PREP FOOTBALL: A look back at the 2019 season

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L-R: Addison’s Luke Chambers (8), Fairview’s Eli Speegle (28). (Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune.) Cullman’s Jayden Sullins (23). (Joe McElroy for The Cullman Tribune)

CULLMAN, Ala. — The 2019 high school football season has come to an end and it saw a handful of local teams make the postseason. Addison, Cold Springs, Cullman, Fairview and Good Hope earned postseason bids after great seasons while the other teams across the county came up short but will be able to build off of this year going forward.

Addison: 8-3 record – Second place class 2A Region 7 (lost to North Sand Mountain in 1st round, 20-13)

The Addison Bulldogs had another great season in 2019. After falling to Red Bay in their region opener in week four, Addison dominated the rest of the way, winning its final six games of the season, including its final five region games. That run earned then a home playoff game in the first round of the AHSAA State Football Playoffs. Unfortunately, their season came to an end at the hands of North Sand Mountain, 20-13. 11 seniors played their final game for the Bulldogs and Addison will look to continue an amazing trend of great seasons in 2020.

Points per game: 29.7

Points allowed per game: 12.2

Opponents record: 59-61

(Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

Cold Springs: 5-6 – Third place class 2A Region 5 (lost at Ranburne in 1st round, 44-0)

2019 was a back-and-forth year for the Cold Springs Eagles. After a 3-1 start to the season, they dropped four of their next five games before finishing the regular season with a 28-8 victory over Vinemont. That win helped Vinemont get the no. 3 seed in the region and secure a spot in the playoffs. The road trip to Ranburne in the opening round ended the Eagles’ season as they were shut out 44-0. Nine seniors saw the field for the last time for the Eagles and Cold Springs will be looking to build off this season and make another playoff run in 2020.

Points per game: 22.4

Points allowed per game: 25.3

Opponents Record: 54-63

(Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

Cullman: 6-6 – Third place Class 6A Region 7 (lost to Oxford in 2nd round, 35-0)

The Cullman Bearcats had a successful season under first-year head coach Oscar Glasscock. After a three-game winning streak put them at 3-2 early in the season, they dropped their next three games, but got a very important win against Hartselle, 15-10, to help them secure the no. 3 seed for the playoffs and finished the regular season with an impressive, 42-23 win over Ft. Payne. The Bearcats shut out Mae Jemison 20-0 on the road in round one to collect their first 6A playoff win in school history before falling to Oxford at home to finish the season. 12 players played their final game as a Bearcat in last week’s matchup against Oxford but with a lot of the roster and several playmakers returning next season, the future looks bright for Cullman.

Points per game: 22.2

Points allowed per game: 20.2

Opponents Record: 90-51

(Nick Griffin for The Cullman Tribune)

Fairview: 9-3 – Class 4A Region 7 Champion (lost to Anniston in 2nd round, 35-7)

The 2019 season will be one to remember for the Fairview Aggies. They had one of their best offensive seasons in years and it carried them to a region championship and the second round of the AHSAA State Playoffs. They started the season by falling to West Point 14-8, but after that, they took off, putting up over 40 points in five games, including going over 50 twice. The Aggies went 8-1 over their final nine games and won their first region title in impressive fashion with a 55-14 win over Danville. They hosted the first round of the playoffs and rolled past Central-Florence 46-20 before falling at Anniston in round two, 35-7. Seven players played their final game for Fairview, including Mason Black and Tyvn Ellis, but the Aggies will look to continue what they started in 2020.

Points per game: 35.3

Points allowed per game: 20.3

Opponents Record: 55-74

(Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

Good Hope: 8-3 – Third place Class 4A Region 5 (lost to Oneonta in 1st round, 37-29)

The 2019 season was another amazing year for the Good Hope Raiders and it was even more impressive when you remember they lost over 20 seniors to graduation in 2018. Good Hope started the season 5-0 for the second straight year before falling to Northside and Fayette County to finish the regular season 8-2. The Raiders traveled to Oneonta in round one of the state playoffs and in what was a tale of two halves, a second-half rally fell just short at the end as Good Hope fell to Oneonta 37-29. 11 players played their final game for the Raiders but with several impact players returning next season, Good Hope will be aiming to continue its run of success in 2020.

Points per game: 28.9

Points allowed per game: 22.2

Opponents Record: 52-68

(Nick Griffin for The Cullman Tribune)

Hanceville: 3-7 

The 2019 season saw Hanceville improve its win total from last year. The Bulldogs started out the season 2-1 after a 28-0 shutout at J.B. Pennington, but they finished 1-6 over their last seven games, including tough losses to Holly Pond, Vinemont and a tight, shootout loss to Locust Fork. Hanceville will lose just three players to graduation in May and with a ton of talent returning the field next fall, the Bulldogs will look to take that next step and continue improving in 2020.

Points per game: 23.2

Points allowed per game: 30.3

Opponents Record: 46-60

(Nick Griffin for The Cullman Tribune)

Holly Pond: 2-8

Holly Pond looked to continue their trend of playoff appearances in 2019 but finished with a 2-8 record. A silver lining for Broncos fans is that both of those wins came against county rivals in Hanceville and Vinemont, the latter of which was Coach Mike Bates’ final game as the head coach at Holly Pond. The Broncos will lose just five players to graduation and whoever is named the new head coach will have some young, experienced talent coming back and looking to rebound in 2020.

Points per game: 21

Points allowed per game: 34.6

Opponents Record: 50-56

(Howard Cole for The Cullman Tribune)

Meek: 0-10

The 2019 season was one that Meek would like to forget. The Tigers finished the season winless despite hanging tough in a few competitive games but couldn’t make enough plays at the right rimes to get those much-needed wins. Eight seniors will be graduating for Meek and they’ll look for some new players to step up in big roles for coach David Norwood and his staff in 2020.

Points per game: 12.9

Points allowed per game: 38.1

Opponents Record: 55-53

(Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

Vinemont: 3-7

The 2019 season looked to be the year that Vinemont took that next big step and make the postseason with a lot of players coming back from last year’s squad. The Eagles started the year 2-2 after a 26-12 win over Hanceville and after a tough loss at Fultondale in week six, a thrilling 42-35 win over Locust Fork kept them in the playoff race. However, tough losses to J.B. Pennington and Holly Pond knocked them out of playoff contention and they wound up finishing the year 3-7. The Eagles will lose 12 seniors to graduation and will have some key spots to fill if they want to get into the playoffs in 2020.

Points per game: 21.3

Points allowed per game: 29.3

Opponents Record: 56-53

(Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

West Point: 4-6

West Point looked to rebound in 2019 after failing to make the postseason the previous year. The Warriors started out the season 2-2 after a 42-14 thrashing of Lawrence County. After two straight region losses, a win over Dora kept their playoff hopes alive, but they were eliminated from the playoff chase despite a thrilling, 21-20 overtime victory over Hayden. West Point finished the season 4-6 and will graduate 14 players from this year’s team but the Warriors will have a lot of playmakers returning and looking to get back into the postseason in 2020.

Points per game: 17.9

Points allowed per game: 28.4

Opponents Record: 63-45

(Bill Piper for The Cullman Tribune)

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