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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Johnathon “Juicy” Wilson inked his letter of intent to play college football at Huntingdon College on March 15. The Maplesville High School standout has been one of the most electrifying football players in Chilton County the last half decade spending six years on the varsity team, every year since seventh grade.

Now, he puts a bow on his high school career that saw hundreds of tackles, tens of interceptions and touchdowns, all-state selections, and now, a college scholarship.

“Johnathon has been a very important part of our program all of the years he has been in it,” Brad Abbott, Maplesville head football coach, said. “He has always bought into what we try to do at Maplesville. He was a great teammate to the other guys on the team, helps out the younger kids and shows them the ropes as they are coming up through the program, and on Friday nights he was a leader on the field for the players. All around, he was a great, positive role model for our program, and for his teammates.”

Wilson continues the long connection between the Red Devils’ program and Huntingdon, and on his visits, he saw that connection was still strong. Maplesville standout Rishard Davis attended Huntingdon and had a career worthy of a Hall of Fame induction at the school. Wilson visited the school four times during his recruitment, leaving no doubt that is where he wanted to be.

“When I came on the visits they showed me great love, and they offered me back over and over. It felt like it was the place to be, and it gave me the Maplesville type of feeling,” Wilson said. “I want to mainly focus on loving the game of football and being there, and as I am growing each year of college, I want to get better and maybe do what Rishard did and have a great career at Huntingdon like I did at Maplesville.”

Wilson was a versatile player for the Red Devils playing defensive back and wide receiver after getting to the school his sixth-grade year from Billingsley. At Huntingdon, Wilson said he will play wherever the coaching staff says, but is looking to play strictly wide receiver for the Hawks.

“I never thought I would come (to Maplesville), and I never thought this would be my place, but I am so blessed that I did,” Wilson said.

Wilson was named to the Alabama Sports Writer Association’s Class 1A All-State First Team at defensive back following the 2023 season.