Coaches Breakfast 102426 (Season Finale)
93.9 The Score WYTK - October 24, 2026
https://www.939thescore.com/coaches-breakfast-102426-season-finale/

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

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It's time for the 93.9 The Score High School Coach's Breakfast. The Coach's Breakfast on 93.9 The Score is brought to you by Lost Pizza, John C. Sailor Attorney at Law, The Courier Journal, Millis Place, North Alabama Boney Joint Clinic, Southern Pride Pest Control and Bank Independent. Now live from the North Alabama Boney Joint Clinic, here's your host, Kevin Johnson.
Top of the morning to you here on this Saturday morning, the latest, and we have it here in October, our last one of the season here, before we get ready for playoffs of football in a couple of weeks, our last broadcast of the Coach's Breakfast from the North Alabama Boney Joint Clinic this season, hard to believe it's that time of the year, but it is, and man, what a season it's been, and man, what a night it was, what a weekend it was of high school football on a beautiful, beautiful day here in Florence, Alabama.
We're going to talk about it with coaches who are getting ready to meet with us as well here at the facilities on the third floor at the North Alabama Boney Joint Clinic.
Cannot thank them enough, their doctors, physicians, and everyone being our host each and every week for the Coach's Breakfast here on 93.9 The Score.
And it was just a tremendous day.
Yesterday and Thursday night, some great games.
Mountain Brook Pelham went down the wire on statewide TV.
Pelham wins it in the last play of the game.
The incredible game for them as they knock off Mountain Brook and put them in the playoffs.
They go from being 1-9 on about two years ago to being now in the playoffs two years later.
Pretty impressive for them.
That's one thing KJ saw, and let's jump right into it.
Here's some other things KJ saw this week.
First of all, let's go to those Columbia Eagles.
They broke the winning streak, or losing streak, at the very first of the year of 100 games, 101 games, I think it was.
Congratulations to them.
But what do they do now?
They finally, last night, knock off Lee of Huntsville.
Interception late, seals the win.
I think the final was 37-36, if I'm not mistaken.
I'll double-check that.
But they win the game.
But here's the key part of that, is that that breaks a region losing streak.
They had not won a region game 69 straight, I believe it was.
So their first region win in many years.
Congratulations to Columbia, who finished the season 3-7, but, man, 3-7 is the greatest season they've had in a long time.
So congratulations to Sammy Coates and the Eagles of Columbia High School.
Keep turning that thing around.
What else did KJ see last night?
How about Keyshawn Williams?
Keyshawn Williams.
Who is Keyshawn Williams?
He's a young man, Florence High School, who won a contest because he's not able to play football, just not as able to do things that other kids are able to do.
But he won a contest to be the honorary coin flipper for the game last night between Florence and Hartzell.
And you would have thought he had scored a touchdown after the game, coming back and being congratulated by so many.
Well done, Florence High School, for having that young man to be the honorary coin flipper last night for the game.
Always get as many kids involved in different ways that you can.
That's a great thing.
What else did KJ see last night?
Northside, Rams, and Selma played last night.
Two teams undefeated on the season, playing for the region championship, Class 4A.
I know it's in South Alabama, around Tuscaloosa area, but Northside and Selma played.
Here's why this game was so interesting.
Selma throws it about 90% of the time.
Northside runs it about 97% of the time.
So you had absolutely contrary styles of offense.
You had one team that's going to ground it out, that's going to try three yards in a cloud of dust.
And you have a Selma team that's going to throw it all over the field with five wide receivers and make spectacular plays.
In the end, which team wins?
Northside, Rams, win it 31-24, despite four touchdown passes.
I think it might have been more than that.
I had to check that.
A lot of touchdown passes from Selma's quarterback.
But Northside, Rams, win it by seven.
And congratulations to the Rams on the win last night.
What else did I see last night?
It was nice to see the Alabama High School Athletic Association executive director, Heath Harmon, to be up here in northwest Alabama.
He was at the Florence Hartzell game last night.
Got to interview him at halftime.
Very impressed by him and his entourage that was with him last night.
And it was good to see them come to the northwest corner to be here.
You know, they go from school to school, but they can't be at every school.
It's only 10 weeks for them to come up to the northwest corner and join us last night.
It was a great honor.
And I'm highly impressed with him.
And I think that HSA is going to be in good hands in the days to come.
What else did KJ see last night?
It's changed a lot, technology, the game of football, and the way we see games and the way we know games.
I'll give you a great example.
About 15 years ago, Florence High School was playing for a potential playoff berth.
They had to win a game down in Birmingham at Briarwood, and then they needed a little help.
They won the game over a ranked Briarwood team.
But then the only way we could find out how the other game was going was by listening on a phone to a radio call from up in north Alabama.
It didn't go the Falcons' way that night.
And that's how we got the news.
Last night, Florence beats Hartzell by a score of 35-17.
Their game ended sort of surprisingly before the Russellville-Austin game.
And so the last three minutes of the Russellville-Austin game on the NFHS network was put on the video board at Brawley Stadium.
An entire stadium was watching it to see the results of that.
A Russellville win would make Florence the region champions, and the Russellville Golden Tigers knocked off Austin 45-35.
And Florence's win, coupled with Florence's win of Hartzell, Florence is the region champions.
And so just interesting to see how games are now perceived and watched and how things come about
because you see you're listening in on a phone and just trying to hear the best you can of a radio call,
and now you're watching it on a video board.
Welcome to 2026.
Let's get to some scores from around the state.
As I said in the game heard on 93-9, the score last night, Florence knocked off Hartzell 35-17.
The ninth-ranked team in the state, Florence Falcons, go to 8-1 on season and did win the region championship last night.
They'll take on Fort Payne next Thursday night on the road.
Fort Payne, by the way, knocked off Albertville 45-21 in their game last night.
Marcelle Thursday night beat Decatur Heritage 41-18, and Belgrade was better than Phillips, 47-7.
Games played Friday night.
Addison was over Hackelberg 33-7.
West Morgan, incredible win again over Ardmore 62-15.
West Morgan, I believe, will open up in postseason play against Moody High School, a defending state champion.
Wow, what a round one of Class 4A, West Morgan, Moody.
If that is correct, that would be huge.
Muscle shows, big win over Athens, 45-20.
The Trojans will move on to the playoffs.
They go to Oxford, if I'm not mistaken, in the first round of the playoffs.
May Jemison, big win over Boat last night.
A little bit of an upset.
35-14, May Jemison makes the playoffs.
Speaking of playoff games, Brooks and Priceville.
Winner goes, loser goes home.
The winner last night, the home team, the Brooks Lions, get a big one.
43-24 over Priceville.
They're celebrating and killing today.
Waterloo slips by Cherokee, 42-30.
Carbett Heights with a two-game win streak.
Knocks off Clements, 20-12.
Coach Vick's doing a good job up there.
A good man as well.
Decatur over East Limestone, 30-6.
Fayette County doubles up East Lawrence, 42-21.
Phil Campbell, really good team.
Knocks off Falkville, 42-16.
Bob Jones is better than Gadsden City, 48-24.
Guntersville all over Brewer, 37-6.
Curry flies by Haleville, 37-17.
Hamilton passes all over the field and gets a lot of points on the board.
They do it again over Lawrence County, 41-12.
Aniata shuts out Hanceville, 62-0.
Hatton, man, keep an eye on those Hatton Hornets.
They're going to go deep in the playoffs, I believe.
That team's got a lot of talent, and it's going to be fun to watch.
Hatton wins over Danville, 46-7.
Hazel Green shuts out Grissom last night, 23-0.
James Clements wins their region title in Class 6A, knocking off Huntsville, 41-7.
I need a correction, too, by the way.
A couple of weeks ago, I said that certain teams wouldn't make the playoffs in Class 6A.
This year, the way the new classification is, in Class 6A, everybody goes to the playoffs.
It's the Oprah playoff.
You get a playoff bid.
You get a playoff bid.
So everyone goes to the playoffs.
Even Hoover, at four and six this year, gets to go to the playoffs.
So that's where we find that out.
But James Clements wins the region up here in the north in Class 6A.
Sylvania slips by DAR, 18-14.
Wilson falls to Lauderdale County, 49-21, securing the Tigers a home playoff game.
As I said, Columbia knocks off Lee last night in a big game, 37-36.
Madison Academy over Lee Scott, 42-28.
It's south of Lamar getting by Marion County, 41-12.
Meek drives by Red Bay last night, 30-22.
Jackson Nolan falls to Cullman, 42-13.
John Carroll falls to Randolph, 25-21.
Central goes undefeated in region play, wins the region as they knock it off, 34-27 over Rodgers last night.
Russellville beats Austin last night, 45-35 in a huge game.
And the Golden Tigers will be 9-1 in regular season as they go to the playoffs.
A great job by Daryl Higgins there, unbelievable job he's done in his first year at Russellville.
Lexington, big over Sheffield last night, 56-7.
And a big win for the Bulldogs, or excuse me, for the Golden Bears.
Coosa Christian shuts out.
Shoals Christian, 59-0.
Spartman flies by Buckhorn, 55-21.
Westminster Christian gets the win, 28-6 over St. John Paul II.
J.B. Pennington, 36-10, 35-35.
Final score we have there.
Tharptown shuts out Vina, 24-0.
As West Limestone also shuts out Elkmont, 48-0.
Dashler Tigers, big win last night over West Point, 55-14.
You'll hear from their head coach here in just a few moments.
Westbrook Christian over Whitesburg Christian, 31-14.
Carbett County, big win over Winston County last night, 52-14.
Boy, I tell you what, a lot of scores.
I'm going to have to catch my breath after that one
because there is a lot of great football last night.
Matter of fact, over 180 games played throughout the state of Alabama last night,
and everybody pointing to the playoffs in postseason play.
When we come back, more from the coaches' breakfast.
And as Coach Patrick Malone of the Dashler Tigers will be with us,
we'll be back with you in one minute.
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Welcome back to the Coach's Breakfast here on 93.9 The Score.
Kevin Johnson with you on the final broadcast of the Coach's Breakfast this season.
It flies by.
I say all the time it's the fastest 10 weeks of the season.
And here we are with one week left in the regular season.
We won't broadcast next week because all the coaches that are in the postseason
have to go to Montgomery.
So we always cut it one week short.
But that's good for them.
And then we'll get ready for listening up to find all the playoff spots for everyone
and where they'll be headed.
And by the way, don't forget today, 11.30 a.m. pregame, 2.30 kickoff,
Crimson Tide, and Texas A&M right here on 93.9 The Score.
Joined now by the head coach of the Destro Tigers, Coach Patrick Malone,
whose team with a big win last night.
And Coach, got to feel good when you get a victory.
Come away with it with a 55-14 win over West Point.
Absolutely.
And that's what I told our kids as we were kind of winding it down.
I said, hey, we're going to celebrate any win we can.
But we're a little sloppy there at times and kind of to be expected.
But we had an opportunity to take our brand on the road and, you know,
just really pleased with the outcome.
You know, got another region win.
That's fantastic.
Our crowd was unbelievable.
You know, I had several people from West Point come up and say, Coach,
this is unreal.
I said, how y'all's program travels and how people support you, it's unreal.
And, you know, I look in our stands and we're three times what they got over there.
And, you know, just really appreciative of our people that travel and support us.
That says a lot about high school football.
Last night I was speaking with Heath Harmon of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
And he said when he goes to stadiums and he sees the stadiums filled on both sides,
that means a lot to him.
He said, I feel like we're in a good spot.
And this is a great example.
Coach Destro has always been one of those crowds that travel last night.
I saw Hartson last night.
They're down, but they travel well last night.
It's important that we have the fan support.
Oh, yeah.
And, you know, that's what you look at and you go, how important is high school athletics?
Just look.
Yeah.
Look.
And then that's why I tell our kids, hey, be a part of something.
You know, we push them to play multiple sports just to be a part of it.
Go through some adversity.
Learn some life lessons.
But a good night for Destro.
Good night for high school football in North Alabama.
Region champions in class 4A.
Region 7 for Destro.
And, Coach, you win last night.
Biggest thing I know you want to come across healthy, get out of there healthy as much as possible, and get your team going the right direction.
Yeah.
We got some bumps and bruises, you know, typical of this point in the year.
We were able to rest some guys, get some guys healed up.
We got one more game, regular season game remaining before we jump in this playoff push.
But, you know, we kind of divided it, you know, a lot of people divided it into two seasons.
We kind of split it, boy, our schedule failed, into threes.
And so I think we're entering that final phase, and we're going to make this push right here, going to get these kids ready to go.
Practice will change just a little bit.
I know that's kind of uncommon for some folks.
They like to stay in their routine, but we're going to tweak some things.
When you get in those playoffs, it's execution, obviously, but everybody's good.
It's about who wants to keep playing, who wants to keep showing up Monday morning.
But on Friday, everybody wants to be there.
But that Monday through Thursday grind, and especially for us showing up at 6.30 and you're on the field, you know, do you want to keep doing it?
And so we're going to tweak some things and hopefully reinforce that.
Our weather starts changing a little bit late in the season.
It starts changing the way you approach practice and different things, and the kids see it as well.
As we speak with Patrick Malone of the Destric Tigers.
And Coach, last night, I know you had the big win, but I really want to focus on what's coming up with you, with your program and team.
Because next Thursday night, it's a fun game, I think.
It's two of the best programs for the past few years in the state, in northwest Alabama, and Mars Hill and Destric are going at it.
Yeah, they're super talented.
Again, we've watched them a few games, and, you know, they've played Russellville.
They've played Madison Academy, some opponents that we're familiar with, and are toe-to-toe with both of those programs.
So it's going to be a challenge.
It's going to be a great tune-up game.
It's not the right word, but it's a great test for you to figure out where you are.
Are you peaking at the right time?
And then on top of that, it's at home, which is fantastic.
And it's our annual Hall of Fame game, if you will.
So when we're at Tuscum, you see the schools as their induction.
And so we're bringing a lot of people back, and they're going to be in the Hall of Fame, excited to see some familiar faces.
So it should be a good night, and hopefully we play well and make it good.
That is a huge night for Destric High School, a home game against Mars Hill.
And you're playing a team that really will spread the ball around a lot.
It's different than Mars Hill has in the past, and they'll throw that ball all over the field.
Oh, yeah, Titus Cosby, junior quarterback, big arm, does really well, reading coverages, processes things at a high level.
They're very skilled, very skilled, and Coach Hill's done a great job.
I had the opportunity to talk with him a few times over the season, really impressed with his approach.
And, you know, we talk about games, and, you know, we talk, obviously this is our last week in the season,
and the fellowship that's here, you know, I was telling Wes back there, I said,
that, you know, I look forward to these Saturday mornings, just a fellowship with coaches.
And you hear different stories, different things, and you're able to vent a little bit and talk about different things.
But it's good.
I enjoy the fellowship, and I think people in North Alabama have something to hang their hat on.
They've got great men leading their programs all across the area, people that really care about kids,
and really care about their community.
So, you know, very, very fortunate to be a part of that group back there.
It's competitive on the field, but in this green room back here, as I call it, it's fun because, too,
you don't sometimes as head coaches always have somebody to vent to or to relate to.
And that coaching tree gets really small back there with head coaches,
and it's pretty neat to see the friendships and the relationships there.
Oh, absolutely.
You know, I go across the room, and I play just about everyone in there.
And, you know, at the end of the game, you shake their hand.
And it's just that mutual respect because everybody does it the right way.
And I'm very appreciative of that group.
And, you know, I wish everybody the best.
As long as they're not playing us, I wish them the best.
Well, speaking of wishing them the best, who do you have in your first-round playoff game?
I think it's already fixed up.
Yeah, we're going to get Central Clay County.
Traditional 5A power that's dropped down to 4A.
They're going to be the 4th seed loss last night to Moody, which was a 3-4 game.
So we're going to get Central Clay County and, you know, Danny Horn,
who's the winningest active coach in high school football.
So a great challenge, unusual first-round matchup.
But they've got to come up to Tuscumbia.
So we'll be ready for them.
You know, the reclassification and the parity,
it's sort of the level in the playing ground.
But that's great.
But then when you start looking at those first-round games,
what used to be sort of the easy game of the year with the 1C,
not so easy right now.
I know, and they're all across the state.
Yeah.
All across the state.
I was talking to some of the guys back there.
I mean, you're hearing some names, and you're going, wow.
You know, traditional powers that, you know,
just the way the reclass has worked.
And, yeah, we're excited about it.
You know, a region championship, our 28th as a program,
which is fantastic.
43rd playoff appearance, which is great.
Just really, really proud of our kids and our program and our coaches.
Our coaches do a fantastic job getting everybody ready to play.
But, you know, business, business at hand.
So we've got to take care of it.
Howard Chappell Stadium will host this Thursday night the Marshall Panthers.
In two weeks, it'll be Central Clay County.
That stadium is mystique.
That stadium has something about it.
On Friday night, when those lights come on,
it sort of reminds me of C.T. Manley Stadium.
It reminds me of Golden Tiger Stadium.
There's some great stadiums in this area,
but there's something about that place that, man,
if you go in there to play as an opponent,
you know you're about to be in a battle.
Right.
And the funny thing, I'm talking to a coach from Alexandria,
and we're talking about, you know, crossing over.
And, you know, his dad was a famous coach at Alexandria.
And he's telling me, he said, man, y'all's stadium is unreal.
And, I mean, that's a school three hours away.
But the way that it's traveled and word spread,
and we've got guys in our own region that say,
we don't want to play at y'all's place.
So, one, you tip your hat to our tradition,
the people that did it before us,
the legacy that was built, the foundation there,
our current program, our current kids,
and the job that they're doing, continuing that,
and our fans.
Our fans are unlike any other.
And then we've got this Tuscumbia Education Foundation.
They do a great job of making sure our classrooms
are taken care of, but they host a tailgate
on every home game.
And it's a great, great atmosphere.
So, very appreciative.
Name the names.
Jimmy Lockett, Tandy Gerald, John Mothershed.
I could go with no, no.
Add that name, Patrick Malone, to it.
You've done an excellent job, my friend.
Great job at Dasher High School.
Congratulations on the 8-1 run on the region championship.
We wish you nothing but the best in the playoffs
and make a long run and bring home some hardware if you can, okay?
Yes, sir.
Appreciate it.
The head coach of the Desher Tigers, Patrick Malone.
More from the coaches breakfast after this timeout.
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Welcome back to Coach's Breakfast, 93.9 The Score.
Kevin Johnson with you from the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic.
Hey, if you're in Florence, Alabama today, go slow.
I'll tell you, there's a lot going on.
Renaissance Fair downtown, right there at Wilson Park.
It's going to have a lot of people, hundreds, thousands of people will probably be there.
Not 100,000, but hundreds or maybe 1,000 people will be there.
But then you add on that the University of North Alabama, they're homecoming.
They're having their parade this morning, too, in downtown.
So, if you're in downtown Florence, heads up.
There's going to be a lot going on.
And the best of luck to Brent Dierman and the Lions tonight as they play host to Austin Peay.
And let's go Lions instead of let's go Peay.
How about that?
That's what we want to cheer for as the Lions take on the governors tonight.
Joined now by the head coach of the Lexington Golden Bears, Coach Brett Mask.
And Coach Mask, you've heard that let's go Peay.
You can't be doing that right here at the start.
Yeah, I just caught you off guard.
That's the great cheer of Austin Peay.
I'll never forget going and watching him play basketball in the NCAA one year.
And I was sitting there, and they started doing a cheer.
And I go, what are they saying?
And that's their last name.
So, that's what they're a little cheer.
Our assistant, Ricky Rice, is an Austin Peay graduate.
That's right.
I can tell you, a lot of governors there in this area.
But we're pulling for the Lions on that one tonight.
The Golden Bears, we pulled for them.
They won it last night over Sheffield 56-7.
Coach, a big win for you last night.
You've got to like that.
And the victory go to 8-1 on the season.
And your kids took care of business.
They did.
You know, Sheffield, I told them before the game, I even told Coach Parker,
I said, you know, y'all scare the c*** out of me.
I mean, they've got some guys that can go.
And, you know, our kids did a really good job of just, you know,
playing it one play at a time and doing what we were supposed to do
and kind of preach what we did all week starting fast
and just executing and, you know, and finishing up region play.
No matter the record late in the season, when you turn on a film,
does it sometimes, you know, like, oh, no, they say their record's this,
but they don't look like this.
And does that catch your attention sometimes?
Oh, absolutely.
It was the same way with Tanner last week.
I was, you know, this week.
Like, I don't know.
I guess as the head coach, you always –
I guess this is the Jerry Adcock in me that just –
No, it's the Don Creasy.
That's who it is.
Yes, I know exactly who it is.
I mean, I sit there and watch film and I make them out to be the Green Bay Packers.
And, you know, but, you know, honestly, I think that kind of helps in your preparation
and, you know, in relating to your kids of, you know, how important the game is.
But at the end of the day, you know, we still just preach, you know,
we don't care who we're playing, just play it one play at a time and play for six seconds.
I mean, and that's all we can ever ask.
Well, with your quarterback back there, you may have to play for eight to ten seconds.
Oh, 12, 13.
Because he can scramble around and make things happen.
And did he have a good game again last night?
He did.
I think he ended up with four touchdown passes.
I can't remember.
I hadn't seen the yardage yet.
Coach Davis usually gets that to me.
But he played well.
We actually kind of played a little sloppy early.
We had a couple turnovers and we're able to get a pick early.
And, you know, hats off to Sheffield.
We pick it and then they end up stripping it and get another first down.
So, just, I don't know what it is about playing at Sheffield.
And I've played over there a lot.
And we, it just, the ball bounce is funny at Sheffield.
It just, it always has.
And I'm just glad we got out of there with a win and got out of there pretty healthy.
Brett Mask of Lexington High School.
I'm going to ask you a question.
I had the same, are there certain schools or stadiums?
You're like, oh man, I don't know what it is.
But that always, something weird happens when we play there.
If you have that feeling in a couple places?
If I never had to go back to Red Bay, Alabama, I'd be perfectly happy.
That's another one down there.
That Red Bay, Sheffield, a couple of those stadiums.
It's just the ball bounce is funny.
Yeah.
I understand.
That's great.
That's an honest answer from Brett Mask with Lays and the Golden Bears.
He goes 8-1 on the season, 6-1 in Class 2A Region 7.
But not everything is sealed up now.
Yeah, go ahead.
Three teams tied for the top there with Phil Campbell, Carver County, and Lexington.
And we still have a game to go, non-region.
That's going to decide everything.
So, get your calculators out.
Here we go, boys and girls.
Is that right?
It is.
If we win, I think mathematically, no matter who wins, if we win, we'll have the non-region
opponents' victories you've defeated.
So, we've just got to take care of business this week, and of course, big rivalry with
Rodgers, and they'll be up, we'll be up.
So, it'll be a slugfest.
It'll be a slugfest, and that will be important.
Now, you say you play Rodgers.
Where is that game?
It's at Rodgers.
All right.
Six miles down the road.
Not easy to go.
And that's a big county rival game because these kids, like you said, probably as close
as anyone almost to you.
So, these kids really know each other, go to school together, go to church together, all those
type things.
And a huge game, you said, what night are you going to play that game?
We're playing Thursday.
So, Thursday night game, that has to move everything around, get ready for it, but you know what
you're going to get when you play Rodgers.
Oh, absolutely.
I mean, it's going to be a physical game, you know, and it's a community game.
I mean, that's one of those old head games that, you know, everybody's played Rodgers
for years, and so, big community game, and like I said, it'll be a great atmosphere.
They've got a good football team, we do too, and so, well, we'll have to be ready
to play.
How proud of your team this season?
Pretty proud.
Yeah.
I am.
You know, I think a lot of times as coaches, we don't look at that and don't appreciate
it until it's all said and done, but if you take a step back and just look at kind of some
of the adversity we've overcome, you know, the ups and downs and, you know, for our team
to come back after a kind of a heartbreaking loss mid-season and then refocus and kind of
keep that standard and keep just pressing on.
You know, that's one thing I've said all year about our team is, you know, it was kind of
frustrating early because we don't get too high, we don't get too low, they're very even
keeled.
So, you know, us as coaches, we had to kind of learn that's just our team.
And so, you just have to roll with it and understand that's their personality, that's
who they are, but, you know, nine times out of ten, when it's time to go play, we go play.
And so, and I'll say this too, you know, for these guys to keep coming to practice every
day, I mean, obviously eight and one helps, I mean, let's don't sugarcoat it, but for these
guys to come to work every day and do what we ask them to do and still do all the stuff
at practice, they're still excited at practice, they still move around, they still have a lot
of energy at practice, I mean, it's a fun group to coach.
You know, that's one other thing I want to say too, is this region is going to prepare
you for the playoffs.
It's a tough region, you got some close games, that's going to pay dividends for you.
It is, and you know, we told them all year, it was a tougher schedule and, you know, it's
a whole lot tougher than it was last year.
And for our guys to kind of, you know, rise up to that and, you know, we got three A's
coming down to two A's now and playing some really good talent and some really good teams
and good coaches.
So, very proud of our guys for just taking it one game at a time and really one day at
a time, one rep at a time, one practice at a time.
And that's all we've preached and they've bought into it.
Speaking of bought into it, before I let you go, is it the Quick Mart down there?
Is that right?
What's the name of the store?
Oh, Quick Mart.
Yeah, it's going to be doing a lot of business if you can go deep in the playoffs.
There'll be a lot of people coming to Lexington, maybe from out of town.
Oh, hey, I got to give a plug to the Mini Mart too.
We got two of them.
We got the Quick Mart at the intersection and then just come up the road to the Mini Mart.
There's some good folks there too.
So, I got to throw that out there too.
I see.
All advertisement, I'm going to be paying bills out of my pocket for that one, but that's
okay.
That's good.
Hey, we wish you the best for Lexington.
Great.
Congratulations on the great season and the best of luck in the playoffs too.
Appreciate it.
Coach Brett Mask, one of the good guys in coaching.
Back from the coaches' breakfast after this timeout.
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Back here on the coaches' breakfast.
Kevin Johnson with you, getting your Saturday morning off to a good start.
Hey, did I mention that the Auburn Tigers beat Georgia last week?
I don't know if I threw that out there, but I've been telling everybody that at least once
or twice a day, so hey, got to celebrate that win for these Auburn fans all we can because
in a few hours, Auburn gets ready to take on LSU.
We'll be back, maybe be in Auburn again, but we'll see.
Maybe they can pull two out in a row.
Glad to have all these coaches with us on the final broadcast of the season here on the
coaches' breakfast, joined now by the head coach of the Rogers Pirates, Coach Daniel Garrett,
whose team battled and fought all the way to the end against Central last night.
Coming up just short, what a game.
Those two teams get together any time they do, any sport, but especially football, it's
going to be an amazing game.
Yeah, it's a great, great county rivalry.
We haven't played in several years.
It was a great, great game, especially for fans to watch and everything.
Came up a little short.
Really proud of how our guys battled in the second half.
We were down 21 going into the second half, and we fought back with a chance to win there
at the end and just came up a little short.
But you got to feel good about that because you saw a lot of fight in your team.
You've seen throughout the season, but especially last night, late in the season, that's a big thing.
Well, I think it's the first time that we've kind of settled in in a big game like that.
You know, the last couple weeks, we've, you know, for whatever reason, we've gotten off to slow starts
and then it's just kind of like a snowball effect and we just, you know, kind of crumble.
And we just came out of the half and focused on what we're supposed to do
and started putting some things together and, you know, put points on the board, got some stops
and, you know, then had a chance to win.
Just, you know, a couple things, you know, you could do a little better here and there.
You know, as, you know, coaches, we can always find something we can do better.
But definitely proud of the fight and the heart that our kids showed and the character they showed.
So, you know, lots to build on there for sure.
Daniel Garrett here, head coach of Rogers Pirates 5-4 on the season.
But, Coach, you are in the playoffs in this tough, tough region.
That's a big thing for you to say to your team, man, you grinded it out,
but you're going to be playing postseason.
That's a big, big step right there.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, anytime you make the playoffs, you know, that's a huge accomplishment.
It's one of our goals every year.
But, you know, that's what I told them.
I said, look, guys, I said, are you, you know, you need to ask yourself,
are you a better football player right now than you were, you know, eight, nine weeks ago?
And I said, if the answer is yes, then, you know, we're doing something right.
And I said, the other question is,
are you a better football player right now than you were last week?
Yeah.
And I said, if you're going to answer that as a yes every week,
I said, then we're doing something right.
And, you know, I said, now's the time to start putting it all together
before you get into playoffs and, you know,
because then we'll be a dangerous team that nobody really wants to play.
And that's what we hope that, you know, comes to fruition for us.
And, you know, we'll just keep moving forward.
Do you know who you match up with the playoffs yet?
Yeah, we'll travel to Oneyana.
Get the Redskins.
Great location.
Great stadium.
I don't know if you've ever been there or not.
I used to work there.
I used to work there.
Okay.
So familiar place.
Do you still have some familiar people there that you know?
I know that.
The AD is a good friend of mine, yeah.
Okay.
So you're going to a place that you worked at.
I did not realize that.
That's pretty cool.
And I'm bringing your Pirates back to the place that you've coached.
So that's got to feel good you're bringing them there.
And you know what they are.
You know who they are.
They're DNA over the years.
And Oneyana's a great team over the years.
But at the same time, it's a good matchup for you.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, it's a great experience.
I got a great setup down there.
And, you know, you get the charter buses.
The whole experience for the playoffs is always good for the kids.
And, you know, you hope that you can put together a good performance
to where you get another one.
You know, because it comes sudden death and, you know, win or go home.
And we want to put our best foot forward when it matters the most.
But you get to relax a little bit this week.
Because all you got to do is play a Thursday night game
against the team six miles away.
Those Lexington Golden Bears.
And, man, what a fun matchup this is.
This is – you talk about county rivals.
I mean, y'all can look out the window and holler at each other.
Y'all are that close.
That's going to be a fun matchup.
Yeah, this is always a fun one just because the kids know each other.
You know, and it's one of those – I'll be honest.
I mean, yeah, everybody wants to beat each other.
But it's just – I think it's a good, fun game.
And it's like I told our kids last night.
I said, football's supposed to be fun, guys.
I said, I know we put all this pressure on you and everything else.
You put pressure on yourself.
But it's supposed to be fun.
And to me, if you're doing your job and trying to do it with each other
and for each other, it becomes even more fun.
And so, you know, that's kind of our message of, you know,
focus on your job, which you can control,
and go out and do that and have fun while you're doing it.
And, you know, a short week for sure.
But, you know, we've played on Thursdays before, so just another week.
Two teams with good sportsmanship, too.
It's going to be one of those hard-hitting games
where you knock a kid down but you pick each other up.
And that says a lot about both programs, too,
because I think there's a respect on both sides
because there is a friendship there.
But competitors during the game.
Well, I got a lot of respect for their head coach.
And, you know, so I think that, you know,
definitely it will be a great game.
Teams play the right way and stuff like that.
Like I told our kids last night, you know,
kind of got emotional a little bit last night in a couple of moments.
And we had zero unsportsmanlike penalties.
And I think that says a lot about your character.
And football is emotional, but you can't make emotional decisions
because it will penalize you and penalize your judgment.
And so I was very proud that we didn't participate in that.
And I'm not saying the other team did.
You know, I didn't think they did either.
But, you know, when emotional things happen,
it's easier to make an emotional reaction.
And our kids didn't do that.
And, you know, I'm proud of our seniors and stuff like that
for the leadership they've shown to where that's how we operate.
And, you know, because we just want to do our job and do it right.
And then when the play is over, reset, and then try to do it again.
Coach Daniel Garrett, the Rogers Pirates team,
gets ready to take on Lexington at home Thursday night.
And then they'll go on the road the following week to Aniana in the playoffs.
And, Coach, you know, now that you sort of look back through nine weeks
from where you start to where you are,
the ride has been one of those that you knew it was going to be a tough ride.
But at the same time, your kids have really showed a lot.
What have you seen out of your team in nine weeks?
I've seen ups and downs.
I've seen, you know, some adversity that's been handled.
And, you know, like you said, you know,
our schedule is set up to be kind of back-end loaded.
And, you know, just how we've reacted this past week,
I've been very proud of our kids.
And, you know, I challenged some of the older guys this past week on, you know,
kind of being accountable and holding people accountable.
And not that we've got kids doing bad things or anything like that,
but, you know, the standard is the standard.
And we all have to be accountable to that
and got to be willing to hold others accountable,
which means sometimes I have to have difficult conversations.
And I think that we've got some guys that really bought into that this week.
And I've seen that over the past several weeks.
And to me, that's a very important step.
And, you know, growing up is understanding that, you know,
hey, being a friend means more than just hanging out and being cool.
It's caring enough to tell them the truth,
even when they may not want to hear it in the moment.
And I've seen that here recently, and that makes me proud
and that makes me, you know, have a lot of belief in what we're doing
and the kids that are here and, you know, excited about what's to come as well.
The Rogers Pirates getting ready for a big end into their season.
Coach Daniel Garrett, we're pulling for you.
Thank you for being with us each and every week
and the best of luck to the Pirates, okay?
Thank you.
We appreciate it.
Coach Daniel Garrett, head coach of the Rogers Pirates.
More from the coaches' breakfast after this timeout.
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Welcome back to the Coaches Breakfast here on 93.9,
the score with Kevin Johnson.
Glad to be with you on this beautiful Saturday morning.
Man, it's been great fall weather this week
and a great day for college football.
Again, the best of luck to the UNA Lions
on their homecoming today against Austin Peay.
And we're looking forward to a lot of great college games today as well.
But we want to talk about high school games first.
And one of the biggest ones played in North Alabama
was last night down in Russellville, Alabama,
when they host the Austin Black Bears.
Lots at stake.
And the Golden Tigers knock off the Black Bears,
45-35, joined by the head coach,
the first-year head coach at Russellville High School,
Coach Daryl Higgins.
And Coach, congratulations.
And on behalf of all of the city of Florence,
thank you very much.
That was a big win for everybody, wasn't it?
It was.
I've heard from a lot of Florence people.
It was a lot of fun last week
to have Florence and Muscle Shoals both pulling for us.
Yeah, I think I was sitting in my mind.
I said, I'm not sure.
I can tell you, and I've been around this a long time, as you.
I can tell you the last time that everybody in the Shoals area
was pulling for either a Russellville or a Muscle Shoals
or a Florence all at the same time.
But it just fell that way.
But your team, let's talk about Russellville.
That's what we're going to talk about today
because they're facing a hot Austin team
that was as good as anyone right now.
And you come out and you take care of business.
You've got to feel great about your team.
That Austin team, they were huge.
They were athletic.
I mean, they were so talented.
And we had homecoming going on,
a lot of stuff happening during the day
out of our normal schedule.
But when that ball kicked off, our guys didn't care.
They went out and just played out of their minds.
It was a battle of the Davises.
Aidan Davis of Austin High School the week before
had rushed 49 rushes for 250 yards
against Russellville's Taurus Davis.
And Mr. Davis from Russellville, Taurus Davis,
won that battle last night.
What a game.
29 carries, 210 yards.
He had five touchdowns he was a part of.
Mr. Davis, I don't know if college coaches are listening,
but you need to listen up.
This kid can play.
He also returned a kick for about 80 yards,
caught a touchdown pass about 20-something yards.
And I told our kids before the game,
I said, I'll take Taurus Davis over their back
any day of the week, twice on Sunday.
I said, let's go out and show them who's the top guy.
And he did.
And it was amazing to see how he played
against a really good Austin team.
And, Coach, this is one of those games
where watching film the week before
from Austin's win over Russellville,
you had to be thinking, and you're scratching your head,
this kid ran it 49 times in the game.
I know that's something you don't always see.
But you had limited him to about 14 carries.
You really did a good job defensively against him.
Our defense coaches had a great plan.
Coach Kilpatrick, Coach Ballantyne,
those guys, they're unbelievable what they do.
And they pretty much shut him down.
He broke off a couple plays.
But I'll tell you, the difference in that game
was special teams.
Yeah, special teams, that's what I want to get to.
Special teams was the difference.
And especially you get in big games,
it's amazing how special teams will show up.
You had the big kickoff return.
You also had some other special teams plays
that were huge last night.
Well, we've got a couple young coaches
in Hunter Kilpatrick and Peyton Higgins.
And they sit up there and they do more stuff
with special teams.
We go out in the mornings.
We work special teams nonstop.
I can't get Peyton to go home
because him and Coach Kilpatrick
sitting up there watching all the special teams.
And started the game with the kickoff return
down to the two.
We did a huge fake punt that got us a big first down,
got us some momentum.
Jason Noel blocked an extra point.
Then he blocked a field goal right before half.
Our hands team recovered a couple kicks
to keep them from getting the ball back.
So our special teams, kickoff team,
pushing them down deep, almost covered some kickoffs.
So it was a great night by our special teams.
And Jeremy Perkins is known as a special teams coach.
That's what he did at Hoover before he came to Austin.
We knew we had to be on our special teams game
and we rose to the challenge.
Jason Noel blocks an extra point and a field goal.
Has he come up the middle off the edge?
Where did he come blocking those?
He come up the middle.
He's blocked punts this year.
He's an outstanding player.
Plays safety for us.
Plays receiver for us.
He's all around the football.
He's a winner.
Is there sometimes some kids
that just have a knack for blocking kicks?
Have you seen that over the years?
Absolutely.
Some kids just want to go get that ball
and we find spots to put them in.
And he's been able to come through
and just made a huge difference on our special teams.
Listen, to beat an Austin team, though,
you had to put up 45 points.
As well as your defense played,
that Austin team is just so good at offense.
But your offense is good, too.
45 points last night and it starts up front.
Our offensive line, our guards are not very big.
They come off so low.
And Austin was laying on the ground.
They were having to come pull them guys off the field.
I mean, it was amazing to watch how our guys were getting after them.
Our tight end, Gavin Willis, he was pancaking guys.
We were running right behind Todd Rogers.
It was just a big night for our offensive line.
Nine and one season.
First year at Russell High School.
Coach, I've known, interviewed you when you were at Marcel,
winning all the state championships.
I knew what a great coach you were.
This was a big step up, not saying this, but classifications.
It was a new place.
And to see you do this in the first year,
to me, it's one of the most amazing jobs in North Alabama
I've seen in a while.
I congratulate you on that.
But I know you know also, you've had a lot of support there, dude.
This whole city of Russell's got behind the program.
It's been fun to see.
It's been so much fun.
Winning the state championship at Morris Hill is a lot of fun.
This has been a different kind of fun of building something.
We've really been the other dogs in a lot of games.
A lot of people thought we might go four and six, five and five.
And so every time we go out and able to beat one of these really good teams
in this tough region, it's been like winning a state championship game almost.
You know, Coach, I always grew up knowing that, you know,
the wishbone was something that came out of nowhere.
Bear Bryant brought it out and did it.
Well, the wing tee is sort of that one that you don't see at the 5A, 6A level.
But guess what?
They're about to see it a lot in 5A this year because now you're in the playoffs.
And the wing tee has worked well for you this year.
But your kids have bought into that as well, haven't they?
Absolutely.
And it doesn't really matter what you do.
It's all about the kids, how hard they play, how much they want to win,
the way they come off the football, and just go out and execute the basic fundamentals.
All right.
I've got to ask a question.
You and Coach Kenny Morrison of Florence High School are classmates,
played together at Coffee High School, friends, of course, competitors now too.
But how did he react?
Did he call you last night?
There may be any chance?
My phone is ringing right after the game.
We're celebrating.
I look up, FaceTime, there's Kenny's face right there smiling, going crazy.
And, you know, it was a lot of fun.
We go all the way back to our days at Coffee.
He was a quarterback for us and a tremendous leader and just a great guy.
And so we were glad that our win was able to get them the region championship,
and they deserve it.
They've had a great season, great team.
So this week somewhere, I think Coach may take you out to dinner.
So get ready.
Sometime this year, you're going to get a free dinner from him.
I guarantee you that.
Coach, you're 90-1.
The regular season ends for you.
You've got a week off.
Heal up a little bit.
That's good for you too.
Who do you have in the first round at home with who you play?
Play Pale City.
All right.
So a great Pale City team comes to play the Golden Tigers.
I saw some of the posts last night.
Somebody said, sorry, Russell fans, we're not going to Buc-ee's.
We're going to stay home.
It's got to feel good to have the first round playoff game at home.
Feels real good.
Our first goal was really just getting to the playoffs.
I thought if there's any way we can get into the playoffs,
it'll be a great season.
And was able to just keep on getting better and improving.
Our kids are hungry, and they're doing anything we ask them to do.
And so to be able to work it out where we get to host a playoff game,
we couldn't be more excited.
Pretty impressive.
Nine and one.
Not just pretty impressive.
Real impressive.
Nine and one season.
Home playoff game for the Russellville Golden Tigers
after the 45-35 win over Austin.
We'll take on Pale City in the first round of the playoffs.
Coach, I want to say thank you for being our guests each and every week.
And again, hats off to you for what you've done with this program
in the first year.
And best of luck in the playoffs, okay?
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
That's Coach Daryl Higgins, one of the good guys in coaching.
More from the coach's breakfast after this timeout.
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Back here on the Coach's Breakfast
from the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic.
Kevin Johnson with you on this beautiful Saturday morning.
Having a lot of coaches here.
We'll go a little extended maybe today
because we've got a couple of new coaches even popped in today.
Good to have them on the final broadcast.
Looking forward to that.
Joined now, though, by a guy that's with us each and every week,
Coach Heathwood of the Central Wildcats.
His team does it again last night with a big win over Rodgers
and knocks off a county rival to go to 8-1 on the season.
Coach, what a game last night.
That was one of those games where your team had to play all four quarters,
but, boy, you did it and come home with a win.
Yeah, you know, going into the game, we talked about that all week.
You know, you talk about Green Hill Pirates.
You know, Coach does a good job up there with those guys,
and they always play hard.
And, you know, they're a playoff team.
So, you know, we knew that going into the game,
and it would be a four-quarter game.
And it was, and definitely proud of our kids and for finishing the game
and our coaches for doing what they did, for sure.
Class 3A Region 7 champions.
It's got to feel pretty good to go 7-0 undefeated in that tough region.
It certainly does, yes.
That is it.
Proud of the kids, proud of the players and those assistant coaches, man.
And I would say your whole city, community, town, everybody around is really proud.
I'm sure Wildcat fever has swept through the area because it's pretty major.
You've got a lot of support out there.
Yeah, definitely, for sure.
I mean, you can't say enough good things about the school and the community
and all the people around it, for sure.
And they do come out and support our players and our team.
Not only us, but the other sports as well.
I can't say enough about Central.
And I'm proud to say that I'm from out that way, too.
Well, they are proud to have you as a head coach.
Been there for several years as a head coach now.
And, again, you've had some great seasons, but right now this is one of your greatest seasons maybe ever
because this team has really showed a lot.
This is a very good team you've got because I know that region, how tough it is.
To go 7-0, it's an impressive run.
Where do you think the leadership on this team has been on this?
Yeah, the leadership on this team started like we talked a few weeks ago.
It started way back at the end of the last football season.
We missed those playoffs last year.
And those seniors and the other kids on the team wanted to make sure we were getting back in the playoffs.
And they took that offseason serious and done the work we needed to do to get us where we're at.
And definitely proud of them for that.
Yeah, Central wins it last night over Rodgers.
And, Coach, big game offensively again.
Lucas, incredible job again.
But, again, it's the guys up front that really have done the job for you.
Yes.
You know, again, Lucas had a big game again last night.
And the guys up front, you know, we talk about these skill players every week.
But those guys up front on both sides of the ball get it done.
And I'll have to say this, too.
You know, we've got a 10th-grade quarterback, Jakari Brown.
But he's done a fantastic job all year of running the offense and doing what we need to do.
But he had some big plays last night, some clutch situations.
And that guy's really grown and gotten better each and every week over the season.
So, you know, talking about naming people, you know me, I don't like to leave anybody out.
Leave anybody out.
But I do have to say that about Jakari.
I've been proud of him all year.
But definitely had some big stuff going on there for us last night.
Including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jamari and Thompson.
And, Coach, you know, that's the thing about your team is you can drive it the length of the field
and score three yards in a cloud of dust.
But this team also has the big play capability.
That's something that's really important, especially getting in the playoffs
and maybe going deep in the playoffs.
Yeah, for sure.
You know, Coach Gene runs that offense for us.
Does a fantastic job.
And, again, Jakari's able to throw that thing.
You know, 10th-grade quarterback throwing to a 10th-grade tight end.
And, you know, we've got a lot of young guys all over the field.
But that goes back to that leadership we were just talking about those older guys,
you know, setting the example and bringing those guys along.
Definitely proud of these guys.
8-1, the Central Wildcats on the season.
Coach, who do you have to end the regular season and where?
We've got Hatton at home.
The Hornets are coming to take over the Wildcats.
Two of the hottest teams in northwest Alabama ending the season.
What a great matchup that's going to be.
Yeah, for sure.
You know, going into the playoffs, I think it will be a great competition.
Coach over there does a great job with those guys.
And, you know, getting into these – you know,
we're going to see the best teams in the state from here on.
So, you know, I think it will be good going into it.
The competition, like you said, will give you a good idea
of what you're about to face even more so.
Yes.
A really good Hatton team.
And both these teams, Hatton and Central, I think,
have a chance to go deep in the playoffs.
Do you know who you're playing in the playoffs yet?
Well, I think it's Vinemont, but don't hold me to that.
I'm not going to hold you to it, but you think it's Vinemont.
The best thing is it's a home game for the playoffs.
After missing the playoffs last season
and winning the region championship, a home playoff game to start.
What a – I hate to say a turnaround,
but what a job I had this team to buy in and to get you to this point.
No doubt.
And it goes back to that offseason.
And those guys knowing what they want to do.
And I'm extremely proud of them for it, for sure.
When you look back on this team this season,
what do you see the most that you've seen in their growth
that's really impressed you about the growth of this team?
Yeah, every bit of it.
You know, we're talking about growing like –
you know, we talked at the beginning of the year
how many young guys we had out there
and those guys coming to work and trying to get better every day.
And, you know, we still got a lot of stuff to improve on.
And I feel like we'll go to work at it this week
and try to get better going into the Hatton games.
Does it change a little bit at the end of the season,
practice schedule, how you do things?
Or do you stay a little bit the same?
Or do you have to rest their legs a little more?
You know, we shorten practice up a little bit
because, you know, it's not so much install anymore
as it is in the beginning of the season.
You know, we spend a lot of time installing,
especially when we've got a young team like we had this year.
But, you know, guys, if we put any wrinkles in
or something like that, we'll spend a little more time on that.
But it's about blocking and tackling at the end of the day.
So we have to work on those things.
Well, Coach Heathwood of the Central Wildcats,
I cannot brag on you enough for the job you've done
with the Wildcats throughout your career,
but especially this season.
Just an amazing year, 8-1,
getting ready to take on Hatton next week at home.
And let's just keep those lights on over there at Central
because you're going to be home in the first round of the playoffs too.
That new school board's getting a workout over there, isn't it?
Yeah, it looks good.
You've got to come out there and see it.
I will have to come out there and see it.
You have my word.
I will try my best to come out there and see it
because I've driven by it once or twice
and I was like, man, that looks good.
One of my favorite stadiums in all of North Alabama,
I truly mean this,
it's always been the Central Wildcats Stadium.
I remember as a young boy watching Carbert County in Central play,
man, what games they used to have.
But coming out there,
I thought was one of the great setups for a stadium and still is.
And there's something about the Friday night lights.
You come down the Savannah Highway
and you look over and you can see those lights.
Yeah, you can see them glowing.
You can see them glowing, man.
There's something about it.
So it's a great location.
Coach, we wish you nothing but the best
and let's go deep in the playoffs.
Thank you guys again for all that y'all do for these players
and having us on and covering our schools for sure.
Listen, I appreciate you keeping all those coaches straight back there.
It's a tough job.
Somebody's got to do it, right?
Yeah.
There's some characters back there, isn't there?
Yeah, for sure.
I do enjoy all those guys.
They're a lot of good guys.
They are.
Well, you are too.
Coach Wood, best of luck.
Okay.
The head coach of the Central Wildcats.
More from the coach's breakfast after this time out.
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WITK Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, the Shoals.
Sports Radio 93.9, the score.
Valley Broadcasting Corporation.
Top of the hour, too, here at 9 a.m. coming up.
Kevin Johnson with you here on the Coach's Breakfast.
We've got three or four more coaches still to talk to.
So we've got a lot on deck, but we're going to get through it
because Alabama football will start at about 1130.
So we'll try to fly through this as much as possible.
We'll also, on this last broadcast, give all the coaches time they need
to talk about their programs and what a great season they had,
including assistant coach of Carver County High School,
Coach Lucas Craft, who has been faithful to be with us each and every week.
His team wins 52-6 over Winston County.
First of all, Coach, I just want to say thank you for being here each week.
You've come and just been here representing Carver County.
We appreciate it.
It's a great school, isn't it?
Yes, sir, it is.
You know, first, I just want to say thank you to you
and everyone that plays a part in this, you know,
giving us a chance to come on here every Saturday morning
and talk and brag about our kids and things like that.
You know, it really just helps us get them out there
and the community, they enjoy it, gets them more involved, things like that.
So, just a big thank you to y'all.
But like you said, Carver County, it is a very special place.
A lot of history, a lot of tradition.
I mean, it's hard to compare to anywhere else.
I'll be honest with you.
I grew up there, went to high school there,
but when I see the black and gold helmets from Carver County,
I see that double C locked up.
He gets me chill bumps, and it's pretty neat to see.
And last night, you get a big win over Winston County, 52-6.
Was that on the road or at home?
It was at Winston County.
At Winston County.
Had to put the white uniforms on last night to go over there
and knock them off, and you get the big win.
And in Class 2A Region 7, you are 6-1, along with two other schools,
including Lexington and Phil Campbell.
And the first thing you did when you walked in was you said
in the coach's room back there, you looked at one of the Rogers
coach, Coach Garrett, and he said, hey, I need you to beat him next week
with a little fun of that of Coach Miles, because it would help you out
if Lexington lost.
But it's one of those, now it's scoreboard watching next week,
but you've got to take care of your job as well, don't you?
Yeah, we host Wilson next week.
It'll be our senior night, last regular season game for us.
You know, Wilson's a good team.
They're a good team.
They've had some big wins this year.
They're a very physical, hard-nosed team.
They're going to run it right at you.
You've got to be very disciplined when you play them, but know what you said
earlier, Coach Mask, I've known him forever.
He was my coach when I was in high school, and now he's like an older brother
mentor to me, so any way that I can find a way to kind of jab at him, I will.
Hey, and listen, I will give you all the info you need to jab at him.
I love that, too.
He's one of the good guys in coaching.
It is an incredible region.
This region is tough, especially at the top, and very balanced,
and three really good teams.
I mean, Phil Campbell, Carver County, Lexington, any of those three
could go deep in the playoffs.
This region alone has got to help you for postseason play,
no matter who you play, wouldn't you think?
Yeah, absolutely.
Like you said, it's a three-way tie at first.
There's a lot of good football that's being played right now by our region.
Like you said, Lexington, Phil Campbell, as well as us,
we all kind of started hitting our stride at the same time,
and as you can tell, all three of us ended up beating each other,
and we're in the predicament that we're in.
Let's talk about last night's win, 52-6.
You get the win on the road.
Any special teams plays last night big?
Anybody that's locked out, have a good game?
Yeah, Corey and Campbell, he's a senior for us.
He returned.
I think he had a punt return, a receiving touchdown, a rushing touchdown.
I think he might have returned another punt as well.
Dayton A-Day, he blocked a punt early in the second quarter.
Winston County fell on it for a safety, so that was big.
There was a – I can't – it'd be a disservice trying to name everybody.
Well, let's talk about special teams because I'll be honest,
people realize this, you know, you get higher classifications,
you may have a plethora of coaches, smaller classifications,
you may not have as many coaches.
So do y'all share with the special teams some as a coaching staff responsibilities?
Yeah, so me and Coach Dickerson, he was on here a few weeks ago.
He has kick return, punt return, and PAT block, and then I have kickoff, punt, and PAT.
So me and him, we share the responsibilities of special teams.
That's a lot of work, people don't realize, but special teams deep in the season,
especially in playoffs, are big, are they not?
That's something I know you'll focus on.
Oh, yeah.
And that's got to be feel good that your team had such a good special teams game last night as well.
Who do you have next week and where?
We've got Wilson next week at home.
It's our senior night.
And as you said earlier, so let's talk about this game for you as a team.
Not about Wilson, but just you as a game.
What do you really want to say out of your team this coming Friday night?
Or is it a Thursday night game?
I'm not sure.
As far as I know, it's still Friday.
Still Friday.
Okay, Friday night, CT, man.
What do you want to say out of your team?
Yeah, I just want to see us play a complete game.
You know, and not just not have pre-snap penalties.
You know, those are things that can kill drives.
Not necessarily, you know, get you out of your rhythm, but it's just more frustrating than it is.
You know, just jumping off sides, calling the wrong play in the huddle, things like that where you have to waste timeouts.
I just really want to see us correct that more so than anything else because, I mean, our kids, they'll play hard.
We don't have to go out there and kind of poke and prod them to get them to play.
They're always going to play hard.
They're always going to be physical, things like that.
Just try to clean up some of the mental errors before we start playoffs.
Speaking of Lucas Craft, assistant coach at Carver County High School.
His team won last night, 52-6 over Winston County.
You go 7-2 in the season, 6-1 in region play.
You've got to be proud of your team.
Looking back on it, what are you most proud of of this team so far this season?
I would say the way that we handled adversity.
We had two pretty big losses earlier in the year.
Deschler, you know, Coach Patrick Malone over there, he has a great team.
I mean, they're region champs as well.
They put it on us early in the year, and then two games after that, we go to Phil Campbell
and lose, and we had, you know, our kids had all the reason in the world just to fold
the tent, and they chose not to, and we had a bye week after Phil Campbell came back out
at home, beat Lexington.
You know, we've won the last few in a row, so just to see them face adversity and whenever
they could have phoned it in and said, ah, well, you know, we're ready for basketball,
they decided not to, and they wanted to change the season.
That's well said, and I like what I'm hearing about Carver County, whose team has really played
well this season, and, you know, Coach, as you look at going forward, do you have any idea
which region you match up with in the playoffs?
I'm not exactly sure what number it is, but it'll be the Piedmont, Walter Welburn, Pleasant
Valley, Ohatchee, those are the one through four, and, you know, like we've talked about briefly
at the start of this, we're kind of in a whole deadlock for first, us three teams, so it'll
be all the way till this week to see who matches up with who in this region.
This is the fun time of season, though.
It's much better to be in this place where you're in the playoffs and you're at school
board watching than to have to wait and see somebody else help you.
It's got to feel better about that, don't you?
Yeah, for sure.
It's always nice to know that you're in, no matter what, you know, you have a shot to
make it, but it's also nice to know exactly who you're playing the week before.
I would be, well, I understand.
Senior class, seniors, do you know how many seniors happen to be there?
We have 11.
11 seniors, pretty special group right there.
Yeah, I mean, they're a great group of kids to be around, and this is my first year back
at Colbert County, but a bunch of those kids, I mean, I remember them whenever I was still
playing over there, they were fifth, sixth grade, they were on the fence, you know, yelling
at all of us, just being kids.
So it's kind of cool to see, you know, the change in it, how they're seniors now, and kids
in Leighton are doing that to them as well.
So it's just pretty cool to see, you know, the dynamic of everything now on this side of
it.
Friday night lights, still get your juices going a little bit?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, pretty special right there.
What's your favorite part of Friday night pregame?
That's a funny question I want to ask you that, but as a coach, what's your favorite part
of the pregame and the Friday nights?
Oh, man.
That's a tough question.
I'll tell you mine.
Mine is this.
I love coming out and seeing the footballs laid out ready for all the special teams, and
all the, I love, there's something about those footballs on the green grass.
I love that.
That's something, man.
It's football time.
We sell those footballs, and as a coach, I love putting those footballs out there.
Yeah.
But I was wondering if there was some pregame ritual or something that you said, man, this
is when I'm like, okay, this is it.
This is where we're going.
For me, it's not necessarily like any other pregame warmups.
It would be, you know, you go out in pregame, you warm up, you come back in for a minute,
but right there whenever you walk back out before the game, especially in somewhere like
CT Manley, you see, you know, they're five, six deep on the fence around, and, you know,
if you haven't been to CT Manley, the fence is right there on you.
You don't have a whole lot of breathing room.
So, walking out, seeing, you know, like I said, five or six deep on the fence, it's packed
on both sides.
I mean, it's pretty special, and you're just kind of like, man, you know, this is one of
those places.
The spirit of Chief Calvert never goes away.
It's Calvert County.
Wins last night, getting ready for a big game against Wilson on senior night, and then the
playoffs behind that.
Coach, thank you for being our guest each and every week.
Coach Lucas Crafton, best of luck all the way through the playoffs.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
We appreciate it so much, and best of luck to the Carver County Indians.
More from the Coach's Breakfast after this time out.
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Welcome back to the Coaches Breakfast here on 93.9 Store.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you here from the beautiful North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic
on a Saturday morning.
You know what?
I love it when some surprises happen.
I don't know if you like surprises, but every once in a while we get one.
We got one today, and it's a pleasant surprise.
The head coach of the Waterloo Cougars, Coach Ty Cox, got to be with us today.
His team went to Cherokee last night and wins it 40-32.
Coach, welcome to the Coaches Breakfast, and congratulations on the big win.
Had to be a fun night last night.
Yes, sir.
Thank you for having me.
It was a great night.
You know, we preached and preached to our kids about playing the right way,
and we had some adversity last night, and we're able to overcome it.
It's always good when you get a win.
Let's talk about, first of all, small schools.
People know it's different than others as far as that, but it's still great competition.
How many kids do you have on your team?
We're up to, you know, we dress around 30 kids.
That's awesome.
Yes, sir.
And, you know, that's an increase from what Waterloo's had the past few years.
And, you know, we're just excited because you've got to have numbers.
You know, football's kind of a game of attrition at some times.
And, you know, we're still trying to get more and more, you know, and boost our numbers.
But we're happy to have the 30 we got.
Well, I think you'll add to it after snapping a four-game losing streak last night.
You talked about attrition to win and to celebrate last night.
How fun was that celebration last night on the way home coming on that bus?
Oh, yeah.
It was great.
You know, put in a lot of hard work.
You know, our kids, they haven't shied away from work.
And, you know, for several games this season, the ball hadn't bounced our way and didn't go the way we wanted.
But kids, you know, were persistent and kept preparing, kept practicing.
And last night they got the reward that they had been working for.
Coach Ty Cox, the head coach of the Waterloo Cougars, whose team knocks off Cherokee last night, 40-32.
Coach, did it go down to the wire?
I see the score, but I don't know how it played out.
Was it a close down in the fourth quarter?
Well, we had increased the lead, I believe, to – it was right at 20 points in the fourth quarter.
And, you know, they got a touchdown late.
But, you know, they started out – they scored on their first offensive play on the night.
And we had to battle back and come from behind.
So, I was happy to see our kids do that.
They didn't drop their heads.
You know, they just went back to work.
Who played well for you last night?
Maybe he got a couple of the scores last night.
Connor Scott, he had, I believe it was nine receptions for over 200 yards and four touchdowns.
Jacob Hart, our 10th-grade quarterback, he threw for over 350 yards with five touchdowns.
Bryson Gallagher had over 100 yards receiving.
And also Nazir Shelby had around 150 yards rushing.
So, we had a good offensive night.
Defensively, we had, you know, several guys that played really well.
Cyrus Wood, Gresham Ward, Jeb Austin all had good nights for us.
Okay.
I'm listening to this ball flying all over the air from Waterloo.
That caught me off guard there.
Are you a spread team?
Yes, sir, we are.
Obviously, you are.
And you've got a young quarterback that can throw it around.
Does that feel good that the future looks bright, too?
Oh, it does.
You know, we play some really tough opponents.
You know, Addison, Red Bay, Hackleberg, Meek.
They're all, you know, in my opinion, would go to another region and have a chance to win a region championship.
So, it's tough.
And, you know, against Red Bay, I think our quarterback gained a little bit of confidence.
And it's been fun to watch each week.
The past three weeks, he's gotten better and better.
And you can see the game kind of slowing down a little bit.
That's pretty cool.
Head coach Ty Cox of the Waterloo Cougars.
Are you the offensive coordinator sort of on the team?
Yes, sir.
All right, you're a play caller.
So, you're over there having video games last night.
You said everything was dialing up, was working.
I like that with the 40-32 game and the win.
But you got a little help up there in the press box from a guy that is a familiar name to the show's area.
That was a longtime head coach at Russell.
Your dad, Don Cox, and he's still helping you out.
How cool is that to have dad helping you out a little bit?
No, it's great, you know.
Football has always been one of our closest bonds, you know, just talking about the game.
And, you know, whether it's after practice, wanting to know who's sick or who's not there, had practice go.
But just having his, you know, his advice up in the box and seeing some things that I may not be able to see down in the field is a lot of fun.
You know, something that I'll cherish forever.
Well, and he will too.
He will cherish it too, to see a son that's a head coach.
And I'm sure last night there was probably a big hug after the game.
Y'all enjoyed that because that's a huge win for you.
And Coach Cox here, Ty Cox, I should say, I think it's important to realize that every school that has a sport, it's important to get these kids out.
And it's great to hear that you have 30 kids out at Waterloo.
The community loves the Waterloo Cougars.
They support you and everything.
Yes, sir.
Waterloo is an extremely unique and great place.
That's why I tell people we're kind of off the beaten path.
But there's still, sometimes I tell people it's like going back in time where, in a good sense, you know, kids are still kids.
You know, a lot of the problems that coaches may deal with at other schools we don't deal with.
Our problem is the fishing's too good and the deer hunting's too easy to get to.
I love it.
Sometimes, you know, that might affect our practice.
Do the deer come up next to practice, huh?
That's right, yes.
So, you know, it is.
It's a unique spot that I fell in love with.
And, you know, I'm proud to be there.
Well, I think they're proud to have you as well.
And we're proud to have you to come be our guest today and to highlight your team and your community.
Who do you have next week that you end up the season, by the way?
We have Vina.
It's at home for senior night.
And, you know, we're looking forward.
We play on Friday night.
How many seniors do you have?
We have four.
Four seniors.
You make it a big deal, I'm sure.
Yes, sir.
A few of the proud, so.
That's all right.
That's great.
But that also tells me, wow, you have a lot of youngsters coming back just with four seniors.
The future really is, but you've got to feel good about what you're seeing coming up in the next couple of years, too.
Yes, sir.
I'm excited.
You know, our junior varsity ended up winning our little league we were in, ended up going seven and one.
And, you know, it's a good thing when you look down and you see the younger grades and the numbers we have and the success they've had.
It does.
It excites you for the next or upcoming seasons.
I know you said your dad, Don Cox, helps you with the football team, but you have other coaches up, too.
I want you to highlight a few of your other coaches that are helping you out.
Yes, sir.
Carson Brewer, he is our defensive coordinator.
He's a guy that's from there.
He's went to Central High School, and he's doing a great job.
We also, Brad Palmer, the longtime head coach at Waterloo, I lean on him a lot.
He still helps us out.
And, you know, there's a lot of things that come up as a head coach that you can't necessarily prepare for.
As much as you try as an assistant coach, until you're in those shoes, you know, it's kind of hard to know how you'll react.
And so I lean on Brad for a lot of amen things and just reassurance, you know.
But we've got a really good staff.
Mason Mosley, Jerome Lambert, all of them are doing a really good job.
Some familiar names there.
I like that.
So that's good.
So you have a good staff.
Well, we appreciate you being our guest today.
And we're wishing the Waterloo Cougars the best on senior night against Vina.
And I know the folks in Waterloo are glad to hear you on 93.9 The Score today.
We hope to have you as a guest in the future as well.
Yes, sir.
The head coach of the Waterloo Cougars, Coach Ty Cox, who's team with a big win last night over Cherokee, taking on Vina's senior night.
Hey, Waterloo, come out and pack the stands for the Cougars this next Friday night.
More from the coaches' breakfast after this timeout.
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Back on the coaches' breakfast here on 93.9 The Score.
Kevin Johnson, glad to be with you this morning.
Final broadcast of the coaches' breakfast of the season.
Thank you to our sponsors.
We couldn't do it without you.
We appreciate you so much sponsoring the coaches' breakfast.
And so many listeners, people listen all the time to this.
They're traveling maybe to swim meets or to Little League games or young things.
And just people say, man, I listen to the coaches' breakfast.
It is a great tradition in the Shoals area.
It's my honor to be able to bring it to you each and every Saturday morning in the fall.
I've done this for many years.
One of my favorite times to get to spend time with these coaches, including our good friend,
Coach Steven Cohen, the assistant coach of Marcelle Panthers, who played Thursday night.
They kicked off the high school season this week on Thursday night, going over and knocking
off Decatur Heritage 41-18.
And Coach, Thursday night games, do you like those better than Friday night games, or does
it matter to you?
It don't really matter.
I mean, the preparation is different and everything.
And Coach Hill just says, next game, it was a region game too, so we had to buckle down and
kind of change everything from Sunday to Monday and that kind of stuff.
We kind of meet on Sundays, so it's kind of good that way.
And we kind of had a little head start that way too.
Well, you got a head start and you got the win as you knock off Decatur Heritage.
That was a big win for you.
Talk about it in the 41-18 victory.
Did you get off to a fast start?
Yeah, Titus Cosby's still getting better every week and throwing to our receivers and seeing
the field better and throwing the ball.
Coach Hill's got him really playing at a good level now as we're getting into the playoff
season.
So, Coach Hill's just been preaching all year, just kind of keep getting better every week.
I think it's what we're doing.
And we've got to play a lot of young kids the other night too.
That was really good.
I would say that your young quarterback, Mr. Cosby, has had a great start.
I watched some highlights.
He's a big kid.
He's a big kid, but he moves really well and he has an easy throw in motion.
He's just a natural quarterback, it looks like.
Yeah, he's just got little things.
He's improved a lot and he can spin.
His velocity is really – he can throw the ball pretty hard.
So, he's – receivers, they're getting more – they're running their routes better
as far as the timing is getting better with the routes.
Well, the timing is a big thing, especially late in the season.
And you go up 41-18.
That game was played on the road against Decatur Heritage.
But you had to play at another school, I believe.
Yeah, well, you go to East Lawrence, I think, and they didn't have a stadium.
So, it was getting a little different.
And it was – you know, every time you go on the road, it's a little different.
You've got to adjust the settings, you know.
They had a nice grass, low grass field.
And it was kind of – since we play on turf, we play on grass, it's a little different too.
First time to play on grass this season?
Yeah, it probably was, yeah.
I mean, you don't think about it.
You rarely see the grass fields anymore.
I mean, all schools have gone to turf almost.
Well, let's talk about your team on defense.
Because 41-18, your defense has been really good this season.
Yeah, I mean, Ryan Derrick's really done a good job of defense all year long.
And, I mean, as far as just, you know, linebacker Jesse Parker and just all those guys up front,
you know, I mean, we had a little – as far as the defense, he's preaching to run to the ball
and do a lot of good things.
And then we're the game tackling.
We're tackling a lot better now, Kevin, than we were earlier in the year.
And you see each week, tackling's getting better, forming to the balls better.
And just the defense really come on every – early in the year, we had a few shutouts early in the middle of the year,
you know, they're – so we're just getting better every week.
Seven and two on the season are the Panthers.
Five and one in region play.
They knock off Decatur Heritage Thursday night.
And now you get to play a team that's not in the private school section there.
You go out of a region.
You go to take on the Deshler Tigers.
What a game that will be.
Wow, that will be some kind of a test there.
I mean, Coach Malone, all those guys, they got – I mean, after the running back.
Jones is really good, and we got to watch them on film.
Jones is really good, and they're just – he's really explosive.
He's really fast back.
He's a track guy, too, so he's – it'll be hard.
How much will this help your team facing a team like Deshler going to the playoffs?
Oh, yeah, definitely, because the speed of the game is so much different with Deshler.
You know, they're athletic, and they're really athletic all over.
So that's really going to help us go into next week, so week after next.
That'll be great.
I mean, they're really a physical team, and Coach Malone, they've been Coach Jones over there.
They've been really good, and Coach Woods, and they're really good guys.
Like I heard Coach Malone talking earlier about all the coaches just knowing each other
and just being all kind of a – I can't believe it's Coach Kevin.
It's our last meeting.
Yeah, it is.
Because I love the coaches around here.
It's just kind of – we learn so much from each other.
Well, let's talk about you go to Deshler – is that a Thursday night game?
Yeah, Thursday night game, yes.
That Deshler's going to be a good atmosphere, Coach Kevin.
Thursday night game.
But then you go playoffs, and in the playoffs you turn around, and it's already set.
You'll be in the playoffs on the first round.
You'll play at home against Pickens Academy.
Pickens Academy, yeah, I think that's right, yeah.
Pickens Academy will come play.
Get in a home playoff game.
That's really big, too.
Yeah, that's going to be really huge.
Yeah, that's going to be big.
We're going to have a big crowd, and get to see how we do.
The new classification thing is going to be different.
And if you were to win that one, you might take on a Tuscaloosa Academy team
down the road, or a Cusa Christian, one or no other.
So, it's going to be tough.
That's a tough bracket right there.
But at the same time, man, hey, you're preparing for it well to play a Deshler game.
What do you like about this team so far from Marcel?
This team just got – first of all, these kids come to practice so good every week,
and they're just so fun to coach, and we've had – I've been there for five years.
I mean, the seniors each year just kind of – you know, you're in tears when they leave,
so you don't – we just know that, you know, each week they give everything they got,
and these – it's an amazing place.
I mean, Marshall just – you know, it's a community of people and all the support we have,
and it's a special school, and these kids really get better every week.
Well, they will be supporting you Thursday night at Howard Chapel Stadium,
taking on Deshler Tigers, and throughout the playoffs as well.
And Coach Hill has done a great job over there, along with you, Coach Cohen,
as assistant coach, and best of luck throughout it.
7-2, Mars Hill at Deshler.
What a game that will be Thursday night.
Get your popcorn early for that one.
That'll be a lot of fun.
Coach, best of luck, okay?
Thanks, Kevin.
Steven Cohen with Mars Hill.
Panthers coming up, Kenny Morrison, after this one-minute timeout.
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Back here on the Coaches Breakfast, 93.9 The Store.
Kevin Johnson with you.
What a great day it's been.
Don't forget, if you're in downtown Florence,
just be alert.
There's a lot going on in downtown Florence,
from the Renaissance Fair to also today,
it's UNA Homecoming Parade.
So, just be alert to that.
And if you're around the University of North Alabama,
it's homecoming.
So, just be slow down and watch everything
and enjoy the day and get out and support the Lions tonight
for homecoming as they take on Austin Peay.
Glad to end the show today, end the season here
for our Coaches Breakfast.
I've done this for many years now
and ended with my good friend Kenny Marson,
the head coach of the Florence Falcons,
who's team went last night at home on senior night,
went at 35-17 over Hartzell
and are now the region champions.
Coach, congratulations on the win
and being region champs.
Thank you.
We're excited.
A lot of buzz in there last night.
It was one of those nights that was,
well, first of all, great weather.
Wasn't it great weather for last night
for high school football?
Awesome.
I mean, the folks that stayed in
and listened to it or watched it,
they missed out on a great night for football.
Yeah, it was perfect for that.
Your team having to bounce back from a loss last week,
how did you feel like they responded this week?
Well, looking back, obviously with the win,
it's easy to say that they bounced back well,
but we had some ups and downs throughout the week.
We just kept locking in and focusing on us
and we told them from day one,
I don't know that we mentioned Hartzell one time
throughout the whole week.
I didn't hear coaches saying it, anything.
We were more worried about us and fixing our mistakes
and miscues along the way.
So we were locked in pretty focused.
Coach Robinson reminded me of something
or said something to us in the office last night.
He said he knew it was going to turn out like this
in pregame warmup.
You could have heard a pin drop.
We were out there warming up
and Coach Sledge is stretching our guys
and flexing them and everything.
There was no messing around, no horse playing, no talk.
It was just quiet.
So the calm before the storm, I guess you'd say.
27 seniors last night on senior night.
Maybe that was part of it too, those seniors that is our night.
And, you know, I will talk about a few of them in a minute,
but pretty special group to have that many seniors, isn't it?
Yes, absolutely.
And we called on those young guys that, you know,
you're going to be a senior one day.
You're going to want the young players to play hard for you.
And, you know, we really challenged our guys that are rotators,
that are juniors and 10th grade guys that are playing a lot of snaps for us.
We challenged those guys to really commit.
And even the guys that are our scout team guys,
I said, look, we need the best out of y'all this week
for these guys to be prepared, you know, the team to be prepared.
But for the seniors to have a special night,
it's all going to have to come together.
And it starts with scout team stuff.
It starts with practicing hard.
And so it worked out well for those guys.
I can't highlight all 27 seniors,
but Thursday night you asked one young man to be my guest
on the Thursday night show named Austin Klotzbach,
his first time to come out for football this year, his senior year.
I don't know if you realized last night, he was all over the field.
He made play after play.
I said, we need to get him on the radio show more often.
Yeah, he played really well.
I'm proud of him.
He was on that ninth grade team with us the one year that he did play.
And that ninth grade team, which are seniors now,
they were undefeated when they were freshmen.
And he was on that team and then decided that he was going to focus on baseball.
And he's a really good baseball player, plays shortstop,
and a really talented young man there.
And we just were relentless with him about coming back and told him,
look, we want you to play baseball.
We want you to play multiple sports, do what you do,
but come play football your senior year with us.
And it's worked out great.
He has been a, he's an awesome young man to begin with.
Glad to have him in the program and glad to get him back.
Sometimes the athletes are just athletes, aren't they?
They are.
Just players make plays and he's a player.
Speaking of players, two of them last night had over a hundred yards rushing
to Carson Johnson, the senior.
He has been, he has been your steady force all season long.
And then Kayon Williams, get him back in the groove a little bit.
You saw that happen last night.
He had a, broke off a 68-yard run.
He, when he broke off that 68-yard run, he came to the sideline.
He was kind of grinning.
I said, I looked at him, I said, you're slow.
He said, I'm a really coach.
I said, no.
I said, you got a little, little giddy up in your step there.
He was, he was still not 100%, but 131 yards and not 100%.
It's pretty, pretty talented young man, but so happy for DeCarson.
Boy, I got to say a lot about our team last week.
Saturday, Sunday, into coming in with those guys at two o'clock on Sunday, we were getting
texts from players.
Hey, have y'all heard from DeCarson?
You know, the team and the seniors were worried about him from that Friday night game.
And guys were calling, checking on him.
And hey, man, it's all right.
You know, those, those didn't define the ball game.
You know, it's not going to define our season.
And they really lifted him up.
And that says a lot about the program and the kids that we've got right now.
And then he had a big night.
Wow.
Yeah.
The goose was loose.
I promise you.
He wears number zero, that goose egg.
And I've nicknamed him the goose.
And he was running all over the field.
A couple of touchdowns, actually, I think three on the night.
And just a great night for him.
And, you know, your team had to take care of business.
And they did take care of business last night.
And they did it and put away a good, heartfelt team.
But you've got to feel good how your team responded
and kept the foot on the gas pedal, probably.
Yeah.
We just, I told them at halftime, I said, guys, I said,
I know y'all get tired of me saying it,
but I've been around this league a lot of years.
And I've been around Hartsell a lot of years.
And you let them hang around.
And it's going to get hard in the fourth quarter.
And I said, we've got to put them away.
If they hang around, it's going to be tough on us.
And sure enough, they made it tough on us.
And we finally stretched it out there at the end.
How proud of you are this quarterback, a sophomore, Costa Mahan?
He's a great player.
I love this young man.
And he's, I keep reminding myself and our offensive staff a lot of times
throughout the game when we get aggravated with him sometimes.
He's a 10th grader.
Yes.
I mean, he is young.
He's still figuring out this game.
We had an RPO for him last night.
And Cade McGuire's ears are probably still burning from me pulling the microphone down
and hollering at him through the headsets.
That was fun.
I had to love up on him after and apologize.
But we put an RPO on him.
And he pulled it and threw it, of course.
And it was not the right play at the time.
And I just pulled him over to the side.
I said, hey, we know you're young.
You're a 10th grader.
You've got to manage this game.
You know, sometimes when you get those calls, it's not always about throwing the ball.
You know, hand it off sometimes.
So, he's learning.
He's growing.
But zero turnovers.
Even one time he took a sack.
That sounds funny.
He took a sack.
But he could have forced it.
And he didn't.
He said, you know what?
I'll trust my defense.
And he held on to the ball.
I'm glad he took the sack because I was hollering throw it.
So, I'm glad he didn't listen to me because he would have thrown it in the crowd, probably.
Well, let's talk about your team.
Now, you win the game.
And we thought that Russellville-Austin game would have been over by 745, the way they run the ball.
And lo and behold, those guys played until 10 o'clock last night.
I don't know what was going on down there.
But I really thought they'd be – I figured it'd be third quarter and they'd already be finished.
We'd already know.
But when we scored to make it 35-10, I went by – I'd already told the guys, I don't want to hear nothing about it.
You know, somebody whispered in there at halftime and I chewed them out.
I said, I'm not listening to it.
And then when it got 35-10, I went by Corey Hughes down there and he had his phone out.
I probably shouldn't say that out loud, but he's watching it on the sideline for us.
And he said – he told me the score and I just grinned.
I said, we got a shot here.
But it was eight minutes to go.
I said it was early.
But we were able to finish in the special thing last night, was able to put that game on the Jumbotron.
And our players and families and community folks were out on the field watching Russell do that thing.
And when it finished and announced it on the Jumbotron, boy, it was a special night.
It was a chaos and celebration.
Special night.
Kids running 100 yards down the field just celebrating because they'd been waiting for that for a long time.
You know, Nathan Sawyer and some of those guys have been with us since the beginning, five years.
And I'm not going to lie, I had a few tears.
And I looked at Sawyer.
He hugged me.
I said, boy, it's been a hard five years.
And it all came together last night, special for these guys.
And not for us as a staff.
For these seniors in this team, I'm so excited for them.
This community, they've stood behind us.
And we needed something special to happen last night, and it did.
Next week is Halloween, Coach.
On October 31st, there's going to be boys and girls coming, ringing your doorbell, saying trick-or-treat.
If Daryl Higgins was to come by and say trick-or-treat, what all would he get in his bucket?
Well, I'll go ahead and say it.
Last night, I FaceTimed him from the field.
And I finally got him to answer.
They had gotten done.
And I wanted to be the first to congratulate him.
As soon as he came up on FaceTime, he said, you owe me a steak dinner.
I said, George, whatever you want.
And then I told him, I said, tell Coach Bowell I got him, too.
So I called both those guys, longtime friends of mine, and love those guys.
And I knew they'd have them ready.
Boy, they're dang good football coaches.
Four great teams from this region are going to be in the playoffs and going against another great region across the way.
You will open up.
First of all, I would say next week, don't forget, obviously, Thursday night.
I'll get to that in a minute.
But your first-round playoff game, St. Clair County.
That's not just a gimme right there.
That's a good team.
Good football team.
They got a couple of guys that were nominated for the north-south team.
And they got a big receiver, offensive lineman, I think, is a good player.
They got some guys.
Now, that's a tough league that they play in.
I mean, you're talking Clay Chalkwell, Oxford, and Hill City, and Southside, Gadsden.
I mean, that's a...
Just like ours.
That's like ours.
That's a doozy of a region.
And it's a shame that we've got to cross over with each other right out the gate
with four really good football teams going to get after each other.
Yeah, that will be in a couple weeks.
First thing, though, you've moved this game up from a Friday to Thursday with Fort Payne this week.
Going to Fort Payne, you'll hear that here on 93.9 The Score.
Huge game coming up.
You want to end this well.
You've got a chance to go 9-1.
Yeah.
We're excited about this to get this thing finished off, get working on the playoff deal.
Thursday night was a good move for us.
We'd kind of been waiting until the Fort Payne girls with their volleyball.
We finally found out Thursday morning when they got put out of the volleyball playoffs
that we were going to go ahead and move it.
And so it gives us extra day for the playoffs.
You know, we may take a trip to see St. Clair County and see what's going on with them
and see them in person.
You see them on film, and you never really get a full effect of them,
but you get to see them in person and see what they really look like and the speed of the game.
Yeah.
So, yeah, we'll maybe take a peek at those guys.
I know Fort Payne over the years has had great teams this year.
They're down a little bit.
They didn't have a team to have.
But, Coach, I just want to tell you one thing.
Don't let it come down to a last-second kick because McPherson's are all over the place down there.
And we found that out last week from Auburn.
Not that I hadn't mentioned Auburn beat Georgia again last time, but that was a four-paying kid.
Yeah, a war eagle on that.
Let's talk about what you – as we end, this team, what has it meant to you to see this team grow this year?
It's special.
It really is.
This bunch has bought in, and just to hear when their names were called with their parents out there,
and they were lined across that field.
I remember when we had 13 standing out there.
And first three years, 13, 16, 17, somewhere right in there, and we didn't stretch out very far.
But, you know, last year, 23 or 24, and then this time, 27.
So they're staying with us.
Those guys I was hearing six years' worth.
They've been here since seventh grade, and they've been bought in from day one.
This group especially has been just bought into everything.
And, again, I say this, when you're building a program, there was a lot of turnover here.
Everybody knows that that was.
And you hear different things from every coach.
Everybody's got their own philosophy.
But they've only heard us, and that's all they've heard since they've been here.
So they've got no choice but to buy in.
It's not a lot of different stuff being talked.
All our coaching staff across the board, 7 through 12, are all on the same page
and preaching the same things down at their level when they were there
and all the way up ninth grade to varsity now.
So really special for those guys.
And I just shed a little tears last night.
It was awesome for them.
I like hearing that from the veteran coach, Kenny Morris, of the Florence Falcons,
which I think we all did.
An emotional night.
I've been broadcasting for many years, and I did the same as well.
It was very special.
And you go on the road Thursday night to take on Fort Payne.
You'll hear that game on 93-9, the score.
But, Coach, I've got great news.
Let's play that first playoff game at Brawley Stadium.
Brawley Stadium.
How about the crowd we can have for playoffs for the first week, maybe even two or three?
Could be three weeks in a row, possibly, if things played out.
Three games at home, possibly, if things played out in Florence takes care of business.
Yep.
We're going to go one step at a time.
We're going to get working on Fort Payne.
We're not going to overlook them for sure.
I know Chris Elmore, head coach there, has been a longtime friend of mine,
and he's a good football coach.
They do a great job over there and got a lot of respect for him and what he's done.
I've been on some athletic committees and stuff with him, with the Coaches Association.
He's just a well-thought-of guy across the state.
He'll have those guys ready, and we've got to be ready.
Can't overlook them and look to St. Care County.
We'll put them on the shelf.
We'll get ready for Fort Payne.
Coach, congratulations on the region championship.
Thank you.
The head coach of the Florence Falcons, Coach Kenny Marson.
We're going to wrap it up after this 30-second timeout.
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Yes.
Coach, just like you draw it up.
Welcome back to the Coach's Breakfast.
I want to end it up because it's final, but I've got Coach Kenny Marson with me.
I have to get this story on the air because this is one of the great stories.
Last night, Florence wins the game, and Costa Mahan throws a touchdown pass to Kirkland Blank,
tied in for a touchdown pass, 30-yard touchdown.
But, Coach, it's not the way it was drawn up in the dirt, was it?
We call the play, and Kirkland's looking to the sideline, and nobody would get –
everybody's setting a stance but him, and he's looking over there,
and he's doing his hands like, do y'all want me to stay?
Stay for pass protection.
And the clock's ticking, and I holler, run the play, and screamed it out real loud.
He puts his hand on the ground.
He ran the route.
He's supposed to stay in for protection.
So, he just –
So, that's why your quarterback had to scramble because there was not enough protection, maybe.
Exactly.
So, I messed up the protection, I guess, by hollering, run the play, and he ran the route.
And, actually, I'll make it even worse.
Costin told us he was throwing it to Kavante.
Throwing it to Kavante, and Kirkland Blank catches it for a touchdown.
Hey, sometimes it's just your night, isn't it, Coach?
I know.
I heard Cade McGuire came over and said, just like you draw it up.
So, I just died laughing.
What a way to end the coach's breakfast.
It's all coaching, baby.
It is coaching.
Well, we're going to end the coach's breakfast here today, here on 93.9 Square.
I want to say thank you to Wes Richardson, who has been our go-to and liaison for us
to do the coach's breakfast each and every week here with the North Alabama Bono Joint Clinic.
Thank you to the doctors, physicians, and all those who helped out as well.
Each and every Saturday morning, we say thank you so much for that.
And thank you to all the coaches who are listening who have come, been a part of the show
each and every Saturday morning.
We cannot do it without you.
We appreciate you more than you know.
It's a great tradition.
Been going on since the 70s.
This is coach's breakfast, and 93.9.
The score has had it now for 25 or 30 years.
And honored to do that as well.
So thank you for allowing us to be a part of the show.
And best of luck to all the teams.
As a matter of fact, I don't know if you realize this, but most every team that we talk to today
is in the playoffs.
So best of luck to all the teams in the playoffs.
May Northwest Alabama represent well.
And we look forward to it.
Looking forward to a great time.
Alabama football around the corner.
2.30 kickoff, 11.30 pregame against Texas A&M.
Hope you enjoyed that as well.
I want to say a big thank you to James Moody, who has been in the 93.9 The Score studios
every Saturday morning.
He's the best producer, without doubt, in the radio around Alabama.
He is the best of the best.
Appreciate him and all the hard work he does as well.
That's going to do it for us today.
We want to say thank you to our sponsors, and thank you to the fans.
Listen, each and every Saturday morning.
And Lord willing, next year, we will do it again.
We hope to do a great job of the coaches' breakfast.
And again, best of luck to all the teams.
For our station manager, Greg Thornton, for James Moody and the 93.9 The Score studios,
it's been my honor to be with you on the coaches' breakfast.
My name is Kevin Johnson.
Have a great day.
Enjoy the day of college football, and I will see you in church on Sunday.
Good day, everyone.
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