Encore Coaches Media Day notes and quotes (2024)

After several months of working out, conditioning and practicing, high school football teams throughout the Wiregrass are now in the itching to play stage for the upcoming season.

“Between the spring and summer and all we are allowed to do, it is very important, but it becomes monotonous,” Zion Chapel head football coach Cody Keene Jr. said Friday morning during the annual Encore Coaches Media Day sponsored in part by the Dothan Eagle at the Highland Oaks clubhouse. “That (the offseason) is where you get better, but if you are a competitor, you want to go compete and that is what we are looking forward to doing in the next five or six weeks.”

The countdown to season openers is now under 40 days for Wiregrass teams in the Alabama High School Association, the Alabama Independent School Association and the Georgia High School Athletic Association.

AHSAA teams have opening games on Thursday, Aug. .22 and Friday, Aug. 23 as does the AISA. Georgia teams, including Dothan Eagle coverage teams Early County and Seminole County, start Aug. 16.

Official preseason practices are Aug. 5 in the AHSAA and AISA and July 29 in the GHSA.

Raising Cain and reading newspaper clippings: A year ago, Zion Chapel’s defense allowed 23.9 points a game, the third best per game defensive effort by the Rebels since 1996 and the best since 2011.

Keene, though, feels better things could be in store this season from the defensive unit.

“I expect our defense to be better this year,” Keene said on Friday during Media Days. “I will be disappointed if our defense isn’t Raising Cain every Friday night and reading newspaper clippings on Saturday.”

The Rebels return six starters on defense off last year’s 5-5 team, including returning all-state honorable mention linebacker Brayden Benbow. Three of the six returners are upcoming seniors with the other three juniors.

Two Dothan, one Houston County player commit: Three local football players, two from Dothan High and one from Houston County, have recently committed to play college football.

On Monday, Dothan offensive lineman Miquane Williams announced plans to attend Southern Miss. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder selected the Golden Eagles over offers from Appalachian State, Tulane and Alabama A&M.

Williams, a tackle, was part of an offensive line that helped the Wolves offense amass 3,273 rushing yards, 41 touchdowns and be a major part of 39.2 points a game last year, the second most in Class 7A behind state champion Central of Phenix City.

“He is 6-4, 260 and runs over 20 miles per hour,” Dothan head coach Jed Kennedy said Friday during the Encore Media Days event. “Athletically he does things that skill guys should do. He has come so far in football. He didn’t play for us as a freshman. I think he is just scratching the surface on how good he is going to be.”

On Thursday night, a second Dothan senior announced his commitment - wide receiver Jaden Barnes (6’0, 180) to the University of North Alabama.

“He is really special,” Kennedy said. “He is going to play all over the place for us this year – wide receiver/slot receiver/running back and will take snaps at quarterback like he did last year. He played some defense in the spring. He is really talented.”

Houston County senior running back/linebacker Azariel Todd committed to Alabama State three weeks ago on June 17. The 6-foot, 210-pounder is expected to play linebacker in college.

“You can’t ask for a better kid,” first-year Houston County head coach Tanner Harris said on Friday at the Media Days event of Todd. “He is coachable and works his tail off for you. Every day in the weight room he is bringing it 100 miles per hour. He soaks up everything on the field on offense and defense. He asks questions, helps teammates out and wants to do every drill 100 percent perfect.”

Early road warriors: The Carroll Eagles will crank up the buses for road trips early in the season, playing the first five games and six of the first seven away from home because of the installation of artificial playing surface and a new track at Mathews Stadium.

The first Carroll home game won’t be until Sept. 27 against Pike County.

“It was supposed to be our first four anyway, and then we moved the Elmore County game (Sept. 6) to Elmore County so the turf will be in before our first home game,” Carroll head coach Matt Mellown said during Media Day. “Our first home game will be versus Pike County (Sept. 27) … that will be our homecoming game. It kind of worked out well that we only had to move one.”

Mellown, who was hired at Carroll in February after serving four years as offensive coordinator at his alma mater of Andalusia, said having so many road games early in the season is a little scary in some respects.

“As a first-time head coach, it does make me a little nervous to be on the road so much early,” Mellown said. “From a financial standpoint, I’m a little worried about it, but we are going to split the gate with Elmore County … they’re kind of doing me a favor there.

“When you come in and take over a program, you have to spend some money to kind of get things where we want them.

“I feel like we’re going to be a team that gets better as the year goes along, so I may not want the home crowd to see the opening product, but I feel like by the end of the year, we’re going to be pretty good.”

Mathews Stadium will also get other upgrades soon as the Ozark City School Board approved on Thursday night a bid and plans to build a new home side press box, concession stand and restrooms.

Out of state battles: The latest state reclassification in January resulted in several teams scrambling for games and forced three Wiregrass teams to pick up all three non-region games against out of state competition.

Those three teams are Dothan, Opp and Houston County.

Dothan opens the season on Aug. 23 against Chiles of Tallahassee, Fla. at home, and travels the following week (Aug. 30) to Albany, Ga., to face Monroe. The Wolves end the season at home against Godby of Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 1.

Opp plays three teams from Florida in non-region action, hosting Northview in the season opener on Aug. 27 and traveling later in the season to Destin (Sept. 27) and Holmes County (Nov. 1).

Houston County also plays three teams in Florida during the season, going to Graceville (Aug.30) and Baker (Sept. 27) and hosting FAMU High of Tallahassee (Nov. 1).

Overall, there are 14 scheduled games by Wiregrass AHSAA teams against out of state foes. The other games include Enterprise at home against Choctawhatchee of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., (Nov. 1), Eufaula at Early County (Ga.) on Nov. 1, Northside Methodist Academy at Pataula Charter (Camilla, Ga.) on Aug. 23, Zion Chapel at home against Baker (Fla.) on Oct. 11 and Cottonwood at home against Randolph-Clay (Ga.) on Aug. 23.

By comparison, last year, Wiregrass AHSAA teams had 11 games against out of state competition, but five of those were by Pike Liberal Arts, which was in its second and final year of transitioning into the AHSAA and ineligible for region and championship play.