In preparation of the Demopolis High School football team heading to the first round of playoffs against Vigor, there will be bonfire at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Memorial stadium. The band and cheerleaders will also be there to cheer on the Tigers.
Other area teams headed to the first round of playoffs this week are:
Providence Christian (7-3) at Sweet Water (9-0)
Sunshine (6-3) at Brantley (9-1)
Ariton (6-4) at Linden
A.L. Johnson (6-3) at Florala (8-2)
Vigor (6-4) at Demopolis (9-1)
Last week I covered several jamboree games and the first game for Marengo Academy game against Pickens Academy to officially kick off football coverage for this season.
This week all area teams start their seasons, so I will be stalking the sidelines from now until, hopefully, the championship games at Legion Field in Birmingham for team in the area. As I have previously talked about there are several new coaches on the scene this year, as three out of seven teams in the county have new head coaches at their programs, so this year should be exciting.
Coaches used to the area are going to have to adjust to the influx of new blood and new schemes, while new coaches are going to have to put their nose to the ground and feel out programs used to success in the area.
There are several exciting developments. Spread offenses, option offenses and the offense closely related to a 1A powerhouse hitting the county. Not to mention new defenses and new versions of old defenses.
Right now everything is speculation on what will happen, but as things progress, from week to week, the playoff perspectives will become more clear. I am excited, are you?
For all of the information I get from coaches, practices I attended and knowledge retained from last season’s teams, it is still impossible to gauge how a team will play once they get into the regular season.
You can watch a player all you want and still not know how they will react once they are getting popped by a player bigger than themselves with the game on the line. Formations and plays are a big facet of a team’s success, but unless you know they can execute said plays they don’t really amount to much.
Today marks the beginning of the learning process about area teams on the filed, jamboree is starting. While jamborees still won’t give me the full view of a team’s playing ability, It will certainly help fill in the shadows.
Can the linebacker adjust to shifts in the offense, can a quarterback ready the defense, when a play is busted can the quarterback find the dump off man to avoid a sack or even gain yards, can the safeties read the quarterbacks eyes and come up with the big pick? All these are questions that cannot be answered by practice, only by on the field performance.
Are you ready for some football?
I am an Alabama fan. I graduated from Alabama, but recently I have found myself siding with Auburn supporters on one issue that has brought the state to a fervor — Nick Saban.
I have grown tired and now irritated at the hype that is being piled onto this guy. 92,000 fans at A-Day… Great. We have a chance at beating Auburn… Could happen. Could make a run at the SEC West… not likely, but conceivable. We are having a top five recruiting year so far… it is August people.
If half the stories being circulated are true, their is a chance that Saban’s tears could cure cancer.. to bad he never cries. Enough is enough, the man has yet to step onto the gridiron for a college match up, let alone win a game.
Every time a new coach steps on campus everyone is willing to forget the past debacles of coaches also hailed as the next Bear Bryant. The best thing Alabama can do is forget the Bear and look forward not back.
Once the university is contention again, then praising long gone coaches and Saban might be in order. As for now, support your team, be fan, but hold off on celebrating until Alabama gets another championship trophy and, more importantly, beats that cow college down the road.
I have been beating the turf lately searching out all of the coaches in Marengo County to get information together for our annual football preview and must say catching up with coaches during the summer is no easy task.
However, as of today I am sitting alright. I have either interviewed or set up interviews with every coach, save the new appointee at John Essex High School (of course he was only named to the position last week and I am sure he has other things on his list of priorities).
With all of the talking I have done with area coaches, I have to say I am more eager than ever for football season to arrive. It is shaping up to be an interesting season. We have three new coaches out of the seven schools fielding teams, which indicates to me that there will be change in the air and on the grid iron.
I am looking forward to the new schemes and the in game adjustments that are sure to make or break teams facing systems that have yet to be tested in the area and well as those schools that are running old systems against unfaced coaches.
Each coach I have talked to seems extremely positive about their chances, which means hard fought competition is sure to follow. Kick of begins at the end of August!
I am a sports editor, and sports enthusiast, but I definitely hold football above all others. Why you ask? I am from Alabama is my reply.
Having grown up in a state that loves a game so much that once a year on game day houses are divided and the state holds its breath for a yearly rivalry, I tend to think of college game-day as an almost sacred day. Now don’t jump me because of the religious connotations of that before you hear me out.
Game-day is one of those few events that bring together strangers through a common bond almost unlike anything else. It also can cause giant rifts, if only for a few hours, between best of friends and loved ones. It is a great testament of the human condition.
Unfortunately college football doesn’t go year round and as the season begins to approach annually I begin to get the itch for it to get here. It is about this time that i begin to click to the ESPN Classic channel and hope to see replays of great games.
Alabama v. Penn State, Alabama v. Miami, Alabama v. Florida (either game in ‘98) and any Alabama v. Auburn (especially ‘92 when Copeland and Curry sandwiched the Auburn QB and knocked him out {I owe my allegiance to Alabama if you haven’t noticed}).
I have the itch guys. I want to scratch. Come on football season.
This weekend saw the end of the majority of Cal Ripken all-star play, wrapping up the district play for the under-12, 11 and eight age groups.
That leaves the under 10 group’s tournament this week to end all local play for the league. But don’t become distraught there is more to come. The Babe Ruth league begins its league tournament this week followed by the group’s district tournament next week.
Then of course there is still American Legion ball that is going strong as groups head toward their end of the season tournament.
Going back to Cal Ripken play, the three teams that have won the district thus far, barring the yet undecided under 10s, are groups hailing from Demopolis. Proving a dominate force in the region, lets hope the trend carries on to the state tourney and then who knows?
We might see group from all three area leagues dig in and carry baseball into late July or early August. Keep reading, and bet I’ll keep going out to the parks.
So the finishing touches have been put on the Nick Saban contract after a tennis match of back and forth ensued over finer points since he has stepped on campus. The final document, which is headed before the board of trustees at the Capstone (a.k.a the University of Alabama), has some interesting parts to it I feel I should share.
First and foremost, the soon to be highest paid coach in college football will not be jumping thorough hoops for the University in the way of public appearances. He has limited his speaking engagements and appearances not related to endorsements to 15.
In light of recent past coaches (see Mike Price), the University added a clause to the contract that points out certain behavior that place Saban or the university “into public disrepute, contempt, embarrassment, scandal, or ridicule…” as terms for termination. Hey… Wouldn’t a losing season after setting the bar for college coaching salaries invite all of the above?
Moving on, Saban will receive bonuses between $65,000 and $90,000 for participating in a non-BCS bowl and $125,000 for a BSC showing ($400,000 for winning a national championship). Another bonus gives Saban $50,000 if the Tide’s graduation rate ranks in the top half of the SEC and $100,000 if it is in the top 25 percent. It is nice to see where my Alma mater, an academic institution mind you, sets its priorities.
The cherry on top of the contract are the small amenities added. If $32 million dollars weren’t enough for Saban, he can rest assured he won’t have to spend his meager salary on a country club membership, two vehicles, a luxury box at Bryant-Denny Stadium or up to 25 hours of yearly flight time for personal traveling a noncommercial plane. That’s on the University.
Saban I hope you do great things and University I hope you don’t pass the cost on to the students… but I know you will.
As many of the community know, West Alabama Preparatory School has been taken over by Fairhaven Baptist Church and next year will open its doors to students looking for learning in a Christian environment under the new name, West Alabama Christian School.
The school announced today that it has found both a new principal, Dr. Fred Sakon, and vice principal, Mark Farmer, who will also serve as the head football coach for the institution of learning.
I just found this out today and have of yet been able to catch up with the new vice principal, Farmer, to talk about what the school has planned from an academic standpoint, or, what you sports junkies want to know, what is planned for the upcoming football season.
I hope to track down Farmer in the not too distant future, and believe you me I will ask him all of the important questions — who’s leaving, what adjustments must be made to do well next year, what are the offensive and defensive schemes and when does practice start.
I will also ask about his coaching background, as well as about the academic side of the equations. So keep your eyes peeled, I have contact information so look for it soon.
Here are a couple of things I have on the burner for Wednesday’s
sports page.
1) I will be checking in on the coaching situation at Demopolis High School. From what I have been told the positions of the coaches leaving will soon be filled. As new athletic director Tom Causey, has a number of positions to fill after the exeunt of former coaches, this will be the first look at the future mentors of DHS athletes.
2) Cal Ripken League baseball’s tournament is winding down and the all-star teams are being formed. Look for a tourney wrap up for one of the age groups or a all-star preview — or both.
3) American legion league has kicked off this weekend. I have been trying to get up with teh man in charge to get schedules and preview the league. If i can get a hold of him look for a story on that.
I’ve also got some other stories involving softball, high school football, pro players from the area and other things on the back-burner should these three fail to take shape.
You keep reading I’ll keep hunting.
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