PREP FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY: Scottsboro players hungry to add to program’s region-title total
Jason Bowen
The Scottsboro football team has had a saying this summer as it prepares for the 2024 season.
“Be the 10th,” said senior quarterback Jake Jones, referring to Scottsboro’s quest for a 10th all-time region/area championship in program history. “Win the region championship (and) we set ourselves up for a better path in the playoffs.”
New Scottsboro head coach Tyler Vann along with senior players Jones, JC Heikkinen, Griffin Murdock and Trip Nelson talked about the upcoming season during the Marshall County Football Media Day Thursday at City Harbor in Guntersville. Scottsboro attended the Marshall County Media Day event because a team conflict prevented it from attending Friday’s Jackson/DeKalb Media Day in Rainsville.
Scottsboro was close to “being the 10th” team last year, but a heartbreaking one-point loss to Mars Hill would up leaving Scottsboro second in the region due to a three-way tiebreaker between the Wildcats, Arab and Guntersville.
“We’re hungry to win a region championship,” Nelson said.
Vann, a North Sand Mountain alum that took over at Scottsboro in January after one season at Woodville in 2020 followed by three seasons at Sylvania, said the Wildcats are committed to that goal and praised the work of the players and coaching staff during the coaching transition.
“The transition’s been easy because of these guys sitting up here (at media day) and the guys in that locker room. They want to be good. They ask questions in meetings. The energy’s been good. Without good football players, without guys who want to be good, you’re not going to be very good (as a team),” Vann said. “I’ve been really pleased with how the guys have started the transition in the program.”
The Wildcats have installed new offensive and defensive systems since Vann’s arrival. The offensive change was the most drastic, as Scottsboro goes from a run-heavy triple-option attack to a more balanced system.
“Working with Coach Vann has made it a lot easier transitioning from the triple option,” Jones said. “We throw it a lot more, (so) different foot work. Not much has changed with reading the defenses…turnovers are going to be a big thing. If we can keep control of the ball, we’re going to be successful.”
Added Vann, “People think we’re a spread team, but we’re really not, we’re more Wing-T from the spread…We’ve had to transition offenses every where I’ve been, (but) this has been a little more difficult in some sense from being in triple to throwing it as much as we do. We may go into a game and not throw it 10 times if we’re able to run it, or we may throw it 25 times, depends on what the defense is giving us. We want to be able to do both and that’s been a key in practice. I think we’ve transitioned (on offense) really well.”
Heikkinen, a linebacker, said the Wildcats have done well in adapting to the new defense under new defense coordinator Chris Hammon, a former Section head coach and Scottsboro assistant.
“I’m very excited to see what we do this year,” said Nelson, who plays on the defensive line.
Vann praised the preseason work of the team and the four captains that sat alongside him at Thursday’s event.
“I’m really happy with our football team currently,” Vann said. “All four of these guys were voted captains by our football team. It’s a pretty big deal to get the votes of your teammates to be a captain. I’m really proud of them.”
Heikkinen said his role as a captain is to help the Wildcats be as good as they can be in 2024 and beyond.
“One of my goals personally is just to lead week in and week out,” Heikkinen said. “We have some young guys…I don’t want to be good (just) for this year. I want to set a standard…I want to be able to lead to make a better team for next year and the years to come.”
Scottsboro did not hold spring practice back in May, therefore it will begin preseason practice on Monday (teams that held spring practice must wait until Aug. 5).
The Wildcats get their first game action with a preseason jamboree scrimmage with Chattanooga Christian at Trammell Stadium Aug. 16 before opening the season at home against TopCat rival Fort Payne on Aug. 23.
Murdock, who missed most of last season because of an injury, said the Wildcats are counting down the days until game time.
“I think we’re all pretty ready for this season,” Murdock said. “I’m just ready to get back out there and show everybody how we play.”
