Lawrence O’Neal leads Tallassee in renovated J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium
The Tallassee Tigers will host the Montgomery Academy Eagles Friday night in what promises to be a compelling rematch of last season’s 22-16 contest won by the Eagles.
Tallassee coach Lawrence O’Neal guided the Tigers to the third round of the state playoffs in his debut season and is looking to build on that success. This time, however, the Tigers hold what they believe is a significant advantage: home field.
The game marks the inaugural contest at the newly renovated J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium.
“We got a lot of new bells and whistles right here in Tallassee, Alabama, with the brand new turf and turf on the practice field, jumbotron in the end zone,” O’Neal said. “I’m expecting the stadium to be rocking. I’m expecting to hear all the fog horns and boots to be stomping on the aluminum bleachers up there.”
The Tigers have also added a new band director who O’Neal credits with improving the program’s sound and atmosphere.
“We got a brand new band director, and he’s been instrumental in changing the sound of the band, so we’re expecting everybody to be rocking,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal added that Tallassee is one of the few schools in Alabama to keep its ticket prices down. Tickets cost $10 for the general public and $5 for students.
“We don’t try to charge you an arm and leg,” O’Neal said. “We want to pack the house out so that we have a great atmosphere for our kids to play a ball game in.”
Montgomery Academy coach Ethan McBride’s Eagles will look to repeat their success from last season’s narrow victory as both teams open their 2024 campaigns.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
