High School Football Preview: Prattville Christian & Stanhope-Elmore
High School Football
Prattville Christian
Last season the Prattville Christian Panthers finished the season with a 5-5 record. Head Coach of the Panthers Norman Dean feels that after a productive summer of workouts and camps, his team is ready for the new season.
“I think we had a very good offseason and a lot of participation. We’ve done numerous football camps and 7 on 7’s and really had a lot of guys participate well in those. Workouts have gone really well for us,” says Dean.
Dean explains that the Panthers have a lot of experience coming back this season and that he believes that will work to their advantage.
“Tanner Byrd our starting quarterback has started since the ninth grade. Guys that we brought here Liam (Taylor) has been starting every year that I’ve been there. Logan Weedon has been one of our starters, so just having that experience out on the field I think is going to be a super plus for us,” says Dean.
Both Tanner Byrd and Liam Taylor also have high hopes for this season.
“We have been together for years now, we’ve been working everyday. A couple of my buddies have been going up to the school even when we don’t have practice and working together. This new team this year has a lot of brotherhood and I think that’ll take us a long way,” says Byrd (quarterback// senior.)
“I think this offseason has been one of our best out of my whole high school career here. I think this will be our best team in PCA history, for sure, and we are going to go deep into the playoffs,” says Taylor (defensive back/ wide receiver// senior.)
The Panthers open up the 2023 season at home against Billingsley on August 25th.
Stanhope-Elmore
Last season the Mustangs finished up with a 4-6 record. The team finished the season off with three straight wins and Head Coach Hunter Adams feels that they carried that momentum into the offseason.
“We had a great spring and a great summer with a lot of optimism and a lot of enthusiasm,” says Adams.
The Mustangs bring back several of their starters from last season and many of them have multiple years of starter experience.
“Jacob Bryant is a three year starter at quarterback that’s returning for us. That experience is invaluable leading the offense. Dashaun Caffee is the quarterback of the defense at free safety. He’s returning as a three year starter he led the team in solo tackles, interceptions, and return yards last year so he gives us that same commanding presence and playmaking ability on the field. We’ve got 8 guys total on the team that are going to be in their third year as a starter. So a lot of experience and a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball, so we want to build on that and lean on those guys and cease those moments that we were so close to ceasing last year and turn them into wins this season,” says Adams.
Bryant and Caffee both seniors this year and have high expectations for their team this season.
“This year I want this team to be known as we’re going to come in and we’re going to be region champs. When they hear our name they’re going to be like we’ve got to play them this game,” says Bryant.
“The main thing is to get back to our peak. That’s the team we are, the playoff team that we are, the region championship team that we have been. It’s just being right there and being dialed in and being ready to work,” says Caffee.
Stanhope-Elmore will open up the 2023 season on the road at Shades Valley on August 25th.
