Friday Night Life 2011

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Table of Contents

In Each School Section

Season Preview

Team Roster

Academic Athletes

Cheerleaders

Band Preview

7 Letter from the Editor

18-19 Clay Bowl

21 ASWA Preseason Poll

42-43 Schedules

78 Private School Fields First Football Team

82 Charley’s Treasures

8

22

30

46

60

68

General Manager LEISEL CALDWELL

[email protected]

Editor KELLY CALDWELL

[email protected] (256) 276-7959

Advertising Sales LAVOY CALDWELL

[email protected] (334) 863-0737

Contributing Writers LEISEL CALDWELL, AMANDA CAUSEY &

CHARLIE NORTON

Neighborhood Publishing 18285 Highway 431 Wedowee, AL 36278

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Friday Night Life, produced by Neighborhood Publishing, is published once a year and available for sale through different organizations associ-ated with each of the schools in Clay and Randolph counties. All content is protected by United States copyright law and may not be repro-

duced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or otherwise published without the prior written permission of Neighborhood Publishing. © 2008-2011 Neighborhood Publishing

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Football is in the air The state of Alabama loves its football, and we love winners. You just have to look at the

last two college football national champions to see that. It doesn’t matter if you bleed orange and blue or crimson and white, football is the heartbeat of this state. However, college football has the reputation of dividing not only this state but households as well, while Friday Night football has the power to unite entire communities. The excitement for high school football doesn’t begin and end on Friday nights when the

whistle blows or the final buzzer sounds. The enthusiasm for these six teams began building when the final seconds of last season ticked away. However, it does build to fever pitch in the early days of August when two-a-day practices begin once again. In a matter of weeks, the hard work and long hours dedicated to preparing these young

men will be tested for the first time as they compete against opponents instead of teammates. The sights and sounds of Friday nights in the fall last with you for years to come, and it

doesn’t matter what part you play. You can be a player, cheerleader, band member or a spir-ited fan, you are all a part of the football spirit that makes our communities great! As every new season begins the possibilities for each team are limitless but they all have a

common ultimate goal which is bringing a state title back to its community. Each of the six schools covered in the pages of Friday Night Life are rich with pride and tra-

dition. Some of them have been playing football for more than 90 years, however, for two schools this will be the last time either will field a team. There will be a lot of last times this season for those two teams and each squad wants to

make this season one for the history books. And, I know the communities of these two schools will be out in full force this season to do their part in making it happen.

Kelly Caldwell Enjoy Friday Night Life!

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Clay Co. Panthers Football Roster

Kris Herron What is your favorite book? The Bible

What song inspires you? “Welcome to the Jun-

gle” by Guns and Roses

Who is your favorite actor? Clint Eastwood How would you describe this year's team? Hungry. Last year was not up to our stan-dards and they want more.

What is your most memora-ble game as coach? 1995 championship. It was the last year before they went to the Super Six format where all the teams meet in Birmingham. We hosted Hazelwood for the state final. It was a lot of rain, and we won 7-6.

How many years have you been coaching? Twenty-two years and third as head coach at Clay County.

How has your coaching style changed over the years? For 19 years I coached offensive line and that's all I was worried about. I tried to have them as a team within the team. Obviously when I be-came the head coach I had to broaden more of my perspective.

What has been the most significant advance-ment in the game of football? The rule change that allowed offensive lineman use their hands more to block.

You are having a dinner party and can invite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be? Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson.

What is the best advice you have ever received? Be yourself, don't try to be somebody else.

Coach Herron

Number Name Grade 2 Jake Phillips 12 3 Lamar Jones 12 4 Jamari Staples 11 7 Shawncey Simmons 12 11 Anthony Wood 10 14 Dedric Rutledge 10 16 Bobby Curry 12 17 Trey Denney 12 18 Aaron Mitchell 10 20 Dan Parsons 12 22 Payton Reynolds 9 24 Andrew Robinson 11 25 Adarius Scott 11 27 Devin Gaddis 11 28 Kwasi Jennings 9 31 Colby Robinson 9 34 Erin Smith 12 35 Ryan James 10 36 Jedarius Marbury 10 37 Colby Hilyer 12 42 Travis Smith 11 44 Luke Endress 12 53 Scott Denney 12 54 Jayland Ackles 12 55 Daniel Hinton 10 56 Joe Meek 12 57 Aaron Gortney 12 62 Jared Estes 12 63 Cody Jones 11 64 Hunter Nelson 11 66 Shaheim Ackles 10 70 Nic Lett 10 71 Blake Jackson 11 72 Jeffery McKinney 12 73 Robert McNatt 9 74 Juawn Vaughn 11 76 Eli Johnson 9 78 JaQuan Ross 11 79 Ryan Hamilton 12 80 DeAndre Wills 10 82 Eddie Golden 11 84 Marcus Sandlin 10 85 Rob Smith 10 88 Adam Farrow 12

Panthers plan for explosive last season

For most teams, an eight-win sea-son would be consider a success, but for the Clay County Panthers that wasn't the case a year ago. “We felt we left a lot on the table

last year,” Coach Kris Herron said of his second season leading the Pan-thers. “Last season was not up to our standards and this team wants more.” Asked what the Clay County

Panthers want to accomplish this season, Herron was quick with a response. “The first thing the players will

tell you is their goal is to win a state championship,” he said. “That is the standard set around here. That's the ultimate goal if you are going to play this sport at this school.” The Panthers, however, will not

have it easy getting to their goal.

“There is going to be a lot of dis-tractions this year and we can't af-ford to get caught up in it,” Herron said. “This year belongs to this team just like the last 90 years have be-longed to those guys. This team will

establish how Clay County High School will be remembered.” Just like its cross-county rival,

Lineville, Clay County will play its last season of football in 2011 and the Panthers believe they have the tools to be remembered in the most positive way. “They want to do well and they

realize the situation we are in, being that this is the final season of Clay

County football,” Herron said. “We want to get to the ultimate goal, but there has to be some other goals met along the way. First of all you have to make the playoffs, the better your record is in the region the better your seeding is when you get to the playoffs which can make reaching the ultimate goal easier.” The Panthers strength will be in

their skill players including their quarterback Shawncey Simmons. Lamar Jones at tailback and Jamari Staples. “We also have a couple of

younger guys that played last year and will take on a bigger role this season.” Herron said. Those players include receivers

Devon Gaddis, Trey Denney and Colby Hilyer. On the other side of the ball, the

Season Preview by Kelly Caldwell

Coach Kris Herron and the Clay County Panthers hope this season will go into the history books for more than just being the last one.

Panthers also return a core group. “We return seven on defense,” Herron said. “And the

whole team is pretty good about realizing the difference between play time and work time.”

Rob Smith, Jaylan Ackles, Joe Meeks, Travis Smith, Adam Farrow, Simmons and Staples all return for Clay County this season.

“Smith is a big, strong kid that works hard,” Herron said. “He always does everything we ask him to do. He is here about as much as the coaches are.”

The first goal to reaching the Panthers ultimate goal this season comes in the second game of the season against Beulah.

“Beulah is the first region game of the year and its important to be on top at the end of that game,” Herron said. “You want to win the first one because at the end of the night half the region is 1-0 and the other half is 0-1.”

The region competition doesn't get any easier for the Panthers with defending state champion Leeds in the mix.

“They are obviously the favorite,” Herron said. “Last year, they got us twice and as much as you don't want to over-emphasize the game, the players know.

“That has been the motivation for the winter work-outs and summer conditioning. Those losses from last year are motivational tools for us this season.”

Due to the skill players returning for the Panthers, Clay County may have a different look offensively this season.

“As a coach, being able to take the talent that we have on this team and utilize it to give ourselves the best chance to be successful is my greatest challenge,” Herron said. “It is not a team like we have had in the past. We are not the straight wishbone team we have had before. There will be elements of that, but we will be able to move the ball in some other ways because of the skill people we have.

“We don't just have to pound people to death to win ball games this year.”


2011 Clay County Marching Band

The Clay County High School Marching Band will makes it presence known when the 75 marching members, decked out in their blue and white, hit the field on Friday nights this sea-son. Russell Hathcock, band di-rector, says a few changes have been made in the composition of the band this year. He said, "we have a few more members in the auxiliary positions of the band, which includes 11 color guard Members, eight dance line and four majorettes". Adding a little more bling and movement seems

only fitting with this year show; "A Tribute To Southern Classic Rock".

The band takes the field under the direction of Drum Major, Jillian Peek. The opening number is “Train Train” by Blackfoot fol-lowed by the crowd favorites of “Sweet Home Alabama” by Ly-nard Skynard and the “Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Char-lie Daniels Band, the closing number is “Free Bird” by Sky-nard which includes a guitar solo. Hathcock said he has two talented young men, Shane Bon-

ner and Jesse Patterson, who will share the spotlight for the guitar solo by alternating week to week.

The band plans to compete at the Lake Martin Invitational on October 1st and is looking into other competition events around the state. Russell Hathcock, a graduate of Auburn University, is in his eighth year of teaching and his fourth year at Clay County High School. Hathcock is dedicated to maintaining a strong marching band and music appreciation in Clay County, now and in the future.

Panthers to Rock Out Southern Style

Being successful in the classroom and on the football field is not an easy task for most people. It takes focus, determination and dis-cipline. And for Clay County's Adam Farrow amplify that by three.

“Adam is a three-sport athlete at Clay County,” Panthers Coach Kris Herron said. “He gets it done on the field and in the classroom.”

Farrow enters his senior year at Clay County with a 3.79 GPA and is the first to admit it gets challeng-ing at times.

“There are times that I just don't want to go to school,” he said. “But I know that I have to get up and go because that is what my parents expect of me.”

Farrow plays tight end and de-fensive end for the Panthers and the lessons learned on the football field have helped him in the class-

room as well. “Football has taught me to be on time,”' he said. “You have to be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. Same goes in the classroom. “And, just like you study for tests, you have to study the game of football. It takes work but the rewards are worth it.” After graduation, Farrow hopes to attend Auburn University where he plans to study architecture. But, first, there is a final season of Clay County football to be played not only for the seniors of 2012 but for the entire school. “I am going to miss this,” he said. “Our sen-ior class will be remem-bered as the leaders of the last football team at Clay County. It puts a lot of pressure on us,

but it makes all of us want to work harder in areas of the game to finish the season the best way we know how!”

Friday night life 15

Farrow learns life lessons in classroom, on field

Academic Athlete by Kelly Caldwell

2011 Clay County Varsity Cheerleaders

Photo Courtesy of Mike Patterson Photography

Tyeshia Zackery, Holly Smith, Kayla Sprayberry, Kristen Williams, Alesha Craig, Morgan Sanford,

Madison Williams, Court-ney Phillips, Morgan

Anderson, Taylor Nappier, Alexandra McNatt and

Monica Loveless

www.firststatedirect.com


1922 Clay Co. 39, Lineville 0 1944 Clay Co. 21, Lineville 0

1922 Lineville 7, Clay Co. 6 1944 Clay Co. 26, Lineville 0


1924 Clay Co. 0, Lineville 0 1945 Lineville 6, Clay Co. 0


1926 Lineville 10, Clay Co. 6 1946 Lineville 13, Clay Co. 6




















Clay County’s longest winning streak in the Clay Bowl stands at 7 games. (1993-1997 & 2004-2009) Clay County has shut out Lineville 27 times. In the series, Clay County has scored 1,194 points. Clay County leads the Clay Bowl 4-1 when the two teams have met in the AHSAA state play-offs. The Clay Bowl has been played outside of Clay County only once. In 1996 the two teams faced off for the Class 2A State Championship at Legion Field in Birmingham. The Panthers won 42-0.

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Scores complied by www.ahsfhs.org

Lineville leads the Clay Bowl series against Clay County 53-43-4. The Aggies longest consecutive winning streak is 7 (1934-1940) Lineville has scored the most points in a single Clay Bowl with 48 (1961) Lineville has kept Clay County from scoring 25 times in the series. During the duration of the series, the two teams have met up twice in a season 11 times. (1922, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2005.)

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Five defending state champions open as the favorites to repeat. All five were picked No. 1 in

their classifications in the preseason Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football poll. That includes defending Class

2A champion Leroy, with new coach Johnny Wright. Defending Class 3A champion

Leeds and Class 4A's Thomasville are unanimous picks atop their divi-sions. Sweet Water starts at No. 1 in

Class 1A while Daphne tops Class 6A over last year's runner-up Hoo-ver. Class 5A runner-up Briarwood

Christian enters ranked No. 1. In AISA, Monroe Academy

holds the preseason top spot. AHSAA teams begin play on the

weekend of Aug. 25-27. Most AISA teams also start that week but some could have start a week earlier and add an 11th game. The preseason Alabama Sports

Writers Association prep poll, in-cluding first-place votes and the 2010 record in parentheses:

Class 6A

Daphne (24) (15-0) 366 2. Hoover (2) (14-1) 277 3. Prattville (7) (8-4) 250 4. Spain Park (6-6) 228 5. Davidson (12-2) 169 6. Clay-Chalkville (9-4) 136 7. Mountain Brook (11-3) 119 8. Auburn (8-2) 86 9. Oxford (7-5) 75 10. Central-Phenix City (9-2) 31 Others receiving votes: Gadsden City (9-4) 28, Stanhope Elmore (10-3) 27, Tuscaloosa Co. (8-3) 27, Wetumpka (10-2) 17, Foley (8-4) 15, Vestavia Hills (9-3) 13, Decatur (9-2) 7, Florence (4-6) 6, Fairhope (7-5) 2, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (9-2) 2.

Class 5A Briarwood Chr. (17) (13-2) 347 2. Hueytown (13) (11-2) 330 3. Spanish Fort (3) (13-2) 235 4. Hartselle (12-2) 219 5. Vigor (8-5) 173 6. Eufaula (9-3) 124 7. Chelsea (8-3) 107 8. Walker (10-2) 96 9. Muscle Shoals (8-3) 84 10. St. Paul's (10-2) 65 Others receiving votes: Fort Payne (12-1) 44, Russellville (11-2) 16, Pinson Val-ley (5-6) 14, McAdory (11-3) 12, De-mopolis (8-4) 6, Fairfield (7-4) 3, Etowah (6-5) 2, Greenville (7-4) 2, Tallassee (9-2) 2.

Class 4A Thomasville (33) (15-0) 396 2. Jackson (10-2) 234 3. Dadeville (12-1) 231 4. North Jackson (13-1) 209 5. Deshler (12-3) 182 6. Bibb Co. (12-2) 164 7. Andalusia (9-2) 140 8. UMS-Wright (6-5) 75 9. Anniston (10-3) 69 10. Escambia Co. (9-4) 62 Others receiving votes: Oneonta (8-4) 54, Cleburne Co. (9-3) 20, Straughn (10-2) 19, Fairview (10-2) 9, Guntersville (7-4) 6, Cherokee Co. (5-6) 5, Fayette Co. (10-3) 4, Dora (3-8) 1, Hillcrest-Evergreen (7-4) 1.

Class 3A Leeds (33) (15-0) 396 2. Piedmont (12-2) 274 3. Hamilton (14-1) 256

4. Handley (10-2) 255 5. Gordo (12-2) 193 6. Washington Co. (9-3) 130 7. T.R. Miller (8-4) 86 8. Madison Acad. (10-3) 58 9. Plainview (8-4) 44 10. Bayside Acad. (9-4) 41

Others receiving votes: Daleville (8-3) 40, Lauderdale Co. (10-2) 37, Trinity

(11-2) 31, Clay Co. (8-4) 25, Glencoe (10-2) 6, Sardis (4-6) 6, Cordova (10-2) 2, Hanceville (4-6) .

Class 2A Leroy (16) (14-1) 340 2. American Chr. (17) (12-2) 339 3. Elba (11-2) 247 4. Reeltown (13-2) 228 5. Millry (5-6) 171 6. Cottonwood (12-1) 134 7. Fyffe (9-2) 132 8. Tanner (11-1) 66

9. Lineville (10-4) 48 10. Sulligent (10-3) 43 Others receiving votes: Houston Acad. (8-3) 40, Colbert Hts. (8-3) 36, Fulton-dale (4-6) 29, Westminster Chr. (10-2) 8, Red Bay (5-6) 6, Southern Choctaw (9-3)

6, Woodland (9-3) 6, Westbrook Chr. (10-1) 2.

Class 1A

Sweet Water (32) (12-3) 393 2. Linden (1) (12-2) 287 3. R.A. Hubbard (13-2) 264 4. Parrish (10-4) 207 5. Cedar Bluff (9-3) 179 6. Lynn (11-2) 162 7. Collinsville (9-2) 119 8. Brantley (8-3) 89 9. Maplesville (12-1) 51 10. Ragland (9-3) 50 Others receiving votes: Addison (10-3) 32, Appalachian (8-3) 30, Hackleburg (8-3) 6, Pickens Co. (7-5) 6, McKenzie (10-1) 2, Winterboro (7-3) 2, Gaston (5-6) 1, St. Jude (11-2) 1. The Alabama Sports Writers Association

prep committee members are: Paul

Beaudry, Chairman, Freelance

(Birmingham); Josh Bean, co-chairman,

Mobile Press-Register; Andrew Garner,

Andalusia Star-News; Nick Birdsong, An-

niston Star; Chandler Myers, Atmore Ad-

vance; Robert Ladnier, Baldwin Register;

Jeff Sentell, Birmingham News; Adam

Robinson, Brewton Standard; Rob Rice,

Blount Countian; Shannon Fagan, Chero-kee Herald; Ross Wood, Clarke County.

All defending state champs picked to repeat in 2011

Preseason Polls Associated Press

Steve Giddens What is your favorite book? Any book by John Grisham

What song inspires you? Our fight song

Who is your favorite actor? Denzel Washington

How would you describe this year's team? A Box of Chocolates...You never know what you are gonna get.

What is your most memorable game as coach? 2010 Clay Bowl. It was the 100th meeting of the teams and it was at Lineville. It was surreal. We won 41-6

How many years have you been coaching? Twenty-six and 13th as head coach at Lineville

How has your coach-ing style changed over the years? Now I don't try to re-invent the wheel as much as I used to. The more I stay in coaching the more I realize, its more about the kids and what you can get out of them than the x's and o's. You have to be sound in what you do but the most im-portant thing I have learned is to get your kids in the right place and play hard.

What has been the most significant ad-vancement in the game of football? Spread offense.

You are having a dinner party and can in-vite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be? Ronald Reagan (He made you

proud to be an American), Shug Jordan, Bo Jackson.

What is the best advice you have ever received? Be true to yourself.

Coach Giddens

2011 Lineville Aggies Number Name Grade 1 Lamonyn Burney 10 2 Randall Brown 11 3 Demetrius Lindsey 12 5 Jaylon Lyles 9 6 Lashamian Battle 12 7 Tyrone Cosby 11 8 Deon Drummonds 9 9 Mario Lyles 11 10 Curtis Hunter 11 11 JoJo Staples 9 12 Kenneth Lacy 11 15 Allen Hamlin 10 17 Evan Whitehead 9 22 Adron Logan 11 23 Tevin Gooden 10 25 Chris Cowan 12 26 Austin Adams 11 30 Aaron Boyd 10 51 Trevon Bell 12 52 Daniel Henry 11 54 Aaron Milstead 10 57 Jason Jordan 12 61 Nick New 11 62 Dexter Scales 10 64 Billy Ray Hamlin 10 66 Rhett Burdette 12 67 Steven Henry 12 71 Justin Denney 9 72 Dylan Ragsdale 10 74 Tre Kidd 9 75 Tim Lee 12 76 Shuntavious Hardy 11 77 Devin Denny 9 78 Devante Hicks 12 79 Matthew Bell 12

The Lineville Aggies will be lay-ing it all on the line in 2011 as they field a football team for the last time.

If everything continues as planned, Lineville High School will merge with Clay County High School to create Central (Clay) High School in 2012.

“We are going to focus on Line-ville because there is nothing I can do about next year,” Lineville Coach Steve Giddens said. “In one sense, it does provide internal motivation for the coaches and the players. It's not

something we talk about all the time because we don't want the team dis-tracted, but certainly people under-stand this is the last time we will do everything.

“We have a football game to play and if we get bogged down in the outside stuff, we won't be able to do our part for the fans,” Giddens said. “That's how we will treat this year.

We will play football.” The Aggies graduated 13 seniors

from the 2010 team that finished the season 10-4 which included an ap-pearance in the semi-final round of the Class 2A playoffs.

“We certainly are experienced in certain areas more than others,” Gid-dens said. “We had a big senior class last year that had been starting for two, three and four years. The kids that played behind them didn't get a whole lot of action in past seasons. So, not only are we young and inex-

Aggies ready to work in 2011

The Aggies appeared in the fourth round of the playoffs last season and hope to go a step further this year.



perienced in places, we are also go-ing to have some juniors and seniors that don't have much experience.”

One of the bright spots for the Aggies is returning quarterback De-metrius Lindsey.

“Lindsey has been playing in some fashion for us since he was in eighth grade,” Giddens said. “We are going to be asking a lot out of him but I think he is capable of hav-ing a very good year. He knows what we are wanting to do, and he is certainly going to be the leader of our football team.”

Trevon Bell returns to the offen-sive line this season.

“He played hurt a lot last sea-son,” Giddens said. “He is a really hard worker and the kids really re-spect him. He is a leader on that part of our team.”

Steven Henry, Randall Brown and Lashamian Battle will be guid-ing the defense for the Aggies.

“Henry burst on the scene late in

the year last season,” Giddens said. “We are expecting him to make a lot of tackles and then Brown is a third-year starting linebacker.

“Battle works hard and if he can stay healthy we expect some good things out of him.”

An obstacle Giddens and the Ag-gies will have to overcome is a lot of the team will play on both sides of the ball.

“We will have some people that will not come off the field this year,” he said. “We are thin on numbers and experience on our front lines. And, it's hard to get in game shape until we start playing games.”

The Aggies open the season against Cleburne County at home.

“We have opened with them since 1997 and it certainly shows you where you are at in a hurry,” Giddens said. “It is somewhat of a rivalry game because we are so close to each other. I have enjoyed playing against them and it shows us what

we need to work on for the rest of the year.”

Other non-region games include Clay County Sept. 23 and Handley to end the regular season Oct. 28.

“Handley is another good game because of the close distance and they have an outstanding team,” Giddens said. “It is tough to play them before the playoffs (if you are lucky enough to make the playoffs). But, on the other hand it is a good warm up for the playoffs and if you can make it out injury-free, you will be in good shape. We will not see any other team in the playoffs any better than Handley”

According to Giddens, the region is a toss up this year due to gradua-tion losses.

“I know Reeltown and Wood-land both lost a good bit of players,” he said. “I think any one of the eight teams can make the playoffs this year because the region is more wide-open than its ever been.”

2011 Lineville Aggies Varsity Cheerleaders Brandi Lee, Katie Harkness, Nathan Walker, Karli Burns, Wendy Benefield, Paige Moore, Tyneshia Turman, Big Red- Emanuel Hunter Hailey Boswell, Bree Elder, Marina Suddeth, Molly Byars, Savannah Harris and Becky Harris.


Fun, Fun, Fun is what Lineville’s half time show is all about. With the theme of “Classic Nintendo” the crowd better hold onto their control-lers and power up for a great show.

Opening with a medley of theme songs from the “Super Mario Brothers” franchise, the Lineville Aggie Marching Band plans to entertain the crowd with clas-sic songs from several Nintendo games. Also included in the per-formance is the theme music from “Tetris.” The band will close the show with “The Legend of Zelda.”

Leading the band onto the field is drum major, Ricardo Moreno. The band is 33 members strong includ-ing two majorettes, five flags, and seven in the dance line.

Bucky Alleman, the new band director is very excited about being at Line-ville and working with this dedicated group. He said, “these kids worked very hard and stayed moti-vated, even with the scorching heat, dur-ing band camp”. Alleman comes to Lineville High School after gradu-ating with his Mas-ters degree from Troy University this

past May. He also previously served in the Navy for four years.

This year’s Lineville Marching Band’s show is on like Donkey Kong!

2011 Lineville Aggies Marching Band

Video Games Inspire Lineville Aggies halftime show

www.wellborncabinetfdkb.com

LaShamian Battle works hard for the Line-ville Aggies both on the field and in the class-room.

“You have to work hard if you want to play,” Battle said. “You can't go halfway through school or you won't have the grades to play. And, you can't go halfway in practice or a game or coach will not play you.

“You have to earn what you get in life.”

Battle, a starter for the Aggies since he was a freshman, believes football has instilled in him a sense of determination.

“You have to be determined to make your goals,” he said. “The sen-iors last season took us to the fourth round of the state playoffs, and we

want to build on that. We have the ultimate goal of winning a state title, but to do that you have to set and reach smaller goals first. We have so many goals for this team this year

and its like stepping stones to reach that ultimate goal.” Battle has been a starter for the Aggies since he was a fresh-man and the win against Clay County in last season's Clay Bowl is his most memorable. “We surprised a lot of people with that win,” he said. “All week we worked hard and when it came to game

time, we came to play.” The senior credits his success to

his grandfather, Jimmy Barker. “I didn't really have a dad in my

life until a couple of years ago and my granddad always made sure I was involved in sports,” Battle said. “He got me started in football and still comes to support me now.”


Battle Determined to Succeed on Field, in Classroom

Academic Athlete By Kelly Caldwell

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What is your favorite book? “The Berkut”by

Joseph Heywood

What song inspires you? Handley fight song

Who is your favorite actor? Paul Newman

How would you describe this year's team? Talent and no depth.

What is your most memorable game as coach? All of the ones where I coached my sons.

How many years have you been coaching? Forty-

one years coaching 8th as Handley head coach

How has your coaching style changed over the years? When I first started

coaching when I lost there wasn't anything bad enough and when we won there wasn't anything good enough. Now I take them as they come and I am more moderate.

What has been the most significant ad-vancement in the game of football? I think

off season progams. Kids are better prepared than they ever were. Kids are exposed to a lot of football

You are having a dinner party and can in-vite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be? Coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant,

Pete Rich and Vince Lombardi

What is the best advice you have ever received? Do right

Mike Battles

Coach Battles

NAME CLASS POSITION SHANE ADAMS 9 OL/DL STEVEN ADAMS 9 OL/DL CONNOR BOYD 11 OL/LB BRADLEY BOZEMAN 11 OL/DL TODDERICK BURTON 9 WR/DB BLAKE CALDWELL 9 OL/DL DEJUAN CLARK 11 FB/LB TEVIN COOK 11 WR/FS BRYAR CROCKETT 10 LB/DL DAKELTON DANIEL 9 FB/LB LANCE DANIEL 11 WR/DB MATHEW DANIEL 9 OL/DL BREYON DEBERRY 12 RB/LB CHRIS DILLARD 12 LB/FB MARCELLOUS FLOYD 10 WR/DB COBI FLOYD 11 RB/DB JOHN DAVID FORDHAM 9 LB/FB ANTHONY FOSTER 12 SS/WR CODY FOSTER 10 QB/DB DEMETRICAS FOSTER 12 TE/DE HUNTER FULGHUM 11 OL/DE SHAQUAN GLASS 11 OL/DL RYAN GUNN 11 FB/LB ZACK HALL 12 SS/WR TIRELL HUGHLEY 10 RB/DB QUAY HUNTER 12 RB/DB CHRIS JOHNSON 9 TE/LB ALLEN KELLEY 10 OL/DL KELVIN KELLEY 9 TE/DE CALEB KINSEY 12 OL/LB TRAE KYLES 11 QB/FS JOSH MCMANUS 11 OL/DL

NAME CLASS POSTION TEVIN MORGAN 11 WR/DB COLTON MURPHY 10 OL/DL ANDREW OWENS 10 OL/DL ERIC PHILLIPS 12 OL/DE MALCOLM PHILLIPS 10 WR/DB QUENTIN PITTS 12 OL/DL DEXTER REESE 12 WR/FS BO ROBINSON 10 OL/DL QUINTON ROWLAND 12 OL/DL KIEMON SANDERS 12 DL/OL JACOB SEIFFERT 9 FB/LB KENNY SEIFFERT 11 LB/FB CONNOR SMITH 10 TE/DE KOLBY SMITH 9 OL/DL HERBERT STAPLES 12 CB/RB ELI TAYLOR 11 LB/RB LOGAN TAYLOR 9 QB/DB WILL TENNANT 11 OL/DL BRANDON THORNTON 9 OL/DE BRAN TRAMMELL 11 TE/DE QUANDALE TRAMMELL 10 OL/DL RASHAD TRAMMELL 11 FB/LB SEDRIC TUCKER 11 LB/TE JEROD TUCKER 11 LB/FB DOUG TUCKER 12 DL/OL ERIK VELAZQUEZ 10 OL/DL LUIS VELAZQUEZ 9 OL/DL MARQUISE WATKINS 10 WR/DB DEJION WILLIAMS 12 TE/DE JURREION WILLIAMS 9 RB/LB MATT WISE 11 WR/FS DURAN ZACHERY 11 LB/RB

2011 Handley Tigers Varsity Football


The Handley Tigers ended 2010 with a 10-2 record and their fourth straight appearance in the state playoffs, however the Tigers are hungry for more as they enter the 2011 season.

Led by a talented, experienced group of upperclassmen, including 2013 University of Alabama com-mitment Bradley Bozeman, the Ti-gers want to make a a run of not only the region title, but the state title as well.

“Expectations are high around here and production has to be just as high,” Tigers Coach Mike Bat-tles said. “We are in a good situa-tion and now we have to go out and produce.”

The Tigers return numerous athletes on both sides of the ball including the majority of both of-fensive and defensive lines.

“Offensively we are in pretty good shape,” Battles said. “Trae Kyles returns at quarterback and then we have most of our offensive line set.”

Chris Dillard, Kenny Seiffert, Bozeman and Trae Dunson all re-turn for the Tigers offense.

“Our whole offensive line is the workhorse of this team,” Battles said. “We see to that because they are so important. But our backs work, too. Blocking and seeing a

hole are just as important. Our backs do a good job of seeing the holes that open up.”

Breyon Deberry, last season's leading rusher, returns for his sen-ior year after posting a 1,000+ yard season last year. He finished the season with 1,171 yards and 16 touchdowns on 130 carries. How-ever, in the off season, Handley

picked up Quay Hunter who moved in from Wadley and was the county's second leading rusher a year ago. For Wadley, Hunter rushed for 1,069 yards and 17 touchdowns on 161 carries.

“We are very fortunate to have such a good core of football play-ers,” Battles said. “The ones that have been through the program are very knowledgable of the game and summer has been great. But, we have some tough opening op-ponents and we have to come out of the gate ready to produce.”

Led by experience, Tigers optimistic in 2011


The Tigers return a host of starters on offense and defense. However, lack of depth is a challenge coming into the season.

Kyles will also handle the kicking duties for the Ti-gers.

“We have a kicking game and the only bad thing is that it all in-volves one per-son,” Battles said. “Trae kicks extra points and field goals for us. He can do all of that but we would be happier if we could find some-one that could just kick and doesnt have to play in an-other position. It is always a race against the clock getting Trae ready for an extra point or field goal.”

Punting duties will be handled by senior Zack Hall. “Our punting game is in good shape,” Battles said. “Zack is very reliable. “We always start our prac-tices with the kicking game. It is important to us and we take a lot of pride in it. Early in the season, the kick-ing game wins more games than anything else.” On defense, The Tigers return an exceptional group as well.

Senior Chris Dillard, above, is one of the leaders for the Handley Tigers.

On defense Dillard will lead the team after logging 66 tackles in-cluding eight for loss during his junior season.

“He is the leader on defense and is head and shoulders above everyone else,” Battles said.

Dexter Reese and Anthony Fos-ter return on defense as well. Reese ended 2010 with 38 tackles, three caused fumbles, two sacks and two interceptions.

“We lost one of our starting tackles in the spring,” Battles said. “That loss hurt us and now we are going to platoon back there be-cause we don't want to break up the offensive line to put them in on defense.”

Injuries have plagued the Tigers in recent years and that is why depth on the roster is so important.

“We are working on depth and our players have to get that on the job training,' Battles said. “Every Friday night you can have injuries.

We have had some injuries to key players at times that we felt cost us a shot at doing better than we did in the last two year.”

The Tigers will open at home against out of state opponent Heard County and then start re-gion play against B.B. Comer on the road.

“Our area is tough and I think from top to bottom, this region will be improved,” Battles said. “We know Leeds will be tough and they have most of their guys back and then there is Clay County. They were tough last year with a lot of younger guys so we know we will have our work cut out for us with both of them.” The non-region opponents the Ti-gers face are not to be overlooked either.

“The only reason we play Sweetwater (a class 1A school) is because nobody else will,” Battles said. “We didn't want to go 200

miles to play a 1A school, but that's the hand we were dealt.”

Handley ends the season with Lineville, a team in its final season of football.

“Lineville and Clay County will be one school after this year and you know they will be leaving it all on the field this season,” Battles said. “Both teams play great foot-ball and if any team in the state wants a good fight for a football game, they should have scheduled one of them.”

Fans will have to travel to get their first look at the Tigers Aug. 19 at the fall scrimmage against Bow-don High School from Georgia.

“We are the best road team,” Battles said. “We have just as many on our side of the field than most home teams do.

“Our fans want to see good foot-ball and they demand it. It better be getting done, or you will be do-ing it somewhere else real quick.”


Caleb Kinsey, Zach Hall, Anthony Foster and Dexter Reese

When choosing an academic ath-lete for the Handley Tigers, it was not a simple task. Four student athletes enter their senior year with a 4.0 GPA (or higher due to advanced place-ment classes).

“You can’t pick between these four guys,” Tigers coach Mike Battles said. “They are exceptional both on

the field and in the classroom.” Anthony Foster, Zack Hall, Caleb

Kinsey and Dexter Reese have played football for the Tigers their entire

high school careers while also excel-ling in the classroom.

“It's not easy,” Kinsey said. “You have to get the work done, and when you don't get off the field until dark, sometimes it means staying up until 4 a.m. to accomplish all you have to do.”

All four will contribute on Friday

Handley Athletes hit hard on the field and in the classroom



nights for the Tigers and at times will play on both sides of the ball.

Foster plays wide receiver and strong safety; Kinsey plays guard and outside linebacker; Hall is the team punter, a strong safety and a wide receiver and Reese returns at wide receiver, safety and will be fielding kick-off returns for the Tigers.

Skills learned on the football field have helped these student athletes in the classroom as well.

“Football has definitely helped with my leadership skills,” Hall said. “You use them on the field, in the class-room and in life.”

All four credit God for their athletic and academic abilities as well as their parents for motivating them to do well.

“Along with my parents and my brother Courtland Gates, Johnny Tennant has played an important role in my success,” Reese said. “He gave me a job during the summers and he is like my second father. He has helped me tremendously.”

Before they leave, however, these Tigers have one common goal for the season.

“I am going to give my best to the team,” Foster said. “I want my teammates to know that I gave my all to achieve our goal of bringing a state championship back to Roanoke.”

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2011 Handley High School Varsity Cheerleaders

Handley Section continues on page 44

Jessica Lyons, Kieauna Strickland,

Keoshane Allen, Regan Self, Sydney

Bailey, Madeline Farmer, Laravian

Atkinson, Breanna Mitchell, Selena

Cottle, Anna Bon-ner, Caitlin Neighbors,

Jordan Brown, Kiera Staples,

Abbie Bailey- co-captain, Raeven

Finch- captain, and Nicole Lyons


CLAY COUNTY PANTHERS Home games played at Horn-White Stadium

Handley Tigers Home games played at Wright Field

Woodland Bobcats Home games played at Sewell Field

Home games listed in Bold and All Caps.



Aug 26 @ Bowdon, GA Sep 16 @ Ranburne Oct 14 @ LaFayette

Sep 02 @Horseshoe Bend SEP 23 WADLEY OCT 21 RANDOLPH COUNTY

SEP 09 REELTOWN SEP 30 LINEVILLE OCT 28 WALTER WELLBORN

Oct 07 @ Lanett

AUG 26 RANDOLPH COUNTY Sep 16 @ Handley OCT 14 MARBURY

SEP 02 BEULAH SEP 23 LINEVILLE Oct 21 @ Central , Coosa

SEP 09 LEEDS Sep 30 @ Comer, B.B. Oct 28 @ Saks

Oct 07 @ Walter Wellborn

AUG 26 HEARD COUNTY , GA SEP 16 CLAY COUNTY Oct 14 @ Walter Wellborn

Sep 02 @ Comer, B.B. SEP 23 SWEET WATER OCT 21 LEEDS

Sep 09 @ Beulah Sep 30 @ Marbury Oct 28 @ Lineville

OCT 07 CENTRAL , COOSA


Randolph County Tigers Home games played at Hulond Humphries Stadium

Wadley Bulldogs Home games played at Curtis Lynch Stadium

Lineville Aggies Home games played at Upchurch Field




AUG 26 CLEBURNE COUNTY Sep 16 Lanett Oct 14 @Horseshoe Bend

Sep 02 @ Ranburne Sep 23 @ Clay County OCT 21 REELTOWN

Sep 09 @LaFayette Sep 30 @Woodland OCT 28 HANDLEY

OCT 07 RANDOLPH COUNTY

Aug 26 @ Clay County Sep 16 @ Reeltown OCT 14 LANETT

SEP 02 LAFAYETTE SEP 23 TALLADEGA CO. CENTRAL Oct 21 @ Woodland

SEP 09 HORSESHOE BEND SEP 30 RANBURNE Oct 28 @ Wadley

Oct 07 @ Lineville

AUG 26 HORSESHOE BEND SEP 16 TALLADEGA CO. CENTRAL Oct 14 @ Loachapoka

SEP 02 VERBENA Sep 23 @ Woodland Oct 21 @ Notasulga

Sep 09 @Fayetteville Sep 30 @Saint Jude Educ. Inst. OCT 28 RANDOLPH COUNTY

OCT 07 WINTERBORO

2011 Handley High School Marching Band

Handley Tiger Band Bringing Disney to Halftime The Handley Marching Band

continues with the big band tradi-tion on Friday nights this fall when 108 members take the field at half time. This year's theme, "A Night of Disney Magic" is sure to be a crowd pleaser, featuring many of the different groups within the band. The song selec-tions include: “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Mickey the Sor-cerer,” “Cruella De Vil,” “Princess Medley,” “Trashin’ the Camp” and closing the show with the “Circle of Life.” Band camp held in late July helped bring this big show together. Leading the band on the field is Drum Major, Katie

Vollenweider and adding more color and style to the band in-cludes the color guard with 22 members, The dance line with 17 members and four majorettes.

Anyone involved in band knows the band season is not com-plete without going to competition and the Handley Band plans to attend the Ranburne Festival of Sound and the Lake Martin Invita-tional.

The Handley Band program is fortunate to have two dedicated directors with roots and history from the Randolph County com-munity. Stephanie Daniel, begin-ning her fifth year as band director

at Handley High School, is a graduate of Woodland High School and a graduate from JSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education in 2004 and a Master of Science in Education Administra-tion in 2005.

Sanford Watson, Assistant Band Director, is a graduate of Handley High School where he was a member of the award win-ning marching band for six years under the direction of Ronald Hy-che. He received his BS in Music Education at Jacksonville State University. Watson enters his fifth year as band director at Handley Middle School.

What is your favorite book? Anything about Nick

Saban or Alabama Football

What song inspires you? “Eye of the Tiger” by Sur-

vivor

Who is your favorite actor? Jim Carey

How would you describe this year's team? Hun-

gry, determined and experienced

What is your most memo-rable game as coach? The

2005 game against Cedar Bluff in the third round of playoffs. It was a shoot out, and we won 53-36.

How many years have you been coaching? Thirty-

seven years overall, second year at RCHS

How has your coaching style changed over the years? My older sons say that I have gotten very

soft. As far as coaching style, I try to understand the athletes better. As a younger coach, I probably seemed like a dictator and through years of experi-ence I have learned that's not the best way. I think I listen to the kids more. I think I am a more reason-able person than I was in the first 15 years of my coaching career.

What has been the most significant advancement in the game of football? The athleticism of our

players... I am a firm believer that you can still win with the x o that we won with 15 years ago

You are having a dinner party and can invite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be?Coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant, Nick Saban and Gerald Dial (high school football coach)

What is the best advice you have ever received? Worry about the things you can control and not about the things you can't.

Randy Sparks

Coach Sparks

2011 Randolph County Tigers Varsity Football Number Name Grade Number Name Grade

2 Brad Benefield 11 40 David Mote 10 4 Bill Miamen 12 42 John Houston 8 5 Cortavious Childs 11 50 Timothy Nelson 11 6 Junior Turner 12 51 Nathan Boyd 12 8 Austin MacGinnis 11 52 Tyler Lovvorn 12 10 Jacob Thackston 11 53 Jessie Parker 9 12 Ty Sparks 10 54 Tyde Moore 12 13 John Mark Prestridge 8 55 Jamey Ware 12 14 Braxton Lackey 9 56 Levi Phillips 9 16 Kylan Sims 11 58 Daniel Mote 12 17 Robert Nelson 12 59 Aaron Robertson 12 18 Tyler Hobbs 10 60 Drew O'Neal 12 21 Lance Daniel 11 61 George Moore 11 22 Colton Lovvorn 11 64 Eric Henderson 8 24 JR Roundtree 8 66 Daniel DeJesus 12 25 Dontae Barrett 11 69 Tyler Harper 8 26 Zack Baker 10 71 Keith Clark 10 27 Willis Knight 10 72 Tyler Johnson 12 30 Lane Henderson 9 78 Driek Stevens 11 32 Josh Smith 11 79 Nathan Ryder 10 33 Patrick Johnson 11 80 Donte Bell 9 35 Jonah Bailey 9 81 Levi Scarbary 8 37 Rico Nelson 10 88 Tanner Cross 11

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The Randolph County Tigers boast one of its largest senior classes in recent years and are hungry for more as the enter their 2011 football season.

“It helps that some of our seniors have been playing for a long time,” Coach Randy Sparks, who enters his second season leading the Tigers, said. “Some were forced to play as eighth and ninth graders because of the lack of depth. A lot of them have a huge amount of experience.”

A dozen seniors will suit up in

blue and gold this season, but the experience doesn't end with them.

“Our strength is definitely up front on both sides of the ball,” Sparks said. “We have a lot of ex-

perience on both sides.” Seniors Daniel DeJesus, Tyler

Johnson, Jamey Ware, Tyler Lov-vorn are the core of the offensive

front for the Tigers. “Those four are very special of-

fensive lineman,” Sparks said. “Then we have four more senior lineman that we will throw into the mix with the returners. They have a chance to be very good.”

The line will be challenged with protecting first-year quarterback Ty Sparks, who is also Sparks' son.

“People ask me all the time if it's difficult to coach your son,” Sparks said. “But, it's not for me. Coaching a quarterback has to be done a little

Tigers Look for More Wins in 2011

Season Preview By Kelly Caldwell

Randolph County will be tested early and often this season with a tough region schedule. (Photo by Jeff Napier)



differently than the rest of the team. You have to find what makes them tick and you have to work with them in that way. The quarterback has to know about everything we do. They have to put in more time on the field and in the film room.'

The younger Sparks is only a sophomore but has been a student of his father's game since birth.

“It might be easier to put the time in because he is my son, be-cause I have more time with him than any other member of the team.

“There are times when we are riding down the road talking about reads on plays.”

Brad Benefield, the leading re-ceiver from last season with 40 catches, will be a go-to person for Sparks, but Benefield will have com-petition for the top spot this year.

“We do most things by commit-

tee around here,” Sparks said. “The receiving corps has a chance to be exceptional. Donate Barrett is an awesome receiver and then Willis Knight was our leading receiver in

the spring.” Lance Daniel will also spend time

making catches for the Tigers this season.

“Those four really stand out and then we have two or three more that we can use...It's hard to say who is the best because they are different and are hard to compare. It seems like the whole team is like that.”

The Tigers also have a weapon in their special teams arsenal.

“Austin MacGinnis continues to improve and we are counting on him to make those kicks again this year.”

Last season MacGinnis was 100 percent on extra points and only missed two field goals.

In the running game, the duties will be handled by committee.

“We struggled running the ball last year and we have several guys back that played in the secondary.”

Spark said. Rico Nelson, Colton Lovvorn,

Junior Turner and Cortavious Childs will also share in the duties.

“All four split time pretty equally running the ball,” Sparks said. “None of the backs separated from the pack last year and this year we are in the same situation right now. Nelson is probably the most talented but he is the least experienced. It may take two to three games before we know who will jump out of the pack.”

There are also several returning starters tasked with defending the Tigers this season.

“Again our strength is in our line,” Sparks said. “We have a lot of experience up front on both sides of the ball.”

RCHS returns three ends on the defensive front Nate Boyd, Tanner Cross and Patrick Johnson as well as defensive tackles Jamie Ware and

George Moore. Tyde Moore returns at outside

linebacker and will be joined in the secondary by Lovvorn, Turner and Dontae Barrett.

“Dontae may be the best athlete on the team,” Sparks said. He is big, strong and smart. He has a lot of things going for him.”

Childs will also return on defense but his position is still to be deter-mined.

“We moved him between corner and safety last year and we are still moving him around a bit,” Sparks said. “We are trying to find the best fit for him which will be in the sec-ondary somewhere.”

The Tigers will have their work cut out for them in Class 2A, Region 5 with competition like cross-county rival Woodland and perennial pow-ers Lineville and Reeltown.

“It is a very strong region,” Sparks said. “The thing about it is

there is not a single school you can rule out. Horeshoe Bend got into the playoffs on tie breakers last season over Ranburne and us. Then Lanett and Lafayette are on the verge of bursting at the seams. They are loaded with talent.”

However, one thing Reeltown, Lineville and Woodland all have that the others don't, according to Sparks, is tradition.

“They have been winning the last several years where we haven't,” he said. “I am thankful that we have 26 juniors and seniors, but regardless of what age you are, you have got to understand what it takes to be a champion and you have to do it a while.

“That's one of our biggest chal-lenges this season,” Sparks said. “We have to continue learning how to win. We have made tremendous strides but we still have a long way to go.”


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The Randolph County Golden Tiger Marching Band is under the direction of Band Director, Adrian Peters. Mr. Peters, a graduate of Jacksonville State University, is on his second year at Randolph County. The band program is see-ing growth and excitement among the students at Randolph County. Mr. Peters said, " The students

have been working extremely hard this summer and I am excited about the upcoming season."

A small but strong group will entertain the fans on Friday Nights. The half time show is Pop Hits of the 70's and 80's and will include; “I Want You Back” recorded by the Jackson 5, “We Will Rock You” by Queen and “Eye Of The Tiger” by

Survivor. The band is led by; drum captain, Robert Tittle; brass cap-tain, Joshuah Bailey and Auxiliary captain, Jessica Perry. The band is not currently scheduled for any competitions but will consider the opportunities once school has started and more information be-comes available on area band com-petitions.

RCHS Marching Band Embraces Pop Hits

2011 Marching Tiger Band


2011 Randolph County Varsity Cheerleaders Lisa Bolt, Caroline Sikes, Tillie Langford, Valerie Watkins, Kristen Heard, Judy Goode , Spenser Kathryn Phil-lips Asheley Atcheson Ceara Cooper, Courtney Cooper, Wyneise Holloway


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Mote does whatever it takes to help Tigers For Randolph County's

Daniel Mote excelling in the classroom while play-ing football for the Tigers is all about time manage-ment.

“Football and school are all you do during the season,” Mote said. “It takes a lot of time and a little less sleep at night.”

Entering his senior year Mote carries a 4.0 grade point average while also playing guard and linebacker for the Tigers.

“Football is fun. I like playing it, and it’s worth the effort,” he said.

Mote came to Randolph County High School as a freshman after being home-schooled by his mother from kinder-garten through eighth grade.

“(Being homeschooled) was fine academically, but coming to Randolph County High School gave me the opportunity to play sports,” Mote said. “Actually the classroom work was easier for me than homeschooling, but my first

year was a big adjustment for me socially. “It was a culture shock for me and it really took me the first year to adjust.” After high school, Mote plans to attend Auburn University and major in wireless engineering. “It's a very tough major,” Mote said. “Basically there are two tracks with it where you can develop firmware for the routers or you can do the hardware route that lets you com-municate wirelessly.” Before he graduates, Mote and the Tigers have a sea-son of football to play and he has two goals for him-self in his final season of football. “A. To win,” he said. “B. Do whatever I can to con-tribute to the team whether it is playing on Friday nights or helping the players that do play on Friday nights to get better through practice. “That's what being on a team is about...Doing

whatever it takes to make the team better.”


What is your favorite book? “Bear the Legen-

dary Life of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant” by Don Keith

What song inspires you? “The Boys of Fall” by

Kenny Chesney

Who is your favorite actor? Nicholas Cage

How would you describe this year's team? Young, excited and energetic.

What is your most memorable game as coach? Last season we

played Tanner in the second round of the playoffs. We should have won the game but they blocked the extra point. We lost 21-20. That one really sticks with me.

How many years have you been coaching? Eleven years, 1st year at Wad-ley.

How has your coaching style changed over the years? When I first

started coaching, it was with teams that used a pound-you offense. Now from the things I have learned, I util-ize a more up-tempo offense. We are like a no-huddle offense. We get things done quickly.

What has been the most significant ad-vancement in the game of football? Speed.

Athletes are getting bigger than ever before and the speed of the game is faster than ever before.

You are having a dinner party and can in-vite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be? Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Coach

Steve Spurrier and Ronald Reagan

What is the best advice you have ever re-ceived? My grandfather always told me ‘Hard work

beats good talent.’

Wadley Bulldogs Varsity Football

Darrel Roach

Coach Roach

1 Devin Freeman 9 5 T.L. Heard 11 7 Adrian Marable 11

9 Dakota Caldwell 10

10 Caleb Calhoun 9

11 Wesley Johnson 12

15 Ryan Siskey 12

20 Dakota Brown 8

26 Kameron Staples 12

27 Ridge Dobson 11

33 Devarsie Greathouse 10

34 Kamaury Avery 8

50 Bradley Melton 10

52 Richard Tillis 12

55 Daniel Green 11

64 Arin Howell 11

65 Tristan Coker 10

66 Ethan Howard 8

70 Jerry Dye 9

71 Corey Ray McGill 11

I f you believe in your-self and have dedica-tion and pride - and never quit, you'll be

a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the re-wards. Coach Paul “Bear” Bry-

ant. Those are the words Darrel

Roach lives by and will serve him well as he guides the Wad-ley Bulldogs in his first year as a head coach.

Named to the position at the July 28 Randolph County School Board meeting, Roach has hit the ground running as football practice officially began four days later.

“It's definitely a challenge, but I am excited to be here at Wadley,” he said. “I am an un-derdog kind of guy, always have been. I have a lot of drive in me and I don't like to lose.

“I have always been success-ful and I plan on keeping it that way.”

Roach comes to Wadley via Cleveland High School, where he was the offensive coordinator and helped guide the team to a 9-3 record which included a spot in the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs.

Roach attributes some of the success of his last season at Cleveland to a three-day pro-gram his head coach Mark Bry-ant and he implemented there.

“Mark is a former Navy Seal and his toughest training came during what is known as 'Hell Week,'”Roach said. “Well, we started 'Heck Week' there and it's something I would love to

bring here next year.” “Heck Week” consisted of the

team being disconnected from the outside world and learning the importance of teamwork.

“We took their cell phones away and they stayed on cam-pus for those three days,” Roach said. “We did workouts but we

also focused on team building. “We had parents bring in real

logs and set them up in the gym. The players would have to move them and they quickly realized they couldn't do it on their own. It emphasizes the importance of

teamwork.” Coaching the fundamentals

of football is important to Roach, but he realizes it is also more than a game.

“We are going to work hard on the field and teach these players football, but, by doing that, you are teaching life skills as well,” he said “Yes it is about wins and losses, but its also about molding these players into what they can be in life.”

As far as this season, Roach knows the task at hand.

“We are behind the eight ball so to speak,” he said. “Most teams already have their of-fenses in place and are getting ready for their first games. We are just now in the process of installing our offense. Our play-


Bulldogs welcome new leadership in Roach

The Bulldogs will face stiff competition during their non-region contests with Horseshoe Bend, Woodland and Randolph County.


ers are picking up on it fairly quick, so I think we can be in good shape in time for the first game.”

Roach will de-pend on seniors Ryan Sis-key, Kameron “Bud” Staples, Wesley Johnson and Richard Tillis to lead the team this season.

“They are hard workers and I will be counting on them to help guide this team,” he said. “They are very similar to the skill peo-ple I coached last season at Cleveland.”

Under Roach, Wadley will run a spread offense and a base 50 defense.

“We are young up front,” Roach said. “But, we have

some de-cent line-men. We just have to build on that right now.” The Bull-dogs will be tested right out of the gate as they host Horse-shoe Bend in the sea-son opener. “They beat us

52-13 last year and that in itself is a reason to look for-ward to that game,” Roach said. “I want to be able to have the team ready to play with them.” The schedule doesn't get any easier according to the coach. “It is a tough schedule to play for sure,” he said. “As a football coach that pro-vides a challenge for me and I am looking forward to it.”


The Bulldogs will have a limited amount of time to learn a new offense as coach Roach takes over.

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2011 Wadley Varsity Cheerleaders

Megan Costley, Lesli Padgett,

Hannah Phillips, Stormie Reaves, Makayla Wilkins, Loren Padgett, Madison McGill.

Not pictured: Lauren Hughes

and La'cia Williamson.

To say that Ryan Siskey is motivated to excel is an understate-ment.

The sen-ior enters his final high school campaign as a three-year starting quarterback and if that's not enough, Siskey maintains a 3.9 GPA.

“It's hard considering you have a bunch of classmates competing with you in the classroom that don't play sports,” he said. “I do the best I can and get the most I can from the teachers so I can learn.”

As the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, Siskey has played in a lot of games, but his career best remains his most memorable.

“It was Coach (Randy) Sparks last year here,” he said. “In the game against Beulah, I had 300 passing yards and four touchdowns. That has

been the biggest game of my career.” Siskey leads the team and suc-

ceeds in the classroom due in large part because of his parents.

“I owe my parents so much,” he

said. “They have always told me that if I didn't have good grades, I could-n't play sports. That's enough moti-vation for me to study hard.”

Football has had a great impact on

Siskey's life and lessons on the field have carried over to the classroom as well. “Football has taught me to pay attention and make sure you do it right,” he said. As the sea-son ap-proaches, Siskey has

one goal in mind... “I want to have a winning season

and make it past the first round of the playoffs,” he said. “I would love to have an undefeated season when we get to the playoffs, but we have to start with game one.”

After graduation, Siskey hopes to continue his baseball career at the collegiate level.

“I want to play baseball any-where that will give me a scholar-ship, and if that doesn't work out, I want to be a forensics investigator,” he said.



Field General Excels in Class, too



http://www.trec.coop

www.suscc.edu

Larry Strain What is your favorite book? “The Junction Boys”

by Jim Dent

What song inspires you? “Another One Bites the

Dust” by Queen

Who is your favorite actor? John Wayne

How would you describe this year's team? To be determined

What is your most memo-rable game as coach? The

gauntlet we faced in the Fyffe, Red Bay and Clay County leading up to the first time we went to the state title in 2004. The win over Clay County in double overtime was special.

How many years have you been coaching? Twenty-one

years, 13th year head coach at Woodland

How has your coaching style changed over the years? Drastically... I hope I am better prepared

than I was in my early years. Everything is more organ-ized and its about a routine. How I react and interact with the team is different because our expectations are so much higher now. I don't have to be as overbearing as I was in my early years.

What has been the most significant advance-ment in the game of football? Knute Rockne

and that Notre Dame bunch throwing that first pass.

You are having a dinner party and can invite three people (living or dead)...Who would they be? Coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant, Tom Landry

and Ricky Austin (Spring Garden girls basketball coach)

What is the best advice you have ever received? Work hard... (the work ethic my parents instilled in me has pulled me through)

Coach Strain


Bobcats look to youth to contribute early The Wood-

land Bobcats' success on the field this sea-son depends on how quickly they overcome the obstacle of youth and inex-perience.

“With only 12 juniors and seniors, this year's team will be filled with youth, espe-cially in the back up posi-tions,” Wood-land head coach Larry Strain said.

The Bobcats with eight sen-iors and four

juniors will have to grow up quickly in the trenches to con-tinue the success Woodland has seen in recent years.

“We take pride in the fact we have been to the playoffs for seven consecutive sea-sons,” Strain said. “But as far as the teams that traditionally make the playoffs out of this area, we have one of the toughest rebuilding efforts ahead of us.”

The cupboards are not bare for the Bobcats with more than 50 players on the roster, however the majority are un-derclassman.

“Eighth, ninth and 10th grad-ers aren't going to compete against juniors and seniors on Friday night in this region if they don't grow up in a hurry.” However, the season is not a lost cause for the Bobcats by any stretch of the imagina-tion. Zach Barron started for the Bobcats last season at re-ceiver last year, but this season he will be the field general. “Zach will be

our starting quarterback this year,” Strain said. “We are looking for him to step up in a big way for the Bobcats. He is a very shifty, quick player.” Stain went on to say Barron makes good decisions and can throw the ball well. However, the Bobcats are looking to do more in the ground game than they have in the last few years. “We are excited about our possibilities with the running game,” Strain said. “I think we will be able to run the foot-ball better than we have run in the past seasons. We have relied on throwing the foot-ball in the last three or four years because of the personnel we have had. This year's team

Woodland will open the season with Bowdon High School of Georgia. The rivalry has grown over the years because of the proximity of the towns. (Photos By Phillip Heard)



will change somewhat based on what their abilities are.” The Bob-

cats return veterans Curt Brown at receiver and Al Davis and Christian Burroughs at tackle. The back-field will see Colton McManus, Michael Howard ( a transfer stu-dent from Clay County) and Colby Spears taking handoffs as well as freshmen Justus Herring and Ken-dal Hudson. “I really have got more running

backs than I have had since 2006 which is a good problem to have,” Strain said. The defense will rely on the

leadership of McManus and Brown. “Colton has started on defense

for two years and returns for his senior campaign at inside line-backer and Curt will be at outside linebacker,” Strain said. “The sec-ondary will be all new though.” Barron will take over at corner

with Tyler Rollins and Hudson will play free safety. Al Davis re-turns at defensive end along with Devonta Maffett.

“The defense is really a ques-tion mark right now,” Strain said. “If we are able to stop people from running the football we will be ok.” The Bobcats will have their

work cut out for them right off the bat opening the season with rival Bowdon High School out of Geor-gia. “We won pretty handedly last

year so I am sure they will be pre-pared for us,” Strain said. “It has become a great rivalry for us over the years because of the proximity of the two towns.” After the opening game the re-

gion awaits the Bobcats with pow-ers Reeltown and Lineville lurking about. “Many times I have heard this

region la-beled the SEC of Class 2A,” Strain said. “Reeltown and Lineville both lost good groups of seniors, but they are known for re-loading in-stead of hav-ing down years or re-building.” The others in the region are nothing to overlook ac-cording to Strain. “Randolph County returns the most up-perclassmen of

anyone in our region and they only missed the playoffs on a tie-breaker last year,” Strain said. “I am sure coach Sparks will have those kids in the right direction.” Horseshoe Bend, won the

fourth playoff spot last season, returns speed and athleticism while Lafayette and Lanett have as much talent as anyone in the region, according to Strain. “Our success this season de-

pends on how quickly our young ones can grow up and the injury bug doesn't get us,” Strain said. “We are down to one quarterback due to injuries from the spring and we just can't afford to have any more. We are going to be fine, it's just going to take time”

Adam BurroughsThe Bobcats have been to the playoffs consecutively since 2004. This year’s team hope to continue the streak. (Photo By Phillip Heard)



2011 Woodland Varsity Football 1 Lakeland Phillps 10 39 Matt Stapler 8 2 Colby Spears 10 40 Parker Ratzliff 9 3 Zach Barron 12 42 Clay Gay 8 4 Reed Murphy 12 45 Nathan Parker 9 5 Tyler Rollins 10 48 Bradley Rainwater 10 7 Zach Langley 12 50 Alex Jackson 9 8 Justus Herring 9 50 Kyle Strain 8 9 Andrew Burroughs 12 52 Aaron Buttrill 9 10 Kip Sims 10 54 Chris Langley 11 11 John Wes Adcock 10 54 Jake Gay 8 12 Tyler Gay 8 55 Nick Phillips 11 15 Hunter Baldwin 9 56 Dustin McClurg 11 16 Trey Bradford 8 58 Alex Owens 10 20 Colton McManus 12 60 Hunter Henry 8 21 John David Jacobs 9 60 Marcus Pruvine 8 22 Kendal Hudson 9 62 Levi Noles 9 23 Michael Howard 11 63 Alonzo Cummings 10 24 Jared Walker 9 65 Austin Meadows 10 25 Koy Sims 9 67 Al David 11 29 Austin Madonna 10 74 John Jackson 12 30 Axion Gay 8 75 Kison Strain 10 31 Austin Crenshaw 10 77 Christian Burroughs 11

32 Curt Brown 12 78 Devonta Maffett 10

33 Chris Spradlin 9 79 Tyler Easterwood 9

Number Name Grade Number Name Grade

80 Calvin New 10


2011 Woodland Bobcats Varsity Ceerleaders

Haley Napier, Anna Glaze,

Kayla Hazelief, Jordan

Willamson, Macie Edwards, Leah Strain, Tansy

Parmer, Kortni Hopkins, Alexis

Young, Abby Cook Co-Captain, Madison Henley

Captain, Zoe Arrington


2011 Woodland Bobcat Marching Band

Even though a band director has not been hired at Woodland High School, more than 30 band members have marched on to-ward football season.

“It has been challenging, but our band boosters and principal Birchfield have really made things work as best they can,” Woodland Bobcat Marching Band Drum Major Scott Carpen-ter said.

The show must go on as they say in show business and the Woodland band has barely missed a beat.

“We are doing a Patriotic

Show with a twist,” Carpenter said.

The band will be mixing old and new with classics like “We are an American Band” and “Love Me Tender” with the re-cent hit “California Girls” by Katy Perry. The band will also play Americana which begins with “America” and transitions into the “Battle Hymn of the Re-public”

“We are excited about the show,” Carpenter said. “We have been working hard and it should be visually interesting as well.”

Chad Simms, recent graduate from West Georgia College, has been helping the band prepare for the upcoming season and has challenged them.

“Our field show has a lot more movement than in the past,” Carpenter said. “We use to move-hold, move-hold. Now, it's move, move, move. So it should be fun to watch.”

The band will also sport new uniforms this season.

“We have been working hard and can’t wait to perform on Friday nights.”

Band marches on without director


As he en-ters his senior year, Murphy has 4.0 GPA and will be a three-sport athlete for the Bobcats this year.

“Athletics have taught me how to work hard and not give up,” Murphy said. “And, I also owe a lot to my family. My older brother (Riley Murphy) set the bar pretty high with his athletic and academic successes and I am just trying to follow up on that.”

This football season Reed Mur-phy will suit up in shoulder pads for the Woodland Bobcats for the first time since he was in eighth grade, and to say the least he is excited.

“I have played basketball and baseball this whole time,” Murphy said. “But, thanks to some pres-sure from my teammates and some of the coaches thinking I

could help the team, I decided to come out for football for my senior year.

“I didn't want to look back later in life and not know what it was like to play Woodland Bobcat foot-ball.”

The decision to play came from encouragement of his baseball coach Stephen Bailey.

“We were doing sum-mer work-outs for baseball, and it was practically the same as football,” Murphy said. “The coaches thought I could make an impact and it's something I am looking forward to

doing.” Murphy will play receiver and

be the back-up quarterback for the Bobcats on offense and then outside linebacker and corner on defense.

He went through a few passing camps this summer and is deter-mined to make an impact for the Bobcats.

“You have to be really dedicated to the sport to go through summer workouts and practice during the school year,” Murphy said. “And, you have to find time to hit the books, too.”

Murphy balances schoolwork, new sport




New football team forms in Clay County There is a new football program

starting up this year at Clay County Christian Academy. Head Coach Ricky Morgan, retired from the Alabama Public School system for 30 years of service decided he was not ready to end his coaching career. He is working hard to make sure this first year of football is a success.

The football team consists of 11 players grades 7-12. CCCA Eagles will be a part of a six-man football league that consists of seven other schools. “Last year was the first year of six-man football in Ala-bama and there were only two teams.” Morgan said “We will have an advantage since all teams are on the same playing level.”

“Defense is harder to play be-cause you are in 1-on-1 situations

for almost every play.” “The rules are a little bit differ-

ent,” said Morgan.

The field is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide. To gain a first down you must advance 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. All six play-ers are eligible to be receivers. On offense, three linemen are required on the line of scrimmage at the start of the play. The quarterback cannot run the ball past the line of scrim-mage; however, if the ball is tossed to another player, that player can run or throw the ball and the person to whom the ball was snapped is still an eligible receiver. Each quar-

ter of the game is 10 minutes long, and at the half if one team has a 35-point lead the second half will have a running clock.

Some major challenges Coach Morgan has faced while starting this program from scratch is get-ting equipment, preparing the field and teaching his players about things they have never done be-fore. Out of the 11 players only a few have played recreational foot-ball in the past, “That is a big help and a good start, although all of them know the traditional rules of football. This is a little bit different so we are learning as we go.” He also knows about learning as you go, Coach Morgan was a player on a new program’s team before. “I have some experience from their side of things too.”

Football 2011 by Amanda Causey

http://smalltownbank.com

www.wmgrocery.com



www.southernholidaylife.com


A and E Metal 57 Ace Hardware 45 Affordable Tire & Repair 77 Air Control 39 Anna Bonner, Beau Robinson HHS 34 Ashland Pharmacy 13 Bank of Wedowee 3 Brian Morris Fishing 77 Chad Lee, Attorney at Law 54 Charles Thompson Construction 59 Chester Wortham Construction 52 Chris May Circuit Clerk 49 Circuit Judge Tom Young 77 City Auto Parts 27 City of Ashland 10 Clay Automotive 20 Clay County Tire & Retread 13 Corelinc 44 Corner One 32 D&S Marine 56 Dr. Michael Edwards 57 Duke's Jewelry 27 Eagle Drugs 32 Emerging Home Care 41 Farmhouse Restaurant 45 Fiberglass Unlimited 39 First Capital Insurance 16 First Capital Insurance 29 First State Bank 17 George Diamond Probate Judge 57 Grapevine (Randolph County) 56 Grapevine (Woodland) 77 Greg Varner, Attorney at Law 16 Hall's Propane (Clay County) 15 Hall's Propane (Handley) 32 Hall's Propane (Lineville) 29 Hall's Propane (Randolph County) 55 Hall's Propane (Wadley) 62 Hall's Propane (Woodland) 77 Hill Top Store 53 Josh Burns Revenue Commissioner 55 Kayla Sprayberry CCHS 15 Kesa Johnston, Attorney at Law 84 La Herradura 38 Lake Wedowee Auto Parts 57 Lake Wedowee Bait and Tackle 54

Lakeside Marina and Grill 83 Lakeview Auto Service 54 Lineville Health and Rehabilitation 21 Lineville Clinic Pharmacy 24 Mainstreet Animal Hospital 36 Mike Fields Body Shop 70 Newman's Accounting 67 Norton's Flooring 49 Perryland Foods (Lineville) 25 Perryland Foods (Randolph County) 51 Randolph County Board of Education 6 Randolph County COOP 58 Randolph County Sheriff's Department 65 RE/MAX Lakefront 2 RE/MAX Lakefront Josephine Mcguire 74 RE/MAX Lakefront Kelly and Leisel Caldwell 40 RE/MAX Lakefront Linda and Grady Stone 57 Roanoke Auto Parts 44 Roanoke City Schools 37 Roanoke Quarterback Club 33 Satellite Specialist 48 Sheppard's Jewelry 36 Small Town Bank 78 Southern Home Comfort 38 Southern Union 67 Statefarm Insurance 39 Steele Chiropractic 29 Strain Asphalt 70 Strain Electric 73 Superior Gas (Clay County) 16 Superior Gas (Handley) 45 Superior Gas (Lineville) 27 Superior Gas (Randolph County) 49 Superior Gas (Wadley) 62 Superior Gas (Woodland) 70 T&H Auto Sales 16 TEC 45 The Stuff Store 53 TREC 67 W&M Grocery 79 Wedowee Building Supply 79 Wedowee Marine 50 Wellborn Cabinets 28 Woodland Athletic Club 74 Young's Drugs 26

Friday Night Life Advertisers


Nothing feels better than after you let off some steam. There are several ways to do it. You can go to the gym and punch on a bag, beat the crap out of someone, throw stuff, break stuff, burn rubber, shout at the sky, do yoga (doesn’t work) and a host of other things, legal or illegal that can vent off those pent up hostilities that inadver-tently get stored up over time.

Personally, I like throw-ing wrenches. I like throw-ing wrenches because it’s virtually impossible to break a wrench unless it hits something and breaks that. They make a really loud sound when hitting a concrete floor which is good for effect and every time I do it, the stubborn bolt that caused my outburst seems more compliant once it witnesses this act, thus giving me a feeling of victory.

I also like going from zero to the speed limit as quickly as possible. Of course, doing that is what makes me throw wrenches because of the stub-born bolt that holds the broken part that broke when I was going from zero to the speed limit as quickly as possible. This cycle is what keeps me sane and is what makes my wife wonder what alternate reality she must have been in when she decided to spend her life with me.

But of all of the ways to vent stress, there is only one that I can think of that does the job safely and legally, is approved by most every-one and can be done in groups.

This happens every time the gates are opened and the spectators start

herding into the therapeutic environ-ment known as a high school foot-ball game.

In that arena, teachers, preachers, parents, farmers and the like all gather in unity with their day to day pressures only a microsecond away from being expelled, piece by piece

in two hours of controlled combat done by young warriors who are probably not near as worked up as the ones who are watching them.

And with any group session, a therapist must be in attendance. These therapist, dressed in striped attire so they can easily be identified, masterfully work the frustrations from the group, sometimes by just listening and other times by coaxing out the groups true feelings by pe-nalizing the team of their choice un-

justifiably. These selfless men and women in their striped suits take on the healing outburst from the group without of-fense or anger. They realize the good they are doing and like emotional sponges, re-lieve the crowd of their hos-tilities so that when the buzzer goes off for the last time, everyone leaves feeling better and ready for what comes, come hail or high wa-ter, until the next session where they will do it all over again. Other specialists charge up to $75 an hour for their expertise but these charitable peace mongers ask for very little. And look at the good that

they do. Think of the domestic vio-lence, road rage and thrown wrenches avoided because of these generous people. Where they should net a couple hundred thousand be-tween them in fees for an average game, these generous people share their gift, I’m sure, just for the satis-faction of the good they are doing. They receive little thanks and are fine with that. But that changes to-day! For today, I want to express all of our most sincerest thanks and ap-preciation to the men in stripes (women too) and I ask that we all reach out and hug a ref, because they have feelings too and I’m sure they need it.

Charley is a co-owner of Norton’s

Flooring with his brother, Tom. The company was started in 1976 by his mother and father. Norton’s Flooring

product are in countless homes on Lake Wedowee and throughout the county.

We all need a little stress relief

Charley’s Treasures by Charley Norton

www.lakesidewedowee.com

www.thepowerofadvocacy.com

Friday Night Life 2011

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