C'S OF SUCCESS

May 2, 2012, was just an ordinary day in 66 of the 67 counties in Alabama. However, in Clay County, it was the start of something great. It was the start of spring practice for the first Central High School of Clay County Volunteers. Clay County High School and Lineville High School would consolidate in the fall and the preparations were underway to combine the two tradition-rich programs into a high school football power house.

The first joint football practice was intentionally not met with much fanfare and media attention. “We decided to practice at Horn-White Stadium (Clay County High). We knew that we could lock the gates and have more privacy,” said the Volunteers’ initial Head Coach Steve Giddens. “We loaded the buses in Lineville and rode over. By the time the coaches walked out of the dressing room to go on the field, we had over 100 players shaking hands, talking, and laughing. That’s the moment I knew that this was going to work!”

Horn-White Stadium was the same field where many incredible battles had taken place since the 1920’s. One of the classics had occurred just a few months earlier on September 23, 2011, as the Clay County Panthers posted a hard-fought, 7-6 victory over the Lineville Aggies in the final “Clay Bowl.” Following the game, coaches Steve Giddens (Lineville) and Kris Herron (Clay County) combined the two teams together for an emotional post-game meeting. Their message was to encourage both teams throughout the remainder of the season, and to realize from that night on, they were unified as one.

The Clay Bowl was ranked as the most bitter rivalry in the state and was recognized as one of the best in America. While being compared to the Auburn-Alabama rivalry, it was much bigger than that for the people of Clay County. “Everything that you hear about the Clay Bowl is true. It was what we say it was,” said Giddens. Businesses in both towns would decorate their windows for the week. On game days, fans would arrive before daylight to get in line just to get their seats for the annual battle. It was a standing room only crowd, and from kickoff until the final horn, it was war.

Many outsiders were convinced that the two bitter rivals would never coexist and never see the success that both schools had enjoyed. The first edition of Volunteers would take the field at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery to kickoff the annual Champions Challenge. The stands were packed with Volunteer fans that had traded in their red/black and navy/white apparel for a new set of red, navy, and white goods with the name “Volunteers.” Garey Reynolds, then-Clay County Schools Superintendent, was touched by the view from the press box. “I saw Lineville folks wearing blue and Ashland people wearing red. Some of those definitely surprised me. I knew at that point that we were going to be fine,” said Reynolds.

Since the schools merged in the fall of 2012, Central High School of Clay County has been one of the most successful consolidation stories in Alabama. The Volunteers have posted a 10534 record, good for a 76% winning percentage. The Vols have claimed 5 region titles and have made the playoffs in each year of existence. The Volunteers also claimed back-to-back Class 5A State Championships in 2018 and 2019. Why has consolidation worked so well in Clay County? First of all, it is the Competitiveness that is instilled in the people of Clay County. “When we were separate schools, Lineville forced Clay County to be better, and Clay County pushed Lineville to be better. Both sides knew that the other was working hard, and you definitely knew that you had to keep up. Now, we’re seeing those kids’ sons playing, and they have that same competitiveness to succeed,” said Reynolds, who attended and coached at Clay County High School.

That competitiveness was a huge part of that first spring together back in 2012. Anthony Wood, Director of Sports Performance for Adapted Athletics at The University of Alabama was a member of that first team. “That spring and summer were the hardest workouts that I had ever been through in my life. I wanted to play, so I had to go hard every day. You couldn’t take it easy because there were guys ready to take your position. It was just in the culture of both schools. By pushing each other to work hard, we knew that our team would win our share,” Wood said. Herron agreed, “We had some battles in practice. When you have best on best with that talent, the defense would win one day. Then, the next practice, the offense might win. When we got in some of the games, they were actually easier than our practices.”

Continuity has also played a major role in the success of the Volunteers. Steve Giddens was named the Head Coach for the 2012 season. Giddens, a Clay County High School graduate, had been an assistant and head coach at

Lineville since 1995. He had posted a 128-45 record in leading the Aggies to the playoffs every year and two appearances in the state championship. “Steve was the perfect choice to be the Central Head Coach,” said Herron. “He had seen both sides of the rivalry. He knew what each side was giving up.”

Away from the rivalry, the coaches from both schools were actually friends. Most of the coaches that have been a part of the Central staff grew up and graduated from one of the high schools in Clay County. The rest have married someone from the county and are fully invested in the success of the program. “The people are able to trust the coaches because we know everyone in this county. That is huge. The parents know that we’re going to take care of their sons and treat them right,” said Giddens.

In 2018, Hall of Fame Coach Danny Horn returned to Clay County to lead the Volunteers. Having spent 20 seasons at Clay County High, Horn had won 6 state titles and 225 games including a state-record 55 straight from 199497. Many players on the Volunteer roster are the sons of those players who had achieved success under Horn. The “buy in” is not so difficult when the fathers know the system, have made it through those tough practices, and have the utmost respect for the Volunteer Coaching Staff.

The Community has led to the success of the Volunteers. The Volunteer Athletic Boosters and Vol Moms began meeting in early January to prepare for the upcoming merger. Giddens’ impact reached past the field. “He was an outstanding resource for our Athletic Club. He knew the guys on both sides. He knew the captions? things that had worked and really bridged the gap. It set the foundation for what we have today,” said Robert Fetner, Current Volunteer Athletic Booster Club President.

Clay County is a very rural county. With a population of just over 13,000 people, and only 4500 inside the city limits of Ashland and Lineville. It is a place where many of the people have grown up and have never lived elsewhere. It’s a closeknit community, and the support for the young people in Clay County is tremendous. When the schools consolidated, that support grew. “It was a total buy-in from everyone. We knew we all had to be 100% committed, and that is exactly what happened,” said Fetner.

“People in Clay County want to be successful in everything they do. They give it their all and do things the right way. I’m so thankful for the experiences that I had during the consolidation. I built some relationships that may have never happened if we had not become the Volunteers,” said Wood.

“Clay County is a great place to call home, and we are proud of what we have. The people here gave up some of the traditions of the Lineville-Clay County rivalry. For some, that was tough. We’ve always made things work. As a whole, people were willing to sacrifice their own interests for the greater good. Now, we have built something new that has an amazing foundation and an incredible future,” said Giddens. ►