BY JAKE GONZALEZ

FOR THE OBSERVER

CAMP HILL —

Southern Prep Academy is one of two military prep academies in the state of Alabama. Fifth-year head coach Roland Bell talked last Wednesday at High School Media Days about how Southern Prep is working with students to prepare them — not only academically and athletically — but also spiritually. The prep school, located in Camp Hill, played both traditional 11-man and eight-man football last season.

The Fighting Rangers finished last season with a record of 9-4 and set several school records before losing in the eight-man Division II national championship game. Of the three losses last season, all three were against top-five teams in the country which played in the Division I bracket for the national title.

“The top four teams in the country play in the Divison I bracket,” Bell said. “Five through eight play in the Division II bracket. We went in seventh in the country and lost in the Divison II Championship.”

Southern Prep lost 11 seniors from the Division II runners-up squad. Five of those were All-American players and all five were offered scholarships at the next level. According to Bell, those 11 players accounted for 95% of the total offense from last season.

“We have almost an entirely new team as far as starters,” Bell said. “We lost 13 out of 16 starting positions. However, we are pleased with what we do have coming back.”

Of three starting players the Fighting Rangers have returned, two of those were All-Americans along the defensive line. The other will be a third-year starter along the offensive line. The biggest loss, according to Bell, is Owen Wolfe. Wolfe was the starting quarterback for the Fighting Rangers last season and he set school records in touchdown passes in a season, and touchdown passes in a career.

Sophomore Kevin Mason is set to become the starting quarterback for the Fighting Rangers next season and Bell is high on him.

“Extremely talented,” Bell said. “In the spring game, he threw for four or five touchdown passes. He is extremely athletic. He is a dual threat, and he got a lot of playing time in mop-up duty last year because we had a lot of blowout wins. He is accustomed to playing in varsity games.”

Southern Prep went back and forth between 11-man and eight-man games last season, but this year they will start with an 11-man game and then play the rest of the season in the AISA eight-man league. That first game for the Fighting Rangers will be against Lakeside School. It will be the first time that these two schools have met.

“Our outside linebackers are the most important position on defense in eight-man,” Bell jokingly said. “When we switch to 11-man they find it really easy because they just have to stop the run and cover the flat instead of having to stop the run and the deep ball.”