Column – It’s football time again
It’s that time again.
A time of school colors and shakers. A time of freshly cut grass and concession stand hot dogs.
A time of Friday night lights and the will to persevere. It’s time for high school football.
High school football fans have waited nine long months to watch their local teams take to the gridiron once again and try to impose their will over their opponent.
Well fans, the wait is finally over. The Muscle Shoals Trojans get the regular season kicked off with an away game against fellow 6A foe Gadsden City.
This will mark the first ever meeting between the two in football.
The Trojans are coming off of back-to-back 11-win seasons, while the Titans, which first fielded a team in 2006, are trying to build off successful 9-4 and 7-5 campaigns which ended in the postseason.
As far as stats go, the 2023 Muscle Shoals team has the edge in both points scored and points allowed, but that was last year.
The Trojans return a lot of talent and are looking to make another deep postseason run under 17th year head coach Scott Basden, who has amassed a 149-46 record at MSHS.
A win here would help propel the Trojans into a stout Class 6A, Region 7 schedule that begins at Columbia on Sept. 6.
The Deshler Tigers have gone 20-5 over the last two seasons with head coach Patrick Malone at the helm.
Neither of the last two years ended quite how the Tigers would have liked, being punched out in the middle playoff rounds each time.
The Deshler offense has been a monster, amassing over 500 points each of those seasons, but the defense faltered at times last year.
The program still does not have as many seniors as in 2022, so some young but experienced players will be on the field in key positions.
Deshler plays at longtime rival Russellville to open up play on Aug. 23. Deshler fell to the Golden Tigers 35-13 last year but holds the edge in the all-time record at 48-45-4.
Class 5A Russellville is coming off a 9-3 campaign and will likely be a tough opponent Deshler is familiar with.
Due to Deshler now being in a nine-team region, the Tigers will follow up next week with the Class 4A, Region 7 opener on the road against Hatton.
Therefore, a win in the first week would be key to carrying momentum into region play.
Colbert County is looking to better its 6-5 and 7-5 records from the last two years and make a bigger impact on the postseason this year.
That starts at home against Central on Aug. 23. The two haven’t met on the gridiron since 2019, a 34-28 win for the Indians.
CCHS also holds the overall advantage at 38-4-1. While the Wildcats may have gone 6-5 last season, they are a talented team, especially on offense.
This matchup will likely be a good measuring stick for where Colbert County is as a team early in the 2024 campaign.
Sheffield returns to Class 3A under new head coach Johnny Wright, who helmed the program before from 1987-1999.
Wright is looking to turn things around after 3-7 and 5-5 campaigns by the Bulldogs, who haven’t made the postseason since 2019.
The first test will be on the road against Class 2A foe Decatur Heritage in the first-ever meeting of the two on the gridiron.
The Eagles had a good 9-2 run last year and may prove a tough opening test for Sheffield.
Rounding out the first week’s contests is the return of Colbert Heights versus Cherokee.
The cross-county rivalry hasn’t been played in football since 2019, a 56-0 win for the Wildcats.
However, Cherokee holds a 26-21 series record, and the Indians are fresh off a resurgent 5-5 year that fell one win short of the postseason after two prior 1-9 records.
Colbert Heights went 1-9 last season and is looking to turn things around.
Though the contest is a 3A versus a 1A, record books and school sizes tend to go out the window during rivalry games.
This contest might prove to be a good one, with both teams hungry for victory in 2024.
