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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Billingsley High School’s Kaden Cotton is this week’s athlete of the week after his performance against Greensboro High School on Aug. 23. Cotton and the Bears dismantled their Class 3A opponents in the season opener to the tune of 636 total yards and a 46-20 score line.

Cotton was a workhorse for Billingsley toting the ball for 17 carries that piled up a career high 281 rushing yards, a 16.5 yards per carry average, and punched in three rushing touchdowns. The junior also made two catches for 32 yards to put him over 300 total yards in the game at 313.

“I thought our offense was really rolling, and we executed really well which comes with experience and having these guys for three years in the same program,” Billingsley head coach Lanny Jones said following the game.

Prior to the season, Jones believed the Bears’ offensive line would be a strong point for their team entering its third season playing together. The big boys up front proved him right in game one, opening up holes for Cotton to have his best game of his high school career. Cotton ran for 774 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, and is already over a third of the way to his rushing total from last year after one game.

 

Honorable mention: Jedaiah Works, Isabella High School

Cotton was not the only running back in the Chilton County area with a season-opening game north of 200 rushing yards as Isabella High School’s Jedaiah Works ran for 201 yards in the Mustangs’ 21-14 win over Thorsby High School on Aug. 22.

The junior made his impact on 20 carries with short, methodical runs, but was also able to break some off including 66- and 35-yard touchdown runs. He added another touchdown to give him three scores in the game, accounting for all of Isabella’s trips to the end zone.

 

Honorable mention: Malachi Allgood, Thorsby High School

Arguably the most impactful defensive player in the Chilton County area entering the 2024 season, Thorsby linebacker Malachi Allgood made his claim to establish that as a fact with a team-high 14 tackles for the Rebels against Isabella. The senior added one tackle for a loss and a forced fumble as well.