ADDISON, Ala. – Football season is back in Addison and Head Coach David Smothers is entering his 13th season with the Bulldogs. Smothers currently holds a 98-41 record and has led Addison to the playoffs in 11 of the 12 previous seasons but he says he could care less about any personal milestones he could reach this year. His focus is on making sure this year’s team is as good as it can be.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me. Individual records are just that individual. I am more concerned about our team goals and what our team can achieve together,” Smothers said. “We need to win the region. I want to win the region. We have to go through Hackleburg, and they have basically everybody back. Our schedule is a little tougher, we picked up Decatur Heritage this year, but we get Hackleburg and Decatur Heritage at home.”
Addison will be without their two time all-state selection senior quarterback Jed Wilkins this season and Smothers knows it’ll be a challenge to replace him on both sides of the ball.
“Losing Jed hurts and I hate it for him because he is a senior and this is his last year to play football. Jed was our leader on the field and as important as he was on offense, to me I will miss him more on defense because he made our calls and got our guys in the right positions. You couldn’t ask for a better kid, even though he probably won’t play this year he still shows up for practice, work outs and helps out in every way possible.”
Smothers says there are three players vying for the quarterback position in fall camp and they all have experience. Senior Kaden Dyson, sophomore Elijah Roberts and freshman Scout Flynn are in the mix. Smothers believes that whoever doesn’t win the quarterback competition will contribute at another position.
“All three players have different strengths and weaknesses. The most important thing about them is that they are all competitors and are good character kids,” Smothers said. “The strength of our team is probably our offensive line. We have four out of five starters returning and we have two excellent senior leaders in Bobby Williams and Bradley Willette. Those two young men haven’t missed a summer workout or meeting and are leading by example. I firmly believe that they will hold their teammates accountable in the effort department as well as keeping them motivated.”
Addison will have some first-year players that were not necessarily starters but played a lot of snaps on offense last season. At running back, senior Jordan Hubbert, junior Trennon Burns and junior Seth Hammack are the returning backs who got significant playing time last year. The wide receiver group will include sophomore Judah Wilkins and Junior Shelton Alexander.
“We have a ton of athletic younger guys, and I can’t wait to see how they develop. Those kids will be vastly improved from week one to week five. It’s going to be fun to watch them grow up on the field,” Smothers listed some of the names in the mix for those spots. “In no particular order, Skyler Cleghorn, Zayne Smith, Brye Dollar, Brodie Willingham, Wyatt Anderson, Major Snoddy and Judah Wilkins. The younger guys are just a bunch of scrappers and I love that.”
Coach Smothers is excited about what the Bulldogs have coming back on defense this season and believes they’ll be able to cause some problems for their opponents.
“We are going to be physical and hardnosed as most Addison teams are,” Smothers said. “I know we will have some growing pains early on due to our youth, but I know we will continue to grow and get better as the season goes on.”
Some players to watch on defense will be linebackers Brodie Willingham and Jordan Hubbert, defensive back Elijah Roberts, Cole Roberts and Kaden Dyson and defensive linemen Bradley Willette, Kasen Hill, Lane Stewart and Tanner Lawrence.
Smothers is happy with the makeup of his team on paper but knows they will have to improve week to week to accomplish their goals.
“Depth is obviously a concern for most teams but especially at this level (1A). You lose a guy and that usually opens up two or three positions since one player goes both ways (offense & defense).”
Senior Bobby Williams (Three-year starter)
“I feel that if we as players do what we are supposed to do and listen to the coaches, then we are in store for an amazing season. We have a bunch of guys that want to be out here and have been willing to sacrifice their personal time to become better both on and off the field. I firmly believe that our offensive line will be the cornerstone of our team and our team will be only as good as our line is.”
Senior Bradley Willette (Four-year starter)
“We have some young kids out here that want to learn and be better players and that is where me and Bobby (Williams) come in as the old guys on the line. We have to teach them what it takes to be a Bulldog. We plan on having an exceptional year this year and I know that the Coaches will be able to lean on the offensive line to carry us where we need to go.”
Senior Jordan Hubbert (Two-year starter)
“We are going to have to depend on a lot of young players to step up and help us this year. I feel we have a good team, and we have the ability to be a very good team. I know we have all talked and we want to be a very physical team. We want to be the team that no one wants to play because you are just beat up after playing us.”
Senior Kaden Dyson (Two-year starter)
“We are going to do everything we can to bring a title back to Addison. It’s been about 20 years since we last won it and it is time to bring the trophy back to where it belongs. In order to do that, our veteran players are going to have to set the example for the young guys and show them through hard work and dedication what needs to be done to accomplish that feat.”
The players and coaches all believe that this team, though young, has the potential to accomplish some pretty big things this year. The schedule is a little tougher than last year, but Addison will have a good chance to finish at least second, behind Hackleburg, in the region. If they can do that, a playoff berth is guaranteed but a long playoff run will depend on how the players improve from week one to the end of the season. It should be a fun year and the players are bristling with confidence. So, when Addison travels to Winston County to kick off the season, looking to snap a three-game losing streak against its archrivals, it should be fun. Roll Addi Roll!
2024 Addison Bulldogs Football Schedule
Aug. 23 – @ Winston County
Aug. 30 – vs. Decatur Heritage
Sept. 6 – vs. Shoals Christian*
Sept. 13 – @ Cherokee*
Sept. 20 – vs. Hackleburg*
Sept. 27 – @ Good Hope
Oct. 4 – @ Waterloo*
Oct. 11 – @ Meek*
Oct. 18 – vs. Vina*
Oct. 25 – vs. Phillips Bear Creek*
*region game
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