By Wil Crews
sportscrews@
opelikaobserver.com
LANETT —
Entering 2022, the Lanett varsity football team has won the past five AHSAA Class 2A Region 4 regular season championships, and holds the longest region winning streak in the state at 33 games.
Enduring a multitude of unforeseen obstacles in 2021 — like having to workout at a church and use the school auditorium as the field house — the season was a success and saw Lanett finish 10-3, with all three losses coming at the hands of non-region opponents.
“2021 was a tough season,” said head coach Clifford Story at Media Days last Wednesday. “It took a toll on everybody. But it also caused us to grow up and be more responsible and accountable for a whole lot of things.”
This year, the Panthers are looking to take the program to the next level and capture a state title.
“We don’t make no excuses,” Story said. “Our goal at Lanett is to win state championships.”
The Panthers lost multiple all-stars from last year’s team — including 4-star DE Caden Story — but a productive summer and leadership from the eight returning starters has Story feeling confident as the 2022 season nears.
“Our summer has been great,” Story said. “We push our guys; everybody is excited. We are going to be young. But, we rotate a lot of guys and play a lot of kids, so I’m not worried about the number of guys we got returning. It’s embedded in them how well we compete and how hard we play.”
Story made three changes to his coaching staff this offseason, bringing in coaches with college and NFL playing experience to try and help elevate the Panthers.
“I tell my kids all the time we are going to bring in quality guys, quality men, that will help them to be great young adults and to push them to be the best they can be,” he said. “So that’s where we are headed.”
As it stands, Story is just one win away from becoming the all-time winningest coach in Lanett football history.
“It means that I have had some great players,” he said of the accomplishment. “I have been surrounded by some great coaches. Coach Washburn, his name is on the stadium — he’s a great guy and mentor to me. So, to be able to do it and to be able to do it following a guy like him is going to show that I have done a great job at Lanett and have been surrounded by a lot of good people.”
The Panthers will try to earn that win when their season begins on Aug. 20 against Notasulga in the inaugural Kickoff Classic. Loachapoka and LaFayette will play a game at Lanett prior to the Panthers taking the field.
“We just wanted to bring this community together to enjoy some football,” Story said.
Overall, while the outside perspective may be that Lanett will take a step back in 2022 due to all its lost production, Story is focused on having his guys compete, and letting the rest of the dominoes fall where they may.
“I look for them being able to compete,” Story said. “We will be where we need to be scheme-wise. But if they compete and fight, as far as my staff and I, we will put them in a position to win ball games.”
