Tallassee Tribune Nov. 8 2023

Custodial staff makes impression on students

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

See IMPRESSION, Page A3

Middle School custodian Joe Gantt laughs after speaking with school librarian Sabrina Russell. Gantt said so many people and students at the school make it easy to get up and come to work.

Local reenactors prepare for Battles of Armory

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

The Tallassee Armory Guards, Camp 1921 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans are recreating two local battles of the Civil War.

The 26th Annual Bill Anthony Memorial Battles for the Armory takes visitors back to 1864 and nearby skirmishes in Chehaw and Franklin. The reenactments show life of Confederate and Union soldiers late in the war. Tallassee Armory Guards commander Fred Randall Hughey said the Union Army was looking for Tallassee and its armory. “Union raiders came down late in

See PREPARE, Page A11

FILE | THE TRIBUNE

Reenactors go into ‘battle’ at last year’s event.The annual Battles for the Armory features hundreds on the battlefield and in the village and thousands more attend to watch.

TALLASSEE PARTS WAYS

WITH BATTLES

Rebel Pride places second in Alabama Marching Championship

By ABIGAIL MURPHY Multimedia Reporter

The Marching Rebel Pride captured second place in Class 2A at the Alabama Marching Championship. Reeltown High School band director Eric Thompson said the Rebel Pride were invited to the competition by the band director at Jacksonville State and it’s the closest thing to a state championship Alabama has. See MARCHING, Page A11

, Page A11

See TALLASSEE

Obituaries

TIMOTHY “TIM” REED KENNEY

Mr. Timothy “Tim” Reed Kenney, age 71, of Dalton passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Thursday November 2, 2023.

He was born January 15, 1952 in Tallassee, AL to the late Dent Brazzel and Velia Mae Reed Kenney. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his best friends since childhood, Bryant Harper and Phil Willis.

Tim is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, William “Bill” and Ina Fae Kenney of Rocky Face, GA; two nieces, Rebecca Terry (Nicholas Guccia) and Rachel (Jeff) Lea of Rocky Face, GA; great nephews Jacob Lea, Ryker Terry and Jonathan “J.D.” Lea, great niece Reagan Lea all of Rocky Face, GA; love of his life, Winona Palmer.

Tim enlisted and served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam Conflict earning highest awards for

Police Reports

TALLASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT

NOV. 6

• A Welfare check was conducted on Gilmer Avenue.

NOV. 5

• Assistance was given to a motorist on North Ann Avenue.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Burt Mill Road

• Harassment was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Debris was reported in the roadway on Barnett Boulevard.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Friendship Road.

• A civil dispute was reported on Wall Street.

• Assistance was given during a medical call on Friendship Road.

• Debris was reported in the roadway on Gilmer Avenue.

leadership during bootcamp. He would speak fondly of his time serving as an air traffic controller and of the people he met while serving his country. After his time in the USAF, he attended Auburn University and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration (Industrial Management). Tim then began his career in the textile industry working for clothing and carpet manufacturers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky. His proudest professional accomplishments include owning and running businesses with his brother and living out the American dream despite having started out in a small mill village.

Tim loved Auburn University. He especially loved talking for hours about Auburn football and “the message boards” with his brother and best friends. He was an avid collector of records, old movies, fishing lures

• A domestic dispute was reported on Lower Tuskegee Road.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Gun fire was reported on Marvin Avenue.

NOV. 4

• A juvenile complaint was reported on Dorman Avenue.

• Burglary was reported on Macedonia Road.

• Reckless driving was reported on Ashurst Bar Road.

• A domestic incident was reported on Tallassee Highway.

• Criminal mischief was reported on Lee Street.

• Assistance was given to another agency on Friendship Road.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Highway 229.

• Reckless Driving was reported on Camelia Drive.

and tools. He was a proud parent to many beloved pets; Rocky, Bandit and Smokey to name a few.

Tim lived in and visited many places, and met many people. He was a keen observer of human behavior. His observation skills translated into the most entertaining true stories and his impersonations made you think you knew the larger than life characters he spoke about. He was rarely without a story, joke or smile to share. A memorial service will be held in Tallassee, AL for friends and family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia.

Arrangements by Ponders Melrose Chapel, 138 Melrose Drive, Dalton, Georgia, 30721, 706.226.4002 www. selectedindependentfuneralhomes.org and www.ogr.org.

• A motor vehicle accident was reported on Weldon Road.

• A domestic incident was reported on Second Avenue.

• A welfare check was conducted on Gilmer Avenue.

NOV. 3

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Gilmer Avenue.

• Burglary was reported on North Johnson Street.

• A runaway juvenile was reported on Godwin Road.

NOV. 2

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Upper River Road.

Nov. 1

• Theft was reported on Hicks Store Road.

OCT. 31

• A noise complaint was reported on Sims Avenue.

• A domestic incident was reported on Second Avenue.

• An animal complaint was reported on Hudson Place.

• Assistance was given to another agency on Notasulga Road.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Suspicious activity was reported on Central Boulevard.

OCT. 30

• Suspicious activity was reported on Grimes Street.

• Breaking and entering a vehicle was reported on South Dubois Street.

WETUMPKA POLICE DEPARTMENT

OCT. 28

• A terroristic threat was reported on U.S. Highway 231.

OCT. 25

• Harassment was reported in Autumwood Village.

• A motor vehicle accident with injuries was reported on Central Boulevard.

RESIDENTS FILL STREETS FOR ANNUAL TRICK OR TREAT

CLIFF WILLIAMS | THE TRIBUNE Zombies, the Addams family, dinosaurs and superheroes invaded Tallassee for a night of fun for the town’s annual Trick or Treat. Parents watched as the Tallassee Parks and Recreation Department hosted many of the children briefly to pick up a few treats and games. Soon the disguised children disappeared into the streets only to be welcomed by residents. Some homeowners recreated Candyland and even a cemetery with Michael Myers. For many of the homeowners, the annual event was as much a pleasure for them to decorate as it was for the children to create their costumes.

Going back in time at Frontier Days

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park turned back the clock for the 28th annual Alabama Frontier Days. Staff, volunteers, Friends of Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson and the Alabama History Commission rolled back time to between 1700 and 1820 as the area transitioned from home of the Muscogee Indians to being occupied by the French and Andrew Jackson before his march to Horseshoe Bend. Reenactors created a living history of native American life, French solider life and that of the U.S. Army all who were in the area. Many frontier crafts and

trades are demonstrated by specialists dressed in historic costume.

A representation of frontier life included Native Americans, French soldiers and their families, British traders who lived among the Creek Indians and American soldiers who fought in Andrew Jackson’s army during the Creek War. There were cannon and musket demonstrations, wood fired bread ovens, a blacksmith, wagon wheel maker and more. Over three days, more than 6,000 Alabama students, some from Elmore County and Tallassee City schools, visited Frontier Days and the general public came in on Sat

urday.

CLIFF WILLIAMS THE TRIBUNE

Humane Society of Elmore County News

Thank a shelter worker this week

By REA CORD HSEC Executive Director

This is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, and staffs at animal shelters are working tirelessly helping the never-ending flood of homeless and unwanted pets day in and day out.

Shelters provide a place for homeless and unwanted animals to go when no one else can take them in. The young ones, old ones, nice pets or vicious and scared; diseased, injured, starved and healthy, shelters see them all.

So please thank the staff of your local shelters as besides helping animals in need they are also helping people, often with very little appreciation.

The No. 1 thing every pet owner can do to support shelters is to be a Responsible Pet Owner.

• Responsible owners

keep their pet safely at home so it does not get lost or injured adding to the load for Animal Control Officers, citizens and shelters alike.

• Responsible owners see to their pet’s physical and mental well-being so they will live long and happy lives with the same family.

• Responsible owners see to the medical needs of their pet, especially preventive veterinary care (vaccinations, parasite prevention to include heartworm prevention) to keep them healthy.

• Responsible owners will spay or neuter their pet to prevent yet more unwanted litters. Sixty percent of our shelter’s intake is under 6 months old so we know well the impact of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens.

• Responsible owners do their homework before getting a pet so it will be a good fit for their family and lifestyle and not end up

needing to be rehomed due to a spur of the moment or ill-informed decision.

• Responsible owners educate their children on interacting with pets and helping in their care. After all, today’s children are tomorrow’s pet owners/ advocates.

Responsible pet owners keep pets from coming into shelters in the first place which needs to be the primary goal of our communities. True success in the animal sheltering world would be a lesser need of our services, not more.

Shelters also need your moral support as what they deal with every day is very often overwhelming, heartbreaking and extremely frustrating. Shelter staff live the reality of far more animals coming in than are going out but not for their lack of trying. Unsocialized, scared, injured, diseased and

dangerous animals are sadly a daily occurrence making shelter work also quite hazardous for the staff. Shelter work is a field very often taken for granted by the public and all but ignored too often by community leadership.

Since most shelters are nonprofit organizations, of course they can also use your financial support whether that be by donating money, food, supplies, your time, and your advocacy.

Just like every home and business, costs for utilities, pet food and supplies, wages, facility upkeep, insurance, vehicles, fuel costs and more keep going up. Your support helps ensure your community will have a shelter as adopting and rescuing many pets starts with them having a place to go in the first place.

Our Shelter averages 13 animals coming in every

single day we are open with far too many days having 25 to 30 or even more.

In large cities those daily intake numbers are in the hundreds. If your community did not have a shelter,

then where would all of those animals go? Think about that.

tive

Pet of the Week - Petey Petey came to us when his owner could no longer care for him. He is about 3 years old and weighs about 50 pounds and has a docked tail. Petey is a very friendly boy even though can look intimidating. He is good with other dogs, loves attention and is wanting a family to call his own. The Humane Society of Elmore County’s adoption fees are $100 for dogs and $50 for cats under 1 year old. Cats over 1 can be adopted by approved adopters for a fee of their choosing. This adoption fee covers the mandatory spay

or neuter, basic immunizations, deworming, microchip, heartworm check for dogs, rabies vaccination if old enough and a free health exam with your participating veterinarian. If you are interested in meeting Cola or any of the pets at HSEC, the first step is to fill out an adoption application online. Once approved, you will be contacted by someone from the humane society. HSEC is located at 255 Central Plank Road in Wetumpka. The phone number is 334-567-3377 and the website is www.elmorehumane.org.

Crossroads Learning Center expands, providing affordable child care

By ABIGAIL MURPHY Multimedia Reporter

Alongside the Lord’s blessing, Crossroads Learning Center is expanding its child care options for the Reeltown and Holtville communities.

Owner Hannah Johnson said she first started the daycare to make child care accessible for working women in rural areas. The daycare came from her women’s ministry — LIFT Ministries. Johnson originally thought with her ministry she would teach women life skills, but the Lord had a different plan in mind.

“What I found is most women need childcare in order to go to work and they couldn’t afford childcare,” she said.

With a background in social work, she knew some women could get financial assistance for childcare through the Family Guidance Center of Alabama. Johnson established Crossroads and accepts

SUBMITTED THE TRIBUNE

Crossroads Learning Center staff members get ready for the new addition to Reeltown. A couple months ago the basic frame was up and now it will be open at least next week.

Family Guidance Center of Alabama’s financial assistance.

As Crossroads grew, the daycare also added a Firstclass preschool, which is recognized by Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education and funded through the state. However, the waiting list continued to grow. Johnson said she realized it was time to add to

last 27 years at Tallassee Elementary School.

After retirement Gantt followed a passion to be around teachers and students.

tirelessly to keep our school clean,” Southside Middle School principal Brittany Spencer said. “He also brings such a positive influence to our students, staff, and overall school climate. His presence and his efforts to make Southside Middle School a great place to be and are deeply appreciated by all.”

Gantt hasn’t been at Southside for long. He spent 38 years making dentures in the dental industry. But he had a good knowledge of schools as his wife Angela has been a teacher for the

“I always wanted to work with schools and be around kids,” Gantt said. “I enjoy it. These are the greatest people in the world to work with.”

Gantt said he truly enjoys getting up in the morning and going to work at Southside Middle School.

“Being around kids makes you feel young,” Gantt said. “Walking down the halls just makes you feel good. I hear — ‘Mr. Gantt, Hey Mr. Joe. Hey Janitor Joe.’ I get a combination of them all. It’s the smile on the faces of these kids and

the Reeltown location, and she has also been developing a new location in Holtville, which just opened last week after a year’s work.

“The Lord has given me the vision to put child care in rural areas,” Johnson said of taking on the two development projects.

There are 90 spots and currently about 35 kids, so there is plenty

building relationships with them that makes it special.”

Gantt goes about his day speaking with students and staff. He makes them feel special when he can, such as wishing librarian Sabrina Russell a happy birthday or just sharing a grin and uplifting word. It is all for one thing.

“I want to give them a clean place to come to to learn,” Gantt said. “I really want to give them the opportunity to be all they can be.”

The ever smiling Gantt doesn’t take much credit for what he does. He said he will be there at Southside “as long as the good Lord lets” him.

“I work with some of the greatest people in the world

of space available. Johnson explained each week Crossroads will add more kids and staff members.

Crossroads Learning Center offers infant toddler care, PreK and Pre3 programs and school break programs at both locations. The Reeltown expansion is also nearly complete with the goal to be open at least by next week.

The expansion includes two new rooms, one being a preschool classroom and another being a potty-training room for the younger kids. The expansion will also allow for 60 new spots.

Johnson said the beauty of Crossroads is not only does it help working mothers with affordable child care, but also it provides work opportunities for women. She said the Reeltown location has provided at least 30 women jobs since opening.

Johnson said she looks to open more locations in the future to carry out the work the Lord has blessed her with.

— teachers,” Gantt said. “I’m honored to be here with them.”

Rea Cord is the execu-

director of the Humane Society of Elmore County.

Tallassee Talks

Find healthy ways to channel anger

IObituaries: 35 cents per word with a $25 charge for picture per paper (Herald, Observer, Tribune). Obituaries are only accepted via the funeral home in charge of arrangements. We do not accept obituaries from individuals.

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Announcements: These significant family events or milestones are 35 cents per word and $25 for a photo and must be emailed to us at announcements@thewetumpkaherald.com. Include name and telephone number. The text for the announcement must be in the body of the email (not as an attachment) and photographs must be sent as a .jpeg attached to the email. Announcements will appear within 10 days in The Herald or The Tribune.

n case you don’t know this about me, I am the world’s worst at holding a grudge — usually ones in the non-serious category. Typically if you’ve said something that annoys me or I CAN prove wrong, I’m gonna joke with you about it for weeks, months, years on end.

Many years ago when I first worked for The Outlook, one of our editors once told me it doesn’t take hours and hours and hours to write five stories.

The quote, “Well it’s not like it takes hours and hours and hours,” is still a staple in my conversations.

I just don’t like people to forget things — and I love to poke fun.

However, I am not the kind of person who holds grudges of a more serious and angry nature. I used to be. Back before I got sober, I was so quick to get mad and I would never let it go.

I still have this innate need to hold people accountable for their actions, but I typically don’t get mad in the more stereotypical way anymore — yelling and screaming, cursing, etc.

Going through a journey of recovery in AA, you hear a lot about resentment and how it brings only negativity and typically only to yourself, rather than the person you’re angry with. Anger was an excuse to drink, as were many things, of course.

But this was one I could sink my teeth into. Could you believe what that person said to me? I need a drink. I had the worst day at work and I’m so mad about it; I need a drink. And because I was a very happy drunk, it took away that anger easily.

However, the anger was really still there; the alcohol was just a way not to deal with it. But not dealing with anger and resentments is an easy way to make things worse in the end. I know at least for me, if I’m upset about something and don’t voice it fairly quickly, I’ll just end up stewing on it.

I’ll overthink the whole situation and work myself up even more, which only makes things worse. It’s a vicious cycle, and it usually ends up in an explosion. At least that was my experience.

Dealing with anger in a healthy way is a difficult task for most people, I think. For me, it’s taken years — and still daily work — to feel like I have a handle on that. I still look for healthy

things to do to channel any resentful feelings.

Every once in a while, I have to throw it back to high school and just listen to really angry music as loud as possible for a bit. Other times, I’ll need to go for a hike and get fresh air to take my mind off things. Often, I’ll go into a stage of what my husband calls “rage cleaning,” during which I want to vigorously clean and not be bothered for hours.

I’ve even considered visiting a rage room; there’s one in Prattville and you literally can pay to just break stuff with sledgehammers.

Many people think anger is an unhealthy emotion. I’m more of the opinion every emotion is a healthy one because we all need a little balance. But we do need to find healthy ways to express anger and even channel those emotions into productivity when possible.

Whether you’re the type of person who needs a calm distraction or someone who needs to take that frustration out loudly, there are healthy ways to do both. I urge you to try to find them because sitting alone with too much anger is not a good strategy for anyone.

Lizi Arbogast Gwin is the managing editor of Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.

Walt Disney’s favorite song

Richard and Robert Sherman were wonderful songwriters. They are responsible for the most-performed song of all time, “It’s a Small World (After All),” heard daily at the Disney-themed parks featuring the Small World ride.

The Shermans also wrote memorable music for Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Charlotte’s Web, and many other family friendly films. They also wrote successful pop tunes such as “You’re Sixteen,” “Pineapple Princess,” and “Let’s Get Together.”

In all likelihood, you have heard some of their songs and may perhaps even know them by heart.

My former music teaching colleague John Paul Jones, who passed away last week after sustaining injuries caused by an automobile accident, was the biggest Disney fan I ever knew.

At the end of his life he had been pursuing his dream with employment at Walt Disney World. He had been a music teacher, band director, worked at Art’s Music Shop, played in the 151st National Guard Band, created and conducted the Wetumpka Pops concert band, conducted the Alcazar Shrine band, worked at the Disney Store in Montgomery Mall, had a route with Art’s Music Shop and took care of his elderly parents — all of that before he ever picked up and moved to Orlando to follow his heart.

He also did a mean Johnny Long impression, one of the best ever among our Troy band friends.

John Paul once drove all the way to Richard Sherman’s home in Beverly Hills just to tell him how much he loved his music. According to John Paul, Mr.

was

outside to pick up his morning paper when he spotted John Paul in his driveway.

“I drove all the way from Alabama just to tell you how much I love your music,” he told a surprised Mr. Sherman. Perhaps more than any of their compositions, “Feed the Birds” is the most meaningful. The haunting melody is performed in the Mary Poppins film and stage musical as a lullaby sung by Mary Poppins to children Jane and Michael Banks. It is heard again later on in a very dramatic choral and orchestral setting, in a musical cue called “Mr. Banks is Discharged.” I had not known there was a recording of just this particular piece until John Paul loaned me a monster-sized box set that contained all of the recordings from the orchestral sessions for Mary Poppins. What is so special about the song?

The lyrics have to do with a beggar woman who sits on the St. Paul’s Cathedral steps begging for two-pence (a two-penny coin) per bag, to feed the pigeons and doves in that area of downtown London. Mary Poppins sings about the woman. The next day, the Banks children are on a field trip to their father’s workplace, the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, and encounter the Bird Woman in person. The children are stopped by their father from making a donation. Mr. Banks has little tolerance for a beggar; to him, a man is successful when he is able “to carve his niche in the edifice of

time.”

The character of George Banks is only doing what most men, or fathers, are expected to do: he spends more time at his job than he does at home. Yet, his relationship with his children is limited to the regular hiring and firing of nannies until the magical Mary Poppins enters the life of his family and he begins to see that, in reality, he is a failure.

The simple act of kindness described in the song may be what makes it so special. It may be one of the first, and it’s certainly one of the few, that deal with homeless people. In the reprise of the song late in the film, as Mr. Banks is summoned to his job to be fired, he hopes to see the Bird Woman but she is gone – highlighting the need for one to show that random act of kindness when the opportunity arises, because it may not come around again. Many years after Walt Disney’s death, Robert Sherman remembered: “On Fridays, after work, Disney would often invite us into his office and we’d talk about things that were going on at the Studio. After a while, he’d wander to the north window, look out into the distance and just say, ‘Play it.’ And Dick would wander over to the piano and play ‘Feed the Birds’ for him. One time just as Dick was almost finished, I heard Walt say, ‘Yep. That’s what it’s all about.’ Songs have been written about a myriad of subjects. ‘Feed the Birds’ is the first song written about the merits of giving charity.”

When Walt Disney died in 1966, the Sherman brothers played “Feed the Birds” at his funeral.

Michael Bird is a music teacher for Tallassee City Schools.

Sherman

walking

LIZI GWIN Managing Editor

MICHAEL BIRD Columnist

A bear with a missing ear

the

dents I used to

MELINDA BLAIR Columnist

with. One day, a student was trying to share a sticker with me and was a bit disappointed when he tore it, but he still enjoyed placing it on the back of my school employee name badge that hung from my lanyard. It actually became a positive reinforcement visual, and the following paragraph is the non-edited text I used with a photo when I posted this story on Facebook several years ago.

“This bear with a missing ear was a powerful devotional tool for our students, and it’s a sticker that a student placed on my work

badge. I still like to wear it, because of the message I see each time I look down at it. Yesterday, a student was telling me how others make fun of her, another one told me she gets called ‘fat’. I told them how many times I’ve been made fun of because I stutter, and that last year a store employee mocked me when I was trying to ask him something. I said to them, ‘This bear with the missing ear reminds me daily to not listen to the ugly, rude, and hurtful words that others say, and

Tallassee Churches

to use the other to hear what Jesus says about me and to the good things around me. We can choose to not let it go deep into our thinking and that we can also choose the words that come out of our mouths. We can’t help sometimes what comes into our minds, but we DO get to choose what comes out of our lips. I really love the perfect opportunity to get to share with my babies the message God gave me that day the boy put that torn sticker on my badge. One of the girls told me “What

Jesus says about me” when I asked her did she remember why I wear the torn bear, and it was ‘spot on’ correct! I hope this helps you, too!”

Let’s choose wisely the words we say, because we all know the pain of being on the receiving end of harmful words! Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you!”

Melinda Blair is a regular columnist for Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.

Lake River & Classi eds

Employment

Job Opportunities

The Learning Tree, Inc. is Accepting Applications for 2nd, 3rd and Weekend shifts for Direct Care Applications can be picked up at: 101 S. Dubois Street Tallassee, AL 36078 Or contact Angela Waites (334)252-0025 Ext. 101 Email: angela.waites@ learning-tree.org

Job Opportunities

PISCES

Travel plans.

Multiple Grounds Maintenance Workers needed for Rotolo Consultants, Inc.: Operate vehicles/powered equipment for landscaping/Lawncare; Use hand tools; Prune/trim trees, shrubs, or hedges; Gather/remove litter; Rake/mulch/compost leaves; Follow landscape designs; Use garden tools. Haul/spread topsoil/pine straw; Create forms, mix/pour cement for garden borders, and bulkheads. Monitor/adjust water consumption using irrigation methods; Monitor/maintain seasonal irrigation systems; Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment. 3 mos. exp req’d. Work in Alexander City, AL Contact at ljurado@rotoloconsultants.com.

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Tallassee’s Glass, Brantley qualify for state championship

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

Two of Tallassee’s cross country runners will represent the Tigers on the state’s biggest stage.

After an impressive finish in the AHSAA Class 5A, Section 1 race at Gateway Park in Montgomery on Thursday, Tallassee’s Mallory Glass and Avery Brantley earned their

way to the state championship race.

They will both race Saturday in Moulton at 9:10 a.m. for the girls and 10:10 a.m. for the boys.

Both runners qualified by being one of the top six runners whose team did not qualify for state. Brantley was the third individual boy to qualify for the state championship behind Elmore Coun-

ty’s Frankie Mann and Lucas Drost.

Brantley finished 12th overall with a time of 18:16.08, a new personal record for the youngster. This will be his first time qualifying for state. Glass, on the other hand, is qualifying for state for the second time in her running career. Glass finished ninth overall in the girls race, clocking in at 22:58.38, also a per-

sonal record for her. She was the third individual qualifier behind a Valley and Demopolis runner.

“They are both two young runners and I’m glad they’ll get the experience,” Tallassee coach Danny Worley said of Glass and Brantley. “They can take this experience and grow and build on it for next year. They did a really good job. They both had personal records.”

TALLASSEE HIGH FISHING CELEBRATES WITH RINGS

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Fishing is a new sport for many especially when compared to baseball, basketball and football.

Highly competitive fishing started in only the 1970s. High school baseball, basketball and football have been around for a century or more. High school fishing has been around for maybe two decades and at Tallassee High School, the Tigers are just entering their fourth season. While the team is still in its infancy it has been highly successful.

Recently the team was awarded state championship rings for its efforts in the third season.

John Goodman has coached a few state championships as head coach of the Tallassee baseball team, but coaching fishing was a new venture despite a love of fishing.

“It’s great,” Goodman said following a simple ring presentation. “I never truly thought this was going to

happen. The more we fished last year, the more things started rolling right there. It kept getting better. We knew going into Eufaula for the classic, if we did what we were supposed to do at that point then we had a shot.”

Goodman said the team got better as the season went on and had a chance in the “Smallmouth” Division composed of the smaller schools in the state.

Brothers Grant McCraney and Eli McCraney were on the water for two days. They went a little unconventional for Lake Eufaula — fishing deep. Grant, now a senior, joked he found the fish and his brother caught them.

“We stared at our screen all day and found our fish out deep,” Grant said. “We found them all on ledges. We found a school on the second day. We found the place in practice.”

But there was a small issue in the boat. Eli wasn’t feeling too well.

“I’m catching them left and right — every cast,” Grant said. “He is back there

Elmore County’s Mann earns

By DALTON MIDDLETON

Sports Editor

There was no one in the county faster than Frankie Mann last week. Mann, participating in the AHSAA Class 5A, Section 1 championship at Gateway Park in Montgomery, had a stellar day as he raced in the cold.

Mann braved the cold better than anyone else out of the entirety of the county racing in their respective sectionals as Mann finished with a time of 17:16.63 which landed him fourth place in the 5A meet.

While Elmore County did not place as

While the Tigers didn’t qualify as a team, it was still a productive day for the Tallassee team.

Every single runner on the girls team set personal records on the day.

Seventh grader Hollyn Golden ran 24:42.12 and finished 19th, while Isabella Lara finished 39th with a time

with blood pouring down his face from his nose. He gets it to stop, picks up a rod with the smallest bait we had and first cast, catches a four pounder.”

The small celebration went much like a day of fishing. Goodman and Tallassee High School principal Drew Glass started passing out rings. Michael Markham Jr. reached for his ring from Goodman much like setting a hook.

Instead the ring hit the floor.

“It didn’t open its mouth,” Markum said.

His teammate Carter Davidson pulled it just like he caught the fish Markum missed.

“It comes up dancing though,” Davidson said.

The fishing team got its start thanks to Tallassee City Schools superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin, who grew up in Eufaula, home to Tom Mann, one of the early professional bass fishermen. Nolin’s father was a professional fishing guide and the son leveraged living next to Mann’s ponds

See FISHING, Page A10

By HENRY ZIMMER Sports Writer

Reeltown is not going to let Wicksburg fool them. For the first round of the Class 2A football playoffs, the region champion Rebels draw a home matchup with Wicksburg. Reeltown (9-0, 7-0) was off during its final week of the regular season, while Wicksburg (5-5, 4-3) gutted out an overtime win over Dadeville.

Both having a bye week and playing a game can be seen as a good and bad thing for either team. Only when the clock strikes 0:00 on Friday will Reeltown coach Matt Johnson know which one was better.

“I guess we will see Friday,” Johnson said. “I like having the bye week for getting people healthy, but there is a concern of losing that game speed and edge. Hopefully that won’t affect us.”

Reeltown is coming off a monumental and potential season-defining win over Highland Home in its final regular season game.

Highland Home spent its entire season ranked, while Wicksburg dropped two of its final three games. It could be easy to look at the records for Highland Home then Wicksburg and assume one team is far better than the other.

Johnson doesn’t think that is the case at all.

“Their record is no way indicative of the type of team they are,” Johnson said.

All but one of Wicksburg’s losses have come by a touchdown or less. The Panthers lost their opener by 15, but have not lost a game by more than eight points the rest of the way.

When they win, they do so in mostly dominant fashion.

Opening the month of October, Wicksburg beat its first

two opponents by a scoring margin of 97-6.

“They are about four plays away from being the No. 1 seed in their region,” Johnson said. “It is not your typical No. 4 seed that has just been blown out and is an obvious four seed. This team could have been region champs.”

Most of what Wicksburg does offensively flows through their quarterback Mason Burkhardt.

Burkhardt has 14 touchdowns through the air and 11 on the ground, scoring four times on the ground against Dadeville.

Wicksburg does things fairly traditionally on offense and defense, but is more than willing to try to steal a possession or play from a team at any given time. Johnson expects to see more of the same when the Panthers come to Reeltown.

“They have an identity on both sides of the football and are tricky on special teams,” Johnson said. “They run all kinds of formations on special teams and a lot of different kicks. They are very well coached. It doesn’t take long to know they are a very disciplined team and they do a lot of things offensively, that if we don’t play really sound, they could give us some trouble.”

During the bye, Johnson’s team took things light on the field but hit the weight room hard. The coaches and players used it as a time to relax a bit from the eight game gauntlet the team had just navigated.

But the relaxation time is over, and now it is do or die.

One special teams miscue or one missed pass could result in Reeltown’s historic season ending.

“This is not a pushover,” Johnson said. “This is not a team that is coming here and is going to roll over.”

CLIFF WILLIAMS | THE TRIBUNE

The Tallassee fishing team poses with their coach and boat captains.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

PICK’EMS

CHAMPIONSHIP

Continued from A9

of 27:21.79. Haley Scoggins placed 46th to round out the team with a time of 29:35.84.

On the boys team, four of the five runners set personal records and earned an 8th place finish as a team.

Brantley had the top finish, and two minutes behind him was John Robert Baxley, who finished 38th with a time of 20:39.76. Two places behind him was Nathan Mason with a time of 20:44.68.

Wyatt Wehler (52nd) and Brady Adams (63rd) rounded out the fiveman team.

“We’re proud of the way everybody ran today and their effort,” Worley said. “It was a really good job by all of them. Your goal is always to end the year with a personal record and that’s what they did. This is a pretty good sectional and they were competitive. They did what we asked them to do. They are young and have something to build on next year. We’re excited about the future.”

ELMORE COUNTY SENDS

TWO RUNNERS TO STAT

The Elmore County boys team did not qualify as a team, but that didn’t stop Frankie Mann or Lucas Drost from earning their spots in the state championship.

Mann had the best overall finish of any county runner racing at Gateway Park as he earned a fourth place finish overall with a time of 17:16.63. He was only 13 seconds away from earning a second-place finish, less than four seconds away from earning a podium finish.

Teammate Lucas Drost wasn’t far behind him as he earned himself an 11th place finish with a time of 18:08.12.

“Frankie did really well,” Elmore County coach Joseph Snelick said. “He set a new personal record by three seconds. It was a great day for him overall. His first mile was pretty fast, and he held on. Lucas also qualified and he set a new personal record by 15 seconds.”

Every single runner for Elmore County set a personal record in the event.

Behind Mann and Drost’s great days, Aiden Crow finished 50th with a time of 21:28.05, Titus Carter was 51st with a time of 21:31.54, JB Becker clocked 21:41.46 for his 54th place finish, Keegan Lett placed 65th at 23:00.04 and John Lucas rounded out the team with a time of 24:30.26.

“It was a very good day overall for us,” Snelick said.

FISHING

Continued from A9

and the family knowledge of fishing.

“I was Tom Mann’s first junior national champion,” Nolin said. “I won a BassTracker boat when I was 12 years old.”

Nolin acknowledged he had an advantage in the tournament.

“I could fish those ponds anytime I wanted,” Nolin said.

In 2007 Nolin was approached when he was an ag teacher at Tallassee by the Baker family about high school fishing. Nolin helped as he could, but no team was really started.

Several years later, Nolin became superintendent and got the entire school district involved in starting the fishing team.

“I put together an email to the entire Tallassee School district employee email list,” Nolin said. “I said, ‘I need a fishing team sponsor.’”

Nolin explained in the email the sponsor didn’t have to like to fish or even know how to fish.

“I just needed someone who knows how to do paperwork,” Nolin said.

Goodman stepped up and volunteered. Nolin captained a boat the first year with his son fishing as a seventh grader. The Nolins didn’t continue fishing, but Goodman built the Tallassee High School fishing team. Goodman’s son Brandon is on the team. He said the fishing

SECTIONALS

Continued from A9

a team, his finish landed him an individual qualifier for the state championship this week.

The top six individual qualifiers not on a qualified team advance to the state championship.

For his impressive time and placement, Mann has been named the Elmore County Player of the Week.

team is easier in some ways to coach than baseball.

“It is totally different. The [adult] boat captains do all the work,” Goodman said.

“I organize it and get them where they are supposed to be. It is up to them to get it done. We talk about what to do as a group. In baseball, I’m involved in everything from A to Z. That is on me. This is more on them and the captains in the boat.

Goodman said the paperwork and keeping things organized is harder in fishing than in baseball.

“But it is a lot of fun,” Goodman said.

Part of the reason is Goodman also serves as boat captain of his son’s boat.

“I get to spend more time

“Frankie did really well,” Elmore County coach Joseph Snelick said. “He set a new personal record by three seconds. It was a great day for him overall. His first mile was pretty fast, and he held on. Lucas (Drost) also qualified and he set a new personal record by 15 seconds.” Mann found himself just outside the podium in a very fast race in Montgomery. The winner of the race, Richard Lessman from Demopolis, finished nearly 30 seconds

with him which is good,” Goodman said. “We cherish every bit of it.I have him and teammate Cason Hornsby, the two babies. As captain I take them where they need to be. I can instruct and I can verbally help but that is about it. I drive the boat and get them where they need to be. After that it is up to them.”

Receiving rings were the boat of Tyler Autrey and Hunter Schieferstein; the boat of Markham and Davidson; the boat of Goodman and Hornsby and the boat of the McCraney brothers. Markum and Davidson were also awarded rings for their individual championship from two years ago.

Goodman said there are great opportunities in fishing

ahead of every other runner at 16:34.37. But as Mann and others battled the 40-degree weather that they weren’t used to, he finished only 13 seconds away from placing second overall. Now he, along with teammate Drost who finished 11th overall with a time of 18:08.12, will head to Moulton this weekend to race in the 5A state championship at 10:10 a.m. at the Oakville Indians Mounds Park and Museum.

after the high school team.

“They have a lot of fishing in front of them,” Goodman said. “They will go on to fish in college. Most people don’t understand there is more money in this than if they play football or baseball. You don’t have to go and kill your body. I’m not taking away from it because I coached it and played it my entire life.”

The fourth year of the Tallassee High School fishing team fished almost every weekend of September and October, really only taking off for homecoming.

“We have already started this year off well,” Goodman said. “As a team, we finished second place in Demopolis already. They are fishing well right now.”

Vote for your Fans’ Choice Player of the Week now!

CLIFF WILLIAMS THE TRIBUNE

Eli McCraney, left, and brother Grant pass their state championship rings to their mother Wendy McCraney for a photograph with the mothers of the team.

Big Buck Photo Contest underway

REPORT

STAFF

TPI Staff

The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association will again showcase the bountiful whitetail deer hunting available in the Black Belt’s 23-county footprint with the 12th year of its Big Buck Photo Contest.

The ALBBAA Big Buck Photo Contest, which takes place online, will run through Feb. 16, 2024, and is sponsored by the Central Alabama Farmers Cooperative in Selma. Photos of bucks harvested during archery and firearms season are eligible.

“It’s clear that Alabama’s Black Belt is considered one of America’s best places to bag a trophy buck and, more importantly, provide a sustainable food source for your family or for donation to the ALDCNR ‘Hunters Feeding the Hunger’ program,” ALBBAA Director Pam Swanner said. “Our Big Buck Photo Contest helps acknowledge the bountiful deer hunting opportunities throughout the Black Belt while also celebrating the fact that hunters of all ages

TALLASSEE

appreciates all that coach Battles has done in his 12 years as a science teacher, athletic director and head football coach,” Tallassee City Schools superintendent Nolin said in a statement.

“(Principal Drew) Glass, coach Battles and I met this weekend and all agreed it would be best to part ways at this time. We wish him the very best. TCS will begin the search for a head coach immediately.”

In the 2023 season, which ended Friday, Battles’ son, Mason, was one of the quarterbacks. He is also a baseball player for the Tigers and has just one year until graduation.

“He’s going to be the No.

MARCHING Continued from A1

experience unforgettable outdoor adventures throughout deer season.”

To enter the contest, hunters must upload, through the ALBBAA website, a photo of a buck harvested from within the 23-county Black Belt region. The buck must be harvested during 2023-24 whitetail deer season. The winner of the contest is selected exclusively through online voting.

Visitors to the contest webpage may vote once per day, per entry, per IP address. In the case of any dispute, the decision of ALBBAA is final. Photo contest winners from the previous two years are not eligible for entry.

ALBBAA reserves the right to approve or disapprove of the photo submitted. Cause for disqualification of photo can include, but is not limited to, the following: the photo content presents the subject in an unethical or disrespectful composition, the photo content is perceived to cast a negative perception of hunters and their contribution to the management of wildlife or voting violation which imposes an unfair advantage to others.

The contestant who receives the most

1 factor in our next steps,” Battles said. “All this took place Saturday morning and since then, it’s been a whirlwind, so we haven’t made it that far.”

Battles said his top priority after meeting with Glass and Nolin on Saturday was letting his players know, which he did Monday morning. He then said he would take a few days off before starting to decide what to do next.

“If I didn’t have kids involved, obviously I know what I would do,” Battles said. “I would go find another coaching job, but he is the biggest factor in the decision about what’s next.”

After making the postseason in each of his first six seasons, Tallassee has reached the playoffs just twice in the last five seasons.

“Our goal is to perform at such a high level that it surprises people, and I think that we did that pretty regularly this year,” Thompson said.

This year’s show was a pirate theme with songs such as the sea shanty The Wellerman, music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Under the Sea and Come Sail Away.

From a band director perspective, he said the show never got old and the “kids continued to breathe life into it.”

Thompson stepped in as director about three years ago and over that time, he said the growth has been outstanding. Within the first days of band camp, Thompson already knew it was going to be a good year for the band.

“Not only is our high school band getting better but I’m also noticing a huge change in our middle school program,” he said. “They are playing super great. They are at the point where I can put a piece of music in front of them and they can sight read it pretty well.”

Along with placing in the championship, the high school band competed in Pratt-

This season, Tallassee had its worst season since 2003 as the Tigers finished the year 1-9 and 0-5 in the AHSAA Class 5A, Area 4 standings.

“I’ve coached for 12 seasons here; that’s the second longest tenure and the second winningest percentage — behind the guy the stadium was named after,” Battles said. “This year was very difficult. It’s a situation I’ve never been in as a head coach for 27 years. It was a situation Tallassee hasn’t been in in a long time, but the great thing about this team was they hung in there. And it’s tough to have a good attitude this day in time with all the negative social media and people telling you this and that. These guys stuck with it, so each team

ville’s Heart of Dixie where it also earned the second spot. One of the judges said the 40-member band performs on the field with the confidence of a 200-member band.

Thompson said he has also had a lot of compliments from parents and community members this year. The success of the year is not only the hard work of the students, he said but also its support of the administration, parents and community.

“Typically, everyone goes to get food during halftime,” Thompson explained. “But I am continually reminding my kids whenever we are waiting for our turn to perform, ‘Hey y’all look up in the stands,’ and it’s completely packed. No one leaves. Everyone is sitting there, and they are waiting to see these kids perform. That is not the case in most places.”

Thompson said he works to push his students to grow as people and musicians. In October, the band had a fall concert and a marching band concert on top of two competitions, four pep rallies, a parade and the football games. Overall, he is very proud of them.

Moving forward, the band is ready to support the football team as they go into playoffs. Thompson said one of their primary

4 Headland (8-2) at Holtville (7-3)

4 Davidson (5-5) at Central-Phenix City (9-0)

4 Auburn (8-2) at Baker (8-2) 4 Dothan (8-2) at Mary Montgomery (10-0)

4 Daphne (6-4) at Enterprise (8-2)

4 Hoover (4-6) at James Clemens (7-3) 4 Bob Jones (5-5) at Hewitt-Trussville (7-3) 4 Florence (6-4) at Thompson (8-1),Thursday 4 Vestavia Hills (8-2) at Austin (8-2) CLASS 6A

4 McAdory (6-4) at Saraland (10-0)

4 Briarwood (5-5) at Carver-Montgomery (7-3)

4 St. Paul’s (7-3)) at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (10-0)

4 Wetumpka (5-5) at Helena (8-2),Thursday Sidney Lanier (5-5) at Benjamin Russell (8-2), Thursday

4 Theodore (7-3)) at Hueytown (7-3)

4 Homewood (6-4) at Pike Road (8-2)

4 Bessemer City (5-5) at Spanish Fort (8-2)

4 Jemison-Huntsville (3-7) at Parker (9-1), Thursday

4 Athens (8-2) at Oxford (8-2)

4 Gardendale (3-7) at Gadsden City (7-3)

4 Center Point (7-3) at Hartselle (8-2)

4 Pinson Valley (4-5) at Muscle Shoals (9-0)

4 Mortimer Jordan (8-2) at Fort Payne (6-4)

4 Cullman (5-5) at Clay-Chalkville (9-0)

4 Buckhorn (6-4) at Mountain Brook (7-3) CLASS 5A

4 Beauregard (6-4) at Gulf Shores (10-0)

4 Marbury (2-8) at Charles Henderson (6-3)

4 UMS-Wright (6-4) at Central-Clay Co. (10-0)

online votes before voting ends in February will receive two game cameras valued at approximately $350 courtesy of Central Alabama Farmers Cooperative.

The 2023-24 deer season ends Feb. 10, 2024, but voting will continue through midnight on Feb. 16, 2024, to allow additional voting time for photos submitted after the final weekend of hunting season.

ALBBAA reminds all sportsmen and sportswomen to purchase a hunting license online through the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before heading afield. Additionally, successful hunters are also reminded to report their harvested deer through Game Check.

“It’s always incredibly gratifying that so many photos we receive every year showcase families hunting together,” Swanner said. “These cherished family memories last a lifetime, and those photos definitely celebrate hunting season. That’s a goal we set every year for the Big Buck Photo Contest.”

The Black Belt includes the following 23 counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw,

every year was special for different reasons.”

Battles ends his Tallassee tenure as one of the most decorated coaches that are currently in the AHSAA. He has been a head coach since 2007, serving as the head coach at Oak Grove, Bibb County and Tallassee.

He currently has an alltime record of 195-109, which is 13th most of active coaches, and he has coached 19 playoff teams and led teams to five region titles.

“Obviously coaches don’t talk about it but we play to win; that’s why we keep score,” Battles said. “Depending on what route we take, I would definitely love to get to 200. But that’s not the reason I went into it and it’s not the reason I stay in it.”

goals is to support the team and then during halftime, it’s to entertain.

Once football season comes to an end, the marching band will perform in two Christmas parades, one in Tallassee and the other in Dadeville plus a Christmas concert Dec. 7.

The Rebels also are excited about moving into the new gym’s band room later this school year, which Thompson said will help them continue to improve.

Another one of Thompson's goals has been revitalizing the band program. One thing they are always in search of is financial assistance through corporate sponsors and fundraisers.

Some band members did perform their first competition with broken instruments and were able to still place. However, Thompson said you always want to provide the best for your students, which is why he is researching grant opportunities as well.

“We are trying to turn the ship around in the right direction so that we can continue to build off these kids’ successes and give them things they need to be successful like good instruments and uniforms,” he said. “We have had that support, and we are just continuing to push for even more support. So we can take it to the next level.” PREPARE Continued from A1

4 Carroll-Ozark (4-6) at Demopolis (8-2), Thursday

4 B.C. Rain (7-3) at Valley (7-3)

4 Shelby Co. (2-8)) at Eufaula (7-3),Thursday

4 Elmore Co. (8-2) at Faith-Mobile (7-3)

4 West Point (5-5) at Ramsay (8-2),Thursday

4 Arab (7-2) at Leeds (8-2)

4 Fairfield (4-6) at Russellville (8-2)

4 Moody (8-2) at Scottsboro (8-2)

4 Springville (4-5) at Guntersville (8-1)

4 John Carroll (8-2) at Fairview (9-1)

4 Boaz (5-5) at Southside-Gadsden (8-2)

4 Lawrence Co. (6-4) at Pleasant Grove (81),Thursday

CLASS 4A

4 Cleburne Co. (4-6) at Jackson (9-0)

4 Sipsey Valley (6-4) at Andalusia (9-1)

4 St. Michael (6-4) at Handley (9-1)

4 BTW-Tuskegee (6-4) at American Chr. (8-2)

4 Montgomery Aca. (4-6) at Bibb Co. (9-1), Thursday

4 Bayside Aca. (8-2) at Jacksonville (8-2)

4 West Blocton (6-4) at Catholic-Montgomery (10-0)

4 Anniston (6-3) at T.R. Miller (7-3)

4 Priceville (4-6) at Dora (8-2)

4 Brooks (6-4) at Oneonta (7-2)

4 Oak Grove (5-4) at Westminster-Huntsville (8-2)

4 Fultondale (4-6) at Deshler (7-3),Thursday

4 Etowah (3-7) at West Morgan (10-0),Thursday

4 Corner (9-1) at Randolph (6-4)

the war with instructions to destroy any kind of mills and manufacturing of armament the Confederates could continue to supply troops with,” Hughey said.

“They had instructions to find and destroy the armory.” Hughey said the armory was valuable because the Confederate government had ordered the move from Richmond the tooling for making a cavalry rifle. It became known as the Tallassee Carbine. Hughey said it was a short barrelled rifle with a hinged-ramrod to allow the muzzleloader rifle to be reloaded from horseback. It was built in a way the ramrod couldn’t be easily removed. Some 500 of the rifles were built in Tallassee. They, along with the tooling, were ordered to be moved to Macon where their train was intercepted by the Union. Hughey said only 12 of the Tallassee Carbines are known to have survived.

“They were destroyed,” Hughey said of the guns.

“They were likely thrown in a river or burned in a bonfire.”

The two skirmishes were in search of the armory before it was ordered moved from Tallassee.

Hughey said the first group of Union soldiers to come searching for it was Rousseau’s Raiders.

“They got turned back by a group of local militia down at Chehaw Station,” Hughey said. “It is down near Tuskegee. Some

4 Central-Florence (6-4) at Cherokee Co. (9-1), Thursday

4 North Jackson (4-6) at Haleyville (7-3) CLASS 3A

4 Beulah (4-6) at Mobile Chr. (10-0)

4 Alabama Chr. (6-4) at Houston Aca. (9-1)

4 Flomaton (6-4) at Walter Wellborn (7-3)

4 Providence Chr. (5-5) at Trinity (9-1), Thursday

4 Opp (4-6) at St. James (8-2)

4 W.S. Neal (7-3) at Randolph Co. (8-1)

4 Southside-Selma (7-3) at Straughn (9-1)

4 Dadeville (4-3) at Thomasville (8-1)

4 Phil Campbell (4-6) at Gordo (9-1),Thursday

4 Susan Moore (6-4) at Geraldine (9-1) 4 Fayette Co. (6-4) at Lauderdale Co. (10-0) 4 Piedmont (4-6) at J.B. Pennington (8-2) 4 Hokes Bluff (5-5) at Madison Aca. (10-0)

Oakman (7-3) at Mars Hill Bible (9-1)

Vinemont (4-6) at Sylvania (8-2)

Colbert Co. (6-4) at Winfield (9-1),Thursday

Vincent (6-4) at Clarke Co. (5-5),Thursday

Goshen (8-2) at G.W. Long (7-3), Thursday

Washington Co. (4-6) at B.B. Comer (10-0)

Ariton (6-4) at Highland Home (9-1), Thursday

Wicksburg (5-5) at Reeltown (9-0)

Chickasaw (5-5) at Thorsby (8-2)

cadets from the University of Alabama who had been training in Selma arrived by railroad and got into the battle too.”

Hughey said the Union came out on top of the skirmish but decided to move on into Georgia.

Local militia encountered Wilson’s Raiders near Franklin next. The group of Union soldiers had started in north Alabama and made their way to Selma before searching for Tallassee. But the soldiers never found Tallasseee.

According to Hughey, the Union map had Tallassee on the east of the Tallapoosa River. He said the Native American village was there but the manufacturing hub of Tallassee first on the west side of the river.

The Union soldiers also moved to Georgia as Confederate Gen. Nathan B. Forrest was nearby. The Battles for the Armory are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with the Confederates winning one battle and the Union the other. Reactors will be dressed in period dress with muzzleloader rifles and cannons all firing. The battles are just south of Tallassee in Elmore County on Rifle Range Road. Admission is $10. The battles are not the only thing happening.

Hughey suggested getting there earlier to see and sample Southern food, sutlers and vendors with period gifts. In the village, the life of soldiers in a camp during the Civil War can be seen as are demonstrations of a field hospital at the time.

“There is plenty to see and do,” Hughey said.

4 Luverne (7-3) at Cottonwood (8-1)

4 Isabella (8-2) at St. Luke’s (6-4), Thursdau

4 Red Bay (6-4) at Tuscaloosa Aca. (8-2)

4 Collinsville (8-2) at Southeastern-Blount (6-3) 4 Lamar Co. (7-3) at Tanner (7-3),Thursday 4 Pleasant Valley (5-5) at Pisgah (9-1) 4 West End-Walnut Grove (5-5) at Fyffe (9-1)

4 Aliceville (5-5) at Lexington (6-4)

4 North Sand Mountain (5-5) at Locust Fork (10-0)

4 Hatton (7-3) at Sulligent (8-2), Thursday CLASS 1A

4 Calhoun (3-7) at Leroy (9-0)

Keith (6-4) at Georgiana (8-2)

Southern Choctaw (4-6) at Loachapoka (9-0), Thursday

Brantley (6-4)) at Linden (6-2)

Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.

SUBMITTED

TRIBUNE

Bentley Blanton’s first

harvested on family land in south Montgomery County was just one of the photos submitted in last year’s contest.

Panthers head to Mobile for first round

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

Elmore County hits the road on Friday for one of the toughest playoff matchups across the state.

The Panthers, who finished the season 8-2 for the first time since 2008, are traveling to Faith Academy for the first round of the AHSAA Class 5A playoffs.

Faith Academy, (7-3) is one of the top football teams in all of Class 5A. The Rams have been ranked in the Alabama Sports Writers Association Top 10 in 5A for much of the season. They finished last year in the semifinals, and look to have a solid team with a chance to do so again.

“They’re a very, very good team,” Elmore County coach Kyle Caldwell said. “They return a lot of experience from that run last year, and they have a lot of skill players. They remind me a lot of Valley with how fast and aggressive they are.”

Faith Academy does everything well on offense, much like most teams that reach the playoffs do, but its strength is in the run game. The Rams have a three-headed monster in the backfield of Jaeden Simmons, Tyrell Dotson and Edwin King who all run the football with success.

Simmons is the most efficient with 509 rushing yards, but all three running backs have more than 250 yards and four touchdowns on the year.

“They like to run the ball and they want to run the ball, but they also have a really good receiver who has a lot of offers and is a really good player,” Caldwell said. “We definitely have to play well.”

Faith Academy’s best receiver is Tynean Goodwill, and he stands at 6-foot-2. He has a few offers such as South Alabama, Troy, UAB and others, and he makes plays nonstop for the Rams’ passing attack. Currently, he has 32 catches for 604 yards and six touchdowns. Nobody else on the team has over 13 catches.

On the flip side of that, since the Valley game, Elmore County’s defense has been stellar.

Against Holtville two weeks ago, the Panthers gave up only two defensive touchdowns, one of which came on a drive that started within the Panthers’ 30-yard line. Against Jemison, Elmore County gave up only a garbage time touchdown in the blowout win.

“Our defense has definitely gotten better,” Caldwell said. “We’ve worked on details and started lining up in the right places and we’re making plays 1-on-1 when we have to. At this point, it’s win or go home so we have to play our best football.”

Elmore County’s offense will also look to do what it’s done all year - run the football and control the clock. Elmore County has four players with more than over 200 rushing yards on the season. CJ Wilkes (535 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Cade Everson (540 yards, 12 touchdowns) get the most reps back there, but Jabari Murphy also has over 300 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Everson and Murphy will also split out wide and serve as receivers when needed, but Elmore County will look to continue their success on offense that’s led to a 40 points per game average this year.

“We definitely want to be able to make sure they guard the whole field if we need that with Jabari and Cade on the outside and letting CJ handle the run game,” Caldwell said. “But we’ll take what they give us and hopefully we just play mistake-free with no turnovers and no pre-snap penalties so we can stay ahead of the chains. We’re seasoned too. We had a lot of guys play in the playoffs too. The kids are excited.”

FRESH FOOD COMES TO DOWNTOWN ECLECTIC

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

It doesn’t take long to realize Little Rippy’s Fresh and Tasty is a little different.

The eatery and gift shop is behind two roll-up garage doors and porch right in downtown Eclectic serving up fresh food with love. The menu is simple with salads, sandwiches and paninis. There is a gift shop complete with trinkets, wreaths and books for Bible devotionals. Freshly constructed, it is another vision come to life for Marie Rippy, owner of Original Grace Boutique (OGB).

“We just want to love on everyone,” Rippy said. “We wanted a place where people could come sit down and talk and get fresh food. If the weather is good the rollup doors are usually open. After school the kids just pile in here. It’s awesome. It is exactly what we wanted.”

Little Rippy’s first opened for the Cotton Festival and it has been a hit with plenty of repeat customers.

“We have people who have already come in five or more times,” Rippy said. “They are eating it all. Within a day or two people were wanting more. We had planned to wait a few weeks. So I put the easiest things I had already picked out to do on the menu.”

Favorites are already the strawberry spinach salad, chicken salad and Blue Bell ice cream.

Rippy isn’t sure if her place would have come to life in downtown Eclectic if it weren’t for property owner Clyde Williams. Rippy was already renting the building OGB is in for nine years from Williams when they struck up a conversation. Rippy shared her vision and Williams said he would build it.

“It is good to see small downtowns like this stay alive,” Williams said. “That is what I have been trying to do since I retired. I have like

TOP: Little Rippy’s is in a newly constructed building just south of the traffic light on Highway 63 in downtown Eclectic.The business is owned by Marie Rippy, owner of Original Grace Boutique also in downtown Eclectic. ABOVE: Little Rippy’s in downtown Eclectic has opened. It has food such as salads and sandwiches and is also the location of the gift items once found in Original Grace Boutique.

five buildings here. I do it more to help the town than to make money.”

Rippy put sweat equity into the building with Williams. They finished the floors. The interior design is Rippy’s idea built by Williams and contractors.

“I think she will do really well here,” Williams said.

“It took a lot longer than we thought it would. She is real creative.”

Rippy said Williams also wanted to see a diner of some sort in downtown similar to what his father had as a kid.

Maybe it’s Williams reliving his childhood memories.

“He did this so he could have ice cream all the time,” Rippy said. “He is in almost everyday. It has been for his vanilla ice cream, maybe the conversation.”

Hours are mostly centered around lunch. Little Rippy’s is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10

a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Rippy plans to add paninis and flatbread pizzas to the menu. She said the eatery won’t add fryers or anything of the like because of one of the reasons behind the vision of Little Rippy’s 10 a.m. discussions with her employees at OGB.

“There is not much in town that is fresh,” Rippy said.

“Everyday we were like what is for lunch. We were putting on weight. We wanted sandwiches and salads. We wanted something more healthy.

The whole point was to have something fresh. Something that wasn’t going to set heavy.”

Rippy said Williams is a great landlord and wants to see Eclectic thrive like her.

“I wanted to bring an aspect of gathering to the town,” Rippy said. “Everyone that has come in has said it is a comfortable hangout. That was the goal. It is somewhere we can connect to each other. It has been amazing.”

Elmore County’s Jabari Murphy (8) will be used both as a receiver and running back against Faith Academy in the first round of the playoffs. Murphy has scored nine touchdowns this year.