HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Fall is upon us and that means it’s time for the Hanceville Bulldogs to get back under the lights once again. This season, there’ll be a new head coach on the sidelines for the Bulldogs. Ryan Brewer is entering his first season at Hanceville, taking over for Head Coach Cody McCain who spent three seasons with the Bulldogs. Brewer met with his team for the first time earlier this summer and they spent much of the offseason in the weight room and competing with other teams to prepare for the upcoming year.
“I met the kids for the first time on June 15 and the I think it was about two weeks before we ever touched a football because we had guys playing basketball and baseball and stuff and I wanted them to have that time,” Brewer said. “So, my plan going in was just to develop relationships with those guys and let them get to know me, give me a chance to get to know them and work hard in the weight room. That’s what we did for most of June and that went really well and toward the end of the month we got the football out and did some 7-on-7 camps over the last couple weeks and just worked on installing our offensive and defensive schemes so that’s been good.”
Brewer and his staff are looking for guys to step up and fill several positions this fall but they also feel optimistic about the players with experience they have returning.
“We’ve got Zach Campbell coming back who is a great athlete and hasn’t played quarterback a lot, he’s played a little bit, but he’s just a great student. He just soaks up everything I tell him and he’s working hard trying to learn the position and he’s a gifted athlete and he’s very coachable, so I feel really good about him there,” Brewer said. “We’ve got a couple guys on the offensive line that have been there for a while, Kelson Moore and Marvin Gonzalez, and on the defensive side we’ve got Preston McClerren coming back who’s been playing linebacker for a while, so we’ve got some experience in places where we really need it. We’ve definitely got some competition at the receiver positions, and we’ve got some guys battling for a couple positions on the offensive line. We’re still working on finding the right guys for the right spots. We’ve got some spots solidified for sure, but I don’t want to tip off too much to Vinemont,” Brewer joked.
Brewer has been working hard with his team to install a new offensive and defensive scheme for this season but what he’s most concerned about is installing a good culture within the program.
“To me, culture is everything. The culture will drive our season and if we do a great job with culture, it’ll drive these young men into their adulthood. That’s why I’m in this business, to develop young men so that they can great husbands and fathers and members of society. That’s why I do what I do and fortunately I get to do that through the avenue of football which is great,” Brewer said. “We talk about competing a lot and we use an acronym, Commitment, Opportunity, Mastery, Perseverance, Effort, Trained discipline and Enthusiasm (COMPETE). Those are our core values and as a staff we are constantly hammering those on a daily basis trying to establish the culture that we want and so far, it’s working.”
Brewer knows that establishing a new culture will take but likes the effort he’s seen from his team so far to work together and become the best team they can be.
“It’s been a work in progress obviously, it’s not something that everybody can learn how to do overnight. But our kids are getting it and the main thing is that they’re buying into the culture that we’re trying to create. I couldn’t ask for much more than that because it doesn’t matter what you run offensively or defensively if you don’t captivate these kids’ hearts and get them to do what you want them to do, none of that other stuff matters,” Brewer said. “So, we’ve been working hard to establish the culture we’re trying to create, and the kids are buying into it. They’re working hard, they’re attentive and they’re learning so it’s starting to come together. I absolutely love our kids; it’s been a joy for me to be around them and I can’t wait to see how they respond when they actually turn on the lights.”
2021 Hanceville Football Schedule
Aug. 19: Vinemont
Sept. 3: @ Fultondale*
Sept. 10: Dora*
Sept. 17: @ Good Hope*
Sept. 24: @ Locust Fork
Oct. 1: Oneonta*
Oct. 8: @ Etowah*
Oct. 15: Ashville*
Oct. 22: @ Section
Oct. 29: Elkmont
2021 Hanceville Football Roster
#1 Keiton Whatley
#2 David Springer
#3 Jacob Potter
#4 JT Davis
#5 Chase Libbee
#6 L.J. Smith
#7 Brandon Huckaby
#8 Zac Campbell
#9 Dameion McKinney
#10 Brosnan Ward
#11 Brady Cleek
#12 Dakota Turner
#13 Braxton Broad
#14 Aidan Collins
#15 Ashton Hurst
#18 Marquies Leeth
#20 Dalton Wood
#21 Logan Quick
#22 Tyler Hughes
#23 Taye Canady
#25 London Wood
#28 Connor Pitts
#32 Preston McClerren
#45 Preston McDonald
#50 Jayden Smith
#52 Eli Akin
#54 Tristin Herrera
#55 Bear Busby
#56 Giavanni Bautista
#58 Lucas Aker
#64 Kelson Moore
#65 Austin Cadiere
#71 Lamondre Williams
#72 Nathan Henderson
#74 Brodie Butts
#75 Marvin Gonzalez
#77 David Fields
#78 Asa Fossett
Hanceville Varsity Cheerleaders
Kinzleigh Flanigan, Josie Radcliff, Yoleny Benitez, Raegan Edwards, Destiny Warren, Dynasia Simmons-Captain, Abby Sharp-Co-Captain, Jasmine McDonald, Tearsa Huckaby, Kylee McGill and Makenzie Fowler.
Copyright 2021 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
