Aug. 21—If there was one word that could define the upcoming football season for local teams, it would be "change."

Since the end of the 2023 season, to say the landscape across Morgan, Lawrence and Limestone counties is different would be quite the understatement. In total, 11 teams have changed regions, seven teams have new head coaches, four teams have moved up in classification and one team even has a new playoff format to deal with.

It certainly wasn't a quiet offseason.

"It's been a whirlwind," new Priceville coach Seth Parker said. "There's a lot of things going on, but it feels like a clean slate. For the school, the kids and for me, we're all experiencing a lot of change together."

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New coaches take the reins

Seven new head coaches will take over this season, five of which are in their first head coaching job.

Among these new coaches, three are at schools that are among the biggest in the Daily's coverage area (Decatur, Hartselle and Priceville).

Last offseason, longtime Decatur head coach Jere Adcock retired after coaching the Red Raiders for 27 seasons. Former Auburn standout Aairon Savage was tapped to replace him but, after a 3-7 record, resigned at the end of last season.

Now Decatur has a new head coach in John Ritter who has a successful record (85-42 as a head coach) and who is also very familiar with the traditions of Decatur football.

"My dad was here for six years in the late '80s as an assistant under Steve Rivers and I went to school here for a little while, so there's a lot of familiarity with this program," Ritter said. "Having that familiarity, I know the expectations of what this program should be. Decatur is a premier job in north Alabama and it's an honor to coach here.

"Having said that, the program is not even where it was when Jere left two years ago. These kids have been through the perfect storm of change in just two years and sometimes that can be tough to navigate," Ritter said. "At the end of the day, we have Decatur kids. Confidence and experience can't be coached in just four months, but the desire is there."

Just a short drive down U.S. 31 at Hartselle, another new coach is taking over a traditionally strong program. Bert Newton was promoted after six seasons as the team's defensive coordinator and knows the expectations, having been a part of five playoff teams and two region championship teams in his time with the Tigers.

"Obviously, it's big shoes to fill when your first head coaching job is at a place like Hartselle, but at the same time I think the tradition is so strong here that everyone knows what to expect no matter who the coach is," Newton said. "I think the biggest question for me is, what we can do to take things to the next level?"

Other new head coaches around the area are Matt Smith at Tanner, Will Johnson at East Limestone, Brick Pugh at Clements and Joel Schrenk at Elkmont.

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Growing pains

The growth of a school, and as a result the growth of an athletic program, is always a welcomed occurrence, but it usually doesn't come without growing pains.

This year, four local schools have moved up in classification. Priceville is now in Class 5A, Danville and Hatton are in Class 4A, and Decatur Heritage is in Class 2A.

Decatur Heritage, which only started football in 2010, has seen plenty of success in Class 1A, advancing to the playoffs nine times and winning five region championships. The Eagles, now under third-year head coach Nikita Stover, are confident they can do the same in 2A.

"We're going to play ball regardless. It doesn't matter what class we're in," Stover said.

It might not be as easy for Danville and Hatton.

Not only have those two schools moved up to 4A, they're also joining arguably one of north Alabama's toughest regions in Class 4A, Region 7, which features teams like Brooks, Deshler and West Morgan.

"In the last two years, we've had one senior, which is probably unheard of. Now we have 10-11 seniors and we move up a class into one of the toughest regions," Danville head coach Andro Williams said. "It makes you laugh, but it's the cards we're dealt. How we deal with it and what the results are at the end of the season will be nobody's fault but ours."

It might be even tougher for Hatton.

The Hornets are making a two-classification jump from 2A. With R.A. Hubbard closing in 2022 and many of its students going to Hatton, the Hornets were prepared for a move.

"We hoped we would be Top 5 in 3A, but it didn't turn out that way," Hatton coach Denton Bowling said. "The problem we face is we're now a 4A school with 2A facilities."

Hatton was the smallest school in Class 4A when the AHSAA announced the new classifications last December.

"You try to prepare your kids for what they're going to face," Bowling said. "If you go all the way back to COVID, we've been facing adversity at every step of the way, so this is nothing new.

"It's the same way it's going to be in life. You're going to face adversity, so the question is how do you handle it?"

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A new foe at the end of the road

Since moving to Class 7A in 2018, it's been frustrating to say the least for the Austin program.

Austin has two region championships in 7A, but the Black Bears have yet to secure a 7A playoff win. Austin's Class 7A, Region 4 — facing Region 3 each year in the first round — has not won a playoff game since 2019. The Black Bears won eight playoff games in three seasons prior to going to 7A.

"We've certainly had our opportunities and we probably should have capitalized on," Austin coach Jeremy Perkins said. "But we've also had some tough matchups. We've faced some teams that play a style of football our kids don't see all year and sometimes that can be tough to prepare for in one week."

This year, however, things will be different. The AHSAA approved a new 7A format that will feature rotating first-round playoff matchups. This season, Austin's Region 4 will cross with Region 2, which features teams like Central-Phenix City, Auburn and Dothan.

While it could mean a long drive if you don't host a first-round game, the change could also be just what the Black Bears need to break through.

"It's debatable whether it's any easier because the teams in that region are really good as well. But it'll be a fresh challenge," Perkins said. "I think the biggest thing is if we can get past that first-round hump, it will give us a lot of confidence."

— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2