Lanett High gears up for comeback season

BY DANIEL SCHMIDT

FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LANETT — Last year, the season seemed full of promise after the first five games. The Lanett High School football team was 4-1 and tied for first place in 2A Region 4.

Overview

However, a 1-4 finish to the regular season forced the Panthers into a tough first-round showdown with Cottonwood High School, which ended LHS’ season with a 54-16 drumming.

Considering the Panthers had won two state championships in the past eight years, it was a somewhat disappointing finish for an otherwise proud program. With the 2024 season now well behind them, second-year head coach RJ McDonald has challenged his team with one simple goal: to finish everything, whether it’s drills on the practice field, meetings with coaches or workouts in the weight room.

With a major $1.5 million renovation to Morgan-Washburn Stadium that includes a synthetic turf field, improved track and new lighting, along with improved leadership from players like Riontae Ziegler, Shamar Patterson, Jeremiah McGilberry and Jaylen Hill, and it’s not hard to see why McDonald is excited for the upcoming season.

“The expectation is always to compete for a championship at Lanett High School. These guys know that we've got to stay healthy, we've got to take care of ourselves and do the right things on and off the field, and I think these guys have really bought into that,” McDonald said, praising his 16 seniors in particular. “The excitement is high, and you can tell that every day these guys work, they're glad to be there. There has not been any missing [workouts] throughout the whole entire summer, even from the winter workouts that have still been intense for those guys. It's been an absolute joy to watch them.”

For Ziegler, Patterson, McGilberry and Hill, there are several small goals they all hope to accomplish. Among them are pushing to be the best possible player they can be, keeping the team motivated and consistent throughout the season and going undefeated during the regular season.

There is also one other overarching goal: returning to the top of the mountain and winning the school’s third undisputed state championship. While the team is laden with veteran talent, the key to lifting a blue trophy at the 50-yard line of Birmingham’s Protective Stadium on Dec. 5, the key to success, according to McGilberry, will be keeping the underclassmen focused.

“My goal this year is, of course, to win a state championship, but the [other] goal is to keep the young guys going and not to get distracted. Last year, we went 1-4 [to end the regular season], and we started to get off track a little bit. So my goal is to keep guys motivated, to keep them going throughout every play, every game,” McGilberry said.

However, in a region that includes the defending 2A state champions in Reeltown and key rivals such as Horseshoe Bend, Loachapoka, Central of Coosa County and Ranburne, that is much easier said than done.

Despite losing several key contributors from last year’s title-winning team, the Rebels figure to remain tough. The Indians, under Branden Hall, are well-coached and disciplined. The Generals and their physicality are always a tough outing that leaves players bruised after the final whistle. The Cougars are a young, up-and-coming team that has improved after learning hard lessons last year. The Bulldogs will also pose an obstacle on the road in Ranburne to close out the regular season.

Fortunately for the Panthers, their cupboard is more than full enough to take those challenges in stride.

Behind center, LHS returns junior Fred Broughton at quarterback. While he does not possess a prototypical build for the position, Broughton is a more than solid dual-threat who can place the ball on a receiver’s outside shoulder during a vertical route to the endzone and zip the ball between defenders in tight man coverage windows.

Up front, LHS returns a plethora of talent along both lines of scrimmage, including senior defensive end Jeremiah McGilberry , a 6-foot-3, 230-pound terror off the edge, and massive junior offensive tackle and defensive lineman Jaylen Hill, who stands at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds.

At the skill positions, the Panthers have plenty of talent from junior running back Rankezia Tucker, who possesses a compact 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame, to senior wide receiver and safety Riontae Zeigler, senior tight end Jeremiah Brown and senior wide receiver and linebacker Shamar Patterson.

Final Analysis

With 16 seniors on this year’s roster, the Panthers have a particularly impressive veteran presence for a 2A football team.

While finishing has been the buzzword around the program this offseason, perhaps the more important word is consistency, as there were several blowout wins to go along with several blowout losses last season. If LHS can find a greater degree of consistency in their performances, expect their regular-season record to improve by several wins when compared to 2024.

The key test will come at home against RHS on Oct. 3. A closer score than last year’s 40-0 drumming at the hands of the Rebels, or an outright victory, would suggest that the Panthers are ready to take a step towards reclaiming the gridiron glory the program has experienced in the past.

Considering McDonald’s optimism surrounding his key players’ leadership abilities, the potential for such an improvement to occur is high. Come November, the Panthers should be hosting a home playoff game in the first round. If that happens, the potential for a deep playoff run is there, and the chips will fall where they may.

2024 Record (4-6, 3-3):

- Aug. 22 vs. Bullock County W 14-13

- Aug. 30 at Beulah L 38-21

- Sept. 5 vs. Loachapoka* W 13-0

- Sept. 20 vs. LaFayette* W 52-12

- Sept. 27 vs. Handley L 31-12

- Oct. 4 at Reeltown* L 40-0

- Oct. 11 at Central Coosa County* L 28-21

- Oct. 18 at Horseshoe Bend* L 56-52

- Oct. 25 vs. Ranburne* W 48-14

- Nov. 5 at Cottonwood** L 54-16

2025 Schedule (0-1, 0-0):

- Aug. 22 at Bullock County L 17-14

- Aug. 29 vs. Beulah

- Sept. 5 at Loachapoka*

- Sept. 12 vs. Barbour County

- Sept. 19 at LaFayette*

- Sept. 26 at Handley

- Oct. 3 vs. Reeltown*

- Oct. 10 vs. Central Coosa County*

- Oct. 17 vs. Horseshoe Bend*

- Oct. 24 at Ranburne*

* 2A Region 4 game

** Playoff game

Lanett v. Bullock County

Lanett lost its season opener against the Bullock County Hornets 17-14. Tyekelis Wallace rushed for 110 yards and scored one TD. Brandon Youngblood scored a TD on a kickoff return.

Lanett will take on Beulah at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29.