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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Football season in Chilton County is upon us, and as the season draws near, the anticipation of the upcoming season for each program grows. New head coaches taking over programs, perennial powerhouse programs hoping to continue their dominance and a whole new landscape of regions are all part of the preseason talking points across Chilton County.

 

Chilton County High School

Chilton County High School is one of those programs with a new head coach taking over as Eddie Wall will lead the Tigers into the 2024 season. Along with Wall comes a completely revamped coaching staff that hopes to unlock the potential of the squad.

The offense returns rising junior quarterback Logan Coppedge that showed great improvement from the start of last season to the end. Coppedge had to grow up on the field and learn on the fly, something that could go a long way towards the Tigers’ success this season.

As for the program overall, all reports from CCHS indicate a very positive locker room environment, and players have said the effort levels have been consistent throughout the summer stages. If the Tigers can rally with each other under Wall, they could sneak into the AHSAA Class 6A State Playoffs for the first time in school history.

 

Jemison High School

Rishard Davis, one of the most prolific football players to come out of Chilton County during his time at Maplesville High School, is now in charge of a Panthers program at Jemison that is starving for a winner. In the 2000s, Jemison only missed the state playoffs one year the entire decade. Since 2010, the Panthers have made the playoffs five times, picking up just one playoff win in those five appearances.

The Panthers return starters on both offense and defense including quarterback Luke Gann. Jemison was able to notch a signature win over Thorsby High School last season before things got away from them. If the Panthers can rally together behind their new coach like Chilton County, Jemison could be the biggest surprise team in the county this season.

 

Thorsby High School

The Rebels of Thorsby are the only Chilton County area school to move classifications when realignment was released, returning to Class 3A for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Those two seasons were the only Class 3A showings for Thorsby, but this time head coach Daryl Davis will be leading the team riding seven straight state playoff appearances and their first playoff win since 2017 last season.

The Rebels always bring an exciting brand of football on both sides of the ball with dynamic players on offense, and an all hats to the football type of approach to defense. Returners on both sides fair well for Thorsby to bring that brand with them to the next level in Class 3A this season.

 

Isabella High School

The Mustangs and head coach Tate Leonard being very competitive in their region and making noise in the state playoffs has been inevitable for the better part of a decade. However, Isabella will be tasked with filling arguably the biggest loss, from a pure production standpoint, in the county this season with quarterback Eli Kendrick graduating.

Leonard and staff have filled large production losses in the past flawlessly, and with a stable of powerful running backs, the production can be restored again. Establishing the run and then picking their spots down field has been the motive for Isabella in the past, and the new look offense is one of the most exciting topics for the program heading into this season.

 

Maplesville High School

The model of consistency in Chilton County that is Maplesville continued that trend last season, but in a different way than their usual dominance. The team went 8-5 overall, the most losses since 2004, but the way the Red Devils came together down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs was impressive. Even in a season when adversity was at its highest there were still huge highlights, including a second-round playoff win over 9-1 Sweet Water High School on the road.

The Red Devils continue to replenish its talent with homegrown players as young faces step up this upcoming season to fill the losses from last season. Head coach Brad Abbott is poised to cross over 50 wins at Maplesville in only five seasons this year, which would put him third on the school’s all-time wins list behind Brent Hubbert (166 wins) and Jim Hubbert (144 wins).

 

Verbena High School

If there was a school in Chilton County that I feel like everyone wants to see do well, it has to be the Verbena Red Devils. After an upstart year in 2022 going 8-3 and the school’s first playoff berth since 2016, it was tough sledding last season for Verbena. The Red Devils graduated almost their entire production from that season, so the regression in 2023 was somewhat expected.

Head coach Allen Brothers is entering his fourth season with Verbena and has had the program moving in the right direction his entire tenure. With another year of football under their belts, and new faces in their region, it will be exciting to see if the Red Devils can get back to where they were in 2022 and give their fanbase another thrilling fall.

 

Billingsley High School

Head coach Lanny Jones enters his third season at the helm at Billingsley with a senior quarterback and an offensive line that he believes is the strength of his team. Returning wide receiver Kyle Boice was one of the best in Class 1A last season, so scoring points this season should not be a problem. If the Bears’ defense can get off the field better than it has the last few years, they may be another Chilton County area team that could make their respective playoffs.

 

Chilton Christian Academy

The Patriots are back in 2024 after the program’s one-year hiatus after a state championship game appearance in 2022. Low numbers last year forced the program to not field a team, however, the team has enough this season, but only one senior on the roster. Head coach Jay Norcross will have a working progress on his hands this season, but the exciting six-man football CCA plays will be a show no matter what in each game.