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By Bobby Mathews Sports Editor

SPRINGVILLE — It’s a season of change for the Springville Tigers, who head into the 2022 campaign with a new quarterback behind center.

Asa Morrison will take over as the Tigers’ signal-caller, and close friends on the team believe he’s just the young man to lead the offense.

“We’re pretty good friends,” Springville wideout Noah Wilcox said. “And I mean, I trust him with the ball a lot. Like, I want him back there. And so I like when he’s back there a lot.”

The offense will look a bit different this season with Morrison behind center.

“I feel like this year the formations are a little different,” Wilcox said. “Like, we’re just about everything. And I’m just gonna keep on playing.”

Even with a new starting quarterback, it’s going to be hard to think up new wrinkles that opposing coaches on the schedule haven’t seen before, especially with coaches and players who are familiar with one another.

“It’s St. Clair County Schools. You know, we’re in the same system so again a lot of familiarity,” said Springville offensive line coach Chris Mills. “The principal at Moody, I’ve known for a long time andI thought he made a great hire with Coach (Jake) Ganus. He brings a lot of experience: played in college at UAB, played at Georgia, been a coach at Thompson. That has a lot of flash to it. He brought some guys with him, I think he’s got an assistant who played in the NFL who is coaching with them again this year. I think it’s always good when a school in St. Clair County is good or winning games.”

For the Springville players, that Moody game is always fierce. In 2021, the ending of the game got a little chippy between both teams.

“I think that one’s gonna be a rough football game,” Tiger linebacker Kayden Hanrahan said. “I mean, I think everybody’s gonna go out there and just hit, hit, hit and just not stop until the whistle blows. Maybe some afterwards.”

The Moody rivalry means a lot to the Springville players, clearly, but Mills said that he doesn’t want them to focus on the Blue Devils yet.

“That’s far enough down on the schedule right now, you know, we got a lot a lot to worry about before we get to them,” Mills said.

The Tigers know that, but there’s a palpable excitement in the air. Before the season starts, there are games on the schedule that really get the players motivated. Like the first one at Etowah.

“I mean, for me, it really is Etowah for the first game because our old linebacker coach went there,” Hanrahan said. “Obviously I love him. He’s been my favorite coach. And so it’s kind of I just want to just be able to talk to him after the game and just rub it in his face a little bit.”

Offensively, Wilcox says he’s going to try to stay settled and not look ahead to the next team.

“I’m just one game at a time,” Wilcox said. “I’m not looking that far into the schedule. So I’m just like, when the first game gets here the season takes off. And then second game comes when that one’s done. Keep it rolling.”

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF OUR AREA HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS THIS FALL!

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