By Joseph M. Morgan
joseph@southerntorch.com
After running for 2,384 yards last season at Fyffe, Austin Stiefel will soon be going another 59.8 miles. That’s 52,629 yards. But he won’t be running those yards, he’ll be driving the distance soon when he travels to Rome, Georgia to begin running yards on a new gridiron this fall.
According to AHSAA records, Stiefel ran those 2,384 yards playing for Fyffe High School last year. He scored a remarkable 46 touchdowns. And then he crowned it off by being selected the Class 2A Back of the Year for the state of Alabama. Stiefel would tell you that it is none of those awards that mean the most. He played at Fyffe for Coach Paul Benefield, so Austin knows that what matters is the team. He would say that the crowning point of last year was Red Devils winning the Class 2A football state championship. That was something that Fyffe had come close to doing several times before. But they did not get the state championship until last year. The MVP of the championship game? Austin Stiefel.
The team and individual accomplishments gave Stiefel choices for his future. He decided that he wanted to continue to play football. He had offers from several schools. He could have walked on at a couple of others like Jacksonville State. He made some visits. And his decision was to move 60 miles to Rome to play for Berry College. He will be attending a great academic school with a beautiful campus. He will be close enough to home for family and friends to come to watch him play. And he will have the opportunity to play quickly, hopefully this year, whether he continues to play offense or moves over to defense.
Stiefel got a taste of what the new competition will be like when he played in the North-South Alabama All Star Football game in July where he rushed for 72 yards setting up the North’s first touchdown with a 36 yard run. Now he is beginning a new chapter in his football life. Red Devil or rival, many in this area will take pride in his future accomplishments though the rivals will not miss competing against him on the gridiron or the hardwood. They all learned that he is a hard man to bring down. Or defeat.
