VINEMONT, Ala. — August is here, school is back in session and that means football season is just around the corner. All of our local teams are gearing up for another season on the gridiron and in Vinemont, the Eagles are preparing to make another trip to the postseason.
Head coach Stephen Robinson will be coaching his eighth season at Vinemont and after helping lead the Eagles to the state playoffs a season ago, he and his team are anxious to get back there in 2024. Vinemont will have several key players back on both sides of the ball and having 18 seniors on the team will be a big help this season.
“We’ve got quite a few back on both sides of the ball. The biggest thing that will definitely help us out this year is that we have 18 seniors, and that is going to be huge for a program that’s our size in 3A. That’s a huge benefit,” Robinson said. “We’ve got our quarterback back. We’ve got some experience back in Kayden (Henderson) and Rylan (McRae). Rylan’s on the offensive line, and Kayden’s done a lot of things for us, primarily at running back and linebacker. That’s going to be a big help, just having some experience. We’ve also got some guys that have come back out that have played their whole life. They have come out, and I think, they’ve really kind of given us a boost in a lot of areas that is going to be beneficial.”
Robinson was proud of his team’s performance in their spring game against Good Hope and Fyffe and talked about some of the challenges that will come with their new region this season.
“It’s good to measure yourself against those guys, because honestly, Fyffe has been and will be again this year, the measuring stick for football. They moved up to 3A this year. Good Hope is always good. Coach Scott always has a good scheme for what we do offensively. It’s good for our coaches. It’s good for our kids, and I was proud of them, because they knew going in, what Fyffe is,” Robinson said. “Fyffe’s a very good program, but they didn’t back down. We showed a lot of resilience and got after them a little bit. It was a good spring. The summer has been good. We’re looking forward to the season,” Robinson said. “I think our region is a little different this year. We’ve got Gordo and Winfield. They are two really good teams, but after that, I feel like you’re going to have a lot of games that are going to go into the fourth quarter. Our schedule’s a little different than it has been the last few years. It’s going to look a little different, traveling-wise, than we’ve been used to. I feel like it’s more even, maybe, than they have been in the past. The two teams that we don’t have a lot of knowledge as far as past opponents is Phil Campbell and Gordo. We’ve been in a region with the other teams ever since I’ve been the coach. We’ve got some knowledge of how they do things.”
Robinson talked about some position groups where the Eagles will be experienced this season and some others where he’s anticipating competition during fall camp.
“The good thing about having a lot of kids out is that we’re trying to do a little more one-way guys, so fitting that puzzle piece together is the key. We may have a little different look at some positions than what some have been used to, and we may not. It’s still early, but we’re trying to do more one-way, if we can. We’ve got a lot of competition right now,” Robinson said. “We’ve got some new guys that you all have never seen in a football uniform before, because they’ve never played. Some of them are very explosive and have been a huge help. We’ve got one on the offensive line that’s going to be a benefit to us. We’ve got one that we’re not sure where he fits in yet, but he’s explosive. Rush (Sandlin) is our quarterback and has been for the last three years, so that’s huge, having that experience coming back. Kayden’s the kind of guy that you ask him to do whatever, and he’ll do it. Someone asked Rylan where he played, and he said wherever they put me. On our offensive line, they can interchange. We’ve got five or six guys that can play three different positions on the offensive line. We’ve got a couple of other guys that are back who took a year off. One of them started as a freshman a few years ago, so he’s going to be back. Tight end is going to be a strong position for us. I feel like our offensive line is going to be really good. They’re super experienced. For the first time in a long time, we won’t have any ninth or 10th graders. I would like for those guys to play, but it’s always better when you have all seniors and a junior or two up there. There’s a lot of competition right now.”
Robinson has seen this new group of seniors take on leadership roles this offseason and they are setting great examples for the younger players on the team. He’s looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish this season as a close-knit group.
“As far as leadership roles go, you don’t have to be a senior to be a leader. They have been leaders on our team for years now. They’re three-year, if not four-year, starters. They’ve kind of had that role for a while, but I feel like this group of seniors is probably closer, a closer-knit group,” Robinson said. “They really enjoy being around each other, and I’ve coached Kayden and Rush since they were in first, second grade. It’s been really good to see that. I’m going to be kind of sad to see them go. I’m sad to see every group go, but when you’ve got a history with guys for that long, it’s a little different, and it hits a little different. I really feel like these guys are a little more of one.”
2024 Vinemont Eagles Football Schedule
Aug. 23 – vs. Falkville
Aug. 30 – @ Southeastern
Sept. 6 – @ Phil Campbell*
Sept. 13 – @ Midfield*
Sept. 20 – vs. Carbon Hill*
Sept. 27 – @ West End Walnut Grove
Oct. 4 – vs. Hanceville*
Oct. 11 – vs. Gordo*
Oct. 18 – @ Oakman*
Oct. 25 – vs. Winfield*
*region game
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
