Coaches address media at Press Conference MONTGOMERY – High school football coaches Matt Johnson of Reeltown, Brent Hubbert of T.R. Miller, Robert Evans of Vestavia Hills and Bobby Carr of Montgomery-Carver couldn’t conceal their excitement at Wednesday’s AHSAA Kickoff Classic press conference held at the AHSAA’s Dan Washburn Auditorium.
The AHSAA hosted media from around the state at its annual Media Day Tuesday morning and topped off the day with the press conference highlighting the four teams set to open the 2024 season next week at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl.
T.R. Miller and Reeltown open the season officially with their Thursday night battle which kicks off at 7 p.m., on August 22. Vestavia Hills and Carver will follow Friday night, August 23, with a 7 p.m. kickoff as well.
Both games will be televised over the AHSAA TV Network with WOTM TV’s Vince Earley producing the game. The games will be aired AHSAA TV Network’s cable station network, and it will also be livestreamed over the NFHS Network.
A full slate of games will be played August 22 and 23 as the season officially begins the AHSAA’s 103rd football season. While many schools participated in football as early as 1900, the AHSAA was formed in the spring of 1921.
“The matchups in the Kickoff Classic this year have sort of a semifinal or finals feel about them,” said AHSAA Assistant Director J.T. Lawrence. “I think the teams are that good, and I have heard a lot of chatter about them across the state being excited about them and we are looking forward to the games.”
Also on hand at the press conference were Hall-of-Fame volleyball coach Julie Gordon of Montgomery Academy, girls’ flag football coach Nancy Boyd of Percy Julian High School, and Tallassee High School swimming coach John Mask to discuss their upcoming fall sports seasons as well.
The football coaches swapped praises with their opponents as they discussed next week’s games as a large crowd of the state’s media attended the press conference. Earlier in the day the AHSAA’s annual Media Day was held with the AHSAA executive staff and new AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon held a question-and-answer round table with the media on hand discussing a wide range of topics including student transfers, NIL and, NFHS rules changes, and AHSAA rules and regulations, among other topics.
The Kickoff Classic press conference closed out the day for those in attendance. Both events were live streamed over the NFHS Network and AHSAA TV Network by WOTM TV’s Herbie Strickland and executive producer Vince Earley. Both events are available on demand at: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/evtcb8051ca69
Highlights from each coach’s time at the podium are below. MATT JOHNSON, REELTOWN HIGH SCHOOL: Coming off a good year last year, the Rebels reached the Class 2A state finals coming up short 43-28 to Fyffe. BRENT HUBBERT, T.R. MILLER HIGH SCHOOL: The Tigers from Brewton come into the Kickoff Classic battle with Reeltown next week at Cramton Bowl with 727 all-time school wins – which ties for No. 1 in the AHSAA with Oneonta. Hence, Hubbert’s team is excited about the challenge of facing Reeltown, the Class 2A state runner-up in 2023. ROBERT EVANS, VESTAVIA HILLS: The Class 7A Rebels’ head coach reclassification meant losing two long-time rivals on his schedule. “My responsibility is to put our players in great environments and give them the best opportunity to make memories. That’s going back to my own time playing. I remember the memories. I got (championship) rings and that sort of thing but I remember more about playing in the big games. I reached out to the AHSAA, and they were wonderful. BOBBY CARR, CARVER-MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL: Carr, who won 10 state championships in the AISA, will be making his AHSAA debut in the Kickoff Classic battle with Vestavia Hills at Cramton Bowl on Friday, August 23, at 7 p.m. JULIE GORDON, MONTGOMERY ACADEMY: “Our sport (volleyball) is growing and getting more elaborate year after year. At Montgomery Academy, we only lost one senior, so I have high expectations, but so do our girls. NANCY BOYD, PERY JULIAN HIGH SCHOOL: “Having flag football as a sanctioned sport. What you might not know is that flag football has been around for a while. I played flag football in college myself. One of the exciting things is there are probably more than 100 teams now. The sport has grown all the way from 1A to 7A and the girls will be playing for a real championship. There are probably more than 100 teams now and the excitement is even greater than it was last year for our girls to have fun, show their athletic ability, and be outdoors. JOHN MASK, TALLASSEE HIGH SCHOOL: The Tigers’ swimming coach has 24 student-athletes on the Tallassee team this season – the most in school history. However, Macy Stewart, the school’s top swimmer in school history, has a graduated after winning nine state titles.
“We glad to be playing in the Kickoff Classic,” he said. “We feel like we have some unfinished business this season, and playing T.R. Miller next week at Cramton Bowl will tell us a lot about where we are at right now.
“We have a lot of seniors, most of them who started last year, coming back. Several of them are three-year starters. There is a lot of excitement in that group as well as a lot of younger players who don’t have as much experience who are eager to step in. We are looking forward to placing T.R. Miller right out of the gate. It will be a measuring stick for us. Coach (Brent) Hubbert does a great job. There’s some history there. We played his teams when he was at Maplesville, and we know he does a great job.
“We also know of the great tradition of T.R. Miller football. We know this is going to be a big challenge for us and a great opportunity for us showcase out talents and see how we measure up.”
Wide receiver Tae Martin, two-way lineman Baylor Clayton, and tight end/linebacker Finn Henderson joined Johnson at the press conference. All are leaders with plenty of game experience, he said.
“We want to thank the AHSAA for letting us be a part of this year’s Kickoff Classic,” Hubbert said. “We tell our kids if you want to be good you are going to have to play teams like that. Reeltown could win in Class 1A through 4A. I know about higher than that, but I have been in 4A, and I know they are that good. We hope our program gets to the point where others might say about us that we are good enough to win in Class 1A though 4A, maybe 5A. That’s what we are aiming for.”
The Tigers had 16 seniors, which Hubbert says is the strength of his team. He brought senior leaders running back Myles Johnson, lineman John Robert Jernigan and quarterback Nathan Commander to the presser. Johnson has committed to Florida, Jernigan dominates on offense and defense, and Commander is a three-year starter at QB.
“Depth is probably our biggest concern right now,” he said.
“I didn’t realize that Coach Carr), a guy with his pedigree, was going to come into Carver at the time but it was a really good match-up. Carver has a long tradition of having quality players and has been an outstanding program, especially in big games. I have a great respect for them, and I just figured what a great way to open the season at Cramton Bowl. The state has always done a great job with putting this game on, and I think this is an awesome venue. We have 100% respect for our opponent and are also looking forward to putting our style of play on display next week as well.”
Evans brought two senior leaders with him to the press conference, linebacker Jacob Watson and safety Spence Hanna. Both, he said, have taken their leadership roles very seriously.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Evans, and Vestavia Hills,” said Carr, “for what they’ve accomplished over the years. I followed his career as a coordinator too and know he is an outstanding coach.”
Carr said the last six months have been a whirlwind, not only for him but for the kids from Carver and the kids from Sidney Lanier as well. The Wolverines program merged with Sidney Lanier’s program when Montgomery’s oldest high school closed last spring.
“Bringing the two programs together was a challenge but I am excited about it,” he said. “To see where we were and where we are right now was like night and day.”
He brought seniors Anthony Rogers, T.J. Russell, and T.K. Norman with him to the press conference. The Wolverines’ three veterans are part of a group of close to 20 seniors who are drawing the attention of Division I college recruiters.
“Anthony does a lot of things with the football,” said Carr. “He is a running back, wide receiver and kick returner who has committed to Alabama, and T.J. is an outstanding quarterback with a lot of D-I offers. We have put a lot on him the last few months, but he has stepped up and handled it all well. I am really pleased with his effort. T.K. is a wide receiver committed to Texas A&M who has been a two-year starter at Carver. He does a great job returning kicks.”
Carr said the accolades for their athleticism is well deserved, but their character and commitment in the classroom makes them stand out even more. “The thing that is most impressive to me is that all three have a GPA right at 3.5 and above, they’ve got 20-plus ACTs, and they can graduate early.”
Coaches from the other fall sports on hand had plenty to say about their upcoming seasons as well.
It’s a reclassification year and we move up to 6A. Class 6A in volleyball is a beast. I could name 10 teams that deserve a Top 5 ranking, and it is going to be tough. But we are going to get in there and fight with the best. If you saw the North-South All-Star match (in July), it went five sets. The players were all seniors who will be playing this season. There is a lot of talent out there north and south.
In fact, the 6A talent is so strong that in the area tournament a team could win the state championship, but all the teams are so strong that some teams won’t even get out. It is the same in the Super Regionals. Those teams are so strong that they are going to battle it out and it is going to be tough just to advance. Our volleyball is great, and it is going to continue to get better.
As for our team, the talent is very good, but the difference I think is our team culture. It is something we work on every day making everyone on the team feel important.”
“Our kids are really looking forward to the season.”
“We’ve got some big shoes to fill,” he said, “ but first I want to talk about the Olympics. Over the last few weeks many of you have watched the Olympic Games and I think we ought to recognize Paige Madden. She swam at UMS-Wright High School (in Mobile) graduating in 2017, and she won two medals at the 2024 Olympics. She won a silver and a bronze, and if you were watching Katie Ladecky won the 800 and Paige won the bronze medal, and that was a phenomenal feat.
“Swimmers’ goals are to go to college, but they also aspire to be in the Olympics one day. That is every swimmer’s dream, and Paige has done that. I think that she has shown our high school swimmers it is possible to reach that dream. This year the state meet is going to Huntsville. The Huntsville Sports Commission does a phenomenal job. The swimming coaches across the state are excited to be going to Huntsville. There are a lot of phenomenal swimmers in the AHSAA this year. It is going to be an exciting season.”
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