Madison County Football 2017

FOOTBALL 2017 A Special Publication of the Madison County Record

Madison Football 1

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features

MANAGEMENT Geoff Reis General Manager EDITORIAL Alison James Editor

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BOB JONES HIGH SCHOOL

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BUCKHORN HIGH SCHOOL

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COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL

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GRISSOM HIGH SCHOOL

Staff Writer

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HAZEL GREEN HIGH SCHOOL

MARKETING

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HUNTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

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JAMES CLEMENS HIGH SCHOOL

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JEMISON HIGH SCHOOL

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LEE HIGH SCHOOL

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MADISON ACADMENY

Customer Service

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MADISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

Madison County Football

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NEW HOPE HIGH SCHOOL

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RANDOLPH HIGH SCHOOL

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SPARKMAN HIGH SCHOOL

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ST. JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

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WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

STAFF WRITER Lindsay Vaught Staff Writer Mike Easterling Staff Writer Bob Labbe

Ashley Davis Marketing Consultant Jan Bromley Marketing Consultant CUSTOMER SER VICE Jessica Forshey

P.O. Box 859, Madison, AL 35758 Advertising Inquires 256.772.6677 Madison County Football is published annually by Madison Publications, LLC.

Madison Football 3

Bob Jones High School

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

With strong supporting cast, Bob Jones turns to Rose

M

ADISON - For the first time in three seasons, Bob Jones will feature a running quarterback in an offense already loaded with playmakers.

Head coach Kevin Rose said the change will bring relief to a defense that was run ragged in games last year, with some opponents running more than 90 plays against them. Gadsden City had nine straight running plays to end that game and defeat Bob Jones, and James Clemens ran 65 running plays at the Patriot defense – so something had to change.

The biggest change is new sophomore quarterback Caden Rose (5-foot-10, 155), who led the freshman team to an undefeated season last year. Dylan Ray (6-foot-1, 180) will play some at quarterback and some at slot receiver and be on the field for practically all the offensive snaps.

“They are dual threat. They are athletic, very coachable,” Rose said of Rose and Ray. “They are going to be on the field together. Anytime your

quarterback can run and you can have three wide and two backs in the backfield, it’s hard for a defense to defend. The defensive players can’t just take off after the football on the backside. They have to wait to see if the quarterback is coming back at them, and if they do that, they are not chasing down Jalen, and those fouryard gains become 14-yard gains.”

Rose will count heavily on Jalen Williams (5-foot10,190) and Isaiah Hatchett (6-foot, 205), both senior returning running backs.

“We need them to make first downs, protect the football and eat the clock. We need to run the football, especially in games where we have the lead,” Rose said.

The offensive line will have four new starters, but all of them have been in the program for years.

Caleb Lawson returns at center. Joining him on first team are Colby Morrell, Kevontae Higgins, Jordan Aycock and Art Allen. Demontrez

RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT Patriots head coach is Kevin Rose.

Brown (6-foot-2, 180) is the big play threat at wide receiver.

Bob Jones went 7-4 last year, finishing fourth in the region, and lost a first-round playoff game at Hoover. This is a rebuilding year for Bob Jones, but expectations are still very high.

“We have 45 10th graders, and a lot of them will play on Friday night,” Rose said. “In this region, it’s tough to win with sophomores, but they are

a confident group. When you play an opponent with a twoyear age difference, it’s a big deal. We will have to see how they respond.

“This will be the most challenging year since I have been here. We’ve got a long way to go, and there will be some bumps, but we have to use them as a learning experience. After they play 10 games, I feel like we will be a playoff team.”

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1 CONTRIBUTED 1. Bob Jones quarterback Caden Rose throws a pass in the spring game.

2. Head Coach Kevin Rose is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 73 career wins. Players pictured, left to right, are Caleb Lawson, Kyle Parker, Kade Kohler and Jalen Williams.

4 Madison Football

Bob Jones Patriots Coach: Kevin Rose Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 7-4 Number of starters returning: 8 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4 Noteworthy: This is Kevin Rose’s ninth season as Bob Jones’ head coach. He is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 73 wins. Among the teams Rose has never lost to are Sparkman (8-0) and James Clemens (5-0).

BOB JONES PATRIOTS 2017 SCHEDULE Last season was his first that the team did not win outright or tie for region championship.

Bob Jones has 23 seniors, two of whom have committed: Kade Koler to South Alabama and Demontrez Brown to Troy. Defensive end Gavin Lewis has offers from SEC schools.

Caden Rose is expected to be the starting quarterback. In his sophomore year, he already has an offer from Alabama in baseball.

He started at quarterback for Discovery (two years), and Bob Jones’ freshman team went undefeated with him at quarterback last year.

DATE OPPONENT Aug. 25 @Central Phenix City Sept. 1 Austin Sept. 8 James Clemens* Sept. 15 Sparkman* Sept. 21 @Huntsville* Sept. 29 @Florence Oct. 6 Hewitt-Trussville* Oct. 13 @Gadsden City* Oct. 20 Grissom* (HC) Oct. 27 @Buckhorn* Nov. 3 (Open) *Region game

CONTRIBUTED/GREG MACHEN

Madison Football 5

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

NAME Jalen Williams Kade Koler Caden Rose Jaydon Hill Khalil Griffin Jaquirrus Pelmer Sam Barnes DeMontrez Brown Isaiah Hatchett Connor Henderson John Murray John Michael Riley Terrell Jennings Dylan Ray Slate Alford Kyle (Jonathan) Parker Jacoby Green Cam Pugh Kevin Potts Josh Lewis Jamari Evans Kameron Kaba-Williams Brandon Fletcher Jacob Guyton Martin McCoy Aremon Garth Blake Horne Aidan Bathew Walker Styles Artavian Toney Luke Koger

6 Madison Football

POSITION RB LB QB DB DB DB Rec Rec DB Rec Rec QB DB Rec QB DB LB RB LB Rec Rec RB Rec RB RB RB DB LB LB DB LB

GRADE 12th 12th 10th 11th 10th 12th 12th 12th 12th 11th 10th 11th 12th 10th 9th 12th 10th 11th 12th 10th 12th 12th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 10th 10th 11th 11th

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34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

NAME Jylin Rice Xavier Wright Trey Lockhart Jacob Fruewale Brandon Fearn Logan Tharpe Jackson Burris Travon Truesdale Caleb Mayes Deandre Smith Nick Santillo Jacob Fewell Noah Scoggins Connor Cooper Brett Brosnan Forest Kuenzli Caleb Lawson LaDon Baffield Chris Hopkins Joshua Guyton Baylor Pascal Hunter Magoon Jonathan West Tavias Clark Hayden Wyattt Richard Walter Colby Morrell Noah Ahmed Kyle Durant Thomas Jordan Aycock Jacob Rackavskas Josh Carter Cody McNeal Jamarcus Dale Art Allen Bryan Tomasino Catori Smith Alex Kirby Marcus Glover Colby Huskey Michael Lucente Malachi Knowles Keaton Lee Kevontae Higgins Jason Reese Ian Barrier Javian Jones Demetrius Freeman D’aaron Castle Carl Hasanof Justin Hawkins Landon Mason Gavin Lewis Je’han King Ben Petty Kaden Perkins Mathew Fravel Ashton Smith Tyler Brown Derrick Weddle Kale Farr Chris Cobb Brett Browsman Cincere Jupiter

POSITION DB RB DB Db DB Rec DB DB LB LB LB LB DB DB DB DL OL DL LB DL OL OL DB LB DB OL OL DL DL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DB Rec Rec Rec Rec Rec Rec Rec DL DL DL DL OL DL DL DL DL DL

GRADE 10th 10th 10th 10th 11th 10th 10th 11th 10th 10th 11th 11th 11th 10th 10th 11th 12th 11th 11th 10th 10th 11th 10th 11th 10th 10th 11th 11th 12th 11th 10th 10th 10th 12th 11th 10th 11th 10th 12th 12th 10th 10th 10th 12th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 11th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 10th 12th 12th 11th 10th 10th 11th 10th

Buckhorn High School

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

Buckhorn players cultivate heightened determination

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EW MARKET The pieces are in place for a strong season at Buckhorn. Twenty-three seniors are more determined than ever to succeed where last year’s team came up short.

Buckhorn finished 5-5 last season but only 2-5 in area games. Keith Henderson is the new coach, and he brings 25 years of experience and a sense of urgency.

Gone from Buckhorn are the big names like Will Ignont, who signed with Tennessee. What’s left are “very hard-working kids, responsive to what we are trying to do.

They all work together, not selfish at all. We don’t have that one big star like Will, but we’ve got some really good football players on this team,” Henderson said.

All seniors, the Buckhorn offensive line returns from last year and have played together

1 8 Madison Football

as a unit since middle school.

Guards Zyshon Conley (6foot-0, 250) and Chandler Baker (5-foot-10, 250), tackles Kaleb Baker (6-foot-5, 260) and Hunter Gates (6-foot-5, 240), plus Josh Wilkerson (6foot-4, 280) at center provide size and experience.

“We’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, but the more we have struggled, it created a stronger bond,” said Baker.

Cole Styles (6-foot-1, 180) will be the quarterback.

“I feel like we can have a good running game and set up the pass,” Styles said. “The offensive line – they are the heart of the team. Without them we can’t run or pass. We will have a lot of big plays on offense that we didn’t have last year. I love to go deep.”

Styles said he thought he would play last year, but Jackson Holladay played quar-

RECORD PHOTOS/LINDSAY VAUGHT Buckhorn head coach is Keith Henderson.

terback most of the season. have success. I’ve been waiting “With our schedule, it’s an op- a year to get this chance.”

Mathew Evans leads a portunity for me to showcase what I can do and our team to strong running back group that includes Jalen Dixon.

On the defensive line, seniors Dre Carter and Kenton Warner are back, and Nick Owings steps in. Linebacker Michael Monihan is playing well, and Garrett Marks will play both ways.

“We’re talented,” Henderson said, “but I am worried about depth.” However, “we’ve got a great senior class, and it’s their football team. They have to step up and lead.”

1. Buckhorn skill players include receiver Kenneth Allison, quarterback Cole Styles and running back Mathew Evans.

2. Buckhorn offensive line will be all seniors for this year’s team.

Buckhorn Bucks

BUCKHORN BUCKS 2017 SCHEDULE

Coach: Keith Henderson Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 5-5 Number of starters returning: 12 Offensive Scheme: Balanced Defensive Scheme: 3-4

coach to stay more than three years was Michael Jackson, who stayed 2002-2010.

Henderson was head football coach at Grissom for nine years and Sparkman for four years. He was also wrestling coach at Sparkman.

Buckhorn missed the playoffs last year, Noteworthy: This is Henderson’s going just 2-5 in region games. The team first season at Buckhorn. He takes over has 27 seniors. Gone are Will Ignont, who for John Holladay. Buckhorn’s last head signed with Tennessee, and Aaron Zawacki.

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1 3 5 7 9 10 13 14 15 16 18 18 19 21 23

NAME POSITION Brandon Barnes CB, FS Jerry Duffey WR Michael Moynihan OLB, TE Tyler Moreno WR, CB Kenneth Allison WR, CB Ryan Henderson WR Cole Stiles QB Hunter Howard SS Austin Wilson WR Brandon Jamar SS, FS Carson Spires QB Garret Marks WR, SB Jaylon Dixon RB Amahni Spinks FS Austin Neely FS

GRADE 12th 12th 12th 12th 11th 12th 11th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 11th 11th 12th

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24 25 26 28 30 33 34 35 39 43 44 45 46 50 52

NAME Matthew Evans Dolphus Harris Tyler Carter Alex Cross Nicklas Owens Colin Wilson Josh Campbell Drey Carter Brandon Rigsby Easton Moring Dylan Tucker Keonn Pride Dominic Laferrara Sawyer Sisk Nick Stavish

POSITION RB, SS RB FS, CB RB DE, MLB OLB OLB DE

GRADE 12th 11th 12th 10th 11th 12th 12th 12th

FB FB OLB FB OLB C

12th 10th 11th 10th 11th 10th

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53 58 62 63 65 72 77 80 81 83 84 87 88 91 97

DATE OPPONENT Sept. 1 Hazel Green Sept. 8 @Sparkman Sept. 15 Huntsville* Sept. 22 @Hewitt Trussville* Sept. 29 Mae Jemison (HC) Oct. 5 Gadsden City* Oct. 12 @Grissom* Oct. 20 James Clemens* Oct. 27 Bob Jones* Nov. 2 North Jackson *Region game

NAME POSITION Tyler Brown MLB Rayshawn Winston DE Hunter Gates T, LS Morgan Clonts DE Zyshon Conley G, T Josh Wilkerson C Nickelson Cory G Kitaeo Nance WR T.J. Otis WR Riley Irwin WR Tyler Wilson Grant Mullins Logan Baker TE Kynton Warner DT, DE Nathaniel Slate K

GRADE 12th 12th 12th 10th 12th 12th 12th 12th 10th 12th 11th 11th 12th 11th

2 Madison Football 9

Columbia High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Columbia Eagles fight to break 11-season losing streak

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UNTSVILLE Darius Bland grew weary as the losses mounted at Columbia the past two seasons.

There was a six-game losing streak to start 2015.

The Eagles then won two straight, but it was an aberration. They dropped their last two games then went winless in 2016.

Losing seasons have been the fate of Columbia football teams since the school began playing. In 11 seasons, the Eagles have never had a winning record, with their best efforts coming in 2007 and 2010 with a pair of 5-5 marks.

Columbia enters this season looking to not only break a 12-

game losing streak but also in search of the first playoff appearance in school history.

Bland spoke bluntly as he and his teammates prepared for a preseason workout.

“We’re at the bottom of the barrel,” he said. “We’ve got nothing to lose but to work our way up. It wasn’t fun going home at all every Friday night last season having lost again.

Nobody likes to lose, and when you talk about Columbia, you talk about losing.”

For the sixth time in Columbia’s relatively short history, the Eagles will take the field under a new head coach. Marcus McCall, a graduate of Lee High School (class of 1993) and

The Eagles are coached by Marcus McCall.

CONTRIBUTED/COLUMBIA BOOSTER CLUB Former Lee and Alabama A&M basketball standout Marcus McCall (right) takes over as Columbia's football head coach after serving as an assistant last season.

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Columbia Eagles

COLUMBIA EAGLES 2017 SCHEDULE

Coach: Marcus McCall Class 6A Region 8 2016 Record: 0-10 Number of starters returning: 12 Offensive scheme: Pro Defensive scheme: 4-3

had a non-losing season since going 5-5 in 2010. The Eagles have never made the state playoffs in their 11 seasons. McCall was a standout basketball player at Lee (class of ’93) before playing at and graduating from Alabama A&M. The team lost one of its top players when running back/linebacker Noteworthy: McCall served as a football Jalen Humphrey transferred to Lee. He was and basketball assistant for the Eagles last al.com Regional Honorable Mention as an season. He takes over a program that hasn’t athlete in 2016.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

NAME Demond Thompson Lavar Mitchell-Bibbs Steven Key Zaquerius Harris Brandarius Williams Jermyron Gilmore Quinton Matthews Jalen Matthews Jonathan Watson Jacorey Jackson Eric Slater Nahjee Rembert Atlas Campbell Hunter Marshall Devann Key Isaac Miller Keshawn Hewlett Derrick Bland Caleb Buchanan Roy Barnes Sean Smith Quinderrius Deloach Jadan Jones Logan Jones Carlton Rhodes Zyon Dobbins John Chong-Gum Ameer Banks

POSITION LB C LB, WR RB, LB WR, RB QB, DB OL RB, LB OL S OL, DL DB, WR WR WR, DB QB, LB RB, QB LB DB LB OL OL OL DL OL RB RB, DB S S

Alabama A&M, was an assistant to Chris Hancock last season.

McCall’s name is familiar around older high school fans.

He starred with the Generals and Bulldogs, but that was in basketball. He said Columbia’s approach going into the fall is to run vanilla schemes on offense and defense.

GRADE 9th 11th 10th 10th 10th 11th 11th 11th 11th 12th 11th 10th 10th 9th 11th 9th 9th 12th 9th 9th 12th 10th 9th 11th 9th 12th 9th 9th

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29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

NAME Kody Smallwood Dewayne Autry Ismael Smith Jordan Kelly Vernon Gamble Quinton Chisom Brekeese Pierce Brendan Whitman Nigel Hudson Rodrigo Romero Tyrique Simms Antonio Potter Omar Cunningham Joseph Augustus JT King Kyree Brown Matai West Daunte West Michael Durant Isaih McDougal Matthew Cohn Vernon Gamble Derrick Bland Jalen Hillman Jakahre Norfleet Jamari Kingston Dimitri West Gregory Whaley

DATE OPPONENT Aug. 25 @Albertville Sept. 1 (Open) Sept. 8 @Hazel Green * Sept. 15 @Decatur * Sept. 22 @Austin * Sept. 28 Huntsville (MFS) Oct. 6 Muscle Shoals (MFS) * Oct. 13 @Athens * Oct. 19 Florence (MFS) * Oct. 27 @Hartselle * Nov. 3 Lee (MFS) *Region game

POSITION DL RB RB LB, RB WR, RB DB, WR DL, OL RB, LB CB, WR WR WR, RB LB, DB WR CB TE, DE DL OL WR WR, LB DE LB RB, S WR, S OL S LB S LB, RB

GRADE 12th 10th 10th 12th 10th 12th 12th 9th 9th 9th 9th 12th 12th 9th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 12th 10th 10th 9th 10th 11th 11th 9th 9th

“I

“With the lack of success t wasn't fun going home at all we’ve had, I think our best bet is to be basic,” he said. every Friday night last season having “It’s to keep from confusing lost again. Nobody likes to lose. our kids more than anything.”

The schedule is challeng— Darius Bland ing. After opening against Albertville (8-3 last season), the Eagles hit the road for three Decatur and Austin in search enough work each week to do straight Class 6A Region 8 of elusive wins. it,” senior safety/running back games against Hazel Green, “I feel like we’re putting in Antonio Potter said.

”

Madison Football 11

Grissom High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Grissom Tigers aim to overcome winless record

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UNTSVILLE - Michael Long was in line to become Grissom’s quarterback his senior season.

Those plans changed, however, and he was supplanted by sophomore Caleb Peake. Long couldn't agree more.

“I was the quarterback,’’ Long said as the Tigers prepared to begin preseason practice at their new campus behind Sam’s Club off South Parkway. “But I saw him coming up and thought, ‘This kid’s better than me.’ I was excited.’’

To understand Long’s excitement is to know the Tigers’ recent history. Grissom is coming off back-to-back 0-10 seasons. The Tigers have lost 39 of 40 games and last had a winning record in 2002.

Though young, Peake has injected optimism into the program that Long, for one, said he hasn’t seen before.

“I was willing to move to help the team,’’ said Long, a linebacker who also plays some running back and slot receiver.

“We haven’t had a true quarterback.”

Peake (6-foot-2, 180) brings a dual threat to the backfield.

In a spring game against Guntersville, he completed nine of 11 passes and ran twice for 28 yards. Grissom’s first-year coach Chris English said he scaled back the offense for that game to keep Peake from taking extra hits.

“He definitely has the capability of extending plays,’’ said English, a Florida native who 12 Madison Football

CONTRIBUTED/GRISSOM BOOSTER CLUB Sophomore quarterback Caleb Peake led the Grissom varsity to a win over Guntersville in a spring jamboree.

He'll be at the controls of the offense as the Tigers look to break a 20-game losing streak this season.

has been coaching in North Carolina. “He has the arm strength to make the throws.

I’m excited about him.’’

While Peake was showing off his abilities in the spring, the Tigers collectively came out with renewed enthusiasm. In roughly a half of varsity play, Grissom defeated Guntersville to give the seniors their first spring win.

“There’s a lot of excitement,’’ Peake said. “With a new coach and new school, there’s renewed hope.’’

Grissom had three coaches – Larrie Robinson, Paul Parvin and Ronny Massey – from 1970, when the school began playing, until 2008.

Since then, the Tigers have had seven coaching changes Chris English comes to the Grissom Tigers from North Carolina.

“We’ve got momentum and coach, new football staff, new – and they hope the 30-yearold English can provide some are more excited,’’ senior line- facility. We’re ready to start a answers for success. man Daniel Guest said. “New new season.’’

Grissom Tigers

GRISSOM TIGERS 2017 SCHEDULE

Coach: Chip English Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 0-10 Number of returning starters: 11 Offensive scheme: Spread Defensive scheme: 4-2-5

season since going 5-5 in 2005 and haven’t had a winning season since 2002. The team has gone 0-10, 1-9, 0-10 and 0-10 the past four seasons and have lost 39 of the last 40 games. The 30-year old English comes to Grissom from West Caldwell in Lenoir, N.C. There, he took a program that went Noteworthy: The Tigers are going 6-60 in the previous six seasons to a conthrough the most difficult period in pro- ference title in three years with an overall gram history. They haven’t had a non-losing record of 21-16. English is a Florida native.

DATE Aug. 25 Aug. 31 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 12 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT Arab (MFS) Lee (MFS) Huntsville* (MFS) Hewitt-Trussville* (MFS) @Gadsden City* (Open) James Clemens* (LCS) Buckhorn* (MFS) @Bob Jones* (MCCS) Sparkman* (MFS) (HC) @Brewer

*Region game

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NAME Brendon Turner Tucker Lawler Donovan Brown Trevon Smith Jerwuan Thomas Trevor Ramos Jakir Hardy Da’vion Johnson George Sithole Kyle Anderson Ethan Turner Xavier Watkins Decova Fletcher Jacob Workman Caleb Peake Colby Thorgerson Jacob Kingsford Michael Long Jayvion Leslie Lamar Strong Chadane Bowen Elijahguan Howson Harris Dylan Wood Ian McKinney Dwe’ Slaughter Lemuel Dantzler Gavin Corlett Marcus Foiles John Dubose Will Thomas Jacob Yeager Julian Cooper-Davis Eli Worsham Jeremiah Dervis RJ Nance Yousef Yasser Marcus Evans

POSITION RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB QB/DB WR/DB K/P ATH WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DL RB/LB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/LB WR/DB P/K RB/LB

GRADE 10th 12th 10th 10th 11th.

10th 12th 10th 11th 12th 12th 12th 12th 12th 10th 12th 12th 12th 11th 11th 10th 11th 12th 10th 12th 11th 10th 12th 10th 12th 12th 11th 10th 10th 12th 10th 10th

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42 43 44 45 46 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 84 90

NAME Peter McDonald Kendal Barker Kale Smith John Reid Deldrick Toney Jose Santana Blake Saulnier Harrison Hemmerly Austin Motton Tyler Rolf Parker Adams Tai Lologo Mekhi Bennett Robert Lehman Patrick Boykin Jay Mathison Josh Detlefsen Austin Behan Carson Sapp Noah Gardner Camryn Smith Vaderick Fowler Daniel Guest Ryan Corneh Dre’Vaughn Cunningham Matthew Banks Chris Brown Amaurion Robinson Carter Lewis Stacyus Simpson Jeff Campbell Alex Kachelhofer Cah Buchanan Darrius Jones Blayke Barlock

POSITION RB/LB FB/LB FB/LB FB/LB RB/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB OL/DL

GRADE 12th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 11th 11th 10th 11th 11th 10th 11th 11th 12th 12th 10th 10th 10th 10th 12th 12th 10th 12th 11th 11th 10th 10th 10th 11th 11th 10th 10th 12th

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CONTRIBUTED/LIFETOUCH

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Hazel Green High School

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

Close won’t cut it this year for Hazel Green

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AZEL GREEN - A year after missing the playoffs by a tie breaker rule, Hazel Green players are more determined than ever to make the playoffs and become the first Hazel Green team ever to win a playoff game.

It won’t be easy playing in tough Class 6A Region 8, but that is why Will Wagnon left Munford High School to come to Hazel Green as head coach three years ago.

“I wanted to coach at the highest level, and Hazel Green offered me that opportunity,” said Wagnon, who played at Hokes Bluff then at Jacksonville State. “The region we are in, you can have good teams and still fall short because it is so tough.”

Hazel Green won four region games last year, including beating region champion Austin on the last play of the game.

“It’s all about effort, but if a player has any doubt of their assignment, he is confused and can’t go all out. We are work-

RECORD PHOTOS/LINDSAY VAUGHT Offensive line will be a strength for Hazel Green this season.

ing extra hard on assignment and alignment so the players will react not stop and think,” Wagnon said. “The speed of the game dictates that. The more reps with best on best, the game will slow down.”

Wagnon is looking at three quarterbacks in practice.

Head coach for the Trojans is Will Wagnon.

Chase Starling played on the freshman team last year. Jacob Medlen is bigger but is a freshman; senior Jordan Seymour is also a possibility.

“Both Chase and Jacob have played well so far. We are getting them reps in live type situations. They both are talented on fundamentals,” Wagnon said.

“They need to see the whole field and slow down. They will be OK with some experience.”

“I like to stretch the field, throw long,” Starling said. “I’m really excited for the season, to see what it holds.”

If he throws long, he will look for Jalen Jones and Devin Harvey, two of the fastest players on the team. Starling is a powerful runner, and Hazel Green will run the read option to cut down on the pursuit and make defenses respect the quarterback running.

Wagnon has packed the offensive side of the ball, moving speedy George Obiyor to running back full time. The quarterbacks will have a lot of help in the form of an impressive offensive line.

“This is the best offensive line I’ve had in 12 years of coaching,” Wagnon said.

The offensive line is anchored by left tackle Avery Winsett, who has offers from FCS colleges. Left Guard Tyler Medlen, center Reid Guffey, left guard Neal White and right tackle Chris Carter round out the group.

Winsett and Guffey are twoyear starters.

The defense is anchored by linebacker Jacob Anderson.

Garrett Cross plays both linebacker and kicker. Hazel Green only kicked one field goal all last season.

Madison Football 15

Hazel Green Trojans Coach: Will Wagnon Class 6A Region 8 2016 Record: 6-4, (4-3 region) Number of starters returning: 10 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4 Noteworthy: This is Will Wagnon’s third season (11-10) at Hazel Green. Wagnon came from Munford High School (Class 4A), where he was head coach for five years.

Hazel Green last made the playoffs in 2015, losing in the first round to Spain Park. Hazel Green has never won a playoff game. The Trojans first fielded a foot-

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1 2 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

NAME Jalen Jones George Obiyor Cecil Flanigan Garrett Cross Deontae Beauchamp Austin Crews Chase Starling Ethan Turner Devin Campilango Devin Harvey Brad Otten Brandon Franklin Jordan Seymour NaVell Blackmon Elijah Baker Eli Defoe Jacob Medlen Jon Shields Jamal Osborne Dylan Avery Dakota Hill Jevon Parker Simeon Montgomery Chris Jackson Shalin Patel Skyler Hall Isaiah Braudaway Ryan Sheedy Xzavier Smith Jalen Atkinson Amir McKinstry Adrian Gilstrap Landon Davis Jacob Anderson Don Shackelford Chis Hereford

16 Madison Football

POSITION DB RB LB LB WR LB QB LB RB WR DB WR QB WR WR LB QB DL DB DB LB DB LB LB WR DB WR DB DB RB LB DB LB LB DE DB

ball team in 1962. Jerry Dugan coached the team in a five-game season that year.

Hazel Green’s all-time winningest coach is Kenneth McKinney with 31 wins from 1968-1972.

Wagnon has moved the team’s fastest player George Obiyor to offense. Offensive line will be strong for the Trojans this season with three starters returning. For the second year in a row, Hazel Green will start a quarterback (Chase Starling) who has never started a varsity game.

Wagnon played receiver at Jacksonville State University under former coach Jack Crowe.

GRADE 12th 12th 12th 11th 11th 12th 10th 11th 10th 12th 12th 12th 12th 11th 12th 12th 9th 12th 11th 11th 11th 11th 12th 11th 12th 11th 12th 11th 11th 10th 10th 11th 10th 12th 11th 11th

#

36 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59 60 63 64 68 70 72 73 74 76 77 80 82 84 88 90 93 94 95 99

NAME Brandon Hilliard Cade Bromley Chance Lynch Jamal Lacy Garrett Moorman Alex Horvath Joey Kimbrough Grant Benard Bradley Hall Brelun Brown Michael Pitts Reid Guffey Jake Defoe Gavin Broadley Matthew Broadley Chris Carter Jared Roper Ethan Linam Avery Winsett Dalton Tucker Jay Moore Micah Reid Tyler Medlen Travian Davis Chris Barnes Kyle Parker Jude Fried Neal White David Hines Walter Pike Jarren Mitchell Dylan Barker Christian Douglas Kestian Hare Uriah Braudaway Reggie Uzomah Courtney Howard

HAZEL GREEN TROJANS DATE Aug. 24 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT @Huntsville (jamboree) @Buckhorn Columbia* @Austin* Decatur* Sparkman (HC) @Hartselle* Muscle Shoals* @Athens* Florence* @Oak Mountain

*Region game

POSITION DB LB DB LB DB DB LB K DL DL LB OL OL OL OL DL OL LB OL OL OL OL OL DL DL OL OL OL WR TE WR WR DL DE DL DL DL

GRADE 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 11th 10th 10th 11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 11th 10th 10th 12th 12th 10th 11th 11th 10th 10th 12th 12th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 11th 12th 10th 10th

CONTRIBUTED

Chase Starling will play quarterback for the Trojans.

Madison Football 17

Huntsville High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Panthers plan to get back to winning ways this season

H

UNTSVILLE – Two Huntsville High players have one final chance to earn some family bragging rights. A Panther sophomore has more time to add something to the family tradition but no doubt wants to help his cousins leave the program on a winning note.

The three have deep roots in the program, and their kin met with much more success than any current Panthers. Winning seasons and individual awards were commonplace.

There’s senior lineman Boots Ellett, whose grandfather (also called Boots) played at Huntsville and later played in college for Alabama and whose father (Boots Jr.) played for the

Panthers before moving on to Livingston. The elder Boots was part of a 9-1 season in 1949 at Huntsville, and Boots Jr. was at the school during a 10-2 season in 1987.

Then there’s senior lineman Jackson Roby. His mother, Claire, is the daughter of former Alabama great and College Football Hall of Fame member Billy Neighbors. Her brothers also played at Alabama after leaving Huntsville – Keith (part of the Huntsville 1987 10-2 team) and Wes (part of the Panthers’ 1981 state semifinal team).

And there’s sophomore wide receiver Hayden Neighbors. His father is Keith. Cousin Wesley played on a 9-2 team, and Connor’s Panthers went

Coach for the Panthers is Mark Fleetwood.

CONTRIBUTED/LIFETOUCH

18 Madison Football

10-4 and reached the state semifinals.

Now, their relatives will try to revive a program that has slugged through consecutive 2-8 seasons.

Huntsville hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2013.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, we’ll be the first class not to at Huntsville,’’ the latest Ellett said.

“Huntsville hasn’t been winning as much as everyone is accustomed to and what we expected. It’s what we saw when we were little. It’s been a rough couple of years.’’

Huntsville aims to get a fresh start under first-year coach Mark Fleetwood. He comes to the Panthers from the Georgia high school scene, with a resume that includes stops at Auburn, Troy and Jacksonville State.

He said he was “impressed with the work ethic’’ he found when he arrived in the spring.

The Panthers open the season against Hazel Green and Decatur then jump into Class 7A Region 4 play against archrival Grissom.

“If we can find a way to win one or two early on, that would go a long way,’’ Fleetwood said.

According to Roby, he and his fellow seniors want to “be the class that turns it around.’’

RECORD PHOTO/MIKE EASTERLING Huntsville legacies Jack Roby (73), Boots Ellett (75) and Hayden Neighbors (22) will try to help the Panthers rebound from back-to-back 2-8 seasons.

Huntsville Panthers Coach: Mark Fleetwood Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 2-8 Number of returning starters: 11 Offensive scheme: Spread/pro Defensive scheme: 4-3 Noteworthy: Fleetwood comes from Peachtree Ridge in Suwanee, Ga., where he posted a 41-27 record in six seasons. His previous stops

were at Auburn as a GA in 1985 followed by stints at Jacksonville State and Troy (three times), among others. He'll count on seniors Demario Patton, Jordan Thompson, Jackson Roby and Boots Ellett on offense and Eli Morrow, Blaine Hyde, Nathan Shell and Carter Johnson on defense. Jackson Bruno returns to handle kicking chores. The Panthers look to break a three-year playoff drought.

HUNTSVILLE PANTHERS 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Aug. 24 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT Hazel Green* (MFS) Decatur (MFS) Grissom* (MFS) @Buckhorn* Bob Jones* (LCS) Columbia (MFS) @Sparkman* James Clemens* (LCS) Hewitt-Trussville* (MFS) @Gadsden City* @Athens

*Region game MFS – Milton Frank Stadium LCS – Louis Crews Stadium (Alabama A&M) Madison Football 19

# NAME

POSITION

GRADE

#

NAME

POSITION

GRADE

Demario Patton

W, S

12th

30

Patrick Green

DB

12th

2

Jack Davis

TE

11th

31

Sims Windham

WR

12th

3

Jackson Glover

QB

11th

33

West Neill

LB

10th

4

Martavious Birt

RB

12th

34

Connor Colvin

DB

11th

5

Tyler Battle

OLB

12th

35

Greg Lorino

WR

10th

6

Jake Holder

WR

11th

36

Bo Dothard

DB

10th

7

Zach Strange

RB

11th

37

Slade Schultz

DB

10th

8

Drew Purdin

WR

10th

38

Park Ellis

LB

11th

9

Witt Vincent

QB

10th

39

Noah Brown

LB

12th

10

Stoney Patton

WR

11th

40

Connors Landwehr

FS

11th

11

Isaiah Golonka

TE, DE

10th

41

Floyd Blackwell

LB

11th

12

Nathan Shell

DB

12th

42

Drew Swatzell

RB

12th

13

Hanes Green

DB

11th

43

Malcom Locklear

DB

10th

14

Joel Powell

DB

12th

44

Landon Shelton

LB

10th

15

William Stephens

RB

10th

47

Blake Neill

TE

11th

1

16

Parker Williamson

DB

10th

48

Blaine Hyde

LB

12th

17

Griffin Hall

LB

11th

49

Teddy Graffeo

LB

12th

18

Zak Burnett

QB

10th

50

Jack Kreger

LB

12th

19

Graham Parker

WR

11th

51

Allen Travis

DL

10th

20

Mason Stogner

DB

10th

52

Kyle Jansen

DE

11th

21

Christian Gagliano

WR

11th

53

Israel Harris

DL

12th

22

Hayden Neighbors

WR

10th

54

Jordan Gooden

DL

12th

23

Jordan Thompson

WR

12th

56

Jonah Berg

OL

10th

24

Willie McCauley

DB

11th

57

John Kozar

OL

12th

25

Julian Garrett

DB

12th

58

Tyler Toney

OL

10th

26

Carter Johnson

0LB, LS

12th

59

Cole Riley

OL

10th

27

Marcus King

WR, DB

12th

60

Darvin Ford

OL

11th

28

Justin Anderson

LB

12th

62

Syres Lewis

DL

12th

WR

11th

63

Stephan Cagle

DL

10th

29 Landon McCrary

20 Madison Football

# 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 92 93 95 97 98 99

NAME Cole Batson Jackson Stokes Wylder Herring Harrison Parker Hiwon Pinchon Phoenix Ryan David Ivester Luke Hammond Jackson Roby Brandon Ivey Boots Ellett Michael Finley Kenoy Mitchell Tyler Bence Justin Merriweather Christian Donath Gage Stepien Jackson Bruno Tucker Carden Luke Haider Brycen Rehome Jackson Litz Michael Crutchfield Wayne Whitehead Texas Williams Jacob Knight Michael Lam Harrison Hall Armani Parker Elli Morrow

POSITION OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL WR TE P WR WR WR

GRADE 10th 11th 11th 12th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 12th 12th 10th 10th 9th 12th 10th 11th 12th 12th 12th 11th

WR DL DL DL DL LB WR DL, OL

11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 12th 10th 12th

It’s Family Fun Season Out Here

Join Us for Opening Day!

Madison Football 21

James Clemens High School

WRITTEN BY BOB LABBE

JC Jets: ‘We’ve been down this road before’

M

ADISON - Wade Waldrop likes the 2017 edition of the James Clemens Jets.

Entering his fifth season as head coach, Waldrop is looking to replace three major players of a year ago in LaBryan Ray, Kyriq McDonald and Monty Rice, all major SEC recruits, and seven of eight in the front line. He and his coaching staff have been down this road before, and the circumstances have not changed the expectations of this year’s team.

“Our program has standards we expect our entire team to adhere to,” said Waldrop.

Despite losses to graduation, the Jets return five starters on both offense and defense. The one major fac-

tor of concern: Who will be the starting quarterback after returning starter Jamil Muhammad went down with a season-ending knee injury during the off-season? The battle for the position is between Chris Baker (5-foot9, 175), Connor Cantrell (5-foot-9, 170) and Jackson Reese (6-foot-1, 175). The offense will have lots of experience returning in other positions, including running back Devon Atkinson (5-foot-9, 185) who did not play a season ago because of a knee injury of his own. The running back was an AllState selection as a sophomore and looks to be back to his old form. He’ll have help from Cameron Cassidy, CONTRIBUTED/CHRIS SHIMEK Austin McGhee and an array Austin McGhee returns at running back for the Jets.

CONTRIBUTED/GREG MACHEN

22 Madison Football

of wide receivers of Kylen Swoope, Nolan Smith and Trevor Hunziker.

“We have the best depth on the offensive line in my five years here,” added Waldrop.

With three seniors, one junior and one sophomore, along with some backups, that is enough to generate competition to make the O-line sufficient, no matter which quarterback is behind them.

“It’s looking as though we will have a good shot at being successful offensively, as we have the same mentality, same intensity no mat-

ter who our quarterback is,” said Cameron Farley, center.

The James Clemens defense will be anchored by the player many consider to be the best player on the field.

He has enormous talent and has been offered scholarships from a bevy of colleges, including most schools from the Southeastern Conference.

Defensive tackle Daevion Davis, at 6-foot-2, 285, will certainly draw the attention of many would-be blockers.

“I think the confidence level leftover from last season is higher,” said Davis. “Our

tempo has been up, and I feel we’ve sort of set the expectations higher than in the past.”

Waldrop will also have the luxury of having more defensive lineman to choose from, including Canon Clark, Kaliff Austin and Collin Brown, who will be making the transition from starting tight end to defensive end this season.

The linebacker corps includes two juniors, Malachi Tranthem and Zach Hopkins. The backfield has a lineup of several who can handle the duties of defending the pass and coming up to make some big

JAMES CLEMENS JETS 2017 SCHEDULE

James Clemens Jets Coach: Wade Waldrop Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 8-4, (5-2 region) Number of starters returning: 10 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4

season at James Clemens. He is the school’s alltime winningest coach with 27 wins.

James Clemens began last season ranked No. 2 in 7A but lost the opening game to Gardendale. The Jets won six games in a row in 2016, defeating Spain Park in the first round of the playoffs last season before losing to Hoover. James Clemens set a school record Noteworthy: James Clemens started playing scoring 69 points against Grissom last year. football in 2012 under former coach Bill Stewart Four players from 2016 team signed SEC and went 0-10. This is Wade Waldrop’s fifth football scholarships. # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

NAME Devon Atkinson Malachi Tranthem Xavier McKnight Chris Baker Jaylin Grigsby James Macklin Chris Sanders Jamil Muhammad Collin Brown Connor Cantrell Zach Hopkins Dylan Blackburn Cameron Cassidy Jaylen Lewis Eris Skelton Jackson Reese Austin McGhee Kylen Swoope Jaylin Ware Jaylin Grigsby Nolan Smith Chris Cooke Brad Goan John Granger Maxwell Perkins John August Busch Antonio Howard Nathan Lane Manny Sanders Alex Davis

POSITION RB RB DB QB LB DB LB QB DE QB LB RB WR WR WR QB RB WR DB LB WR LB LB DB DB WR DB WR RB RB

GRADE 12th 11th 11th 10th 9th 12th 12th 11th 11th 9th 11th 10th 12th 10th 12th 11th 11th 12th 11th 9th 12th 10th 12th 10th 11th 9th 12th 10th 9th 12th

# 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52 55 54 56 57 58 60 61 63 66

hits on opponents.

“We have lots of good talent from last year. We lost good players, but our intensity and being a brotherhood will make up for those losses,” said Austin McGhee, junior multi-position player.

“The character of this team is we have a lot of heart.”

Brotherhood is a common theme for the Jets.

“It will be my job to be there for my team. It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” said Muhammad. “We have more of a brotherhood within this team compared to last season.”

NAME Ryan Hutchinson Darrius Clark Caleb Lee Caleb Williams Johnny Bryan Romeo Schuler Brody Droppleman Alex Forrest Devon Hadaway Joseph King Ross Travis Michael Murray Brandon Mitchell Darion Cooper Preston Jubenville Kaliff Austin Nathan Blanton Eli Larry Austin Schamburg Cameron Handley Ryan Keepers Josh Gilbert Campbell Brown Cameron Stevens Andrew Potter Jerell Mitchell Ayden McCrary Gavin Wilson Kenyon Suan Cooper Clemmons

POSITION LB RB WR DE DB DB PK DB DB RB DE DE DB DB DE DE LB LB LB OL OL OL LB OL OL OL DE OL OL OL

GRADE 12th 12th 12th 11th 11th 10th 12th 11th 10th 10th 11th 11th 10th 10th 12th 12th 10th 10th 10th 12th 10th 10th 10th 11th 11th 10th 10th 11th 11th 10th

# 68 70 71 72 73 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 99

DATE Aug. 31 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 2

OPPONENT Gardendale @Bob Jones* @Gadsden City* Sparkman* Clay-Chalkville (HC) @Grissom* @Huntsville* @Buckhorn* Hewitt-Trussville* Austin

*Region game NAME Cameron Farley Jordan Johnson Zach Taylor Christian Brown Zach Seals Caleb Harris Ethan Gordon Dakota Bell Tyrell Winn Tyler Davis Canon Clark Chris Hope Andric Harris Samuel Haberlach Ethan Craig Cameron Handley Tim Butler Trevor Hunziker Peyton McCrary Drew Blackwell Jonah Libby Shiv Joshi Daevion Davis Garrett Saint Luke Posey Jaiden Mason Lee Coleman Kimadre Edwards

POSITION OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL DE DL WR WR PK WR TE TE WR WR PK TE DE DL DE PK DE DL DL

GRADE 12th 10th 10th 10th 12th 11th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 10th 11th 10th 11th 12th 11th 11th 10th 11th 10th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 10th 10th

Madison Football 23

One area Waldrop said must improve is the kicking game, particularly field goal kicking.

“We must be able to make some kicks, especially against the schedule we are facing,” added Waldrop. The kicking duties will be handled by 2016 AllState punter selection Brody Droppleman. He also will take the responsibilities of all place kicking. Waldrop said Droppleman has a Division I leg and great work ethic but needs to give the team a boost with plenty of leg in field goal attempts.

In 2016 the Jets posted

24 Madison Football

an overall record of 8-4 and a second-round playoff appearance. The team showed true character after losing its first two games of the season and roaring back to the playoffs. Waldrop said he sees the same type of team in 2017.

“We’ve been down this road before. With the return of Devon at running back and making a couple key personnel moves, along with utilizing the experience we do have returning, I look to this team to carry on our standards.”

RECORD PHOTO/BOB LABBE The James Clemens Jets enter the 2017 football season with slots to be filled left by several graduated players. Five starters on both offense and defense are expected to continue the excellent standards at the Class 7A school.

Madison Football 25

Jemison High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Jaguars build on winning first season at Mae Jemison

H

UNTSVILLE – The older guys started their high school careers playing for Johnson. That school gave way to the 2-yearold Mae Jemison. But by whatever formal name, they’ll always be Jaguars.

“We know where we’re originated from,” senior back Harry Crump said. “You’re still a Jaguar. We’ll always be Jaguars.”

The Jemison Jaguars hope to build off a successful inaugural season that saw them post a 6-5 record in Class 5A Region 8 and advance to the state playoffs under former Alabama lineman and head coach Kelvis White.

They return a handful of starters on both sides of the ball but are switching the offensive

scheme to take advantage of the team’s speed. “We’re going to try to get the ball out on the perimeter,” White said.

Jemison will break in a new quarterback in sophomore Daymond Eason. Defensive end Charles Colman, who counts Tulane and Samford among the schools making offers, said Eason was making strides entering the preseason.

“At first, he was scared to mess up,” Coleman said. “He’s come a long way.”

Crump, who also has an offer from Tulane among others, said the Jaguars are leaning on a sense of togetherness as they look to move past the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s all about team,” he said.

“You’ve got to forget about ‘me.’”

Coach Kelvis White

26 Madison Football

PHOTOS BY RECORD PHOTO/MIKE EASTERLING Defensive end Charles Coleman III (standing) and defensive back/ running back Harry Crump of Mae Jemison High School have both received scholarship offers from Tulane, among other schools.

Jemison Jaguars Coach: Kelvis White Class 5A Region 8 2016 Record: 6-5 Number of returning starters: 12 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4

# 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 30

NAME Deandre Rice Kyle Davis Daymond Eason Jauwon Phillips Harry Crump Keandre Gregory D'Aviance Jones-Ford Kendrick Gregory Shead Hobbs Keshon Davis Jaqarious Farrior Taron Greenwood Desmond Howard Tralynn Meeks Tyriq Hampton Peter Proctor Deshaun Floyd Travis Matthews Cordius Wilson Christain Wimberly Isiah Henry Mitchell Smiley Duvine Beebe Desmond Pearson Charles Coleman

POSITION 12th 10th 10th 12th 12th 11th 10th 11th 12th 11th 12th 10th 11th 11th 9th 12th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 9th 10th 12th

JEMISON JAGUARS 2017 SCHEDULE

Noteworthy: The Jaguars, formerly of Johnson High School, are in their second season. White took the team to the playoffs in his first season after moving from Dothan. His brother, Laron White, is in his first season as head coach at Sparkman after a successful stint at Tanner.

GRADE DB DB QB DB RB DB WR WR RB WR WR WR QB LB QB DB QB DB RB RB DB LB RB DB DL

# 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55

DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 7 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29

NAME POSITION Jacoreyan Terry 11th Justin Richburg-Wade 11th Darren Eason 12th Thomas Anderson 10th JohnVontae Williams 10th Christain Taylor 9th Alexander Thompson 11th Destynd Muhammad 10th Don Humphrey 9th Francisco Murell 11th Jose Gazga-Figueroa 9th Michael Flynn 11th Jamarious Harris 10th Amond Thompson 10th Laterius Summers 10th Jeremy Toney 9th Jalen Rudolph 12th Jerimiah Shoulders 9th Anthony Saunders 10th Jajuan Thompson 9th Elijah Smith 10th Iverson Abija 9th Darnell Grant 9th Devin Eason 9th Jacquise Richardson 9th

OPPONENT @Calera Tanner (LCS) Limestone* (MFS) @St. John Paul Catholic II* (DMS) Russellville* (MFS) (HC) @Buckhorn GRADE DB LB DL DB DB DB DB LB DB K K LB LB LB DB DB DB DB RB LB LB LB LB DL LB

# 56 62 63 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 77 78 82 83 85 86 87 90 91 95

Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

@Brooks* Lee* (MFS) @Ardmore* @Lawrence County* (Open)

*Region game DMS – Discovery Middle School MFS – Milton Frank Stadium LCS – Louis Crews Stadium

NAME Daion Campbell Diaris Donaldson Damien Manning Wesley Clay Marlon Cole Jonas Frank Jacquan Toney Christain Campbell Jakobe Jones Jalen Matkin Tyrone Coleman Malik Toney Marques Hives Gus Sewar Bobby Culbert Kylon Campbell Marquon Battle Nigel Johnson Quame Tabor Kennedy Jackson Briun Chandler Cortez Richmond Elijah Walker Marcus White

POSITION 10th 11th 9th 10th 10th 11th 9th 9th 10th 12th 9th 11th 9th 9th 12th 12th 9th 11th 10th 10th 9th 11th 9th 9th

GRADE DL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL DL OL DL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR WR DL DL DL

CONTRIBUTED/DEITRICK SMART

Madison Football 27

Lee High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Generals to lean on defense in region title chase

H

UNTSVILLE – As Lee prepared to begin preseason practice, the team went in figuring defense would be the calling card in a quest for regional supremacy and a return to the playoffs after a year's absence.

For starters, there's Malik Langham (6-foot-5, 265), an end and one of the area’s top college prospects, who said Florida and Georgia are among the schools that have offered.

However, he wasn’t even named the Generals’ best defensive lineman last season, an honor that went to fellow returning senior and high-caliber wrestler Davion Watkins.

There’s more. The team’s leading tackler from 2016, senior Cortez Brooks, is back at linebacker. He'll be joined by Jalen Humphrey, a sturdy inside linebacker transfer from Columbia who has an offer from Jackson State.

That’s not all. Isaiah McCaulley (6-foot-5, 245), slowed by injury last season, returns as a bookend opposite Langham.

All told, including the secondary, Lee promises to have one of the most physically-imposing defenses in Class 5A Region 8.

Forgive Generals coach Tony Woods when he says, “We’ll compete for the region championship.’’

Lee does have to replace its offensive star from last 28 Madison Football

CONTRIBUTED/CHRIS DOWDELL From left, Lee defensive players Malik Langham, Jalen Humphrey and Davion Watkins are leaders on a unit that hopes to lead the Generals to a region championship.

year in graduated Diamonte Douglas. He played quarterback out of necessity in a 5-5 season. Woods said the Generals plan to replace him “by committee’’ with sophomore quarterback Noah Watkins fronting up to six backs the coach said can be productive.

Among those six is Humphrey, who brings an elite family pedigree to Lee. His father, Terrance, signed with Auburn out of Johnson High and later played at UNA. Among his sports-standout

relatives was the late Donnie Humphrey, who starred at Johnson before becoming an All-American at Auburn on his way to the NFL. Jalen Humphrey said he and his new teammates are ready to make their own mark.

"Hopefully, we can have the best defense in the state,'' he said. "I believe we can.''

"Our expectations,” Langham added, “are to make the playoffs and make a deep run.''

Tony Woods

CONTRIBUTED/CHRIS DOWDELL # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22

NAME KeMari Artis Antonio Baker Chris Reid Mykal Robinson Jalen Humphrey Jackson West Noah Watkins Jamaine Knight Samir Allen A’Varius Lewis Cortez Brooks Ryan Anderson Curtis Brooks Dazarius Burks Damarcus Robinson Darius Taylor Isaiah McCaulley Cordarius Cox Tyrell Woods Mason Wherry

POSITION WR RB DB WR LB TE QB DB QB RB LB QB DB RB DB WR TE RB LB TE

GRADE 11th 11th 11th 11th 12th 9th 10th 12th 11th 10th 12th 9th 12th 11th 9th 12th 12th 12th 12th 10th

# NAME 23 Jarqueiz Harris 24 Joshua King 25/52 Derrick Warner 27 JaDevin Johnson 31 Shannon Madry 32 Christian Mills 34 Omarion Steger 35 Malik Langham 36 Secret Turner 37 Dakota Shrader 41 Caleb McCrary 42 Jahayver Miller 44/60 Andrew Henderson 45 Prince Derrick 47 Aaron Rozier 50 Michael Darden 51 Cairyn Lane 53 Hosea Middlebrooks 54 Jaylon Acklin 55 Sabastian Sturkie

POSITION RB DB LB/OL RB DB RB RB DL TE DB LB LB LB/OL RB LB OL OL OL LB OL

GRADE 12th 10th 12th 10th 11th 12th 10th 12th 10th 10th 9th 11th 11th 9th 9th 12th 11th 11th 10th 11th

# 56 61 62 64 67 70 71 72 75 77 80 81 82 83 85 86 91

NAME Zion Bone Joshua McCrary Kendall Jordan Kentrell Bone Brandon McBride Derrien Cordule Alex Woodley Javion Lipscomb Mekhi Douglas Justin Howell Justin LaGrande Hakeem Jordan Quazean Bou Christian Logan Bryan Cordell Kaleb Rice Davion Watkins

POSITION DL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR K WR WR DL

GRADE 11th 9th 12th 9th 10th 10th 11th 9th 12th 11th 11th 10th 9th 10th 9th 9th 12th

Madison Football 29

Lee Generals Coach: Tony Woods Class 5A Region 8 2016 Record: 5-5 Number of starters returning: 11 Offensive Scheme: Spread, wing-t Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5 Noteworthy: The Generals made the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons in Woods’ first year but missed the postseason in 2016. The defense, already considered

to be the team’s strong suit, got a boost with the transfer of middle linebacker/ running back Jalen Humphrey. He’s the son of former Auburn signee Terrance and the nephew of late Auburn All-American Donnie. HIs aunt, Gwen Humphrey, is a legend in local softball circles who played at Mississippi State. Defensive end Malik Langham (6-5, 265) has offers from numerous colleges, among them Florida, Washington, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

LEE GENERALS 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Aug. 31 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 21 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27

“Our expectations are to make the playoffs and make a deep run.� — Malik Langham

" (" !( $ ( ( $ ( ( $!# (

#(# ( ( (% # ( '( # ( ( ! $ # ( & !(

(

30 Madison Football

" (" !( $ ( ( $ ( ( $!# (

#(# ( ( (% # ( '( " ( ( ! $ # ( & !(

(

Nov. 3

OPPONENT Grissom (MFS) Russellville* (MFS) @Brooks* East Limestone* (MFS) Decatur (MFS) @Ardmore* Jemison* (MFS) Lawrence County* (LCS) (HC) St. John Paul Catholic II* (DMS) Columbia (MFS)

*Region game MFS – Milton Frank Stadium DMS – Discovery Middle School LCS – Louis Crews Stadium

# (# !( $ ( ( $ ( ( $!# ( #(# ( ( (% # ( '( " ( ( ! $ " ( & !(

(

Madison Acadmeny

WRITTEN BY BOB LABBE

Madison Academy seeks the championship

M

ADISON The Madison Academy Mustangs have a nucleus of players returning in 2017, which could put the Maroon and Gold back into the Class 4A State Championship game. The Mustangs have 11 starters back on the field from the team that, a season ago, made it to the state title contest before losing to Handley High 30-7.

“Those kids returning this year come with de-

termination to do even better, and they have the experience to come put the pieces back together for another title run,” said Grant Reynolds, who is in his second year as head coach. “For me, I’m more familiar with the program, and I feel we have a good chance to be good.”

Gone from last year’s squad are quarterback Grayson Edgemon, receiver Jaelin Ferdinand and lineman Austin Troxell, all of whom were All-State

picks and will play college football this year. Replacing those three will be a tough assignment for Reynolds, but he’s already looking at a sophomore transfer from Brewer High to take over the reins at quarterback.

Luke Nail (6-foot-4, 185) looks to be the leader on offense. Combine his raw talents with running back Alex Carpenter (5-foot-6, 140), wide receivers Jaylen Nelson (6-foot-1, 160) and Tyler Greene (6-foot-1, 160) and offensive lineman

MADISON ACADEMY 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT McCallie (Open) @Sardis* Randolph* Westminster Christian* @Tanner Haleyville* Madison County* @North Jackson* @DAR* @Briarwood Christian

*Region game

CONTRIBUTED/TIM BALLENTINE

Madison Football 31

Carson Kennemer (6foot-2, 200) for a core that has experience and knows the importance of working hard at a perennial winning program.

“Yes, we always hold ourselves to the standard of winning championships. That’s always our goal,” said Carpenter. The school posted three consecutive state championships in 2012-2014.

“For the quarterback position, no matter who it is, they will command the offense and bring us back to the state playoffs.”

The front seven on defense will certainly be the nucleus of a squad that gave up just 17 # 13 56 3 20 16 15 11 17 10 9 58 81 77 38 30 23 5 76 37 2

NAME Jaylin Brackett Kris Brookins Alex Carpenter Montrell Campbell Timothy Clark Sean Dorney Tyler Greene CJ Hanson Carson Hirschler Kevin Insignares Justin Jolley Max Marbutt Ayush Patel Jaylen Pressley Bronson Schad Jake Taylor Brody White Tex Bailey Daniel Brent Evan Brooks

points per game a season ago. Bronson Schad at linebacker is one of those returnees who know their place on the team and their responsibilities on closing the door on opponents.

“A lot of our guys got that big-stage experience in the state title game last season, and we have a great many linemen and linebackers who will make sure not many will score on us,” said Schad (6-foot0, 200). “The difference in this year’s team is the fact we’re more accountable as a group; even the young players have grown into that mentality. If you saw our team play today, you would see a ‘W.’”

POSITION GRADE RB, LB 12th OL, DL 12th RB, DB 12th WR, DB 12th TE, LB 12th K, LB 12th QB, DB 12th RB, DB 12th QB 12th WR, DE 12th OL, DL 12th OLB, WR 12th OL, DL 12th DB, WR 12th RB, LB 12th TE, LB 12th WR, DB 12th OL, DL 11th RB, LB 11th WR, DB 11th

# 55 42 36 52 26 65 88 50 4 25 8 60 51 62 64 28 31 61 70 45

CONTRIBUTED/ TIM BALLENTINE Head coach for the Mustangs is Grant Reynolds

NAME Wil Clardy T.J. Edwards Tayvion Ellison Carson Kennamer Kyle Minor Timothy Mitchell Jaylen Nelson Andy Schad Hunter Schrader Jack Ward Caleb Wimberly Mark Woeber Cameron Ballard Asa Barnett Christopher Butler Evan Craighead Micah Farmer Isaiah Hill Jaylen Ingram Jason Lewis

POSITION TE, LB WR, DB DE, TE TE, LB WR, DB OL, DE WR, DB TE, LB RB, LB WR, DB WR, DB OL, DL OL, DE RB, DL OL, DL RB, DB WR, DB LB OL, DL OL, DL

GRADE 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th

# 32 67 12 48 22 24 53 27 6 68 54 14 57 19 84 21 71

NAME Joshua Malone Tannor Mitchem Luke Nail Josh Owens Slate Rucker CJ Tucker Isaac Ellkins Blake Helton Kaden Lanier Cade Mitchell Trenton Nay John David Reynolds Jacob Schmidt Avery Seaton Luke Sizemore Caleb Vess Brent Whi

MA Mustangs Coach: Grant Reynolds Class 4A Region 7 2016 Record: 11-4 Returning Starters: 11 Offense Scheme: Spread Defense Scheme: 3-4

32 Madison Football

POSITION GRADE RB, LB 10th OL, DL 10th QB 10th WR, OLB 10th WR, DB 10th WR, LB 10th OL, DL 9th RB, LB 9th DB, WR 9th OL, DL 9th OL, DL 9th DB, WR 9th OL, DL 9th LB, RB 9th WR 9th QB, DB 9th OL, DL 9th

WRITTEN BY BOB LABBE

Madison County High School

Madison County High School sees 2017 as ‘time to shine’

G

URLEY - The upcoming 2017 high school football season could be the “year of the purple.” The Madison County Tigers return 14 starters from a team that a year ago posted a 6-5 record and a first-round playoff spot in Class 4A. “This is our year to get to state. The year of the purple,” said Jaxon Parker, senior quarterback/outside

linebacker.

With seven starters returning on each side of the football, the Tigers feel a team concept is what is required to play well and compete against opponents in Region 7, especially region frontrunner Madison Academy. Scott Sharp will enter his second season as head coach. He said he knows most eyes will be focused on Tae Provens, the talented se-

nior running back/defensive back who has already verbally committed to attend Louisiana State University after his senior campaign.

The 6-foot, 182-pound multi-talented Provens is rated by some recruiting services as among the top 50 players in the country.

He ran for more than 1,200 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last season.

“We certainly have some

high-profile players on our team, but they understand the importance of 11 guys on every play doing the right thing, not just one or two,” said Sharp. “Having 14 returners certainly doesn’t hurt our chances, and I look for us to take the next step.”

With Parker (5-foot-11, 173) leading the offensive sets and the defense led by another SEC prospect in linebacker Matthew Flint

RECORD PHOTOS/LINDSAY VAUGHT Madison County players include No. 8 Matthew Flint, No. 7 Tae Provens and No. 4 Bryce Gurley.

Madison Football 33

(6-foot-1, 210), the Tigers are geared for another run at the playoffs. Flint, who has committed to Tennessee, – choosing the Vols over Miss State, Ole Miss and Louisville – said of the 2017 squad, “We need to lock in on defense.

We can put some points on the scoreboard, but we need to stop others from scoring.”

“We have a lot of talented guys coming back, and we’ll be unstoppable,” added Parker.

Neither line is big in stature, but the team went through an extensive off-season weight program instated by Sharp, and that one factor might be the ticket to victory for Madison County. “Last season it was the lack of strength with our up-front guys. That’s where I think we’ve improved the most and hope to carry that to the field,” Sharp said. “We have the opportunity to be better.”

Sharp said he feels he’s settled in at his position as head coach, and the program seems to be pointed in the right direction for bigger and better results. Last season the Tigers averaged 32 points a game but gave up 29 per outing.

Sharp said he knows those numbers will have to be better.

“I’m not nervous. We’re not nervous. It’s time to shine. We’re gonna come in and attack,” said Flint.

Madison County head football coach is Scott Sharp.

CONTRIBUTED

34 Madison Football

Madison County Tigers Coach: Scott Sharp Class 4A Region 7 2016 Record: 6-5 Number of returning starters: 14 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4

MADISON COUNTY TIGERS DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

“Having 14 returners certainly doesn’t hurt our chances, and I look for us to take the next step.”

— Scott Sharp

OPPONENT @Buckhorn Etowah @Hatton @North Jackson* @Randolph* Guntersville (HC) DAR* @Madison Academy* @Sardis* Westminster Christian* @Scottsboro

*Region game # 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17 18 19 20 24 27

NAME Austin Mills Bryce Gurley Quamain Gamble Ethan Miller Tae Provens Matthew Flint Mack Guice Tyler Hunt Jaxon Parker Adam Foote Tanner Brewer Wiley Henshaw Steven White Mekhi Burdette Hudson Kent Elijah Holland

POSITION GRADE QB, FS 10th WR, CB 12th WR, CB 10th SS 12th RB, SB 12th OLB, WR 12th CB, WR 12th FS, WR 11th QB, OLB 12th RB 9th CB, WR 12th K, P 11th 11th RB, OLB 10th FS WR 11th

# 28 34 37 42 48 50 52 53 54 57 58 59 61 62 64 66

NAME Derrick Whittington Ronin Jones Shawn Ammerman Dalton Towry Caleb Gillespie Micah Burdette Andrew Houk Sam Bulman Cody Horton Jonathan Hastings Carson Dean Kole Goodson Riley Pair Cody Mcneil Timmy Snopl Dylan Congo

POSITION SS, WR MLB WR, CB OLB K, P G MLB, SB T, DE DE, G MLB, G C, DE G, DT MLB, G MLB, G MLB, T T, DT

GRADE 12th 11th 10th 9th 11th 11th 12th 11th 12th 11th 10th 10th 10th 11th 12th 10th

# 68 70 71 74 75 78 79 82

NAME David Marks Logan Honey Clay Middlebrooks Jacob Sharp Tate Rose Chayton Watteau Edd Harbin Emmanuel Fletcher Ben Cagle Brock McCord Chase Williams Coonor McElwee Evan Vaughn Gavin Steelman Hunter Andrews Jace Money

POSITION DE, G T 10th T, DE T T G, NG WR, CB

GRADE 10th

10th 11th 9th 10th 10th

MLB

Madison Football 35

New Hope High School

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

Chadwick starts from scratch at New Hope

N

EW HOPE - Soon after he was named head football coach at New Hope in March, Kenny Chadwick started recruiting – recruiting the halls of his new school, that is. He found some boys ready to give football another chance.

Three of the fastest players on the team didn’t even play football last year. Jonathan Preuit, Nick Johnson and Kendal Collier will help fill the holes left after former coach Randall Taylor departed after a 4-6 season that ended with a five-game losing streak.

“We’ve got a whole new coaching staff and a lot of new players out,” Chadwick said. “We’re changing the weight room, the way the kids practice, and they have responded. I can relate to these kids because they come from blue-collar, hard-working backgrounds, and that is the way I grew up.”

Chadwick grew up in Ft. Payne, where he played football and was offensive coordinator for the last five years. He had a brief stop as a head coach at Appalachian High in Blount County and was happy at Ft. Payne.

“I had been wanting to get back to being a head coach, but I was picky about where I wanted to go. I’ve turned down jobs in the past, but this one interested me,” he said. “New Hope always had good talent, and we’ve got great facilities. I was able to bring some coaches with me, so we’ve got a great staff; now we just have to wait on some talent to roll.”

Who will play quarterback is a question still unanswered. Ryan Pepper, a senior, and Gage Clark, a freshman, are the candidates, and they might not know until the games start.

Jacob Reavis, (6-foot-4, 290) will be playing a lot, Chadwick said. Reavis is one of about eight players who will play both ways.

New Hope won a playoff game as recently as 2015, and Chadwick said there is good material in the freshmen and sophomore classes.

“I believe we can be competitive and win some games this year in this region,” he said.

“Right now we just have a lack of experience.”

36 Madison Football

CONTRIBUTED/LIFETOUCH Avery Chadwick 10, Ally Chadwick 6, and Bo Chadwick 2 are pictured with New Hope Coach Kenny Chadwick.

CONTRIBUTED /LIFETOUCH

New Hope Indians Coach: Kenny Chadwick Class 3A Region 7 2016 Record: 4-6 Number of starters returning: 8 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4 Noteworthy: This is Kenny Chadwick’s first season at New Hope. He was offensive coordinator at Ft. Payne for five years before taking the New Hope job and was head coach at Appalachian High in Blount

County for one year. He replaced Randall Taylor, who was there for seven seasons, compiling a 36-37 mark.

Obie Childers is New Hope’s all-time winningest coach with 49 wins. New Hope made the playoffs in 2015 and won one game against Winston County before losing to Lauderdale County. The Indians play their home games at Jack Mitchell Stadium, located in New Hope. The team has 10 seniors, two of whom have committed, including Kade Koler to South Alabama.

NEW HOPE 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT @Westminster Christian @Randolph Brindlee Mountain Sylvania* @DAR* Guntersville @North Sand Mountain* @Pisgah* Geraldine* Plainview* Midfield

*Region game #

NAME

POSITION

GRADE

#

NAME

3

# NAME Nick Johnson

WR, CB

12th

19

Sam Stapler

RB, LB

11th

53

Noah Reed

OL

4

Brandan Selvage

WR, DE

12th

20

Juna Vann

WR

9th

55

Clay Maynes

OL, DL

10th

5

Kendal Collier

WR, LB

12th

22

Isaac Zandbergen

WR, S

10th

55

Jacob Spivey

OL

12th

8

Sean Pepper

WR, LB

10th

23

Zack Blackwood

RB, LB

9th

58

Laken O'neal

OL

9

Zion Davis

WR, CB

9th

24

Brady Phillips

LB

10th

65

Kolby Bolton

OL, LB

10

Dylan Sigler

WR, LB

11th

25

Jacob Ervin

WR

11th

67

Peyton Shaneyfelt,

OL, DL

11

Drew Pinkerton

LB

12th

31

Ethan Hendrickson

WR

9th

68

Jacob Reavis

OL

12th

12

Jonathan Preuit

WR, DE

12th

32

Thomas Miller

WR, DB

10th

70

Andy Jarrell

OL, DL

10th

13

Troup Cooper

WR, DB

11th

33

Turner Ratliff

WR

9th

73

Andrew Craig

OL

11th

14

Gage Clark

QB

9th

35

Dylan Selvege

RB, LB

9th

75

Chase Sigler

OL, DL

15

Ryan Pepper

QB

12th

50

Eric Jackson

OL, DL

12th

76

Marcus Cotton

DL

17

Will Cox

RB, CB

10th

51

Elijah Smith

OL, DL

11th

78

Thomas Walls

OL, DL

K

12th

52

Karson Sevigny

OL, DL

10th

84

Christian Sumner

WR

18 Seth Burke

POSITION

GRADE

POSITION

GRADE 9th

9th 11th 9th

9th 11th 9th 11th

Madison Football 37

Randolph High School

WRITTEN BY MIKE EASTERLING

Randolph Raiders look to play host to playoff

H

UNTSVILLE – Randolph entered the 2016 season looking to remain “relevant,’’ as head coach Nick Flanagan said, after his 2015 Raiders team went to the playoffs and had a winning record of 7-4. The winning season was the school’s first since restarting the program after a 30-year hiatus.

The Raiders did just that, posting a 6-5 record and earning a postseason berth for the second straight year.

Staying relevant isn’t enough these days, as Randolph goes into 2017 looking for more.

“We want to win the region, host a playoff game and go from there,’’ senior running back and Troy commit Levon Fletcher said.

Randolph restarted its varsity program, dormant since disbanded in 1979, seven years ago. The theme this year is eight wins for the eighth season, which would be a school record. The Raiders

also want to finish as one of the top two teams in Class 4A Region 7 and host a playoff game after losing on the road in the last two postseasons.

“We’re very hungry to do something that’s never been done at Randolph,’’ Flanagan said. “We want to host a playoff game and not be a one-and-done.’’

Fletcher will certainly play a key role if the Raiders advance beyond the second round. He chose Troy over offers from programs including Air Force, Jacksonville State, Mercer, Samford and Colorado.

“They showed me more love than the other schools,’’ he said of the Trojans. “It seemed like the perfect fit for me and my family.’’

Junior Graham Copeland takes over at quarterback after serving as a backup to three-year starter Forrest Webber, who graduated in May, in the Raiders’ option-heavy attack. Flanagan said Copeland, a standout for the school’s basketball

Nick Flanagan coaches the Raiders.

team, has “waited for his turn. He had a great spring and summer.’’

Defensively, Jackson Vest returns at middle linebacker to anchor the unit. He’s made 32 career starts with 264 tackles. He made

146 last season. “He’s an animal on defense,’’ Flanagan said.

Though they lost, the Raiders raised eyebrows last year in a 3936 loss to powerhouse Madison Academy. Flanagan said Randolph hopes to challenge for the region title this year.

“If we can stay healthy,’’ Flanagan said, “we have a shot to be really good.’’

“We’re very hungry to do something that’s never been done at Randolph. We want to host a playoff game and not be a one-anddone.”

CONTRIBUTED/DEB TOMLINSON Randolph running back Levon Fletcher recently committed to play football for Troy University.

38 Madison Football

— Nick Flanagan

CONTRIBUTED/DEB TOMLINSON

Randolph Raiders Coach: Nick Flanagan Class 4A Region 7 2016 Record: 6-5 Number of returning starters: 15 Offensive Scheme: Flexbone pistol Defensive Scheme: 3-3-5

#

1 2 3 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15

NAME Sam Kimel Graham Copeland Huston Morring Colton Scoggins Curtis Cooper Sam Hunter Drew Stanley Cole Greco Levon Fletcher Brad Layton Jack Benton Stockton Ty Callahan Harrison Pearson

GRADE 12th 11th 12th 12th 9th 9th 11th 12th 12th 12th 11th 10th 12th

Noteworthy: Running back/defensive back Levon Fletcher committed to Troy among eight Division I offers. Linebacker/ receiver Sam Kimel and linebacker Jackson Vest were named All-State in football last season; Kimel was also All-State in baseball.

Vest has made 32 straight starts. The Raiders have made the playoffs in both of Flanagan's seasons as head coach.

#

16 17 18 19 21 22 23 25 26 29 31 50 51

NAME Brandon Holland Raymond Dexter Luke Allison Jackson Vest Rhett Block Winston Kelly Evans Bryant Major Dwyer Justin Baugh Tripp Slyman Dominick Lioce Van Dodgen Reed Thurman

GRADE 10th 11th 10th 12th 11th 11th 9th 10th 10th 12th 12th 9th 10th

#

53 54 55 57 58 60 62 65 70 73 75 76 78 82

RANDOLPH RAIDERS 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 12 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT Brewer New Hope Westminster* @Madison Academy* Madison County* @Ardmore @North Jackson* (Open) @DAR* Sardis* @Wilson

*Region game

NAME Chase Hammett Parker Wilkerson Michael Moore Carter Wimberly Rob Harragain Timmy Curran Tate Duncan Samuel Grover Jace Crisler Alex Anderson Bryce Johnson David Strickland Kyle Hoyt Garrett Barrilleaux

GRADE 11th 12th 12th 9th 12th 12th 10th 11th 9th 9th 10th 11th 12th 12th

Madison Football 39

WRITTEN BY BOB LABBE

Sparkman High School

Sparkman embraces all things new

H

ARVEST – The buzzword at Sparkman High this fall is “new.” The Senators’ football program has a fresh new look as first-year head coach Laron White is incorporating his own schemes and football ways of life after the departure of Chris Cagle, who was at the helm of the program for three seasons.

“I have to gain their trust and show the kids I care about them. I think they know that now after going through our summer program,” said White, who comes to Sparkman after 14 seasons at Tanner High.

“When you establish trust, they will work harder and not question your coaching. I’m very pleased. We have to learn how to overcome adversity and change their mindset – as I call it, their toughness factor.”

The squad posted a 4-6 record last season after opening the campaign with two victories. The team lost six of its next eight games, outscored five points per game on aver-

age. That team sends 10 starters to the 2017 squad, six of them on offense and four on defense.

On offense, two All-State players, quarterback Devin Kimbrough and running back Hunter Gibson, are expected to lead the offense that will feature multiple looks, including four wideouts and trips aplenty. Speed makes up much of the team, especially at receiver and defensive back.

Kimbrough can not only throw the ball but can run like a deer when needed. “We’re looking at spreading out the offense, as I believe Hunter was used too much last season. By the end of the schedule, he was tired,” said White.

“We have a better mindset.

We feel we are going to finish the game. We didn’t do that last year,” said Kimbrough, a senior. “Our physical and mental conditioning has improved to where we should be able to finish every game.”

The defense will use a 4-3 RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT setup and can go to an eight- Laron White takes over coaching duties for the Sparkman Senators.

Sparkman Senators Coach: Laron White Class 7A Region 4 2016 Record: 4-6 Number of starters returning: 10 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 4-3

Noteworthy: White will take the helm as first-year head coach at Sparkman following the departure of Chris Cagle. The team has not posted a winning season since 2006 but looks for fresh energy from the new leadership.

SPARKMAN SENATORS 2017 SCHEDULE DATE Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT Athens Buckhorn* @Bob Jones* @James Clemens* @Hazel Green Huntsville* @Hewitt-Trussville* Gadsden City* (HC) @Grissom* Decatur

*Region game 40 Madison Football

##

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 26 26 27 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

NAME Neal Burch Alonte Harvey Devin Kimbrough Parker Swords Rondell Cole Hunter Martin LaQuinton Mitchell Darian Fletcher Kereon Coney TJ Dailey Nick Jarrett Angel Montoya Josh Warner JD Walter Miles Tillman Brandon Oneal Syris Lewis Henry Roundtree Hunter Moore Jakevion Dobbs Heath Hill Dereck Surles Darian Brooks Verell Ellin Chris Joiner-Sledge Tyler Nunn Tyler Thatch Kelvin Stewart Jalen Wiln Ladarius Christain Chaz Delmar EJ Williams Larry Davidn Devonte Spears Joseph Wharry Tavion Rupert Trey Howard Devaughn Lewis Dell Pettus Hunter Gibn David Herring Taurean McCarroll Ethan Casellberry Mateo Donnelly Anthony Sales Jakobe North Jakim Mixon Justin Ransaw Bradley Butler Xavier Hopkins Cameron George Koby Draper Lee Bowden Nick Formby Trevor Mimms Brandon Taylor

POSITION WR WR QB WR WR QB WR LB LB WR DL QB WR DB K QB DB DB RB WR RB WR DB RB RB DB DL WR LB WR DB DB DB DB WR RB DB DB DB RB DB RB DB LB DB WR DB DL LB LB FB DB LB DL FB DB

GRADE 12th 11th 12th 12th 11th 11th 12th 11th 11th 11th 12th 10th 11th 12th 10th 10th 12th 10th 11th 10th 10th 12th 11th 11th 11th 10th 12th 10th 12th 11th 12th 12th 10th 12th 11th 10th 11th 11th 11th 12th 11th 10th 12th 10th 10th 11th 11th 12th 11th 11th 10th 10th 12th 11th 11th 10th

#

48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 55 56 56 57 57 58 58 59 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

NAME Tyshon Gaiter Jamyon Love Blaise Slydell Scott Sisk Keith Lewis Mackenzie Howard Gavin Ickes Artavious Fennell Christain Parker Johnathan Armstrong Shawn Fitcheard Zavion Vann Carlos Mandoza Hunter Hefner Jesse Brill Markeith Oneil-Tyree Dustin Hardrick DJ Adams Deontez Cunningham Garrett Connor Austyn Gaither Daniel Brumlow Shawn Taylor Mitchell Feathers Ray Tyree Alex Blake Sam Howell Austin Latham Jaylon Hope Genesis Readus Esiah Tovar Issac Edwards Evan Clark Steven Perry Zebulon Sanders Blake Hicks David Mahdi Walton Vaughn Kenneth Dixon Kevin Clinard Dylan Miller Jaxon Bannister Distan Findley Kam Cosby William Taylor Nathan Gunn Darrius Moore Myles Terry Gavin Ransaw Trenton Harris Garrett Atchley Leamond Moss Darien Carpenter Terrance Lawn Darius Love-Roston Jacob Towry Emmanuel Hawkins

POSITION LB DB DL OL DL LB DL DL LB LB DL DL DL LB DL OL DL OL OL OL DL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR WR WR DL WR WR WR DL DL DL LB DL DL LB DL DL DL

GRADE 10th 10th 10th 11th 12th 10th 12th 11th 10th 11th 10th 11th 10th 10th 12th 11th 10th 12th 10th 11th 12th 10th 10th 10th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 10th 10th 12th 10th 12th 11th 11th 10th 11th 10th 10th 10th 12th 10th 10th 10th 11th 12th 11th 10th 10th 10th 12th 11th 10th 10th 10th 10th

Madison Football 41

man front when the situation presents the need. White said he expects a lot of players to play on defense and to make the hitters physical and fast.

Huge size on the line is not one of Sparkman’s commodities, but good size with great footwork should be enough to give the Senators what they need on both sides of the line.

New names to reach the spotlight this season, according to White, include offensive linemen Isaac Edwards (6-foot-2, 280, senior) and D.J. Adams (6-foot-4, 270, senior).

Both can move and make things happen. Nick Jared (senior) at linebacker is expected to make his presence known, as he has good motor skills. Two wide receivers, Rondell Cole (junior) and Parker Swords

42 Madison Football

(senior), are being asked to do their part of catching passes thrown by Kimbrough.

White also was faced with some changes in his coaching staff, losing four but retaining three from the current staff.

The entire school looks to an improvement of the program that has not posted a winning season since 2006.

“Coach has set the thoughts of team unity. We’re seeing we’re more of a family than just teammates,” said Adams.

Upon his arrival at Sparkman, White said he has seen the team’s confidence level rise and has seen a “new” outlook on what could be a rewarding 2017 season. “I can’t wait. I want to win now,” White said. “I want to build this program by winning. I ask, ‘Why not us?’”

CONTRIBUTED/SCOTT LOWE Devin Kimbrough will play at quarterback for the Senators.

Madison Football 43

St. John Paul II Catholic High School WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

Lloyd picks up the pieces at St. John Paul II

H

UNTSVILLE - This is what David Lloyd faces at St. John Paul II: He inherited a team that did not win a game last year playing in one of the toughest regions in the state of Alabama.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Lloyd left his coaching job in North Carolina to take over the Falcons football team.

Last year’s coach John Mumford left following the 0-10 season.

Lloyd is a Mississippi native who worked in the football program at Mississippi College and learned the game at the college level.

“I played football in high school, and I was fortunate enough to work for some really good coaches at Mississippi Col-

lege,” he said. “I filmed games, practices – whatever they allowed me to do. I’ve sat in a lot of locker rooms and coach’s meetings.”

With the multiplier used by the AHSAA for private schools, the Falcons were placed in tough Class 5A Region 8 with traditional football powers Russellville, Brooks, East Limestone, Jemison, Lee and Ardmore.

“Our kids work extremely hard and are excited about the season,” Lloyd said. “They are great kids. They are there every day trying to improve; we just lack the numbers of all the teams in our region. We should be playing 3A competition.

“We are outnumbered, but RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT football is football. The oth- David Lloyd is the new football coach at St. John Paul II Catholic High er team can only put 11 on the School.

CONTRIBUTED

44 Madison Football

field, just like we can, so we have to be a little smarter. We are not going to out-athlete many of the teams we play, so we have to find things that work for us and gain small victories and turn things positive.”

Seth Brown is a sophomore quarterback for JPII. It will be his first year starting.

The Falcons were mostly a running team last year, but Lloyd will run more of a passing offense with Brown. Joe Skarupa is a big target at tight end. His brother Nick plays on the offensive line. Other linemen are Patrick McCarren, Jay Spencer and Chris Stokes.

Connor Sisk will anchor the defense at linebacker and play fullback on offense.

“We get great support from our fans and the community,” Lloyd added, “and we just want to build on that.”

RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT

ST. JOHN PAUL II 2017 SCHEDULE

St. John Paul II Falcons Coach: David Lloyd Class 5A Region 8 2016 Record: 0-10 Number of starters returning: 9 Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4

#

2 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 19 20

NAME Sean Zerkle Bryan Moss Dee Sledge Justin Locke Seth Brown Gerald Moore Jack Sauter Alex Brooks Gerry McCarron Dylan Cavaliere Jack Bridges Jack Slyman Matthew Weaver Joe Skarupa Nick Stokes

Noteworthy: This is Lloyd’s first season at JPII. The Falcons are in their fifth season playing football. JPII plays their home games at Discovery Middle School’s Panther Stadium.

GRADE 9th 10th 11th 9th 10th 11th 11th 12th 11th 9th 11th 9th 12th 10th 9th

#

21 42 44 50 52 54 55 59 60 62 64

NAME Monty Norton Kameron Graham Connor Sisk Markus Sanchez Adrian Castaneda Phil Anderson Chris Stokes Nick Skarupa Gavin Faulds Jay Spencer Patrick McCarron

GRADE 9th 11th 11th 12th 10th 10th 11th 12th 9th 11th 12th

COACHES Head coach David Lloyd Jr. and James Bodine, Mark Davis and athletic trainer Colleen Earley.

DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT @West Morgan @Curry @Lawrence County Jemison* @Ardmore* (Open) Russellville* East Limestone* @Brooks* Lee* Clements (HC)

*Region game

“We are outnumbered, but football is football.

The other team can only put 11 on the field, just like we can.”

— David Lloyd Madison Football 45

Westminster Christian Academy

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY VAUGHT

Top performers show the way for Westminster Christian

H

UNTSVILLE A year after losing his starting quarterback in the middle of the season because of the player’s father’s job transfer, Westminster Christian head coach Louis LeBlanc said he hopes his luck is about to change.

LeBlanc said he is confident that Ian Thies, a junior, is ready to step in at quarterback.

Whoever gets the playing time will face tough region games from Madison Academy, North Jackson and Madison County – but

there are opportunities for wins.

“We have to get better individually. We’ve got to know our strengths and maximize those,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve got to know our limitations … Focusing on playing together as a unit and making fewer mistakes will give us a better chance to compete.”

Football is 12 years old at Westminster.

“We need to beat someone we’re not supposed to beat and get the guys believing. We’re young, and we’ve been through a lot

the last couple of years, but the more we have struggled, it created a stronger bond,” said tackle Kaleb Baker.

“Our kids are all in,” LeBlanc added. “I’ve never seen them quit or lay down. The culture is in place. Last year we went from three quarterbacks to one in a few days, and they never quit.”

LeBlanc has some material to work with. WCA has 43 players on this year’s team. “We have some good athletes, and they all contribute to this team,”

LeBlanc said. His roster includes Michael Parker (6-foot-6, 235, senior), who has an Auburn offer and will play tight end wide receiver. On defense, Caden Best (6-foot-1, 215, junior) at linebacker led the team in tackles last year.

“Last year (our guys) played both ways. This year, if we have the depth, I want guys to play one side of the ball and focus on one position,” LeBlanc said. “These guys live in the weight room, so it’s starting to show.”

CONTRIBUTED/CHRIS MCHUGH, WALDRUP PHOTO

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“Our kids are all in. I've never seen them quit or lay down. The culture is in place...

We have some good athletes, and they all contribute to this team.”

— Louis LeBlanc

WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2017 SCHEDULE

RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT Westminster Christian’s head football coach is Louis LeBlanc.

Westminster Christian Wildcats Coach: Louis LeBlanc Class 4A Region 7 2016 Record: 2-8 (region 1-5) Number of starters returning: 12 Offensive Scheme: Balanced Defensive Scheme: 3-4

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1 2 3 6 7 8 9 11 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 33 34

NAME Jackson Billings Jordan Smith Brooks Reinhardt Jeremiah Childs Michael Parker Noah Griswell Luke Best Sam Sheppard Ryan Demos Ian Thies Caden Best Robert McCoy Carter Hayes Alex Stanley Matthew Mantooth Noah Maddox Layne Baldwin Caleb Lindberg Evan Sheppard Matthew Bowman Duke Rawlings Cade Rawlings Taylor Pell

Noteworthy: This is LeBlanc’s second season. He took over for Stephen Hooks, who went 42-31 in seven seasons, including two playoff appearances. LeBlanc spent a year on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.

Westminster, which last made the playoffs in 2014, has 13 seniors. Former Sparkman head coach Chris Cagle is now on staff as offensive coordinator.

POSITION WR, CB RB, SAF WR, LB RB, CB, RET WR, DE K/P WR, CB WR, LB RB, CB QB, SAF LB LB RB, CB, RET WR, CB, RET DE RB, LB WR, CB RB, LB WR, CB LB LB WR, SAF, K/P WR, CB

GRADE 10th 12th 11th 12th 12th 10th 11th 10th 9th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 11th 12th 9th 11th 9th 9th 12th 10th 12th

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35 39 42 50 55 56 61 63 64 68 70 71 72 73 76 78 79 82

NAME Josh Talley Matt Johnson Jack Marcusse JP Hall Collin Morris Will Boerner Wesley Sellers Gentry Waller Cade Atkins Steven Eich Reece Cameron Cole Miles Alex Johnson Josh Wright Nathaniel Pride Hayden Mayer Caden Aguirre Preston Paparella

DATE Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 12 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3

OPPONENT New Hope @Brewer @Randolph* DAR* @Madison Academy* @Hayden Sardis* (HC) North Jackson* (Open) @Madison County* Priceville

*Region game

POSITION DE WR, SAF DL OL OL, DL OL, DL OL DL OL, DL OL OL OL OL, DL OL, DL OL, DL OL OL DE

GRADE 9th 12th 10th 11th 12th 12th 10th 11th 9th 10th 10th 12th 10th 12th 10th 12th 12th 10th

COACHES Head coach Louis LeBlanc and Chris Cagle, Garrett Keith, Caleb Hooks, Marshall Ellson, Matt Harris, LaGrant Maye, Robert Hendricks, Kedrian Koger and athletic trainer Carter Forgey.

Madison Football 47

WRITTEN BY BOB LABBE

2017 brings rule changes for football

M

ADISON- The National Federation of State High School Associations Football Rules Committee looked strongly at the cause of injury to high school athletes during its 2017 summer meeting and addressed its concerns to minimize the risks associated with the sport. Eleven rules changes were recommended by the committee and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

When the 2017 action gets underway this week, three changes could be noticeable on the field. The three changes of major importance are related to blindside block, pop-up kick and defenseless player.

“I’m in support of all three changes.

Anything that makes the game safer is a move in the right direction,” said Kevin Rose, head coach of Bob Jones football.

Rose’s counterpart at James Clemens, Wade Waldrop, agreed.

The definition of a blindside block (Rule 2-3-10) is one against an opponent other than the runner, who does not see the blocker approaching. The result is a 15-yard penalty. The elimination of the pop-up kick (Rule 6-1-11) includes those kicks that are a free kick in which the kicker drives the ball immediately to the ground, causing the ball to bounce straight up in the air. The committee wanted to eliminate the possible injuries during this type of kick usually associated with an on-side kick. Such kicks carry a dead-ball free-kick infraction with a penalty of five yards.

The committee also expanded the rule (2-32-16) regarding a defenseless player.

There are now eight examples of a defenseless player in the 2017 rules book. “A great deal of time was spent by the committee creating specific criteria to define exactly what a defenseless player is,” said Todd Tharp, chairperson of the NFHS Football Rules Committee. “Coaches can use these examples to focus on the proper mechanics of blocking and tackling, and game officials now are able to use this expanded definition to focus on continued 48 Madison Football

CONTRIBUTED New football rules will impact high school football players across Madison County.

risk minimization of the players.”

What could prove to be a controversial rule, because of an official’s interpretation of the exact wording, is Rule 2-32-16 and a defenseless player. The eight examples include a player who throws a pass, receiver attempting to catch a pass, receiver during and immediately after an inter-

ception, runner in the grasp, kick returner attempting to secure a kick, player on the ground obviously given up, player out of a play and one who was blindsided. The penalty for this offense is 15 yards.

Additional rules changes for the 2017 season are minor with expected limited occurrences in competition.

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