Springwood Wildcats aim for an eight-man football title

BY DANIEL SCHMIDT

FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LANETT — In eastern Alabama, there are few teams more dominant in their classification than Springwood School.

Overview

Since the Alabama Independent School Association began sponsoring eight-man football in 2022, the Wildcats have played for two state championships and compiled an overall record of 25-10.

However, after twice coming up short of bringing home the school’s first football championship at any level since 1985, this season’s goal is straightforward: to celebrate a season-ending victory at Montgomery’s Crampton Bowl stadium on Nov. 20.

Even as the AISA’s eight-man division continues to grow in the number of teams and quality of play, head coach Joey Burch is confident his team has exactly what it takes to reach the top of the mountain.

“Sometimes I get ready to leave at 5 or 6 p.m., my work day is done, and there are still kids down there on the field throwing the ball around, doing some drills and working on their own. We haven’t had that in a long time since I’ve been there,” Burch said. “They’re going to go to war and fight with each other and have each other’s backs. And I think that’s going to be the biggest part of why, besides having a physical identity, that we’re going to be successful this year.”

Apart from that camaraderie and work ethic, Burch and his team are banking on their style of play being the key to separating themselves from the rest of the pack. Historically, eight-man football has been about putting a team’s best athletes in a space to take advantage of the additional space each player has to defend on the field.

For the Wildcats, their calling card will be a smashmouth brand that hearkens back to a bygone era before spread offenses and air raid systems took the football world by storm. As Burch enters what he characterized as the “twilight of his career,” SS will look to run the ball, control the clock and play disciplined, physical defense.

It’s an attempt to return to the roots that grew the Wildcats into one of Alabama’s top eight-man football programs to begin with. For players like Tucker Sides, a senior who doubles as a linebacker and H-back, the refocus on such a style of play is more than welcomed — it’s relished.

“Defensively, that’s where we’ve got to be strong enough to hit hard, fill the gaps and just be a tough-nosed defensive team,” Sides said. “That’s what I look forward to. Last year, defense was probably the weak point of our team. And just to get back to that [dominant defensive play]. Like my freshman year, we played for the state championship. We obviously didn’t win it, but defensively, we were a great team. It was probably our strongest suit. So hopefully getting back to that defensively is what I’m most excited about.”

However, SS faces a tall task after significant roster turnover this past offseason. The Wildcats graduated eight seniors from last year’s team, and small class sizes that feature few male athletes have significantly impacted the player pool.

As a result, there are currently only 16 players on the roster, down from 23 last season. While Burch admitted the difficulties surrounding roster management at an institution like SS, his excitement surrounding the players on this year’s team was palpable.

“Going into it, we’re kind of at a lull with some players, and that’s one of the reasons we play eight-man football. We don’t have a lot of kids, especially linemen, involved, and we’ve just had some small classes go through. I think we’re going to graduate about 30 kids this year in the senior class, and there are a lot of them that are female-heavy,” Burch said. “We just don’t have a lot of athletes there. What we do have came up, they work their tails off and do a great job with us. So we’re looking to set the tone this year and have a great, great season.”

When looking at the Wildcats, there is indeed much to look forward to from a personnel standpoint.

While Sides will provide the hard-nosed leadership required from seniors, the team’s hopes will mostly fall on the shoulders of juniors. That includes quarterback and defensive back Wes Carden, running back and linebacker Adam Baltes and tight end and linebacker Remi Gauntt.

Despite the team having fewer than 20 members, quality, not quantity, will drive the Wildcats this year.

Final Analysis

After losing to MEA last year in the playoffs, SS finds itself at a crossroads of sorts. As smaller private schools shrink and more teams view playing AISA eight-man football as a more viable option, the Wildcats have more competition than ever before.

An old-school approach also flies in the face of how many of their competitors approach the game: spreading the ball out as thinly as possible and getting the ball in the hands of their athletes in space.

The biggest question will be how the Wildcats’ playing style handles playing in a division that is increasingly competitive regarding the quantity and quality of both the number of teams competing and the athletes they field.

If SS can effectively control the clock running the football and playing sound defense, they should find themselves deep into a playoff run come November. If the changing nature of eight-man football in Alabama catches up to them, the Wildcats could find themselves in several tough outings throughout the season.

For now, there’s no reason to believe that SS won’t be right there in contention for a state title once the regular season is in the books. The small, underclassman-heavy roster may not look like one that could compete for a championship upon first glance, but there are plenty of horses under the hood that can make a legitimate run for one.

2024 Record (9-3, 7-1):

- Aug. 23 at Southern Christian L 55-36

- Aug. 30 vs. Lighthouse Homeschool W 58-28

- Sept. 5 vs. Southern Prep Academy W 44-28*

- Sept. 13 at Cornerstone Christian L 60-12*

- Sept. 20 vs. Coosa Valley Academy W 58-14*

- Sept. 27 at Lakeside School W 46-28*

- Oct. 4 at Evangel Christian W 88-58*

- Oct. 11 at Meadowview Christian W 76-30*

- Oct. 18 vs. Macon East Academy W 85-54*

- Oct. 25 vs. North River Christian W 84-6*

- Nov. 8 vs. Meadowview Christian W 2-0**

- Nov. 14 vs. Macon East Academy L 66-36**

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

- Aug. 22 vs. Coosa Valley Academy L 30-28*

- Aug. 28 at Trinity Christian*

- Sept. 5 vs. Escambia Academy*

- Sept. 12 at Cornerstone Christian*

- Sept. 19 vs. Heritage Christian*

- Sept. 26 at Evangel Christian*

- Oct. 3 vs. North River Christian*

- Oct. 9 at Macon East Academy*

- Oct. 17 vs. Southern Prep Academy*

- Oct. 24 at Snook Christian*

* AISA Eight-Man Region Game

** Playoff Game