Smith has his team

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: April 2, 2020

Rosters announced for North-South football game, six Calhoun County players joins Wellborn coach on North squad

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

Wellborn football coach Jeff Smith said he was looking forward to putting his team together when East Alabama Sports Today first reported his appointment as head coach of the North team in the North-South All-Star football game in January and now he has it.

And it boasts one of the largest, if not the largest, contingent of Calhoun County players in the game’s history. And running backs, but given Smith’s penchant for a power offense would you expect anything less?

There are six players from Calhoun County on the roster, three from Class 6A state champion Oxford – J.B. Carlisle, title game MVP Zay Britt and Malik Satcher – Silas Thompson from Class 3A state champion Piedmont, Wellborn’s Dylan Gilbert and Ohatchee’s Domonique Thomas. There are several others from Calhoun County on the 10-man alternate list.

Other players from District 6 on the team include Hokes Bluff’s Darrian Meads, Randolph County’s Nick Sims and Dante Jordan and Clay Central’s Davion Phillips and Quentin Knight.

“It was definitely a good year (in Calhoun County football),” Smith said. “Of those kids from this area, they were so excited when I called them and told them they made the team it got me excited.”

The running backs on the team include Carlisle, Meads, Susan Moore’s Anthony Cervantes and Gordo’s Trey Garner. Three other all-stars – Ohatchee’s Thomas, Randolph County’s Jordan and Clay Central’s Knight – also were game-changing running backs for their teams listed at other positions in the all-star game.

“How bout those backs,” Smith gushed. “The good thing about it is I got to see all of them.”

It’s the second time Smith will be coaching in the game, but his first as head coach. He was the offensive coordinator on then-Leeds coach Keith Etheredge’s North staff in 2014. The North lost that game 20-12. Former Alexandria coach Frank Tucker directed the winning North team in the rain-shortened 2016 game.

Fort Payne coach Chris Elmore is Smith’s offensive coordinator and Susan Moore’s Heath Lauderdale is the defensive coordinator. The other assistants are Fultondale’s Don Dover (offensive line), Midfield’s Rod Isaac (secondary), Gordo’s Ryan Lolley (defensive line) and Haleyville’s Chris Musso (receivers). Lolley and Musso coached with Smith in the 2014 game.

Now, you’ve got to play the game. It’s scheduled for July 15 at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl and as yet has not been impacted by the coronavirus emergency.

“I hope everything works out and we get to play the game because we’ve got some very good kids in it,” Smith said. “Right now everything is on. We’ve got to take it day by day and see. Maybe once we get this month out of the way stuff will calm down and things will start loosening back up.

“It’s going to be fun, I’ll tell you that. I hope it all works out and we get to play. It’ll be an exciting time.”