Sheffield football looking to Wright the ship

The 2024 football season at Sheffield is going to look a lot different than the two previous years.

One major change is the Bulldogs moving up from Class 2A, Region 8 to Class 3A, Region 7. SHS has not been in 3A since 2015.

Sheffield moves into the same region as rivals Colbert Heights and Colbert County.

The Bulldogs are also being led by first-year head coach Johnny Wright. He may be a first-year coach, but he certainly isn’t new.

Wright helmed the Sheffield football program from 1987 to 1999, with a record of 72-70. He has returned now to try and turn things around for SHS, which has gone 3-7 and 5-5 over the last two years.

“I have been out of coaching retired for six years, and then I had the opportunity to come back to Sheffield and maybe make some changes,” Wright said. “I think we have since the day I got there. The kids want to win, and they are learning to pay a price to win, and they all bought in. We started out with a big number on sign-up day, but we have narrowed that to people who want to play.”

“We have a great season coming up. We moved up to Class 3A. We are one of the smallest 3As. We are excited to be playing football. There is nothing else like turning on the lights on Friday night. I can’t wait to get started. I am one of the older guys in the bunch, but I love my community and Sheffield High School as a person and a player. To get to come back as a coach and then come back again, I get chill bumps thinking about it.”

Wright said a lot of things have changed since he was last at the helm of the Bulldogs.

“It’s a totally different game,” he said. “I’m happy to make some changes, but the young men are working with me and I’m working with them. The speed and the strength are the same, but how the game is played is different.”

Wright said when he agreed to return to Sheffield, he told school officials he would need a quality coaching staff around him.

That staff will include David Hufstedler, who is also a former Sheffield head coach. His tenure was 2011 to 2020 (55-55).

“We have been working on aggressiveness and tackling on defense,” Wright said. I am very fortunate that I talked Coach (David) Hufstedler, who is our athletic director, into coming back. It took a long time, but he is back with me, and he is my defensive coordinator. These guys will tell you, he’s nothing but all out. I’m blessed with great coaches this year.”

The Bulldogs have been able to put points on the board over the last few seasons, with the problem being giving up too many in return.

Wright and his staff will look to turn that around in 2024.

The Bulldogs open the season at Decatur Heritage on Aug. 23.