BY DANIEL SCHMIDT | THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — As the summer heat ramped up, Lee County’s high school football teams took to the podium at the Fox Sports The Game High School Football Media Days in Opelika on July 28.
The annual event, now held at Opelika First Baptist Church, signifies that the upcoming season is right around the corner, and this year’s edition featured several compelling storylines.
Auburn High School and Loachapoka High School return proven coaching staffs that led their respective teams to playoff success and have multiple Division I football players.
Auburn head coach Keith Etheredge said his Tigers have the highest expectations possible with an SEC commit returning at quarterback and a range of talented players around him.
“We can be 14-0 and win the [6A] state championship. That’s very possible with this group of guys,” Etheredge said. “We’ve got to stay healthy, all buy in to the same things and that Auburn across our chest, play for each other and not make it a me thing. That’s the biggest thing when you have 130 to 140 guys on the team.”
During the Indians’ time at the podium, Loachapoka head coach Branden Hall said his team had an identical goal after falling in a 17-14 overtime heartbreaker to Providence Christian in the second round of the playoffs last year.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat anything: every time we step on the field and step between the lines, we’re trying to win a game,” Hall said. “I expect to try to take this team as far as we can, one game at a time [and] one series at a time, and to get to the highest possible level. And that’s Mobile in December. That’s our goal.”
While Glenwood School does not feature the same caliber of high-end athletes AHS and LHS do, the Gators also have high expectations. Under head coach Ryan Nelson, Glenwood finished 10-3 and reached the third round of the 3A playoffs.
Even as the Gators face a new schedule as a result of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s decision to separate public and private schools earlier this year, Nelson said his team will focus on what it can control.
“Two years ago, I was up here answering all these questions about if we could compete, and our program has done nothing but win the last two years with back-to-back region [championships],” Nelson said. “Our expectation is not going to change in a new league this season.”
In year two of the Blair Harrison era at Smiths Station High School, the Panthers will look to build on a 2-8 record and what was a successful first step of the rebuild last season. And although Smiths Station remains in one of the most difficult regions in all of Alabama high school football, Harrison said small improvements throughout the program have him encouraged.
“This year, we’re going to hit harder, run faster and we’re going to be a lot more physical and a lot more prepared,” Harrison said. “I don’t know what that’s going to translate to as far as wins and losses, but I think we’ll be a better all-around football team heading towards building a really good program.”
Beulah High School finds itself in a similar boat to Smiths Station. Entering year two, head coach Michael Courson said he is hoping a strong close to the 2025 campaign is a glimpse of things ahead for the Bobcats.
“[The final four games last season] showed us some adversity, and we didn’t run from it,” Courson said. “We were able to finish that four-game stretch at the end of the season with three wins. That was huge to finish the season that way. I think it built momentum for our off-season.”
Other teams, including Opelika High School and Lee-Scott Academy, feature first-year head coaches who will lead plenty of returning starters
Opelika head coach Jonathan Chandler said that although his offense will feature a more wide-open attack, fans should still expect to see familiar elements of a smash-mouth ground game. His taking over a successful program coming off a state championship appearance is also familiar territory.
“We want it to be a blue collar product,” Chandler said. “We believe that if we love these boys, they’re going to run through a brick wall for our coaching staff. It’s hard-nosed football, and that hasn’t changed in the city of Opelika as far back as I can remember. We’ve got a lot of great families that have raised a lot of great young men who are part of our football team.”
After taking over the Warriors, former defensive coordinator and current head coach Jacob Ozment — similarly to Nelson — will lead the program into a new era of competition. While that new schedule will feature plenty of travel to play schools noticeably larger than Lee-Scott, Ozment said his team won’t dwell much on it.
“There’ll be some getting used to it, but we’re not the only team in the state that’s having to do it,” Ozment said. “It can be an excuse, [or] you can do what’s necessary and continue to push past that. At the end of the day, they’ve got 11, and we’ve got 11, and I’ll go fight for our guys every second of that time.”
Beauregard High School also features a first-year head coach as alumnus Seneric McCurdy returns to Alabama from South Georgia to lead the Hornets. Despite his players knowing the roster isn’t quite where it needs to be in terms of the number of players on it, McCurdy said they have consistently shown up and are ready to work hard.
“These kids are resilient, and they’ve been able to handle adversity,” McCurdy said. “They come to work every day with a positive attitude, and I’ve had no pushback. The kids have done exactly what I’ve asked them to do. They come in, they lock in, they pay attention [and] they work hard, and I can’t ask them to do anything better as a new head coach.”
The Observer will provide comprehensive coverage of each team, including Central High School, Trinity Christian, Southern Prep and Southern Christian, in a special sports section included in our Aug. 13 edition.
