Air of enthusiasm
- Updated: June 18, 2021
Cherokee County high school football coaches talk excitedly about the season ahead
By Roy Mitchell
Special to East Alabama Sports Today
CENTRE – While the mid-June swelter is months away from crisp fall Friday nights, high school football teams have already started their 2021 season preparation. Most began their workouts shortly after school let out. At this birth of a new season, the coaches in Cherokee County exuded an unmitigated hope for their squads.
After a hot start in 2020 Gaylesville narrowly missed the Class 1A Region 7 postseason after injuries and COVID-19 forfeits took their toll. The Trojans lost their starting tailback to graduation, and they have struggled to keep quarterbacks healthy in coach Brian Knapp’s tenure. Even so, one gets the impression that the run-heavy Trojans are on the right track.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Knapp said. “We’re slowly building, and it’s headed in the right direction.
“We went 2-8 my first year. We went 5-5 last year. Now we’re ready to make the next jump – winning season, post-season, and advancing in the postseason.”
Cedar Bluff has a new coach and cause for optimism. In 2020 the Tigers finished second in the region, but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
“Cedar Bluff is a special place,” new coach Alan Beckett said. “It’s a place that likes sports. It’s a place that likes football. The kids work hard, and they’ve done all that I’ve asked.”
While Beckett is new to Cedar Bluff, he is not new to the sidelines or the area. The Cherokee County native has been a head coach for 13 seasons, including a stint in Collinsville where he amassed an impressive 43-23 record. While he wasn’t looking to leave his most recent post as Gadsden High’s offensive coordinator, he couldn’t turn down Cedar Bluff’s tradition.
“Tradition motivates the kids,” he said. “It motivates the parents. They tell the kids what happened in the past, and they want to live up to it.”
Sand Rock also has a tradition of success, but has suffered through three consecutive losing seasons. Despite coach Alan Heath coming aboard late last summer, the Wildcats won two of their first three games, but could must only one victory the rest of the year and finished out of playoff contention. Two midseason losses were COVID forfeits.
“We want to build the program back to where it was,” Heath said. “We have a bunch of guys who are good athletes and care about what they’re doing.
“We want to win ball games. Every play, every rep is a new opportunity. We should be competitive against every team we play.”
One team they will play is defending region champion Spring Garden. While the Panthers graduated veteran players, they will be armed in 2021 with one of the school’s largest senior classes ever.
“We want to continue where we left off,” head coach Jason Howard said. “The kids have been working hard so far in the summer. We want to continue that.”
Howard’s formula has worked. The Panthers not only won the region last season, they plowed through three other playoff opponents, advancing to the final four in the state in their first year of Class 2A competition. Spring Garden doesn’t hold football-specific workouts until July.
“All of our kids play so many different sports,” explains the winningest football coach in Panthers history (107-75 in two stints). “You try to do it all summer long, and you burn them out.”
Cherokee County, the county’s largest school, competes in Class 4A Region 4. Third-year head coach Jacob Kelley’s team comes off a 7-4, third-place 2020 finish and a valiant 17-14 playoff loss to Mobile Christian.
“We are right on the edge of where we want to be,” Kelley said. “Our playoff exit is what drives us. We want to compete for the region championship.”
The Warriors will employ a new quarterback in Cade Hopper, and they hope to remedy playing too many key players on both sides of the ball. While they adapt to those transitions, a staple Kelley has brought since day one is a weight-lifting enthusiasm.
“When I arrived we had two or three kids total that could power cling 225 pounds,” said Kelley. “We now have 35 kids that can power cling 225 pounds.”
The Warriors are also getting artificial turf in their stadium, which should raise the excitement level even further.
Roy Mitchell is a special correspondent for the Cherokee County Post-Herald.
2021 Schedules
CEDAR BLUFF
Coach: Alan Beckett
Aug. 26 – at Spring Garden
Sept. 3 – Valley Head
Sept. 10 – at Sumiton Christian
Sept. 17 – at Trion
Sept. 24 – North Sand Mountain
Oct. 1 – Woodville
Oct. 8 — Gaylesville
Oct. 15 – Appalachian
Oct. 22 – at Coosa Christian
Oct. 28 – Sand Rock
CHEROKEE COUNTY
Coach: Jacob Kelley
Aug. 27 – at Piedmont
Sept. 3 – at Springville
Sept. 10 – Anniston
Sept. 17 – at White Plains
Sept. 24 – Coosa
Oct. 1 – Munford
Oct. 8 – at Handley
Oct. 15 – Cleburne County
Oct. 22 – at Jacksonville
GAYLESVILLE
Coach: Brian Knapp
Aug. 20 – Whitesburg Christian
Aug. 27 – at Ragland
Sept. 3 – Appalachian
Sept. 9 – at Coosa Christian
Sept. 17 – at Valley Head
Sept. 24 – Asbury
Sept. 30 – Sumiton Christian
Oct. 8 – at Cedar Bluff
Oct. 15 – at Woodville
Oct. 29 – ASD
SAND ROCK
Coach: Alan Heath
Aug. 27 – at Pisgah
Sept. 3 – at Westbrook Christian
Sept. 10 – at Gaston
Sept. 17 – Southeastern
Sept. 27 – at Colliinsville
Oct. 1 – at Locust Fork
Oct. 8 – at West End
Oct. 15 – Spring Garden
Oct. 22 – Cleveland
Oct. 28 – at Cedar Bluff
SPRING GARDEN
Coach: Jason Howard
Aug. 26 – Cedar Bluff
Sept. 3 – at West End
Sept. 10 – Locust Fork
Sept. 17 – at Cleveland
Sept. 24 – Hokes Bluff
Oct. 1 – Gaston
Oct. 8 – at Westbrook Christian
Oct. 15 – at Sand Rock
Oct. 22 – Southeastern
Oct. 29 – at Wadley
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