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Coaches from the six public schools in Chilton County spoke about their teams and the upcoming season during the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Aug. 21.

Each coach brought two to three players with them as part of the Coaches Corner event.

Topics of discussion included the recent region realignment, schedule layout and team makeup.

“They do a great job, but they’re even better people,” Superintendent Jason Griffin said about the quality of coaches in the county.

Players represented were Jarrett Baker and Blake Henderson of Isabella, Noah Walls and Ryan Morrow of Maplesville, Patrick Pickett and A.J. Jackson of Jemison, Chase Birchfield and Kane Belk of Thorsby, Logan Mayfield, Jacob Sanders and Dawson Rohrbough of Verbena and Cameron Wright, Cade Williams and Triston Schmidthorst of CCHS.

Players that attend such events have usually gained the trust of the coaches and are chosen based on what they have shown as leaders on the team.

“It makes me feel special and like you’re doing something good for the team,” Morrow said.

For weeks, teams have been fine-tuning their play, and fans have been talking about expectations and hopes for the season.

However, it reaches a point where you are tired of the talking and making projections and ready to see some action and results. That is where Sanders finds himself.

“I’m ready for the season to start for sure,” Sanders chuckled.

Sanders enters the 2018 season as Verbena’s starting quarterback after being unable to play last season due to a torn meniscus.

“It’s just something you’ve got to work with,” Sanders said. “When it’s put on your shoulders, you’ve got to handle it.”

At the start of each season, every school is looking to replace a certain number of leaders that graduated.

Finding out who those new leaders will be is always part of the process throughout the summer and in fall practice.

“It’s fun taking on the challenge of filling the shoes of the past leaders,” Walls said.

The Coaches Corner event was just another way for Chilton County residents to show their enthusiasm for high school athletics in the county.

“It’s good to know that people are supporting not only our team, but everybody in the community,” Williams said. “It’s just making the whole community stronger.