Three schools look to new season with a new leader on the field:
GDW Analysis:
Welcome to the 7th month of the year. July is now upon us and a certain group of people are ecstatic with something they adore just right around the corner.
Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) football gears up for July with teams being able to participate in OTAs, 7 on 7 passing camps and countless hours inside the weight room.
Gameday Weekly is approaching this time in the way of going from 1st gear to 4th gear in a stick shift vehicle.
Three schools have a new head coach.
It is the first time for West Point to go through this process since 2013 when Don Farley became the Warriors' commander and has retired as the school's winningest coach.
Hanceville went with Ryan Brewer for three seasons. The Bulldogs are under a different head coach for the 5th time in the past 10 seasons.
Holly Pond is seeing a pattern just like Hanceville in various ways.
In the same time frame of a decade (10 years), Holly Pond has its 5th coach.
These new coaches, Kevin McCravy at West Point, Levi Estes at Hanceville and Will McDaniel at Holly Pond, are seeing a different experience in their lives. They are AHSAA head coaches for the first time.
The three changes locally are matched by the same number at a county just North of Cullman County.
Morgan County football for 2024 will be different with Hartselle, Priceville and Decatur having a makeover.
Two coaching changes are in Marshall County with that being at Arab and Brindlee Mountain. One in Blount County from JB Pennington and one down in Walker County at Cordova.
Back to the local stature, Fairview has not gone through a head coaching change since 2007 when George Redding became the leader for the Aggies. He has endured 117 wins at his alma mater, going 57 & 13 in the past five seasons and five consecutive playoff berths.
Good Hope made a change in 2015 with Alan Scott coming to his alma mater. The Raiders went from not being a sound team, turning into a strong competitor in 4A with the squad winning 53 times behind Scott's leadership and enjoying a playoff run from 2018 to 2022.
Vinemont is about to see its 9th year of the Stephen Robinson era.
The Eagles had soared up the ladder in winning as Robinson's group has worked hard being in the 3A playoffs for the last four seasons.
Brendan Voce will start his 3rd season at Cold Springs, Danny Stiff encounters his 2nd year leading the Cullman Bearcats.
For the new coaches locally, each has a new foe.
West Point had started the season recently with Good Hope in the opener. This time, the Warriors start the McCravy era August 23 at West Point vs. the Haleyville Lions.
Hanceville is lined up against Cold Springs the same Friday evening from Ray Talley Stadium.
Holly Pond will be under the lights of Thomas/Michelfelder Field the 23rd, playing the Appalachian Eagles for only the 3rd time in school history, the first time since 2013.
McCravy, Estes and McDaniel have been spending plenty of time working through the process of what is responsible for a head coach in high school football.
Each will encounter many tasks for the next three weeks with one, being an appearance at the Cullman County fall sports media day on the 22nd.
This will be where GDW and other media personnel will have the opportunity to see how each is doing with once again, the 2024 season right around the corner.
Photo of West Point Warriors pregame in jamboree at Hayden High School in August of 2023.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.
