Coaches Breakfast 082226
93.9 The Score WYTK - August 28, 2026
https://www.939thescore.com/coaches-breakfast-082226/

This transcript was generated automatically from the broadcast audio. Names and some words may be misspelt; the audio is the official record.

------------------------------------------------------------

Find an offensive line that might not be able to protect them. And at the end of the day, that may be why Kirk Cousins is there.
The Rich Heisen Show. Weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, ESPN Plus and on Disney Plus.
WYTK, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shoals. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Valley Broadcasting Corporation.
It's time for the 93.9 The Score High School Coaches Breakfast.
The Coaches Breakfast on 93.9 The Score is brought to you by Lost Pizza, John C. Saylor Attorney at Law, The Courier Journal, Millis Place, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, Southern Pride Pest Control and Bank Independent.
Now live from the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, here's your host, Kevin Johnson.
And good morning. Welcome to the first edition of the 2026 Coaches Breakfast.
Glad to be with you from the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic on a great and beautiful morning here in the Shoals area, high atop here at the North Alabama Medical Center.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you once again this year.
High school football is back. We can all breathe.
Oh, man, can't you just feel it?
Was it quite high school football weather? That is for sure.
It was way beyond high school football weather, but it was definitely one of those things where it was a lot going on last night with the heat, a lot going on, some with storms down in South Alabama.
But the biggest thing was it was a great night to get high school football started back.
Thursday night, boy, it had a little more weather delays, and we'll be talking with Coach Brett Maskell-Lexington here in a few minutes.
Some teams would get started, had to stop, had to start.
Some last night in Birmingham area had to stop because of weather and didn't finish up until after midnight.
But everybody seemed to get most of the games in.
We had a couple of electrical delays in a couple of stadiums that forced out some, so that wasn't good.
All that to say was is that it was just a lot going on, but high school football is back, and that's the big thing, and everyone's excited about that, and it's good to see it back as well.
Man, it just felt good to be in the stadiums, the Friday Night Lights, the bands, the cheerleaders, everything about it tied together.
It was just a good night to be back and see the young men participating on the field last night.
I hope you enjoyed high school football somewhere as well.
And, man, with all the new reclassification and all the new separations of regions, it's still mind-boggling a little bit trying to figure it all out.
We'll try to help you keep you separated on it throughout the season and keep you informed on that as well.
What were three things that KJ saw last night in high school football?
I'm glad you asked.
Let's start off with that game that was played between Deschler and Russellville.
The 100th year that these two teams of police played each other, and after last night, if I'm not mistaken, I think it's a 48-48-2 record.
I mean, that shows you how incredibly close those two teams have been.
Close in proximity.
They're great programs.
They're both named the Tigers.
They're very much mirror images of each other over the years.
And last night, why not just have an absolutely great high school football game to start the season down to the wire?
Both coaches are here today from Russellville and Deschler.
Last night, it was a two-point conversion stopped at the end, and that means at the end, it was the Russellville Golden Tigers getting the win last night, 28-27.
So, tremendous job there, and it was great to see those two teams get after it, and great crowd on hand.
That's what high school football is supposed to look like right there.
And I can't wait to talk to these two coaches to start off our broadcast today.
What else did KJ see last night?
Wow.
High school football can be romantic.
You hear about baseball is romantic.
High school football can be as well.
The CrossFit Lions were 0-30 in the last three seasons they played football.
But here's the key.
Their last season was 2022.
They shut down the program.
After going 0-30, not able to get kids to come out, they were like, we just can't do it.
The band continued to participate and play at different stadiums.
The cheerleaders continued to do basketball, but there was no football program at Crossville High School until this past year.
They got it together.
They got 30 young men to go out.
They got a new coach.
They put it together.
They played Asbury last night.
It's the first game that Crossville hosted in over three years.
The last time they won a game was in 2019.
Think about that.
Maybe even 2018, I have to go back and check.
So they were 0-30 in their last three seasons.
Last night, Crossville wins their home opener over Asbury, 24-13.
But here's even the kicker to that.
During the pep rally yesterday, the principal went over to them.
I think his name is Andy Sims, if I'm not mistaken.
He told the school, he said, look, if we win tonight, we're going to do like they do down on the plains.
We're going to roll the goalposts, and there's oak trees outside the stadium there.
We're going to roll all the oak trees.
Kids got all fired up.
Team wins.
They got fired up.
And last night, they rolled it.
It looked like Toomer's Corner in Crossville, Alabama.
What a cool story that is.
If you haven't read about that, look it up.
It's a cool story from last night.
Congratulations to the Crossville Lions.
And finally, the Fife Red Devils.
They are taking on a great, great Central Clay County team.
That's a big, big game between two great classic teams.
And Central Clay County came out and really took hold of the game and led it 14-0.
But Fife fought back in the second half, tied it up, sent it to overtime,
and Fife will end up winning the game with a two-point conversion stop on defense.
They held them out on the two-point conversion, and they knocked off Central Clay County 21-20.
That is what high school football is all about.
Let's look at some scores from around the state last night.
Remember, we're in six classifications, so 7A dropped to 6A.
Let's go.
Enterprise was over Pike Road over Enterprise last night, excuse me, 38-30.
Hewitt Trustwell in Auburn had a shootout, and Hewitt Trustwell won it 56-42.
That's a big win, but Hewitt Trustwell.
A game very much caught the attention of the Shoals area was Muscle Shoals
went down for the first time ever to take on Hoover on the road.
And I tell you what, the Trojans gave the Bucks all they wanted and then some,
but Hoover wins it 14-8.
James Clemens, big, I tell you what, James Clemens is a sneaky good team over there.
They've got some talent.
They knocked off Austin last night, 45-24.
Smith Station falls to the north side in Georgia, 29-6.
Let's get a couple of locals.
Spain Park just squeaks by.
Spartan on the road, 17-14.
In a game played Thursday night between two powerhouses, Thompson went down to Central Phoenix City
and flexed their muscles.
They won it 42-14.
That's an interesting score, 42.
I think it was actually 41-14 was the final score there.
And Vestavia Hills, they beat Parker last night, 32-14.
5A, Albertville, big win over Paul Bryant last night.
Congratulations, Albertville Aggies has had a lot of struggles.
They got a couple of wins in the past year.
And the home opener last night, they win it 20-13 over Paul Bryant.
Congratulations to them.
A-Rab shuts out Guntersville, 14-0.
Athens gets the win over West Morgan.
That's a big win for the Golden Eagles, 28-6.
In a game heard right here on 93-9, the score.
The Florence Falcons win on the road to take on the Pinson Valley Indians,
a team that they've not defeated on the field before in four tries.
But last night, it was all boys in white and blue.
The Falcons flexed their muscle last night and flew high,
then shutting out Pinson Valley, 45-0.
Hartzell, big win over Bob Jones last night, 35-6.
It was Huffman, a win over Hazel Green, 44-3.
Huffman's flipping their program around.
Jasper, who will play at Florence next Friday night.
That'll be a huge game at Brawley Stadium, the home opener.
Jasper has one of the top running backs in the state of Alabama, Mr. Cogar, is coming to town.
He just got an offer from Ohio State, only a junior.
They knocked off Huntsville last night, 28-14.
Other scores of interest from 5-8 last night.
You had one other I'll run to you right quick, and that is Russell and Deshler, as I mentioned,
28-27, as Russell wins that one.
Class 4-A, while they had some great wins last night.
Ardmore and East Limestone went at it.
Ardmore wins it 27-25.
Cullman falls to Boaz, 21-14.
Other scores of interest, Lawrence County and East Lawrence.
It was the Red Devils of Lawrence County winning it, 34-12.
Catch a couple others from this one.
Northside Rams, they're real.
They're going to be really good this year.
They go over to Winfield and knock off the Pirates, 49-27.
They're a team from down in Tuscaloosa area, but they are strong in that 4-8.
Class 3-8 last night.
And by the way, some of those 4-8 scores were late coming in.
We didn't get some of them.
I know Hatton knocked off Brooks last night.
They had an injury.
Our thoughts and prayers were with the young man from Brooks who was injured,
so they were late finishing that game up.
But I understand Hatton won that game.
I don't have the score before me, but that was one of those games.
Things like that happened in the first game.
Class 3-A, you had Clements getting by shows Christian last night, 47-16.
Haleville over Sheffield, 49-0.
Madison Academy beat Westminster Christian, 49-14.
These are scores reported to the HSA, so that's where I get these from.
Class 2-A last night, we've got a couple of scores coming in from 2-A of local interest.
Lexington on Thursday night knocked off Lauderdale County, 20-19.
Huge win for them.
Class 1-A, we'll run down to some of these as well.
We had Hulbertville over University Charter last night.
That's a big win for them, 28-22.
Brilliant.
Congratulations to Brent winning the shutout last night, 32-0.
They've got a fine young coach out there doing a good job.
And Red Bay was over a field camera last night, 36-20.
Mars Hill with a big comeback win over Madison Academy in private school A division, winning that one last night, 24-21.
That gives you just some of the scores from around the Shoals area.
I'll try to catch a few more of these if I can right quick, just to let you know some of these that we may have missed.
Hatton did beat Brooks last night, 27-20.
Also, last night we had, I think we said a couple of these other scores, but I'll make sure we get these in.
Lexington knocked off Lauderdale County, 20-19.
And Decatur falls to Buckhorn, 23-20 last night.
And I think that about does it for the scores from around the Shoals area.
And Hatton will beat Sheffield last night, 49-0.
When we come back, coaches from around the Shoals area are going to talk about Friday night's games and Thursday night's game.
We look forward to it.
This is the coaches' breakfast.
We're back in one minute.
You got a craving they won't quit.
Lost Pizza Company Shoals just dropped something new, and it's only around for a limited time.
Say hello to our jalapeno mac and cheese bites.
Crispy, cheesy, packed with a little kick, and serve with our house-made ranch for dipping.
Paired with the Philly, y'all, our loaded Philly cheesesteak pizza that's quickly becoming a fan favorite.
This is for a limited time only, so don't wait.
Come dine in or call ahead for to-go.
Lost Pizza Company Shoals, 201 North Seminary Street in Florence.
Dine in or to-go.
Let's go.
It's Friday night football.
I'm John Saylor, your local lawyer, and I'm proud to sponsor this year's scoreboard and Coach's Breakfast,
because there's nothing like high school football in North Alabama.
It's our schools, our teams, our bands, our cheerleaders, and everybody in the stands.
It's good times, and that's what Friday night football is all about.
Remember, neighbors, when you need a lawyer, call me, John Saylor, your local lawyer, at 256-740-3131,
or visit johnsaylorlaw.com.
Welcome back to the Coach's Breakfast here on 93.9 The Score.
Thank you to our sponsors who make it possible each and every Friday night to bring this here and have this here,
and we really appreciate that very much.
We're joined now by the head coach of the Russellville Golden Tigers, who are with us today, Coach Daryl Higgins.
Coach, new colors, new place, new faces, same results.
You get a big win last night over the Desher Tigers.
Congratulations.
Oh, thank you.
It was a lot of fun.
Huge crowd, great environment.
Really, just a great high school football game.
Yes.
I mean, I know that sounds so cliche.
It's what high school football was supposed to be like last night.
Both stands packed, two great teams, 100th year of sale.
I mean, everything about it, it was just what high school football was supposed to be in Alabama.
Absolutely.
It's a rivalry game.
It came down to the very end.
Momentum going one way, then the other way.
Just a lot of big plays.
Great memories for the kids that were involved in the game.
Let's talk about you right quick for a moment.
I know you're very much quick to deflect to your team, to the community,
but I want to talk about it doesn't change.
You obviously have gone from a great powerhouse that you built up at Marcel,
and now you take the job at Russellville.
How has that transition been for you this past summer and this fall,
and have you found yourself and said, okay, this has sort of re-energized me maybe in some ways?
Well, I didn't need any more re-energized.
I never lost my energy, but it's been a big challenge.
We had it so set at Marcel, everything was running just like a machine there,
and then so to come here and get it back started, trying to get everything in the right direction
has definitely been a new challenge, but it seems like home.
When I walked out and played our jamboree last week, it just felt very comfortable.
I got 10 people with me that was with me at Marcel, and then the coaches from Russellville have been amazing,
the community and the support.
My wife, Michelle, last week at the jamboree, those cheerleaders were unbelievable.
They cheered from start to finish at a jamboree.
It's just the community and the school, they love football.
They do love football in Russellville, Alabama.
There's no doubt about it, and there is great tradition there.
They're a team, a community that's hungry for great football, and they enjoyed it last night.
And I know, Coach, you grew up playing, I think, high school football at Coffey High School,
so you get to put the black and gold back on.
Did that feel good to get that black and gold back for once?
Oh, it did.
That's what I told the guys yesterday.
I said, this is right where I came from, the black and gold, the Coffey Yellow Jackets.
I love my time at Coffey and all my friends there.
We still have a little group.
We're sitting there at the Yellow Jackets, and so we go meet up and do a reunion,
and the black and gold is close to my heart.
What did you learn about your team last night?
They'll fight.
I didn't know when things get rough if they're going to fold a tent or keep going,
but I kind of had a good idea we'll keep fighting, and we did last night all night long.
We're not the smartest football team right now.
We're not the best football team, but we're gritty and we play hard, and the guys had a lot of fun.
Is it sort of fun to see something that you're building back and say, okay, this is going to be a fun building project?
Is it something you enjoy doing?
Absolutely.
The building process is very enjoyable to me.
I love the development of kids, athletes, the whole program, getting everybody on the same page.
I've really enjoyed myself.
Speaking with Daryl Higgins, the head coach of the Russellville Golden Tigers,
it is going to take me a while to learn to say that, too.
I know other people have as well, so if a broadcaster, if I mess it up, forgive me to all my friends at Russellville.
Let's talk about the game last night.
You come out and you win the game.
Obviously, we'll get to the end of it, but how did your team start?
And maybe talk about a few of the players that played well early on.
Well, we took the opening kickoff, and both our return guys hit each other and fell to the ground,
so we started back at our own 20-yard line or something like that.
But we put together an unbelievable drive.
Drove it all the way down, scored a touchdown, ran most of the first quarter out.
Tripped Cleveland, made some tremendous passes.
Darren Jones, to convert some third downs, made great plays.
It was really a beautiful drive to start out the game.
Real proud of the way we came out and played.
I know many times in your wing tee offense, it's a lot of big plays and stuff.
To get a driver like that, is that a confidence builder for your program there?
It was, and I like playing that way.
I like to move the clock, eat the clock, move the chains, make first downs.
And we came out and did exactly what we wanted to, start the game.
So then your team gets into this battle.
You knew it was going to be a battle.
That team across the way, Destler, is not going away.
And it's going to go down to four quarters.
Late in the game, they make a run.
They come back.
You had the lead.
They come back, get a score, get the ball back, score again.
Go for two.
Who made the big defensive play?
The whole defense was really getting after the quarterback.
He had a guy look, might be open.
I think we might have hit him early, but the ball was tipped.
Braxton Duncan, one of our linebackers, tipped the ball.
And so it's called pass interference, but with the tip ball, they made the right call.
And we were able to take a knee and run it out.
Our hands team did a great job.
Had to recover some onside kicks because there's still a minute left on the clock.
And that's a big thing.
People don't realize you make the play, the two-point conversion, and everybody's cheering.
They think, oh, we were going to win the game.
There's still that hands team that you've got to do.
Is that something that y'all work a lot on during the offseason and in the fall early?
We work on special teams a lot.
And I really think special teams was a big difference for us.
Winning the game, we ran a kickoff almost all the way back.
We recovered a kick and we got on the ball.
And our kicker, Andy Mojica, he did a great job of sky kicking it, pinning them deep.
So our special teams were tremendous.
Speaking with Daryl Higgins of Russellville High School and the Golden Tigers,
congratulations on your 1-0 record at Russellville.
And, of course, you've got a legendary coach already in this area, and we know about that.
Is it one thing, I know we talked about you adjusting to the new place,
and you've adjusted well.
How have this team and kids have adjusted to you and your coaches during this transition?
It's been good.
They know we love them and care about them, and we're trying to bring the best out of them.
And they've been great.
That's great.
And I know you talked about the community sports great.
We know that.
The team's into it.
Coaches are coming together.
Chemistry is such a big part of this game.
Do you see that as something that not only on the field but off the field you continue to work at?
Continue to work at it, do things together, talk to them about being a great teammate,
being a great person, making other people around you better, all those things that go in.
And hopefully these are things you'll build with you
and make you a better person throughout the rest of your life.
Who are some of your – do you have captains on the team this year?
Who are some of the captains or leaders on your team there?
We actually voted two captains that are permanent captains
that the team voted on before the start of the year.
And Tripp Cleveland, our quarterback, was one of them.
And he didn't even play last year.
He's a basketball, baseball player.
Got him out.
And he is a tremendous leader, really great quarterback,
made some big throws for us last night.
And one of our guards, Romario Francisco, is the other captain.
And he don't say much, doesn't do a lot.
But Romario is always going to do his job.
He's going to be there ready to go, never gets tired, just keeps playing.
You made a statement about getting Tripp Cleveland that didn't play football to come out.
Did you walk the halls at Russellville for a little while and say,
hey, boys, let's talk about playing football?
I walked the halls.
I was in the lunchroom.
We were in the gym.
We ended up, I think, when I got there, there was maybe 40 people on the team.
At one point, we got up to 92 people.
We're back down to about 70 people on the team.
But there was no stone left unturned to find players in that school.
You know, we talk about college recruiting and everything,
but you have to recruit within your own school.
And you have to say, hey, guys, let's talk about it.
We want you to come out and be a part of the team.
So that's great.
Let's talk about next week.
Who do you have and where?
Marceal at home.
Well, Coach, congratulations.
You scheduled that on the other end and turn around and it's coming to you.
How about that?
And that's something.
You know, this is going to be a fun event.
Let's be honest about it.
I know it will be different.
I know there will be a lot of emotions for both sides.
But at the same time, it really is a celebration of what you have done as a coach
and also what Marceal has done and what Russell has wanted to do again.
I think it's a great game.
That's going to be a lot of fun, though, isn't it?
It's going to be electric.
They've got so many good players.
Coach Hill, I was out there talking to him.
They beat a great Madison Academy team first game.
Those kids know how to win.
They're great kids.
It'll be a huge challenge for us.
Coach, I know you're probably not into the cartoons and superheroes,
but there's this old thing that you see on social media,
the Spider-Man going against Spider-Man.
They shoot the webs and they're the same.
I feel like that's what it's going to be next Friday night.
Wing T versus wing T.
I think we're going to see a little bit of each other.
Well, they're not wing T anymore.
Okay, they didn't go wing T.
Okay.
They went spread.
They're great at it.
They've got a lot of playmakers, got a really good quarterback.
Matthew McIntyre, the tight end, is one of the top players in the state of Alabama.
So, they've got players all over the place.
All right.
Well, you'll be tested next week.
What a fun game that will be.
Coach, congratulations again.
Tremendous win, tremendous for the community of Russell and best of luck all season long.
Okay.
Thank you.
The head coach of the Russell Golden Tigers, Coach Daryl Higgins,
and we come back more from the coach's breakfast after this one-minute timeout.
Thank you.
The Courier Journal includes exclusive regular features,
like Dave Ramsey's weekly column, Ask Dave,
plus informative business editorials, opinions, coming events,
all the local grocery ads, and the best retail values in the shoals.
And don't forget the Courier Journal's game day scorecard contest
during the football season.
Up to $100 of lost pizza gift cards and $50 from the Courier Journal
are up for grabs each week.
The Courier Journal, almost $50,000 mailed weekly.
Look for the Courier Journal in your mailbox each week.
At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our shoals' roots run deep.
We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces
so you never have to feel just like a number.
From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home.
As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the show families
for over 30 years, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you.
Learn more at nabjc.com.
Well, the jamming music has been jamming all Friday night and Thursday night, high school football.
Why not do it a little bit on Saturday morning as well as we lead into our next guest here on the Coach's Breakfast.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you from the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic.
They are so gracious to host us, taking care of athletes, giving the coaches a breakfast.
North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic will take care of you as well.
Tell them KJ and friends recommended them.
That is for sure.
They're joined now by the head coach of the Deschler Tigers, Coach Patrick Malone,
whose team was in that game last night with Russellville.
We just heard a little bit about from Russellville's side on it.
Incredible high school game.
Two great teams.
Coach, first of all, thank you for being here.
Did it feel good just to be back on the sideline Friday night and get the season started?
Absolutely.
You are so excited to get this time of year going.
We've got volleyball.
I had volleyball this week.
I got volleyball today.
The band had practice this week.
You got cross country running right now as we speak down in McFarland.
And I think y'all started flag football too.
Started flag football.
They're getting underway.
They don't play until September.
But it's just a great time for high school athletics.
It kind of kicks off the school year.
It's got that feel in the air, that fall feel in the air.
So it is.
It's a good time of year.
How important is it for young people to be involved in athletics?
Oh, my gosh.
I tell my own children, be involved.
Be involved just from a social aspect of your mental health.
You know, being a part of a team teaches you so many things.
Life lessons, they can't be taught outside of that.
So we push participation in multi-sports.
And at Deschler, we've got over 70% of our student bodies.
We're involved in athletics.
And that number just tends to keep growing.
Speaking of numbers, how many do you have on your team this year?
We're blessed this year.
We've got 70 kids, 9 through 12.
Wow.
23 of those are seniors.
Great senior class.
Tremendous leadership so far.
We've challenged them all offseason.
And they've answered every single time.
Just a great group of kids.
They've been raised right, I can tell you that.
And I think our community and our townspeople will be very pleased to have those guys represent
them.
Well said by Patrick Malone, the head coach of the Deschler Tigers, whose team last night
went to Russell, took on the Golden Tigers.
And it was the 100th time these two teams have fought.
I think if I saw the stats right, it's an even kill now, 48-48-2 record.
It's unbelievable.
That just tells you how close these two schools are.
And what a high school game.
Absolutely.
It was another typical Deschler-Russell game.
One or two plays, either way, would have made a difference on either side.
But atmosphere was great.
I can't thank our people enough for getting there early.
They were so loud.
Tremendous support, as always in Tuscona.
But I just really appreciate them making that trip down.
And so proud of our kids.
We didn't get it done.
But that's what I told them.
I said I was so proud of them, the way they fought, the way they continued to push and push.
And as the head coach, you feel that there's that, I don't know, that disappointment in you.
Not in our kids, but in your own self.
Man, I let our kids down.
I let our town down.
And that burning fire, when you don't come up on that winning side, keeps me going, keeps me up at night.
So proud of our performance.
There's obviously some first-game stuff that we've got to get corrected.
And I think the mistakes we made were in critical times of the game.
And when you're going against a very well-coached and a good team like Russell has, you can't lose possessions.
And it costs us some.
And some to build on.
And we're going to get it going.
Scheduling games.
You have to make a schedule.
People realize, once that time comes up and says, here's your region, schedule your games, coaches frantically are on the phone trying to find their teams to play.
It's hard to do always.
So you don't want to get left hanging there.
But you quickly make this schedule with Russellville and say, hey, let's play this game.
It's one that I think both schools agree to.
But to open up with this game, why is that so important to do that?
You look at it and it goes, okay, this has very little impact on your playoff and any postseason play.
Both, we're 15 miles from each other.
Right.
Great community support, both sides.
And you know it's going to be a great ball game.
And it's a measuring stick for both people.
I think both schools have really good programs.
So why not play it?
Why not play good competition?
Same with Mars Hill.
Coach Hickens was at Mars Hill at the time we scheduled.
I said, look, we need to play.
Yeah.
And at that time we think, well, y'all may be in our region.
Let's wait.
So we were scheduling them.
And if my memory serves me right, I think we were scheduling Mars Hill and Russellville at the same time.
And I was talking to the same person.
So, you know, and then you've got obviously Calvert County, which is a traditional rivalry there.
And we were hoping that was going to work out.
And it did.
And Coach Bond's doing a great job at Calvert County.
And that one will come up next Friday night at home for Desher as they host the Calvert County Indians.
Let's talk about who played well for you last night.
I know you had some hiccups here and there, as all teams did on both winning and losing sides.
But who played well for you last night?
I think collectively you look at both our offensive and defensive line.
I thought we got movement.
We did some things that we haven't done in quite a while.
I thought we ran the ball really, really well.
You look at up front, you've got your center, Jeremiah Madden.
You've got a senior guard in Jeremiah Beckwith.
And Jeremiah Beckwith is a guy that is so unselfish.
Went to him in offseason.
Said, hey, man, we're going to need you here and step up in this spot.
And he said, Coach, I got you.
So proud of him and his effort and his leadership to watch him develop and grow when he was a freshman to now as a senior.
And it goes back to that question you talked about, about being involved and being part of a team.
And he's done really, really well.
Our backs, Armani Jones, C.J. Grant did really well.
And Bryson Williams, first time quarterback, new quarterback for us, that's certain four years.
And he handled it exceptionally well.
But, C.J., there's not a guy on our team that I was disappointed in.
Good.
Other than the one in the mirror.
You know, so I just told him when we got on the bus, I said, I'm proud of you.
Few, few things we've got to fix.
And then we're going to get this thing right.
And we're a good football team.
We are.
We are.
And we're going to be a really good football team.
We just got to get it going, get it ready.
And I cannot wait for Monday.
That's the thing about football.
It's seven days.
So I've got to eat on this for seven days.
My wife's not happy with me right now.
It's pretty grumpy this morning.
So we'll see.
We're going to get it back ready to go.
Coach, I've got chill bumps.
I mean, the hairs are standing up.
That's a coach talk that I love right there.
And I think it's great that you take responsibility.
Tell the team, hey, it starts with me.
I'm going to take this.
And then we're going to take it from you this week.
Week one to week two is the biggest improvement.
We hear all the time.
It's a big week for y'all, I'm sure.
Absolutely.
And then you throw in Calvert County.
And it's, you know, our kids will hear all week from uncles, dads, grandfathers about
this rivalry.
And this is a rivalry that is special to so many.
And both communities are so prideful of their teams, and rightfully so.
And traditionally speaking, they're a ton of athletes on this little stretch of road between Deshler and Calvert County.
So excited for it.
It's our home opener.
I know our fans will be there and be loud.
Just extremely grateful for the opportunity to get back out there another time.
What a game.
Friday night at home, Deshler, Calvert County.
Again, starting out the season great.
It's going to be a tremendous game.
Should be a lot of fun.
It'll be a packed house.
Coach, we wish you the best of luck.
I appreciate it very much.
Coach Patrick Malone, the head coach of the Deshler Tigers.
We'll come back more from the Coach's Breakfast after this one-minute timeout.
Start your day at Milla's Place, where French toast, fluffy pancakes, and all your breakfast
favorites are served fresh and hot, weekday mornings starting at 6 a.m.
Come back for lunch or dinner and enjoy our meat and three meals cooked with Southern flair.
Or dig into a juicy burger, crispy chicken tenders, or our popular fried catfish served every day.
Whether it's dine-in or carry-out, come see us at Milla's Place, locally owned and operated
in downtown Florence, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
It's summertime in the Shoals, which means sunshine, hot weather, and a lot more bugs.
Ants, mosquitoes, termites, they love this time of year just as much as we do.
That's why so many homeowners and businesses trust Southern Pride Pest Control, locally owned
and operated right here in Muscle Shoals.
With years of experience, honest service, and a commitment to doing the job right, our team
doesn't walk away until you're completely satisfied.
Let us help you take back your home this summer.
Call Southern Pride Pest Control today to schedule an appointment.
When you have pests, we have solutions.
Welcome back to the coaches' breakfast, first of the year.
Get you a cup of coffee going, wake up a little bit.
KJ's got to wake up some, too.
It's been a long night.
Driving back from Pinson Valley last night, we got in after midnight.
But some coaches last night got to sleep late, got to sleep early, didn't have to worry about it.
Because some coaches were smart and scheduled their games on Thursday night and didn't have to worry about a thing.
And they come in this morning just as happy as could be.
And hi, how are you doing?
We're talking about head coach of the Lexington Golden Bears, Coach Brett Mask,
whose team knocked off Lauderdale County 20-19 Thursday night.
Huge win.
Congratulations, Coach.
Appreciate it, KJ.
That was a fun event.
And Thursday night games, you know, we'll get into that in a minute.
But let's just talk about the atmosphere and the game that night.
Well, it helps being the only game in the Shoals area.
Stacey Long at Times Daily called me last week.
He said, I just want to confirm this is a Thursday night.
I said, yes, sir.
He said, well, Coach, y'all are the only ones in the area.
And dollar signs popped in my head.
Thank you, Gates.
Yes, it did.
And I'm sure it was a great crowd.
And it should be.
No, because this area, northwest Alabama, they just crave high school football.
They love it.
And so that first game, I remember as a kid, if there was a Thursday night game
and my team, I'd go to it.
I'd go to it.
So it's a big deal.
So it was great.
And so you were the highlight of the whole northwest Alabama
and really part of north Alabama.
And boy, did both teams put on a show that night.
We did.
I mean, it's a classic rivalry.
I mean, there's no love lost there from our kids.
And, you know, great high school environment,
great way to start the season off and great for our community, both communities.
And, you know, you look up and it's packed and they're on the fence
and they just keep coming in.
It reminded me of some of those old school games growing up.
And that's how high school football is supposed to be.
It really is.
It's Lexington wins at 20 to 19, speaking with Brett Mask.
And Coach, weather did play a factor in this game.
Your game starts off.
There might have been a prophet that called you during the day and said,
hey, you know, are you going to play this tonight?
Oh, yeah, we'll get it in.
But you had a little delay there, didn't you?
We did.
We actually got the first half in.
About that time, you started seeing the flashes in the background.
And our admin kind of, they were on top of things and saw it coming.
And so we opened up our gym for folks and they went in there and they stuck it out.
Most of them went, jumped in the car, went down to Quickmark, got something to eat.
Of course.
And came back and just saw a bunch of headlights in the parking lot.
So it ended up being about an hour and a half, two hour delay.
Temperature dropped about 30 degrees and we were able to get in.
I think we walked off the field about 11, 11, 10.
But knew we were going to get it in, just hurry up and wait type situation.
I tell you what, Quickmark really loved that weather.
Oh, I'm sure they loved it.
They did well.
Let's talk about your team.
Who stood out for you and played well for you the other night?
Well, obviously Zane Kilburn.
I mean, he's, you know, honorable state or honorable mention all state last year as a freshman.
I mean, he's gotten better.
And I'm going to brag on our offensive line too.
You know, we've been on them all fall and, you know, they've had some rough days.
But, you know, when it mattered, especially on the fourth and three to really seal the game,
there was no thoughts upon it.
And, you know, we kind of told them, we called a timeout, tried to make them jump.
And they came over and said, look, we'll get it.
And, you know, when you got big gauge word and some of our guys on the right side and
they said, run it to our side, we'll get it.
And we kind of said, you know, in the huddle, you know, we did all this stuff in the off season
and we're not going to let three yards stop us.
So, and that's why we do all that and gave it to Sawyer Howard and just ran a little basic
duo play and got about five and kind of sealed the game.
I can't believe you called duo.
I've never heard you call that in my life.
That's great.
That's great.
Hey, listen, let's talk about early on.
You got a slip screen for a touchdown through that beautiful.
That was well conceived.
I saw that well blocked.
So you get that touchdown like that.
And it was a back and forth game.
But Lauderdale County comes back, takes the lead late.
And now you're down and you've got to come up with big plays down at the end.
And your team did come down with big plays down at the end.
Talk about the touchdown drive first.
Yeah, they did.
You know, it was kind of one of those deals where, you know, if it could go wrong,
it did go wrong there for a minute.
I mean, we hit the quarterback and they're running some option stuff.
And the ball just kind of pops up and just lands in one of their guy's hands.
I mean, and literally comes out of the pile.
And we thought he was down.
And then you just see number five going down the sideline.
And we could have very easily, you know, kind of here we go again.
Because I don't know what it is.
It's rivalry games.
There's just always something crazy that happens in those games.
And so, you know, we were just telling them, you know, we're down one score.
It was 19 to 12.
And I think some of the biggest plays we had were stopping them on two two-point conversions,
which kept us in the game.
And, you know, I don't think our kids realized how big a stop it was at the time.
But, you know, as coaches, we know, you know, when you're keeping score
and you start looking at kicking extra points and going for two,
you know, it was just one of those situations.
And we go down and score.
And I told Coach Davis, our offense coordinator, I said, look, have your two-point play ready.
And we were on about the 20 going in.
And I said, we already made that decision.
And not saying that, you know, we don't trust our kicker, but he's a first-year kicker.
And he's still kind of finding a way.
And we were going to put it in our guy's hands.
And, you know, win, lose, or draw, I mean, we felt confident in that.
And I had a 10th-grade receiver that ran the drag route right there on the back of the goal line.
He was about third option.
And Zane kind of did his thing and scrambled around and found him.
And, you know, he really didn't have a choice but to catch it.
So third option.
Love that.
Love that you were 20 yards out saying, let's talk about the two-point conversion.
Veteran coaching now.
That's what you're starting to become because you start seeing those things.
And that's good to see.
And then the other thing I think that really stood out to me was that, you know,
is it a feel thing knowing when to go for that game two-point thing?
Is it a feel thing as a coach because it's not always set in stone?
Yeah, I mean, you can look at those charts all you want.
But, you know, unless you're there in it and you just kind of feel the emotion
and feel the momentum, it's just – it really is just a feel thing.
And I think it's an experience thing.
And you just know your kids.
And I think if you know your kids and know your team –
and I think if we didn't go for two, we'd probably have a mutiny by some of them.
But that was already decided going in.
First time in a few years you knocked off Lauderdale County.
What was the celebration like for your team and for your community after that?
A lot of pats on the back.
You know, Friday, I told them after the game, you know,
Coach, we've got to go to school tomorrow.
I said, yeah, I promise you, it's going to be a lot better going to school after this
than it would be a loss.
I said, why would you not?
I'll be there early for that.
Yeah, absolutely.
So, you know, about two hours of sleep and you woke up,
but it's a whole lot easier waking up after a win on Friday morning than it is a loss.
So, we're very happy for our community.
It's the first time I think we've beat them since 2021
and only the second time – or third time since 2016.
So, you know, great for our fans, great for our place, and it was a fun atmosphere.
Now you turn to this week.
Who do you have and where?
We've got Clements at Clements.
So, you go from the purple jerseys to the white jerseys and go on the road,
get ready for that, and take it on to Clements team.
Is the week one to week two, is that a hard thing for you as coaches,
or is that one of the best weeks maybe in teaching and coaching up?
Well, you know, I think you're getting in your routine now.
Yeah.
And this was a weird kind of fall camp because the way school started,
the way we started early, it was just weird.
I mean, it was like an old school camp where you had two weeks to prepare.
And, you know, I told our kids, you know, the other day, and we were talking,
they're tired of practicing.
Not that they don't like to practice, but –
Let's hit somebody else.
Let's hit somebody else.
I mean, I told them the other day, I said,
we kind of took the practice schedule and just kind of threw it out.
I said, you know, if we don't know how to squeeze the wrong arm by now,
we're not going to learn in two days.
So we kind of threw the practice schedule out in the middle of the week
and just went out there and played football.
And I think there's a time and a place for that.
There's a time and a place for individuals.
And, of course, we teach all the technique stuff,
but sometimes you just got to put it down and go play
and let your kids have fun a little bit and kind of not back off a little bit,
but just go play football.
And that's what we did.
And I think that kind of changed kind of the thought process throughout the week
because I'll tell you what, Monday was kind of a rough day.
We had weather come in outside, had to go in the gym, you know.
And, of course, that nervous rivalry, you know, first game, opening up at home.
And, you know, sometimes you've got to do some things just to
maybe throw a little wild card in there and kind of rejuvenate them a little bit.
And they responded.
And I'm so proud of our team.
Well, we want to congratulate the Lexington Golden Bears on their big win.
We want to congratulate Quick Mart on all the money they made.
We want to congratulate the community.
And really, honestly, a tremendous victory for your team.
And congratulations to you going 1-0.
The Golden Bears go on the road to Clements next week to try to make it 2-0.
That should be fun.
Non-region game still.
Non-region.
And so that'll be good.
But, Coach, that was a big one for you.
So, celebrate, enjoy, and turn your attention to the Colts this week, okay?
Appreciate it, KJ.
The head coach of the Lexington Golden Bears, Coach Brett Mask.
When we come back, more from the Coach's Breakfast after this one-minute timeout.
Imagine a bank where you feel at home.
Real people living right here in your community are the heart of Bank Independent and everything we do.
You have our commitment to bring the people, ideas, and resources together that create a stronger community full of endless potential.
For over 75 years, we've served this place we all call home.
Bank Independent.
We're invested in you.
Member FDIC.
You got a craving they won't quit?
Lost Pizza Company shows just drop something new, and it's only around for a limited time.
Say hello to our jalapeno mac and cheese bites.
Crispy, cheesy, packed with a little kick, and serve with our house-made ranch for dipping.
Paired with the fillet, y'all, our loaded fillet cheesesteak pizza that's quickly becoming a fan favorite.
This is for a limited time only, so don't wait.
Come dine in or call ahead for to-go.
Lost Pizza Company shows, 201 North Seminary Street in Florence.
Dine in or to-go.
Top of the morning to you here in Florence, Alabama.
Great morning here.
Getting ready for the Coach's Breakfast, kicking off the first edition of the 2026 year here in the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you.
I don't know how many years I've hosted this, but it's been quite a few.
I'll put it that way.
Double digits, that's for sure.
And I look forward to it every year.
And these coaches enjoy the fellowship, getting to know each other.
They've known each other from all these years past.
And then sometimes there's a new guy that walks in and he says, hey, let me introduce myself.
And they've just taken him in.
And we're glad to introduce you for the first time on the Coach's Breakfast, the new head football coach at Mars Hill for the Panthers, Coach Chris Hill.
Coach, welcome.
Glad you're here.
And welcome to the show's area.
Thank you very much.
I'll tell you, it's a whirlwind this spring.
But, you know, things are settling down and I've been really enjoying, you know, Mars Hill Bible School and really enjoying, you know, Florence.
A lot of good places to eat here in Florence.
I'm trying them all.
Arkansas to Alabama, there's some things that are different, but the eating is there, the cooking is there, the hunting and fishing is there.
So all those things are still, there's still some similarities, I'm sure, as you come from Arkansas to here.
Have there been anything that's really been different for you, the change coming a little bit?
No, not really.
You know, the summer practice rules are a little bit different.
You know, in Arkansas, we could have padded team camps and, you know, basically go full pads.
But, you know, here's the difference with, you know, you can do the OTAs, but it's hard on those linemen, you know, not having pads on.
So that's been the main difference, but, you know, still everything boils down to fundamentals, blocking and tackling.
And, you know, our kids did a good job of that last night.
Let's get a background.
We speak with Chris Hill of Mars Hill Panthers, and we're going to spend a few extra minutes with you because it's your first time ever with us.
So what is your background in coaching?
Where did you start out, and where have you landed, and where are you now?
That may take it the whole show.
We may not want to go all of them, but where was the recent places?
Yeah, this makes year 36 for me.
Previous to coming here, I was down in El Dorado, Arkansas, way down south, right on the Louisiana border.
Before that, I was in Sylvan Hills up in Little Rock, Sherwood area.
Three years before that, I was at Hardin University coaching there.
And then the six previous years of that was when we were in Arkansas, East Arkansas.
But I have coached in Louisiana.
Been in Alabama before at Cordova in 2000, and actually in Prattville in 93.
Okay.
And then I've been in Tennessee.
So you've got four states there around close, but I'm just glad to be back here in Alabama.
Where did you play high school football at?
I played at Marlton, which is central Arkansas, right there off I-40, about 40 minutes northwest of Little Rock.
But that's where I went to school at.
Actually ended up going back and coaching there for three years, and the whole family's there and everything.
So that's a little bit of background on me.
And was you an offensive coach or defensive coach more so growing up, or a little bit of both?
More offensive.
The guy I really cut my teeth under was a great offensive mind.
Ronnie Peacock played receiver at heart, and he went to the Steelers, and it come down between him and John Stallworth.
I can't imagine who won that game.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And they cut him.
And I started working with him in Prattville and kind of followed him around back to Arkansas.
But he was an offensive-minded guy, more so than defense.
And I've kind of adopted the same philosophy.
Chris Hill of the Mars Hill Panthers, first time to have him with us.
And, Coach, welcome to Alabama.
Last night, what a game.
You take on Madison Academy, and your guys resilient, down 21-10, battle back, and win it 24-21.
And welcome to high school football in the state of Alabama again.
Yeah, I'll tell you, you know, it's a great time of year, you know, from now until I guess about Christmas there.
You've got the high school football and the college football playing all the time.
But, yeah, last night was a tough ball game.
You know, we're down 21-10 at halftime.
Did some good things, but just kind of challenged the kids at halftime.
And, I mean, our kids come out and they fought and they battled.
You know, we have several guys playing both ways.
You know, they just stayed after it and stayed after it, persevered, and was able to, you know, get a couple scores there in the third and fourth quarter.
And then we had a great, you know, defensive stand there at the end of the ball game to end it.
But it was a huge win, huge win for our kids.
And, you know, it just shows the type of character and the toughness that, you know, that Coach Higgins has been developing there for however many years he was there.
And they just continued last night.
And so, so proud of those young men.
Talk about who played well for you last night at Marcel.
Yeah, you know, our defense played well.
Carter Ham, he played outside backer probably about as good as you can play it.
Really good job.
Had him an interception.
He's such a, he's just a competitor.
He just, he has a lot of instinct.
Our front played well.
You know, their quarterback is unbelievable.
I mean, he is, he's unbelievable.
So we had a little trouble containing him early.
But like I said, we just stayed after it and was able to get a stop when we needed to.
But, you know, I just have to, you know, we pitched a shutout in the second half.
I think our whole defense, you could be, you'll talk about them.
Offensively, I thought Titus Cosby, quarterback, played really well.
Malin Moore, receiver, played well.
Getting better on the offensive line.
Still got a ways to go on the offensive line.
But we're so young up there, you know, three sophomores.
All they're going to do is get better and get better and get better each week.
So, you know, we challenged them after the scrimmage with Fayette County and Bibb County.
Just, hey, I want to be the most improved team in Alabama from the scrimmage to week one.
And we were vastly improved, but we still have a long ways to go.
But I know the kids are going to work at it and be there and put the effort in.
And so, you know, we feel not satisfied, but feel a lot better after last night than we did against the Jamboree.
That's a great assessment right there.
I love what you said, Coach.
Coach Chris Hill of the Barfield Panthers.
And, Coach, I'm going to be honest with you.
I'm wondering, I said, I just wonder what this new coach, Coach Hill, I know he's a veteran coach.
I know he knows what he's doing.
But I wonder what kind of coach he's going to be.
And then last night I found out that when your team was down and you had to have it, you run a double pass to win the game.
And I was like, I like this coach.
He's like me.
I'll run that trick play.
Coach, you run it once.
You run it twice last night.
Yeah, we ran it twice in the reverse.
So, you know, we struggled there a couple times offensively and just, you know, they were aggressive in the secondary.
And, you know, we want to make a defense defend 160 feet.
You know, we don't want to play in a box.
We want them to defend 160 feet.
You know, maybe sometimes, you know, they were aggressive, biting up.
And, you know, the last one for the touchdown, you know, we throw it.
And I thought it was going to get knocked down.
And, you know, Baylin kind of does his shortstop sidearm throw underneath the guy's arms.
And Jesse Parker catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
And then, you know, then we go for two to put us up by three.
And, you know, Titus did a great job of finding the end zone.
Well, it's sort of like a shortstop to second base to first base, 6-4-3.
And you get the touchdown to win it and a big win over a great Madison Academy team, 24-21 coach.
And I congratulate.
By the way, as a coach, putting your offense in, you're putting a brand new offense in and you scheme in.
Are you still building on that?
I know you've had summer and all, but is there still things to build on from that?
Yeah, I think there is.
You know, just, you know, you have to have the basics and fundamentals down first.
But, you know, there's so many things you can do.
Just, you know, receiver tags or blocking tags.
It's kind of never-ending.
That's, you know, we only have these four running plays.
But, you know, when you're able to – what I like to do is keep it the same for those five guys up front.
Don't want any cloudy – no cloudy minds up front.
Keep it the same for those guys and do all the window dressing in the back end.
But, you know, it is a process.
You know, we're – we've about got everything installed we're going to do.
We just got to get a little better at executing it.
All right, Coach, so you're winning on the season.
Woo!
Everybody celebrating Marce Hill.
We're high-fiving.
All right, you celebrate, and then you woke up this morning and said,
now, let's look at this schedule.
Who do we have next week?
Where are you going and where?
Yeah, we get to go to Rustville next week.
You know, that's going to be a – you know, just got to visit Coach Higgins out there
for about 30 minutes and always enjoy – always enjoy visiting with him.
And, you know, he's the reason that Marce Hill's program is where it's at right now.
I mean, there's – anybody to be foolish to say otherwise.
He, you know, he grew that program and developed that program.
So, you know, it's going to be – it's going to be fun, you know,
competing against him, competing against his team.
I know our kids will be excited.
They'll be excited.
And, you know, I'm sure it's going to be a great atmosphere.
I figure we'll bring a big crowd.
He showed me the pictures of their crowd last night, stands packed.
So, you know, it's going to be a great atmosphere.
We just – you know, we've got to put this last game behind us
and start working on – start working on Russellville.
What a fun high school football game it's going to be.
I mean, that's rare what you're about to see is one coach leaves a program,
goes to another program, and then they're going to face each other in week two.
You're a veteran coach.
You've been around this so much.
You bring that calmness and all to the team.
It's going to be a fun – that's what high school football is supposed to be like,
is it not?
Oh, yeah.
It's going to be – you know, a high school football game,
you look at all the people involved just from the student body.
Not only your football players, but your cheerleaders, your band, you know,
your dance team.
I mean, it brings everybody, you know, probably half of the student body
is going to be involved in some type of activity there Friday night.
And the other half will be up there going crazy in the stands.
So, I expect it to be a great atmosphere.
You know, nothing like high school football, especially in Alabama.
I think so as well.
Marcel will go on the road to take on Russell next week.
Coach Hill, by the way, did the coaches back here treat you pretty well tonight?
Absolutely.
Sure did.
Good breakfast back here?
Good breakfast.
Got some good fellowship in there, so it was all good.
I know it's an early Saturday morning, but we really appreciate you coming.
We welcome you to the area.
Welcome to Marcel, and welcome to the show's area.
And thank you for being our guest this morning.
Thanks for having me.
The head coach of the Mars Hill Panthers, Coach Chris Hill.
We come back more from the coaches' breakfast after this one-minute timeout.
Let's go.
It's Friday Night Football.
I'm John Saylor, your local lawyer.
And I'm proud to sponsor this year's scoreboard and Coach's Breakfast
because there's nothing like high school football in North Alabama.
It's our schools, our teams, our bands, our cheerleaders, and everybody in the stands.
It's good times, and that's what Friday Night Football is all about.
Remember, neighbors, when you need a lawyer, call me, John Saylor,
your local lawyer at 256-740-3131 or visit johnsaylorlaw.com.
The Courier Journal includes exclusive regular features, like Dave Ramsey's weekly column,
Ask Dave, plus informative business advertorials, opinions, coming events,
all the local grocery ads, and the best retail values in the shoals.
And don't forget the Courier Journal's game day scorecard contest during the football season.
Up to $100 of lost pizza gift cards and $50 from the Courier Journal are up for grabs each week.
The Courier Journal, almost 50,000 mailed weekly.
Look for the Courier Journal in your mailbox each week.
Gorgeous, gorgeous Saturday morning.
Hope everyone handled the Friday night heat last night.
I tell you what, dehydration was a part of it, cramping up and dehydration and barely could walk around,
and that was just me.
I'm not even talking about the players.
I mean, it was pretty rough last night, but we all made it through it.
A great night for high school football and a beautiful day today,
and I hope that you're enjoying this beautiful weather because high school football is back,
college football around the corner.
Going to be a lot of fun, and 93-9 the score is your home for sports throughout the year.
But I'm telling you, when it gets football season, we'll have Alabama football.
We'll have Florence High School football.
We'll have all these shows like the Coach's Breakfast.
It is a fun, fun time of the year.
And as I say, once we hit this time of the season, the fastest part of the year is August to November.
It goes by so fast, it'll be here before you know it.
Well, we've had some veteran coaches on today.
We've had Coach Daryl Higgins with us from Russellville High School.
We've had Coach Patrick Malone from Desher High School.
We've had Coach Brett Mask from Lexington, Coach Chris Hill, the new coach at Mars Hill,
but he's a veteran coach of 36 years.
Man, we've got all these great coaches that put so many years into it.
And now we have the quarterback coach from Carver County High School
who's on the other side of that spectrum.
Welcome to it as we have now for the first time, Lucas Kraft.
How are you doing, Coach?
I'm good, man.
Let me get your microphone on here.
You doing okay?
Yes, sir.
I'm good.
Glad to be here.
Really excited for this year.
Well, I tell you, this is your first year at Carver County.
You graduated from Carver County in your first year to come back and coach here.
Feel a little awkward there?
It did at first, but a lot of the familiar faces that I've known,
they've all moved on and either retired or gone somewhere else.
So it's pretty much like coming back home, yes, but to a new place almost.
That is well said.
I like that because it is.
Oh, boy, am I going to know a lot of the kids?
I'm going to all the teachers.
But you do have that new feel to it, so that's good.
And you do coach quarterbacks.
So when you walked in and I knew who you were, and I was like, man,
he looks like a quarterback coach.
Have you ever noticed that certain coaches, when they're on the field,
can you pick out the other teams?
That's the defensive line coach there.
I bet that's the defense corner.
I bet that's the – can you pick them out just by looking sometimes?
Sometimes.
Sometimes you can, but, you know.
Not always.
He's not going to stare you up to him.
I can do it quite often.
So, well, let's talk about your – let's talk about last night's game.
You get the win over Calvert Heights.
Calvert County wins it last night.
I think it was 58-12 was the score.
And, Coach, a big win.
Was that game on the road or at home?
Yes, sir.
It was at Calvert Heights last night.
So putting on the white jerseys.
That's a little bit different traveling.
You got – especially first game of the year.
You have a lot of logistics to do.
Are you a part of those logistics?
For the most part, or not a lot of it.
Yeah, kind of.
Just making sure everybody has everything that they need and things like that.
Do you double-check your quarterback stuff?
I did last night.
I walked up to him before we left, and the one thing I told him, I said,
make sure you have a left cleat and a right cleat.
Listen, I know that sounds funny.
That is great coaching.
We one time went to a game, and our star player turned around and said,
Coach, I forgot my cleats.
It happens.
It happens.
So you have those things happen.
So, yeah, when you're on the road, it's always different.
But it must have been pretty good for you last night.
How did the game start out for you all last night?
Last night, like you talked about earlier, it was hot.
The kids didn't – they weren't expecting it.
Now, it was a lot hotter last week in our jamboree,
but we had expected it to cool off a little more.
So Calvert Heights came out, and they played well early.
They kind of hit us in the mouth.
They returned kickoff back,
and then they scored one.
They had a big play on offense and stayed in the game pretty early,
and then we kind of responded after that.
So you sort of had to settle down.
Is that hard when you get hit in the mouth like that,
and all of a sudden you're like, whoa, whoa, what's going on here?
What is the importance of the sideline during that time?
Just make sure everybody stays in the game because it's – you know,
dealing with high school kids, it's very easy for them to kind of flip momentum
and get down, and then, you know, it could be a big play that we have on offense
or defense, and it changes the whole momentum of the game.
That's a quarterback coach.
We speak with Lucas Craft, quarterback coach at Carvert County High School.
Are you in the box or are you on the sideline?
Which do you prefer, or does it really matter?
I'm on the sideline.
I've actually never been in the box, and I asked our head coach, Coach Bonds,
before the year where he wanted me to go, and he just said wherever I was comfortable.
So I'm on the sideline.
You like being down there with your quarterbacks, eye to eye, had that conversation.
Is it sort of different seeing their face and talking to them like that?
I think it is, absolutely.
I just think it's easier for me to communicate with our quarterback
and just with players in general on the sideline
whenever you can actually see them face-to-face
instead of talking through a headset to them.
So we speak with Lucas Craft, quarterback coach at Carvert County High School.
Let's talk about your quarterback.
Who is he, and what kind of game did he have last night?
Sean Blevins.
He's a junior.
He played last year as a sophomore a good bit,
but this year he's really came on.
His fundamentals have gotten a lot better.
Last night, I believe he went 9 of 13.
There was a couple of drops in there by the receivers, but a very efficient game.
I think he was like 9 of 13 for around 150 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.
Very, very efficient.
I had to make you feel good.
Is quarterback coaching, is it a lot more about film work and things like that?
What do you think is one of the most important things in coaching up quarterbacks?
So this year, it's different for every kid, every quarterback.
This year, I've realized that for Sean, our quarterback, he, it's been fundamentals very early.
Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.
And then here lately, we, his fundamentals have gotten a whole lot better.
His footwork's gotten a lot better.
And now we're transitioning into a lot more film work and a lot more film study.
Film work and film study.
Is that done early in the week?
Is that done on weekends?
Talk about when that's done and how.
And now it's different with huddle.
So do you do it, talk about, say, hey, you watch this.
We'll come back and talk.
How does this work?
So Sean is actually, he is a, he's turning into a film junkie.
Okay.
He's wanting to watch film all the time with me.
He'll ask me before school.
He'll come in to, I'm in PE, so he'll come into the gym during one of his study hall classes.
And he's like, hey, coach, can we watch the film on this?
I got a question about, you know, what they do in this formation or what they do in this formation.
He's really, I mean, he wants to do it all the time.
He really wants to be a very special player at Calvert County High School.
Well said there.
So we speak with the quarterback coach of Calvert County, Lucas Craft.
His team last night won at 58-12.
And Coach Craft, you're a 1-0 of the season.
Had to feel good coming back on that bus ride.
Who else played well for you?
I know you watched the quarterbacks.
Who else played well for you last night, feel like?
As a group, maybe even.
Yeah.
Last night, I thought our offensive line played very well for us.
I think we had right around 350 rushing yards.
Sir Miller, our leading tailback, he had, I want to say it was around 270 on the ground.
Corey and Campbell, he had about 70 yards rushing, around 80 yards receiving.
Had an interception, a couple of tackles.
Drake Hayes, he didn't play last week during our jamboree.
He was out with an injury.
He was back last night.
He was leading the defense.
I think he led the team in tackles.
He also had, he carried the ball a bunch, caught a couple of passes.
So it was nice to have a bunch of our pieces back.
I like that as well.
Let's talk about real quick, who do you have next week and where for Calvert County?
Next week, we travel to Deschler.
We go play Coach Malone.
So go see Coach Malone and him over at Deschler.
It should be fun.
And it's going to be neat to see.
That game was always a great game.
You've been a part of that some.
So it will be a great high school game.
And are these two games starting off good for your team, getting ready for region play coming up?
Oh, I absolutely think that they are.
Calvert Heights, you know, they're always very scrappy.
They fly around to the ball.
They're always a physical team.
And then Deschler as well.
They're also always a very fast and physical team.
They fly around to the ball.
They're always coached up well also.
Well, I think it'll be great.
Before I let you go, as we speak with Coach Lucas Craft, his team won last night,
PTA 12 for Calvert County over Calvert Heights.
Getting ready to take on Deschler this next week.
Your dad was a coach.
And is that where you got that a little bit from?
Your dad, Lee Craft, he said, hey, no, I've watched him over the years and mimicked him.
Did you think this is where you would end up?
No, not necessarily.
You know, the whole time I was in high school, my dad coached football for, I believe it was 17 years.
And then he got into administration.
I'd said my whole time in high school, I was never going to be a football coach.
I didn't want to do it.
I didn't want to be a school teacher.
And here I am.
I just couldn't get away from it.
Yeah.
It's just part of it.
I think it's just part of that craft family.
You know, it just sort of goes down there.
Well, I'll tell you what, you were raised by a good one and a great family there.
And I know your family well.
And it does my heart good to see a young man like you get into the coaching profession.
We need more young men like you into the coaching profession and wish you the very best.
Carver County at Deschler next Friday night.
I don't have to say any more about that.
Both cities are going to be there.
Just roll up the towns.
They will be there.
It's going to be fun.
Coach, best of luck, okay?
Yes, sir.
Go Indians.
The quarterback coach of Carver County High School, Coach Lucas Craft.
And we can come back more from the coaches' breakfast after this one-minute timeout.
At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep.
We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number.
From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home.
As UNA Athletics, choice for orthopedics, and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals families for over 30 years.
North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you.
Learn more at nabjc.com.
Start your day at Milla's Place, where French toast, fluffy pancakes, and all your breakfast favorites are served fresh and hot.
Weekday mornings starting at 6 a.m.
Come back for lunch or dinner and enjoy our meat and three meals cooked with southern flair.
Or dig into a juicy burger, crispy chicken tenders, or our popular fried catfish, served every day.
Whether it's dine-in or carry-out, come see us at Milla's Place, locally owned and operated in downtown Florence, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Buy TK Rogersville-Athens to cater the Shoals, Sports Radio 93.9 The Score, Valley Broadcasting Corporation.
Top of the morning to you here from the Coach's Breakfast at the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic on the first Saturday morning of the 2026 season of the Coach's Breakfast.
Glad you're with us to get that second cup of coffee going.
Beautiful morning in Florence, Alabama.
Kevin Johnson with you.
Glad to be with you.
Had five or six coaches already, and now we're joined by a coach that has transitioned a little bit into a new role, and I'm glad to have him with us.
Always good to have my good friend, Coach Tim Bowens, who is now the Assistant Athletic Director at Florence High School.
Coach, how are you doing, my friend?
I'm doing great.
We bring you greetings, me and Myra Miles from Florence High School.
We're excited about what we've got going, Kevin.
It's good to see you always.
Well, I think you see me more than you thought you'd see me.
I try to sneak around and see Brawley Stadium, and every time I do, you're giving tours.
I mean, I look up there, and I say, he's got a group of people.
You know my car well because you catch me up there a couple of times, and I thought, this is great.
It has been a new transition for you to step into this role.
Have you enjoyed it?
It's been a lot of work.
You know, I don't think those tours have been showing anybody around.
I think it's been work more than anything.
So we've taken a tall task there, and Coach has got a vision, and as you can see, we're
trying to transform Brawley to make it Florence.
You know, it's going to be incredible, and this Friday night, the home opener for Florence
High School, and the community will want to come out and see all the changes that have taken
place, and just, man, every time I look around, something is happening at Florence High School.
So, you know, it was in good shape before, but I feel like it's even becoming in greater
shape.
Now, talk about your transition into this role from coaching.
Last night, Friday night, was it a little strange for you not to put on a headset on a
Friday night in a football game?
It was definitely different.
You know, when I talked to Coach Miles, you know, we were at the Hall of Fame banquet back
last year, and she was up.
She said, hey, I take this job.
I get an opportunity to go.
I want you to come with me.
And Steve Harrison goes, well, if you'll take your seats right now, and she left.
She goes, we'll talk later.
So, it took off from there, and then we talked, and the transition went forth.
And, you know, I mean, who else to be with?
I think probably one of the most well-respected athletic directors in the state of Alabama.
Absolutely.
And, I mean, what she did at Hoover High School and Vestavia High School and at the University
of Tennessee, you know, with Jeremy Pruitt and, you know, those guys.
So, we're excited about where we're going, and the transition has been really well.
I mean, we've hit the ground running.
Every day, we've got some tall tasks that we're trying to accomplish, and there's always
something that you've got to get done.
And so, we're excited about today.
We're excited about all of our teams.
We started flag football this year, and so they've been doing a great job.
I'm going to volleyball here in just a few seconds.
So, we've got cross-country today.
We've got volleyball at another place.
So, there's a lot of things as far as our cross-country and swim.
I mean, you name it, we've got a lot of sports going.
So, a lot of things going that we're excited about.
That's well said.
Tim Bowens, Coach Tim Bowens, I always call you Coach, Assistant Athletic Director at
Florence High School in his first season.
And, Coach, you know, this is, to the folks in Florence, an amazing hire to have Coach Miles
come in, but also to have you come with her.
That's when I step back as a long-time Florence supporter and going, wow, somebody has done
something right here.
And it's a team that we're excited about, and we've already seen a lot of the benefits of
that, of things you're building, putting your fingerprints on that.
But it's also exciting to see the kids and the student-athletes starting to see this opportunity
to build something, too.
And you're seeing all the sports.
And last night, Florence High School football had a great victory at Pinson Valley.
The flag football team had a great victory.
It's not always about wins and losses, though.
It's about the kids.
Talk about how important it is that you know how much important it is for the student-athlete
to experience that moment.
Oh, it's so important.
And part of our job is to make that student experience great as it can be.
And when our students see it and they get excited about what you're doing, and it starts
from the alignment from our superintendent, Mr. Hopkins, all the way down, from our principal,
Dr. Westbrook, and so forth.
And the students, you could get behind it and be excited about that.
The community, we hope that they can see that.
And the kids, I tell you, we want them to stop by our office and see us and come in there
because we don't get to put the whistle on as much and get in there as our coaches do.
But we want to make sure that we have a first-class facility, first-class everything that we do,
how we do what we do, and we're fired up about that.
As you well, you should be.
And, Coach, you also have a son still playing high school football.
That is very important to you, too.
He's a fine young man.
You know, that has to be something that's different for you a little bit, too, to go in.
I mean, I still think of you as a young guy.
I mean, I really do.
And I look around, and your son is playing.
I was like, oh, my goodness.
It's got to be a pretty neat feeling, though, isn't it?
Oh, yeah.
I mean, he's my youngest son, actually.
How about that?
But that means I'm getting a little bit older, I guess.
But always good to see him play and a little bit different for me the last couple years,
being able to coach him and then not kind of step back from that and sit in the stands
or stop by and say hello to the coach if the coach says he needs something, you know.
And that's what I'm here to do.
And now I've taken on a lot of other kids, you know, in a different place.
And just, I mean, for us, I mean, it's a great time and interesting time for my family as well.
And so we're always looking for a new challenge.
Who was the biggest influence on you when you were a young man as far as a student athlete,
maybe as a coach?
Maybe the coach, maybe nobody thought about it.
Who was that coach that's like, man, he really made a big difference in my life?
A lot of different coaches.
I mean, you know, I can't name just one.
I mean, from high school, Mike Willis, who was a basketball coach of mine,
and it probably made a very huge impact on me.
And Tim Yeager did too, but Coach Willis was a little different in how he approached
and talked to you.
And, you know, he'd yell at you one minute and then he'd give you a Bible verse
and the next, you know.
And then, you know, go on to college and play and, you know, get in a play for Dabo.
And Gene Stiles was just a different type of coach, you know.
And they don't make that many more like that anymore.
And so play for Mike Dubow.
So there were a lot of different people that made an impact.
I mean, then you get into my coaching world and get to work with guys like Joy Jones
and Pat Sullivan and Neil Calloway and Sean Elliott, who's at South Carolina.
So, you know, a great number of people made an impact and made a difference in my life.
I guess as you look back on your career, you're like, wow,
I really got to rub shoulders with a lot of incredible men.
And that's impressive too.
Well, I tell you what, there's going to be a lot of young men,
from Florence High School and from Brooks High School that will look back on their life
and say, man, I got coached by Coach Tim Bowens.
And that's quite a special compliment for them too because you're one of the best in the business.
We are very thankful you're at Florence High School.
It's a Florence guy that I covered them on the radio.
We're excited to have you here and we wish you nothing but the best.
And the best of luck to Brooks and your son too as they go through the season as well.
And Coach, thank you for joining us today.
Thank you.
Y'all come out and support us at Florence High School.
We've got Jasper coming into town this week.
Oh, yeah.
We're excited about that.
Yeah.
And by the way, did you notice I never even mentioned Alabama or Auburn with you the whole time?
You didn't.
You didn't.
And usually you do say something about Alabama.
Yeah.
I was real nice to you today.
You were.
Coach Tim Bowen's assistant athletic director at Florence High School.
We'll come back one more coach and we'll wrap it up.
This is The Coach's Breakfast.
It's summertime in the Shoals, which means sunshine, hot weather, and a lot more bugs.
Ants, mosquitoes, termites, they love this time of year just as much as we do.
That's why so many homeowners and businesses trust Southern Pride Pest Control, locally owned
and operated right here in Muscle Shoals.
With years of experience, honest service, and a commitment to doing the job right, our team
doesn't walk away until you're completely satisfied.
Let us help you take back your home this summer.
Call Southern Pride Pest Control today to schedule an appointment.
When you have pests, we have solutions.
Imagine a bank where you feel at home.
Real people living right here in your community are the heart of Bank Independent and everything
we do.
You have our commitment to bring the people, ideas, and resources together that create a stronger
community full of endless potential.
For over 75 years, we've served this place we all call home.
Bank Independent.
We're invested in you.
Member FDIC.
Welcome back to the Coach's Breakfast here on 93.9 The Score.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you.
Big day already.
Just have a bunch of coaches in.
And more coaches, I hope, will come throughout the year.
They're just getting started.
We had Coach Patrick Malone from Deschler.
Coach Brett Mass from Lexington.
Coach Daryl Higgins of Russell.
Coach Chris Hill of Marcell.
Coach Lucas Craft from Carbett County.
Assistant Athletic Director Tim Bowens has been with us.
And now we're joined by the head coach of the Florence Falcons, whose team last night in
the game you heard on 93.9 The Score went down to Pinson Valley, took on the Indians, and
came away with an impressive 45-0 win.
Coach, congratulations on the road win at a place that has not been too nice to us in years
past.
It sure was nice last night.
It really was.
It has not been a pleasant place to play.
But last night, everything kind of went our way.
First thing I asked when I walked into the stadium, I said, Bo Nix is not here, is he?
And they said, no.
I said, okay, I feel a little bit better.
Because the last time we saw Bo Nix, not often you face an NFL quarterback.
But last night, still a very athletic, very good team in Pinson Valley.
And your team came out and played really well.
They did.
Really proud of the guys.
You know, we challenged them.
And, you know, at Huntsville in the Jamboree the week before, you know, we weren't sure
kind of what mentality they had or what we had kind of had.
We knew we had the guys, the right pieces of the puzzle.
But, you know, are they going to be ready to play?
How do they react to the situation, whatever?
And they were real calm and quiet at Huntsville.
We thought, okay, Jamboree, not real sure about these guys.
Same way.
There was not a word said on that bus all the way from when we got on that bus.
And I'm on the offensive bus.
There wasn't a word said until we got off the bus at Pinson.
I've never heard that before.
And we got in the locker room, and it was a real calm, quiet, which is shocking, too.
And we get out on the field pregame, and I said, are they scared?
I don't know what the deal is.
This is weird.
They were just so businesslike.
And they've got that mentality of they're confident in their teammates.
It's not a cocky.
I'm proud of them.
They've got a little bit of a swagger about them.
We've got to keep them under wraps now.
They're going to feel good about themselves Sunday when they come into work at 2 o'clock.
But really proud of them.
They've had a businesslike mentality.
It's what you want.
And they played lights out last night.
In all your years of coaching, do you remember a team that is more like that calm businesslike in the past?
Because that's sort of rare for high school kids.
It really is.
I've seen probably five teams like that.
The state championship team we had in Fayetteville was just like that.
We had the team with Gerard Powers, and then there was a 2,000 team with Cole Barthel and those guys at Decatur.
And Ben Neal had a team there we went 12-1 with.
It's been about a handful of teams that have had that type of mentality.
Wow.
But all those teams you just mentioned all had incredible seasons, too.
They did.
So let's don't pump them up too much.
Let's not jinx them.
We've got a long way to go in a really tough schedule.
And I know we're going to get into that here in shortly.
It is.
Speaking of Coach Kenny Marson of the Florence Falcons, on the road to Pinson Valley, the heat was a little more than I thought last night.
Did your kids handle it okay?
They did.
There was some of the talk, getting dressed at pregame.
We ended up having to, once they got dressed, we went outside the locker room.
And the last time we experienced that at Pinson, and we know this to be facts now,
because we could feel a little bit of air when we got in the locker room last night.
And it was, you know, the air was doing all it could do, 90 players and 15 coaches in the locker room trying to move around.
It was a tight space, and it just got hotter and hotter and hotter.
But three years ago when we went there, there was no air.
And we knew last night that the guys that had been there then, they turned air off on us before,
because it was about, it was 90-something probably in there that year.
And then last night it got up there pretty good.
But our kids handled it.
I mean, it never, they, there was some mention of it.
I think it was more the young kids mentioned it than the older guys.
We got outside by the locker room there, and it was a good breeze flowing through.
And they were like, man, it feels like air conditioning.
So once they got out and we had a good wind, and, you know, once they started sweating, it was like it cooled them off.
So it was good.
It wasn't bad.
A lot of people are going to see a lot of names in the newspaper and on who scored touchdowns, who did this, who did this, that.
How about your kicker, Parker Greenhall, last night?
He sort of set the tone in some ways for you.
Well, we had a little, he ended up being a captain last night.
You know, we have a staff meeting on Sunday, and we kind of discuss who we think has, you know, played really well at Huntsville kind of deal.
And, you know, seniors, I'm always a senior captain guy.
I don't use underclassmen, and I try to spread it out throughout the year.
And I had a couple of guys slated to be seniors, and Thursday morning they decided to be late for work, late for our stretch in that morning.
And along with some other guys, I was really disappointed Thursday morning that we had 15 guys come in late or were a couple of guys missing,
and 11 of them were starters, and of course, you know, hey, I'm old school.
I called them out, stood them up in front of everybody, and, you know, they know how I handle the situation.
But that, long story to say, that turned into Parker Greenhall being a captain last night, and it worked out for him.
And he really stood up for that, and he told me after the game, I appreciate that, coach.
And I said, no, you earned it.
And he did four balls in the end zone on kickoffs, which is phenomenal.
Any time a team, offensive teams, trying to drive it 80 yards every time, that's very difficult.
And we were able to take advantage of their, some troubles they had in special teams because we had them backed up.
So, he was a weapon.
And then, I'm not sure what the field goal was, 38.
39 yards.
39, I was thinking 37, but 39, and he was six for six on extra points.
What a phenomenal night.
And I think one punt, maybe, one punt, he hit it pretty good.
So, really good job by him.
And Mitch Boyd, who, going to him, is our snapper.
He's the short snapper and the long snapper.
And he had a bad snap at Huntsville and was a safety on us.
And that turn, he was really good last night.
And we've got an intern that is helping us that's the long snapper at UNA that is, that is, comes over with Coach Sledge and the strength conditioning program.
And he's taking a little bit of time with our long snappers and already seen an improvement in Mitch in three or four days.
So, excited about that.
Great stuff from Kenny Morrison, the head coach of Florence Falcons.
Coach, we're going to talk about the game.
But I'll tell you what, if we can get back to the station, let's take a 30-second timeout if we can.
We'll come back, talk about this Florence game in Pennsylvania Valley.
You're listening to Coach's Breakfast.
We're back in 30 seconds.
At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep.
We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number.
From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home.
As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals' families for over 30 years,
North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you.
Learn more at nabjc.com.
Back here on the Coach's Breakfast, 93-9 the score.
Kevin Johnson joined now by the head coach, Kenny Morrison, as we continue our conversation.
The game you heard on 93-9 the score last night.
Florence knocked off Pinson Valley 45-0.
Coach, there's so many places that you could brag on, but there's also a lot to be worked on.
I know that you saw, but let's do talk about some of these kids that had some good games.
First, that defense with the shutout.
You got to tip your hat there.
Absolutely.
They were flying to the football, and I've said this about some guys when they've been recruited to college coaches that, you know, they get there with bad intentions.
We had a bunch of guys getting there with bad intentions last night.
There were some licks passed.
A lot of guys for Pinson knocked going backwards versus falling forwards, and, you know, we had some mistakes there that we got away with.
They missed an opening throw on us on the first play of the game that should have been six.
The guy went right by us on the coverage, which wasn't good, but we'll get that corrected as well.
They got a couple of guys past us in the secondary, which is – we'll go to work on that, but really proud of our defense just as a whole.
I mean, they were excited.
They created some turnovers, got a touchdown over there by Jaden Irons from the defensive side of the ball.
Just a really good night from – and when, you know, defense wins championships, I'll always say that.
I'm an offensive coordinator and an offensive guy for life, but the good teams that I've been around, defense has set it up for us,
and last night they did, gave us field position, gave it to us on the half-yard line one time.
Special teams did, and just all around, all three phases of the game, really proud of.
Speaking about Jaden Irons, I think he had two touchdowns last night, one on offense and one on defense.
That's right.
Didn't think about that, but 0-23 sneaked in on the heavy package and caught a pass in the end zone.
Yes, we've got a package called Hercules that I brought with us from my days back in Decatur that we got from St. Paul's down in Mobile.
We stole from them.
Those guys helped us out, and it has proved through the years to continue to hold true,
and that's one of our bootlegs off of our stretch.
And so it went really well for us, and he was right there costing my hand making plays.
Let's talk about that.
Just making plays.
Let's talk about that.
Even on that touchdown, he was probably the third option.
He was the third option.
And for a sophomore quarterback, to go 1-2-3, he stayed really calm and cool.
Yeah, on that bootleg, we've got Bo Burski in the flats real fast, and the low route's the first one.
We're trying to hit that now.
And then the number two routes, big Jaden White, 95, in the back corner, who caught one last year for a touchdown.
And then Irons coming across from the back side on a drag route, and he was the third option,
running right across the middle of the end zone like he's supposed to.
And Mahan worked his progression and got it to him.
He's just a ball player.
You can't coach the things he does.
I mean, I'm the quarterback's coach, and I'll never take credit for it.
That young man is really special, and he is just scratching the surface as a 10th grader.
I mean, he has done some really – the check down routes that nobody will see
except folks that understand the game of football, but he threw three –
fourth and four last night.
Fourth and four converted a check down that – I don't know that we've completed a check down route
since I've been here.
And he – that was a phenomenal play to find Heinz right there and keep a drive alive.
Those are drive extenders.
Those turn into points, and those are difference makers.
He knows when to throw the touch pass to.
That sounds funny, but he knows how to – he says, okay, I've got it.
And so he's pretty good at that.
He's still got a ways to go, I'm sure, but his touch is good.
He's got the feel for the game.
You see that.
But it's got to help when you've got three running backs.
Not one, not two, but three running backs that – coach, that's a – as I told you,
that's not a room.
That's a stable.
You've got three good ones.
It's – I hope it continues, those guys continue to stay healthy again.
I don't want to jinx them.
I know people are going to start loading up on us because, you know,
we had 340-something yards rushing out of 370-something.
It's a phenomenal ground game.
But it's a three-headed monster.
Those guys are all different.
Heinz is kind of a slasher.
He's smaller.
That's got a little bit of breakaway like he did against Huntsville.
And DeCarson Johnson is just – he's determined to be the guy that sets the tone.
He's hard to bring down, and he's punishing when it happens,
and he just drags you all over the place.
He broke so many – yards after contact.
We call them yaks.
Yards after contact.
And he had – I don't know what that was.
We'll do that stat.
But his was phenomenal.
And then you bring in the 10th grader that I have said a lot of times how special he was.
And, you know, a lot of people got on me after the Huntsville game saying,
I don't know, Coach, you really played him up pretty much.
Just hold on.
And last night, kind of quieting the critics a little bit, he's special.
Yeah, Kayon Williams.
I hope I pronounced his first name right.
Kayon.
Kayon Williams.
He really was special.
And you can see the ceiling is extremely high on that young man.
And he made a run for about 60 yards where after he got down there,
he got caught in front of him.
And he stiff-armed one, broke another tackle, and was looking for blockers.
He was trying to score.
I think he broke about four or five tackles before he finally got caught down from behind.
He did.
And he used that stiff arm.
Now, he's not Derrick Henry size.
Nobody on the radio think I mean that.
But he did Derrick Henry, the guy.
He shoved him down with a stiff arm.
But we expect that out of those guys because of all the guys know it in the weight room.
So with me saying on the radio, if any of them are listening, it's not going to hurt their feelings
because that rack is the hardest working rack we've got in the weight room.
And they're all three in there.
Sledge put them together for a reason.
And they have competed in the weight room the entire – they've set the tone for it.
And it showed last night.
Let's turn the page real quick.
This week, you have your home opener.
Jasper comes to town.
A great team.
A great running back.
Ohio State commit for the running back only a junior.
But it's going to be a festive, great night, too.
It's going to be a lot going on.
The community of Florence will want to be here for this.
Absolutely.
I mean, this is – you know, we're going to – there's going to be a dedication for Charles Anderson,
which is going to be huge for the field.
It's going to be a special night.
And when the people see the changes that's been made in Braleigh Stadium,
the vision from a while back when we got here trying to make it more of a high school stadium
with the – covering the seats at the top.
And if anybody's driven down Royal Avenue or Hermitage and see the blue covers in there
with the Florence Falcons on it, well, it's phenomenal.
I think it's hit social media pretty well, too.
And just the upgrades to Braleigh that Coach Miles and Coach Bowens have been working extremely hard
and really pushed the board and the school system to step up and make this stadium what it is.
And there's a lot of renovations going on the inside part of the press box
that is really nice.
A lot of blue.
It's a lot of blue.
And it's our home.
You know, right now the logo's painted in the field.
Florence Falcons is painted in the end zone.
Eventually that will all be turf.
Everything's turf now, but we painted it temporarily.
Eventually that will be an all-turf change over, but it looks phenomenal.
And, you know, we've got to get – I've got a plan this week for our guys
and hadn't really unveiled it to them, kind of alluded to it,
but we've got to get some of that newness out of them.
It's almost like they're playing in a new stadium.
They're going to be a little bit in awe, and I think our fans are going to be in awe too.
Yeah, they are.
Because it's – and again, you better get there because, you know,
we've been able to spread out all over that stadium.
We're going to be sitting shoulder to shoulder loud and screaming
and hollering with each other.
And they're going to be lower to the field, which is going to be a different –
A different field.
Different volume for our kids playing.
But we've got a plan to kind of maybe go over there
and just let them see what's going on,
maybe run through a little practice with a jumbotron with some noise going on
just to acclimate them so that we don't walk in there Friday night
and they go, whoa, look at this.
So we've got a plan to kind of get that out of their system early this week.
And that team across the way, Jasper Vikings, they're going to be pretty good.
Coach Reeves does a phenomenal job.
David Reeves, one of my longtime friends,
used to be the defense coordinator at Athens,
and then he went on and did a GA at Alabama,
and then he did some college stuff, was defense coordinator at UAB
and dang good football coach, and he's got a good football team,
and they are going to be very physical because that's his mentality.
And they've got a solid running back that we keep hearing.
It's been offered by Ohio State.
I went ahead and got that out of the way last night with the guys in the locker room,
and they're pretty jacked about that.
They're excited, and they're ready to bring him on, see what they can do with him.
So, you know, the challenge is out there.
You know, we told the guys last night 24-hour rule that 24 hours is coming up soon.
We're going to get our mindset on Jasper.
But at first, we've got to get our mindset on us.
The mistakes we made, 13 penalties, and they're all just silly penalties, you know,
offsides and misalignment and some holding penalties.
We've been preaching to the O-line about not holding.
You don't have to.
Trust your ability.
Quit grabbing, folks.
And it bit us at times.
Killed a couple of drives last night.
And those in some crucial games will be, you know, difference in games.
Should be a big one.
Friday night, Brawley Stadium, newly renovated Brawley Stadium,
the home of the Florence Falcons, and it's going to be pretty special.
And it's youth night, so we want our folks that are flag football
and baby falcons and park and rec to wear your jersey, get in free,
bring some folks with you to help with the gate as well.
So we're excited about our youth night, and it'll be this Friday.
And I'll tell the folks from Florence, trust me, the folks from Walker County will come.
They will travel, for sure.
Jasper will have a huge crowd there.
We want to be the largest crowd, for sure.
So I hope that will happen.
You'll hear that game right here on 93.9 The Score next Friday night.
Florence and Jasper.
Coach Kenny Marson, congratulations on 1-0.
And let's make it 2-0 next week, okay?
Let's do it.
Go Falcons.
Coach Kenny Marson, the Florence Falcons.
We come back.
We'll wrap it up.
This is the Coach's Breakfast after this 30-second timeout.
Let's go.
It's Friday Night Football.
I'm John Saylor, your local lawyer.
And I'm proud to sponsor this year's Scoreboard and Coach's Breakfast,
because there's nothing like high school football in North Alabama.
It's our schools, our teams, our bands, our cheerleaders, and everybody in the stands.
It's good times, and that's what Friday Night Football is all about.
Remember, neighbors, when you need a lawyer, call me, John Saylor, your local lawyer at 256-740-3131
or visit johnsaylorlaw.com.
Back here on 939, the score of the Coach's Breakfast, a great tradition always in the
Scholes area.
We're glad you've been listening in.
Kevin Johnson with you.
Great to have coaches from all over the Scholes area.
Hope to have even more coaches from the Scholes area next week as we really get into the swing
of things.
But I hope that you've enjoyed the show today as well.
And thank you to all of you, our listeners.
Thank you to our sponsors.
And thank you for the coaches who give their Saturday mornings to come and talk about their
programs each and every Saturday morning.
And don't forget, next week going to be great high school games.
Dessler and Calvert County.
Are you kidding me?
Russellville, Marcelle.
Oh my goodness.
And the one I just talked about, Florence at home against Jasper.
Those are three outstanding high school football games.
Get out and support high school football wherever you are.
Well, that's going to do it for us.
For our station manager, Greg Thornton, for Blair Krieger in our 939, the studios, I'm
Kevin Johnson saying have a great day.
Enjoy the afternoon and get ready for more high school football next week.
And folks, as always, I'll see you in church on Sunday.
Good day, everyone.
You've been listening to the 939, the score high school coach's breakfast.
The coach's breakfast on 939, the score has been brought to you by Lost Pizza, John C.
Saylor, attorney at law, The Courier Journal, Miller's Place, the North Alabama Bone and Joint
Clinic, Southern Pride Pest Control, and Bank Independent.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening.
In Golden State.
Now, since he got to Dallas, I just think the other parts of his game, now at, you know,
30-whatever years old, I think he's 36.
He's going to be 37 during this coming season, have totally eroded.
So I don't think he's elite defensively anymore.
I don't think he can take guys off the dribble.
But to your point, in the height of his Golden State days, Klay Thompson was shooting about
39-40% from three.
There were a couple years where he shot even better than that, and that's just insane.
But he still shot 38% from three last year.
So if you're just looking for a guy to spot up out on the perimeter and fill a role, I think
he could do that.
But if you're a Heat fan expecting Warriors, Splash Brothers, Klay to walk in the door, I
think you're going to be disappointed.
Yeah, I think that's accurate.
You know, the only player from that era who's still performing, well, there's two, because
it's Steph and LeBron.
Those are the only two that haven't taken any steps back at all.
Everybody else that's in that group.