the off-season to add extra weight and strength. Rathbun, who is returning from a season-ending injury last year, will be called on to lead the offensive line.

Walters said the offensive line will need to develop quickly for the Patriots to be successful.

DEFENSE The Patriots will be counting on returning starters Steffen at linebacker, Lee Murry at cornerback and Carter Latham at buck end to lead the relatively young defense. Joining the starting unit will be linebackers Lucas Simpson and Gonzolo Ramirez along with Rathbun on the defensive line.

“Due to our youth and inexperience on the defensive side of the ball, we are going to need our young guys to improve quickly for the unit to be good,” said Walters.

MUST-SEE GAMES The two biggest games on the schedule will be the rivalry games at home – Aug. 28 against Priceville and Sept. 25 against Arab. The Patriots split with these two rivals last season in a pair of one-possession games.

Region games to watch this season will be the Sept. 11 matchup at Russellville and the Sept. 18 home game against East Limestone. Russellville is returning several players from last year’s team, which spent eight weeks in the Top 10 in 5A.

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

17

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

SCHEDULE *Region game

Aug. 21

at Danville

Aug. 28

Priceville

Sept. 4

at Ardmore*

Sept. 11

at Russellville*

Sept. 18

East Limestone*

Sept. 25

Arab

Oct. 2

Lee*

Oct. 9

at Mae Jemison*

Oct. 16

Fairview

Oct. 23

at Lawrence County*

Oct. 30

Open

FINAL WORD “It is nice to be going into a season where we have established great work ethic and attitudes, and the kids we have in our program are very dedicated,” said Walters. “The overall excitement and outlook in football at Brewer has changed, and we expect to compete to win every game.”

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

19

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

BY RUSSELL FRYE anville takes a step down in classification to 3A for the 2020 season after six seasons in 4A. The Hawks’ new home is in 3A, Region 8 with Lauderdale County, Colbert Heights, Clements, East Lawrence, Elkmont and Phil Campbell.

The Hawks host Brewer to open the season before traveling to Falkville in non-region games to open the season. Their out-of-region schedule also includes Priceville Sept. 25 and

Lawrence County to close out the regular season.

Danville’s schedule includes five teams that advanced to the second round of the state playoffs last season.

Three teams – Falkville, Lauderdale County and Priceville – advanced to the second round.

HEAD COACH Shannon McGregory is entering his third season as the head coach of the Hawks. After a 0-10 start in his first

season, he led Danville to five wins and the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

The 2020 season will be his 13th season as a head coach, with previous stops at South Lamar and Colbert Heights.

PAST SEASON The Hawks finished 5-6 following a fourth-place finish in Class 4A, Region 7.

Their signature win was a 26-25 win over a ranked Priceville team, which finished second in the region and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

21

ROSTER No.

Name

1

Brayden Eldridge

2

Percy Smith

4

Grayson Glenn

5

Bo Huff

7

Owen Ellenberg

9

Paxton Cunningham

11

Tyler Dodgen

12

Gage Taylor

13

Justice Huff

14

Jaiquan Loyd

15

Carson Crowe

16

Kolten Bray

17

Landon Freeman

18

Cameron Moore

20

Tanner Colburn

21

Dylan Parker

22

Ethan Sapp

36

Jacob Stevenson

44

Dakota Fromhold

52

Landon Garner

53

Hayden Spence

54

Zac Bryant

62

Kameron Hogan

64

Ryan Jones

66

Lane Flowers

68

Tyler Sumerel

22

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

PAST THREE SEASONS

the way will be seniors Lane Flowers and Danville has gone 8-23 in the previous Tyler Sumerel.

“We are going to look to drive the ball on three seasons. After a 0-10 season in 2018, the Hawks bounced back with five offense,” said McGregory. “If we score on the first play, I won’t complain, but I would wins in 2019. prefer us to dominate time of possession and move the sticks.”

“What are we trying to sell today?

Are we looking to make excuses for why we failed, or are we going to learn and The Hawks return three starters from move forward?” last season in defensive end Ryan Jones, linebacker Justice Huff and safety Ethan Sapp. “We need to put players in a position Danville will be looking to replace to make plays to help our defense,” said Luke Nail, a UNA signee. Dylan Parker McGregory. and Gage Taylor are in a battle to see who can step up and take hold of the position. The 2020 season will be their The first two games of the season with first season of varsity football.

Brewer and Falkville help define the “We need to see Parker or Taylor step Danville season. Danville lost both games up and take control of the offense,” said last season and will use these two to see McGregory. where they are in 2020.

A region game to watch will be the road game at Lauderdale County Sept. 11. The The Hawks will be returning seven Tigers finished tied for first place in the region last season and advanced to the starters on offense.

Leading the way will be running backs second round of the playoffs.

Cameron Moore and Ethan Sapp. Moore rushed for 915 yards and 12 touchdowns on 157 carries last season. He also had 19 “For this team to be successful, we receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown. need to find a quarterback to manage The key to Danville’s offense will be its the offense,” said McGregory. “If our offensive line. The Hawks are returning quarterback position develops, we are all five starters from last season. Leading going to be hard to handle on offense.”

WORDS TO GROW BY

DEFENSE

QUARTERBACK

MUST-SEE GAMES

OFFENSE

FINAL WORD

SCHEDULE *Region game

Aug. 21

Brewer

Aug. 28

at Falkville

Sept. 4

at Colbert Heights*

Sept. 11

atLauderdaleCounty*

Sept. 18

East Lawrence*

Sept. 25

Priceville

Oct. 2

Open

Oct. 9

Elkmont*

Oct. 16

at Clements*

Oct. 23

Phil Campbell*

Oct. 30

at Lawrence County

Wishing all area teams a successful season!

2713 Spring Avenue SW • Owner: Jeff Johnson

363343-1

For all your equipment and party rental needs call us! 256-350-3333

BY RUSSELL FRYE he Blue Devils will be stepping up to Class 2A for the 2020 season. Their new home will be Class 2A, Region 7.

Their region opponents will be Tanner, Whitesburg Christian, Ider, Section, North Sand Mountain and Pisgah.

Falkville will face five teams that made the playoffs this past season, but only two of those – North Sand Mountain and Pisgah – are in their region.

The Blue Devils open the season at home with non-region games against Decatur Heritage and Danville. They will travel to Cold Springs Sept. 25

24

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

and to Winston County to close out the regular season.

regular season 6-4 and tied for second in the region.

HEAD COACH

PAST THREE SEASONS

Tyler Mitchell will be starting his second season as head coach of the Blue Devils. He led Falkville to the most wins, seven, for a first-year head coach since Daryl Burnham, who went 7-4 in his first season in 1985.

Falkville is 25-10 over the previous three seasons. That is the most wins over a three-year period in school history. The previous high was 22 wins in 2013-15 under Coach Joel Schrenk.

The win total includes two playoff victories.

PAST SEASON

WORDS TO GROW BY

The 2019 season saw the Blue Devils go 7-5 and make it back to the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. They finished the

“‘What kind of legacy are we going to leave behind for the players who follow you?’ is the theme of our season,” said Mitchell.

Peyton Sallee will be returning for his second season leading the offense.

“Peyton can draw people toward him and then lead,” said Mitchell. “He has developed a lot of confidence heading into this season.”

OFFENSE Falkville will return eight starters from this past season, including Sallee, running back Christian Angulo and receiver Mikell Philyaw.

Angulo is a three-time All-State

player looking to join a select group of Alabama high school players to be named to the All-State team for all four years of high school. He finished with 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns on 169 carries last season. He also caught a touchdown pass and threw for two more scores.

Philyaw, another All-State selection, had 48 receptions for 721 yards and nine touchdowns while returning two kicks for touchdowns last season.

Mitchell said the offensive line will lead the way for the Blue Devils. They

have two returning senior starters in center Terry Crawford and left tackle Gabe Dailey. Joining them will be Jackson Blackwell, a transfer from Jasper.

DEFENSE The Blue Devils will return 10 starters on defense, including linebackers Luke Fitzgerald and Wyatt Tomlin, to go along with defensive lineman Kaden Bennett and defensive backs Angulo, Philyaw and Wyatt King.

“Fitzgerald is the heart and soul of

Have a Great Season

FALKVILLE BLUE DEVILS!

“Our Quality Stands Alone” 256-784-5535 | 96 Buster Road | Falkville, AL 35622 www.lonewolftrailerco.com • info@lonewolftrailerco.com MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

363384-1

QUARTERBACK

25

ROSTER ROSTER No.

Name

1

Austin Vest

2

Kole Fitzgerald

3

Wyatt King

4

Lawson Tew

5

Matt Fetner

6

Jackson Edmonson

7

Caden Burnett

8

Christian Angulo

9

Dawson Fowler

10

Austin Holmes

11

Hunter Franklin

12

Andrew Jones

13

Avery Bramlett

14

Jordan Greenfield

15

CJ Jones

18

Peyton Sallee

21

Gavin Lee

22

Mikell Philyaw

24

Thomas Williams

25

Gavin Bengard

28

Daniel Morris

32

Owen Teague

33

Luke Fitzgerald

34

Hunter Owens

42

Austin Melson

50

Ben Whited

52

Brock Puckett

53

Gabe Dailey

55

Lorenzo Ochoa

58

Kaden Bennett

60

Caleb Duling

62

Keenyan Nappier

63

Flint Smith

64

Cody White

66

Eli Teague

67

Terry Crawford

FINAL WORD

69

Jackson Blackwell

“We need to continue to work hard every day to be the team we want to be,” said Mitchell. “Our kids are hungry to get back to the playoffs and work to get past the second round for the first time in school history.”

70

Austin Drinkard

77

Kody Peebles

80

Cedric Beavers

81

Wyatt Tomlin

88

David Lockhart

our defense,” said Mitchell. He was a an interception, while Philyaw had 69 1A All-State selection after compiling tackles and an interception.

94 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

Falkville opens the season with Angulo finished with 68 tackles and two rivals in Decatur Heritage and Danville. The Decatur Heritage game was a one-score game this SCHEDULE past season that decided the region *Region game championship. The Blue Devils scored twice in the final four Aug. 21 Decatur Heritage minutes to pull out a 34-21 win.

Aug. 28 Danville A region game to watch will be in week Sept. 4 Whitesburg Christian nine, when the Blue Devils travel to Sept. 11 at Pisgah North Sand Mountain Oct. 23 in a game Sept. 18 Open that could determine the region title.

MUST-SEE GAMES

Sept. 25

at Cold Springs

Oct. 2

at Section

Oct. 9

Tanner

Oct. 16

Ider

Oct. 23

at North Sand Mountain

Oct. 30

at Winston County

26

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

AMANDA G. SCOTT, CPA - Revenue Commissioner - Morgan County, Alabama

The Revenue Commissioner is elected by the people of Morgan County for a six year term and is responsible for the mapping, appraising, assessing, and collecting of ad valorem taxes as levied by the government.

The office collects approximately 62 million dollars annually.

Since my election in 1996, I have made every effort to serve you and simplify the process of ad valorem property tax for the citizens of Morgan County. To accomplish this goal, our website offers online property tax data, tax maps, and online payment services to the public. We have satellite offices in Hartselle and Lacey’s Spring for your convenience.

I appreciate the support and trust you have placed in me as Revenue Commissioner of Morgan County. It is my goal and privilege to continue to serve you, and I look forward to every opportunity to make a difference for you and Morgan County.

Thank you,

m rgan county teams this t AGE 65 OR OLDER If you are 65 years of age or disabled, you may qualify for an exemption which will result in a decrease of your property tax. Please call our office for further information.

TAX SALE Each May, tax delinquent property is auctioned off to the highest bidder in front of the Morgan County Courthouse in Decatur, Alabama. Tax sale property is advertised during the month of April. The tax sale will be Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Go to our website, www.morgancountyrevenue.com, to view a list of delinquent properties.

HOW TO CONTACT US Appraisal Division Assessment Division Collection Division

256-351-4694 256-351-4690 256-351-4691

Mapping Division Business Personal Property Board of Equalization

256-351-4698 256-351-4862 256-351-4674

Phone: 256-351-4690 Fax: 256-351-4699 • ascott@co.morgan.al.us Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Morgan County Courthouse

Amanda G. Scott, CPA Revenue Commissioner P.O. Box 696 Decatur, AL 35602

302 Lee Street, NE Second Floor Decatur, AL 35601

Hartselle Satellite Office

Lacey’s Spring Satellite Office

241 Highway 31, SW Crestwood Shopping Center Suite 10 Hartselle, AL 35640

423 Union Hill Road Somerville, AL 35670 Mon.-Thurs. 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

www.morgancountyrevenue.com

363368-1

Mailing Address

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

27

BY RUSSELL FRYE riceville moves from Region 7 to Region 8 in Class 4A for the 2020 season. The region is a familiar one to the Bulldogs, as they played in it two years ago. The eight-team region includes Deshler, Brooks, Rogers, Wilson, Central-Florence, West Limestone and West Morgan.

The Bulldogs will play out-of-region games at Brewer Aug. 28, at Danville Sept. 25 and at home against St. John Paul II to close out the regular season.

Priceville will face six teams that made the playoffs this past season – including Deshler, which advanced to the third round.

HEAD COACH Chris Foster is entering his second season as the head coach for the Bulldogs. The former Brookwood assistant coach went 8-4 in his first season at the helm. His eight

28

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

QUARTERBACK

wins were the highest win total for a first-year head coach at Wyatt Hurt will be returning for his Priceville. second season as starting quarterback.

“Wyatt is a lead-by-example player,” said Foster. “He has picked up a lot of The Bulldogs finished 8-4 and confidence in returning with the same advanced to the second round of the offense for the second year in a row.” state playoffs. It was a record-setting year for the Priceville offense, as they rushed for 4,100. They averaged 380.3 Priceville will return five starters on yards and 29.6 points per game. offense, including Hurt, running back Jerry Burton and tackle Tyler Cappi.

Burton is coming off a recordPriceville is 12-20 over the previous setting season during which he ran three seasons under three different for 2,510 yards and 33 touchdowns and head coaches. The 8-4 mark in 2019 was named to the 4A All-State team. was the Bulldogs’ fourth winning “Burton has worked on being a leader season since they started varsity play coming into his senior season,” said in 2004 and tied for most wins in a Foster.

Cappi returns for his second season season. as the starting left tackle. He recorded 68 pancake blocks and graded out at 90 “We want to be the most physical percent in blocking in 2019. He was a team on the football field,” said Foster. 4A All-State second-team selection.

PAST SEASON

OFFENSE

PAST THREE SEASONS

WORDS TO GROW BY

Jerry Burton runs a drill with other players during a practice at Priceville High School.

Good Luck Priceville Bulldogs!

474 HWY. 67 S • PRICEVILLE, AL Located in Foodland Plaza • 256-353-0100

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

363986-1

Have a Great Season

29

ROSTER

DEFENSE The Bulldogs return six starters on defense and will be led by linebackers senior John Looney and junior Tristan Holmes.

Looney finished the past season with 94 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Holmes added 93 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

Cappi will also return on the defensive line after recording 53 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

MUST-SEE GAMES Rivalry games are always important in football, and the Bulldogs face three county rivals throughout the season. They open at Brewer Aug. 28 and then go to West Morgan Sept. 4 for a region matchup. They close out their rivalry games Sept. 25 at Danville, which won a 26-25 nail-biter last season.

West Limestone will be a region game to watch at Bulldog Stadium Oct. 23. It will be a matchup of star players between Burton and the Wildcats’ River Helms. Helms is a big-time recruit with numerous offers from schools in the SEC and ACC.

FINAL WORD “We are going to determine our success by how we come out and compete every day,” said Foster.

SCHEDULE *Region game

Aug. 21

West Point

Aug. 28

at Brewer

Sept. 4

at West Morgan*

Sept. 11

Brooks*

Sept. 18

Wilson*

Sept. 25

at Danville

Oct. 2

at Rogers*

Oct. 9

Central Florence*

Oct. 16

Deshler*

Oct. 23

West Limestone*

Oct. 30

St. John Paul II

30

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

Name

Number

Name

Number

Adam Miller

1

Jake Langlois

44

Jaxon Thomas

2

Riley Wagg

45

Tristan Holmes

3

Austin Caver

48

Gage Galbreath

4

JJ Vallejo

51

John Looney

7

Tristan Akridge

52

Mason Cartee

10

Brody Oliver

54

Dakota Shell

10

Mitchell Marks

55

Wyatt Hurt

11

Blaxton Royster

56

Jackson Prickett

12

Hugh Law

57

Xander Gaines

13

Isaiah Mendoza

58

Cody Kennedy

14

Kadin Crouch

60

Landon Shockley

15

Jacob Sloan

62

Eli Hawkins

16

Koal Legg

63

Peyton Fowler

18

Quade McAfee

64

Reece Young

19

Skylar Estes

65

Brodie Mattox

20

Michael Cherubino

66

J.C. Estes

21

Tyler Cappi

68

Joey Lubisco

22

Garrison Woodall

70

William Baker

23

Chaz Woodall

71

Bailey Rea

25

Gage Hammon

74

Jerry Burton

27

Jonathan Barrientos

76

Kekey Fletcher

29

Luke Bragwell

80

Larson Speegle

30

Asher Beildeman

80

Blitz Clemons

34

Hunter Petty

82

Deacon Hall

36

Mowgli Stephens

86

Caelen McAfee

88

Have a safe and successful school year!

From your Superintendent and the Morgan County Board of Education

Proud to Support and Celebrate Student Success! ●

Emphasis on Student Leadership

●

School Resource Officers on every campus

●

Teacher Mentor relationships for all students

●

Career Technical Education in all schools, grades 7-12

●

Nationally Recognized Robotics- Morgan County Mech Tech Robotics

●

A+ College Ready programs in all high schools and middle schools

●

Six-Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools of Excellence (Cotaco, Danville-Neel, Priceville Elementary, Priceville Jr. High, MCS Technology Park, Union Hill)

●

Award Winning Morgan County Schools Technology Park

●

District-wide, 9th-12th grade, 1-1 Chromebook initiative

●

Nurses on every school campus

●

Annual District-wide Musical Production

●

Annual Fine Arts Festival

For updates and the latest information, please stay connected to MCS through our social media platforms: - Morgan County Schools

Check your email for our monthly

“Connect” newsletter

Follow us on Twitter

- @MorganCoSchools

Please visit our website: www.morgank12.org

Go to www.morgank12.org and download our app: 363353-1

Like us on Facebook

BY DAVID ELWELL here was some talk before last fall’s reclassification that Austin might slide back down to Class 6A. When the numbers came out from the Alabama High School Athletic Association, the average enrollment for Austin was 1,139.45. That’s seven from the bottom among the 32 schools in 7A. The Class 7A, Region 4 rivals are James Clemens, Florence, Sparkman, Bob Jones, Grissom, Huntsville and Albertville. James Clemens and Florence were first and second in the region last year. Sparkman and Austin were third and fourth. James Clemens and Florence won first round play-off games to advance to the second round.

Austin’s out-of-region foes are the season opener at Hartselle Aug. 21; vs.

Decatur Aug. 28; and the last game of the season Oct. 29 vs. Mountain Brook, which is now the largest school in Class 6A.

HEAD COACH Jeremy Perkins is beginning his 11th season at Austin. The former

32

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

Thompson and Hoover assistant coach is the winningest football coach ever at Austin with a 71-44 record. Over the past five years, Austin has gone 46-17 with two region championships and five trips to the playoffs.

PAST SEASON After winning their first five games, the Black Bears lost three of their next five. The three losses were close region games – 24-21 at Sparkman, 36-28 vs.

Bob Jones and 27-24 at James Clemens.

Austin finished fourth in Region 4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs at Thompson, 54-20.

PAST THREE SEASONS After going up 12-1 in the past season in Class 6A in 2017, the Black Bears have gone 7-4 and 7-4 in their first two years in Class 7A.

WORDS TO GROW ON “I’m excited about this season,” Perkins said. “This team has a world of potential.

For everybody’s sake, I hope we get to play it out and see how far we can go.”

ROSTER

QUARTERBACK Senior Quincy Crittendon is back for a second season as the starter. The Class 7A All-State honorable mention selection threw for 2,217 yards and 21 touchdowns last season while completing 114 of 198 passes with four interceptions.

OFFENSE The Black Bears have the potential to be explosive on this side of the ball. Along with Crittendon returning, Austin also has All-State receiver Tre Shackelford and running back Jevon Jackson. Both seniors have several Division I offers.

Shackelford averaged nearly 22 yards a reception as Austin’s leading receiver last year. He had 40 catches for 872 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Jackson rushed for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns, caught 14 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns and returned one kickoff for a touchdown.

Four starters return in the offense line: seniors Alex Machado, Colton Collier,

Jaylon Munford and Griffin Sikes.

DEFENSE The Black Bears return six starters on defense.

Senior nose guard Jalik Malone did a great job last year clogging up the interior of the line while making 74 tackles. Senior Daiontrelle Hubbard returns at defensive end, and senior linebackers Braxton Lyle, Jakari Fuller and Ronald Fletcher are also back.

After last season, the defensive backfield looked like a weakness going into this season with only senior Jaden Baker returning. Now it might turn out to be a strength.

Senior Kendall Scales, who split time last year between offense and defense, is expected to start in the defensive backfield. Junior Tra Stover has transferred in from Madison Academy, and junior Eddie Mitchell, who is a talented basketball player, is expected to contribute in the defensive backfield in his first year to play football.

No.

Name

No.

Name

1

Kendall Scales

44

Michael Glenn

2

Tucker Montgomery

45

Isaac Falero

3

Talon Ward

46

Jordan Ross

4

Tre Shackelford

47

Garrett Ward

5

Tra Stover

48

Leonel Ramirez

6

Jaden Baker

49

Jayden Burton

7

Zyan Bell

50

Garrett Hale

8

Braxton Lyle

51

LaJalyn Fletcher

9

Eddie Mitchell

52

Jeremiah Ayers

10

Quincy Crittendon

53

Colby Ward

11

Jadyn MaClin

54

Griffin Sikes

12

Gage Palmer

55

Daiontrelle Hubbard

13

Jeffrey Givens

56

Wyatt Albrecht

14

Winston Lyle

57

Jaylon Munford

15

Bralyn Robinson

58

RJ Austin

16

Bryson Claiborne

59

Colton Collier

17

DeAir Young

60

Brodie Crisler

18

Logan Beasley

61

Nicholas Ballentine

19

Jake Bailey

64

Preston Loggins

20

Martel Munday

65

Amari Pointer

21

Tyler Cooper

67

Trace Carlisle

22

Jevon Jackson

68

Blake Griffin

23

Noah Flood

70

Alex Machado

24

James Mitchell

71

Jayden Ashford-Ricks

25

Ronald Fletcher

72

Giovanni Johnson

26

Natasha Frassatti

75

Jalen Verser

28

Zach Morrison

76

Marvin Sales

29

Caleb Beard

77

Abdel Abuhmoud

30

Torian Petty

78

Payson Hubbard

31

Mynor Godinez

79

Dahntay Birt

32

Keilan Williams

80

Jalen Mitchell

33

Jakari Fuller

84

Toney Cowley

34

Braylin Boulden

85

Julien Stewart

35

Mykael Burton

89

Lenarion Wynn

36

Braeden Young

90

Jeremiah Burgess

37

Charles Perry

91

Jacob Wiley

38

Jayden Wynn

92

Amarion Chapman

39

Fred Porter

94

Mantez Thompson

40

Collier French

95

Jalik Malone

41

Tyler Eady

96

Kamarion Swinney

42

Zmari Bell

97

Aidan Crisler

43

Druce Clarke

98

Ryan Keenum

99

Jaidon Jamison

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

33

SCHEDULE *Region game

MUST-SEE GAMES When it comes to must-see games, you can take your pick of Austin’s first five.

The first two games are huge rivalry matchups at Hartselle and at home vs. Decatur. Austin then

opens region play with the three teams that finished ahead of them last season – vs. Florence, vs. James Clemens and at Sparkman. Winning two of those three region games should mean a good chance to be in the playoffs. Winning all three games should mean a good chance

Aug. 21

at Hartselle

Aug. 28

Decatur

Sept. 4

Florence*

Sept. 11

James Clemens*

Sept. 18

at Sparkman*

Sept. 25

Open

Oct. 2

at Grissom*

Oct. 9

at Huntsville*

Oct. 16

Albertville*

Oct. 23

at Bob Jones*

Oct. 29

Mountain Brook (Thursday)

at a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

FINAL WORD “After two years in 7A, I think we are ready to turn the corner on being where we need to be to compete in the playoffs,” Perkins said.

MarMacCommercial.com 34

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

363298-1

Local, National and Internationally Connected

BY DAVID ELWELL

lass 6A, Region 8 is the new home for the Red Raiders.

It looks a lot like Class 6A, Region 7 did the past two years, with Hartselle, Athens, Cullman, Muscle Shoals and Columbia. Madison County schools Hazel Green and Buckhorn round out the list to make it an eight-team region.

Decatur’s out-of-region games are vs. Russellville in Thursday’s season opener, at Austin Aug. 28 and at Huntsville in the season finale.

Huntsville is Decatur’s longestrunning rivalry with 90 meetings.

Decatur leads the series 52-32-6.

HEAD COACH This is season No. 25 as Decatur head coach for Jere Adcock. His record is 172-102. The 64-year-old is the fifth head coach at Decatur since 1933, when H.L. “Shorty” Ogle came to the River City.

PAST SEASON

QUARTERBACK

The 2019 season was not a good one for the Red Raiders (2-8). The defense matched a school record by giving up 327 points. The 1966 team went 0-10 while giving up the same number of points. The last time Decatur won as few as two games was in 1994 (2-8). That was two years before Adcock became head coach.

Grayson Vermeire will be directing the offense. The senior saw quite a bit of duty last season after starter Turner Stepp was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Adcock said Vermeire ended the season with a solid performance in a 21-14 loss at Sparkman.

“Grayson has worked hard to improve at quarterback, and he’s really taken on the role of leader of this team,” Adcock said.

PAST THREE SEASONS The Red Raiders are 13-19 over the Past three seasons. It’s been a decade of winning records in the even years and losing records in the odd years.

OFFENSE

The Red Raiders return seven starters with Vermeire, running back Keandre Williams, receiver Charlie Taylor, H-back Ethan Bates “I did a poor job last year getting our and linemen Banks Murphree, Carter team to where we needed to be so we McCollum and Hunter Claborn.

The hope is that experience from could be as competitive as possible,” Adcock said. “It was like we were 2019 can lead to improvement in 2020. searching for answers all season and Last season the Red Raiders scored more than 17 points in three games. could never find them.”

WORDS TO GROW ON

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

35

ROSTER

36

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

No.

Name

No.

Name

1

Josh Turner

40

Wyatt Smith

3

Banks Dement

41

Levia Croskey

3

Ryan Kirk

42

Reeves Hardin

4

Ellis Dickman

43

Austin Cammon

6

Sam Stephenson

45

Tenarius Fennell

6

Keandre Williams

46

Damon Lamb

7

Grayson Vermeire

49

Max Parker

8

Owen Poovey

50

Adolpho Soto

8

Put Webster

51

Kamerin Sandlin

9

Jayden Brown

52

Nikii Asher

9

Bradin Dupper

53

Banks Murphree

10

Jack Sturges

54

Richard Crisantos

12

Mac Hillis

55

Cooper Lovett

14

Z.J. Matthews

56

Jacob McRae

15

Trey Ayers

57

Wilian Lopez

16

Teandre Williams

58

Crawford Fite

17

Tommy Cazier

59

Markus Harris

17

Charlie Zalusky

60

Carter McCollum

18

Jamarrie Washington

61

David Camacho

19

Paxtin Dupper

63

Michael Kellogg

20

Jack Waller

64

Alex Kmoch

21

Chandler Moore

65

Ian Bouchillon

21

Charlie Taylor

66

Ward Bouchillon

22

Jyron McDaniel

67

Cody Dobbins

23

Andrew Davis

70

Foster Nelson

24

Kolby Brown

71

Matthew Smith

24

Cage Davidson

72

Hunter Claborn

25

Devin Walker

73

Luke Bouchillon

26

Tim Perry

74

Kody Asher

27

Zeryn Williams

75

Ashton Lowery

28

Dekaron Tate

76

Compton Mullican

29

Jackson Thatch

77

D.J. Matthews

30

Dayton Swoopes

79

Jake Burnes

31

Ja’Koby Harris

80

Damaury Thomas

32

Cameron Clopton

82

Brian Cole

33

Darnell Long

83

Zorrey Barr

34

Mylon Miller

86

John Jimenez

36

Jarome Moore

89

C.J. Brown

37

Kendall Scott

90

Braxton Thomas

38

Ethan Bates

92

Thomas Fisher

39

Chase Jones

93

Jaiden Freeman

96

Gavin Barbee

DEFENSE Adcock said the goal for an improved defense depends on how well the Red Raiders can stop the run.

“Even though most teams line up in the spread, the game has evolved more into a physical game running the football,” Adcock said. “If you can’t stop the run, you can’t win.”

The coach said he hopes a couple of position changes make a big difference. Kamerin Sandlin moves from linebacker to nose tackle. Paxtin Dupper moves from linebacker to safety.

“Kamerin is the strongest player on the team,” Adcock said. “His low center of gravity makes him perfect for the position.

“Paxtin will be like our quarterback on defense. He’s got a lot of football smarts. His job is to get everybody in the right position to make plays, and we have confidence in him.”

The linebackers will be Chase

Jones and Banks Dement. Jacob McRae is a returning starter at defensive end; he’s started since he was a freshman.

The defensive backfield will be young, with a chance that the four starters could all be sophomores.

MUST-SEE GAMES The River City Rivalry with Austin is always the big game. It’s the second game of the season, Aug. 28, at Austin. The Black Bears will be going for a sixth straight win in the series.

In reality, the biggest game of the season could be the season opener at home Thursday with Russellville. If the Red Raiders are going to bounce back from a bad season, a win in the first game would be huge.

SCHEDULE *Region game

Aug. 20

Russellville (Thursday)

Aug. 28

at Austin

Sept. 4

at Muscle Shoals*

Sept. 11

Hartselle*

Sept. 18

at Buckhorn*

Sept. 25

Open

Oct. 2

Cullman*

Oct. 9

Hazel Green*

Oct. 16

at Columbia*

Oct. 23

Athens*

Oct. 29

Huntsville (Thursday)

FINAL WORD “We are going to be a sophomoreheavy football team this season,” Adcock said. “I like the work ethic,

and I see a lot of good chemistry in the fieldhouse and on the field. I really enjoy watching this team grow.”

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

37

BY MATTHEW SPEAKMAN est Morgan joins Priceville in moving west to compete with Florence-area teams in Class 4A. The Rebels will be in Region 8 with Brooks, Central-Florence, Deshler, Priceville, Rogers, West Limestone and Wilson.

West Morgan fell to Priceville 24-22 this past season but did not face any of its new region opponents in 2019.

Its non-region schedule features Good Hope, East Lawrence and Leeds.

“Historically speaking, it does hurt not having all of those Morgan County games we had the first two years,” West Morgan coach Mikel Riggs said.

“We’re gonna miss those, but it will be neat to go play some people who we haven’t played in a long time.”

PAST SEASON

these guys that they can do some things and win some ball games.”

The Rebels rallied in the back half of the season after losing the first four games, including two region losses – to Randolph 32-25 and Danville 35-8. They then strung together two wins in a row and finished the season with a 3-3 record in their final six games to earn a 3-7 record overall and a 2-5 record in region play.

QUARTERBACK

HEAD COACH

WORDS TO GROW ON

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

SCHEDULE

PAST THREE SEASONS

A big senior class led West Morgan to its best season of the 2010s in 2017 – the final year with coach John Ritter.

The Rebels went 10-2 and made it to the Class 3A playoffs, where they beat Holly Pond 35-0 before losing to Sylvania 48-21 in the second round.

Ritter left to coach at Russellville.

Riggs took over, going 1-9 and 3-7 in his first two years. West Morgan is 14-18 in West Morgan made minor the past three seasons. improvements in the second year under Riggs. After going 1-9 two seasons ago, his team went 3-7 this “We have a lot of potential because past year. Three of West Morgan’s we have a lot of returning players,” four wins under Riggs have come in Riggs said. “Potential is useless if you region play. don’t tap into it. We want to convince

38

Glavine Segars returns for his third year as the Rebels’ starter. The 5-foot8 quarterback is experienced with the system, and Riggs said he will be a strong leader for the Rebels.

*Region game

Aug. 20

Good Hope (Thursday)

Aug. 28

at East Lawrence

Sept. 4

Priceville*

Sept. 11

at Deshler*

Sept. 18

West Limestone*

Sept. 25

at Leeds

Oct. 2

at Central Florence*

Oct. 9

Brooks*

Oct. 16

at Wilson*

Oct. 23

Rogers*

Oct. 30

Open

“He brings confidence to the offense and to his teammates,” Riggs said. “He’s not the biggest or the strongest, but he knows how to compete. His teammates believe he will get the job done.”

OFFENSE The Rebels return 10 starters, with junior running back Adam Lucas leading the way. Lucas rushed for 1,128 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. Senior tight end Jakobe Griffin also returns to give Segars a big target at 6-foot-4. Riggs said he also expects the team to be strong up front with multiple multi-year starters, including seniors Elijah Dumas, Evan Newman and Nate Alexander as well as juniors Marcus Jones and Owen Coffey.

ROSTER No.

Name

No.

Name

6

Sebastian Pendegraph

50

Gavin Walden

7

Caleb Terry

51

Jacobie Fletcher

10

Kaden Cook

52

Nathan Alexander

11

Cade Alexander

53

Cameron Ennis

12

Ja’Maury Burgess

54

Tyus Smith

13

Cam Schreiber

55

Garrett McCurry

14

Braxton Peters

56

Daniel Johnson

15

Glavine Segars

57

John Mendez

16

Dylan Draper

59

Owen Coffey

18

Andrew Bradford

60

Dakota Cockrell

19

Lou Segars

61

Elijah Dumas

20

Connor Dillard

62

Trevor Morgan

21

Jalen Fletcher

64

Braxton Terry

22

Jakobe Griffin

65

Camden Seal

24

Malachi Chambers

70

Marcus Jones

25

Adam Lucas

71

Tate Neal

26

Blake Suggs

72

Matt Bean

28

Antonio Townsend

73

Ashton Coviak

29

Harrison Johnson

74

Elijah Bice

30

Tate Cottingham

75

Ignacio Hernandez

32

Tenner Terry

76

Dallas Draper

33

Ti’airrius Mosely

77

Evan Newman

34

Ashton Garland

78

Alex Garcia

40

James Jones

80

Matt Glenn

42

Wes Bradford

81

Daniel Laporte

43

Matthew Jones

82

Hunter Harkins

44

Gage Waits

84

Kodee Teague

DEFENSE West Morgan will have seven returning starters on defense, but the Rebels lost Tyler Pendegraph, who had 48 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss this past season. Newman and Nate Alexander return on the defensive line. Junior Cade Alexander will lead the linebackers. Senior Drew Bradford, senior Caleb Terry and junior Kaden Cook will be key pieces in the secondary.

MUST-SEE GAMES West Morgan will face non-region opponent East Lawrence in Week 1 Aug. 28 for the first time since 2017, when the Rebels won 55-0. The two teams have met 35 times dating back to 1979. All but four of the matchups have been non-region games.

Region games against Brooks and Deshler will also be important tests.

“Our kids are already excited about (playing East Lawrence),” Riggs said. “When I told the players that game was back on the schedule, they were chomping at the bit to start getting ready.”

FINAL WORD “Our goal is to get to October and play our best football,” Riggs said. “Hopefully, at that point, we will have won enough to make the playoffs. I think this group has a chance to do that.”

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

39

BY DAVID ELWELL

ecatur Heritage makes the move west to Class 1A, Region 8, where R.A. Hubbard continues to be perhaps the biggest region rival.

Other region opponents this season are Cherokee, Hackleburg, Phillips, Shoals Christian, Vina and Waterloo.

Decatur Heritage is familiar with most of the new region opponents.

The Eagles played Phillips and Shoals Christian as non-region opponents last season.

This year’s non-region opponents are Falkville, Colbert Heights and Woodville.

40

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

HEAD COACH

Decatur Heritage lost 14 seniors from last year’s team – that includes four Steve Meek is beginning his 10th All-State players in offensive lineman season leading the Eagles. His record Carter Sample, linebacker Hank at Decatur Heritage is 67-36, with Davis, running back Colton Keith and two region championships and six defensive back Jackson Kyle. consecutive playoff appearances.

PAST SEASON The Eagles (12-1) matched a school record with 12 wins this past season before falling to Mars Hill Bible in the third round of the 1A state playoffs, 42-21. Mars Hill Bible advanced to the state championship game before losing to Lanett, 41-30.

PAST THREE SEASONS

It’s been three years of success with a 27-8 record and three playoff appearances.

WORDS TO GROW ON “We lost a lot from last year, but I’m excited about what we have coming back,” Meek said. “It’s an

ROSTER

SCHEDULE *Region game

William Barnett

Aug. 21

at Falkville

Tyler Founds

Aug. 28

Colbert Heights

Michael Cheng

Sept. 4

at Phillips*

Justin Densmore

Sept. 11

at Vina*

Lemzel Johnson

Sept. 18

at Shoals Christian*

Jack Slyman

Sept. 25

Woodville

Maddux Terry

Oct. 2

Waterloo*

Ty Tyson

Oct. 9

at R.A. Hubbard*

Sam Waters

Oct. 16

Cherokee*

Sean Zerkle

Oct. 22

Hackleburg* (Thursday)

Brayden Kyle

Oct. 30

at Winston County

Alex Malone Charlie Moores

opportunity for a lot of young guys to step up. yards and 25 touchdowns. He averaged 21.5 It’s always exciting to see how young players yards a catch and 143.5 yards a game. The 80 catches were the most in any classification accept a new challenge.” last season.

When Decatur Heritage does run the ball, After two years in a three-player rotation, expect senior Michael Cheng and junior Tyler junior Brayden Kyle is ready to be the man Olive to be the main backs.

The biggest challenge for Decatur Heritage leading the offense. Kyle has experience after playing many meaningful minutes at the could be in the offensive line. There’s one starter returning in senior Justin Densmore. position over the past two seasons.

“Brayden has paid his dues since he was a Linemen being counted on to step up are Sam little squatty fellow taking snaps,” Meek said. Waters, Lemzel Johnson, Saxon Sample and “He’s got a big arm, and we definitely have to Charlie Hellard. The Eagles might have to count on some eighth-graders for depth. take advantage what he can do.”

Sophomore Bo Solley will be backing up Kyle.

Six starters return on an undersized defense that counts on quick-hitting gang tackling.

One of the returning starters is Founds at For the previous five seasons, the Decatur Heritage offensive scheme has been to pound defensive back. He had six interceptions and 57 the defense with one of the Keith brothers at tackles in nine games and got an All State nod.

Olive and Cheng are expected to man the running back.

It would be hard to argue with the success. inside linebacker spots, with Nash Rippen Older brother Jackson in 2015 and 2016 at outside linebacker. Sample will be the and younger brother Colton for the past nose guard. Tyson will be in the defensive three years combined for 5,851 yards and 62 backfield. touchdowns in 62 games.

The Keith pipeline has gone dry, but that might be OK. Because of Kyle’s arm, the The Falkville game is always big. This Eagles might become more of a passing season the rivalry is the season opener Aug. team. There’s a talented group of receivers 21 at Falkville. Decatur Heritage has won two returning in Alex Malone, Maddux Terry, out of the past three meetings, but Falkville Tyler Founds, Cole O’Brien and Ty Tyson. leads the series, 4-2.

Two newcomers could make the pass receiving group even better. Seniors Sean Zerkle and Jack Slyman have transferred “Last year was a special season with a from St. John Paul II in Huntsville. special group of young men,” Meek said. “I Zerkle was a Class 4A first-team All-State hope this group can recapture the way we selection last year with 80 receptions for 1,720 played last year.”

QUARTERBACK

DEFENSE

OFFENSE

MUST-SEE GAMES

FINAL WORD

Cole O’Brien Tyler Olive Nash Rippen Saxon Sample Brian Brown Charlie Hellard Mac Hurst Jacob Belcher Josh Murray Willis Orr Bryant Pitts Bo Solley Aiden Waldrep Ben Abercrombie Shine Barran Jasper Miller Jasper Mullican Sam Cochran Harrison Hardy Prince Holyfield Luke McGee Andrew Rodriguez Jackson Rollins Connor Sivley Paxton Tarver

Brady Wilson Tag Love Ford Sparkman John Vincent Cooper Williams

MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

41

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MORGAN COUNTY FOOTBALL 2020

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