PREP FOOTBALL: Bearcats ready to make the most of 2020 season

By:
0
3089
2020 Cullman Football Team. (Lifetouch Photography)

CULLMAN, Ala. – Last season was a successful one for many Bearcat fans. The ‘Cats started the year 0-2 after dropping close games to Jasper and Mortimer Jordan but rallied to finish at 5-5 after defeating Hartselle in dramatic fashion and handling Fort Payne in the rain to close out the regular season. Cullman then went on the road for its first 6A playoff contest in school history and blanked Mae Jemison 20-0 to advance to the next round. The Bearcats fell to Oxford at home in the second round to wrap up the season but after building some momentum in 2019, Cullman is ready to keep the ball rolling in 2020.

Head Coach Oscar Glasscock is heading into his season at Cullman and after months of uncertainty that has carried into the preseason, he is happy to report that his players have been quick to adjust to the new guidelines and roll with the punches so far in fall camp.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and the kids are almost more resilient than adults. If there’s any kind of drama it’s almost always with adults, not any of the kids and they just want to play football. They’re working hard and football is a man’s game,” Glasscock said. “Its hot out here, people are knocking the crap out of each other and running around in equipment and those things haven’t changed since I played. It’s still a tough deal and I think these guys take a lot of pride in doing what a lot of people won’t do.”

It’s been an unorthodox few months for local teams preparing to kick off the 2020 season and the Bearcats have had to adjust like everyone else. Glasscock says its been challenging to work without a spring practice or opportunities to compete in the summer but the ‘Cats are just trying to focus on the things they can control this fall.

“It’s been an adjustment because all these kids haven’t been in pads since early November and its been even longer than that for the ninth graders moving up. So, it’s been a little different not having spring training and not being able to really compete in the summer so we’re having to learn about our team and our guys playing against each other and that’s definitely a challenge,” Glasscock said. “Everyone is operating under the same restrictions and we’ve been affected by the COVID crisis just like everyone else in the state. You hear a lot of coaches talk about this and what we’re focusing on is what we can control and right now we’re planning on getting on a couple of buses and heading to Alabama A&M’s stadium to plat Grissom on the 20th. That’s what we’re working towards.”

Glasscock knows that his kids have already benefited from being in the football program regardless of how many games they play this season but what he may not have expected was how much he and his staff benefited from being with their players as well.

“Whether we get to play a game or not is out of our hands, but these guys have come together to work hard, be resilient and deal with adversity. So, they’ve benefited from being in the program and us coaches have too,” Glasscock said. “We’ve benefited from being around these kids and just seeing how focused they are on the task at hand. That’s helped us as a coaching staff with our mental health and our attitudes. We want that sense of normalcy as much as anybody, so we’ve really taken a lot of inspiration from how the kids have handled it.”

Every coach in the country wants to win every game on the schedule but the goals Glasscock has for his team this season are about more than wins and losses. Glasscock wants his players to approach each day of this season with the right attitude and the right perspective.

“I want to make sure that these kids learn life lessons and enjoy ever single moment because it’s just like with injuries or other circumstances that can come up. You never know when your last day is going to be playing high school football. Life is like that. God gives us all a burden and we have to learn how to handle that and not let it take away from our joy,” Glasscock said. “I just want the kids to enjoy every moment and take pride in the fact that they’ve worked hard. They’re learning the value of teamwork and achieving great things with the help of other people. We may play one game and that’s it, we may play 10 or we may play 15 but you’ve got to enjoy each moment of it and not worry about the things you can’t control. Let’s just make the most of this day that God has given us and then we’ll get another day and embrace it with a lot of joy and get after it. We want to have fun, work hard and make some memories.”

The Cullman Bearcats will kick off the 2020 season at Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville against Grissom.

2020 Cullman Football Schedule (6A Region 8)

8/20: @ Grissom (Louis Crews Stadium)

8/28: Jasper

9/4: @ Hartselle*

9/11: Buckhorn*

9/18: Hazel Green*

9/25: @ Mars Hill

10/2: @ Decatur*

10/9: Columbia*

10/16: @ Athens*

10/23: Muscle Shoals*

2020 Cullman Football Roster

1 Isaiah Jones

2 Max Dueland

3 Evan Dye

4 Ryan Skinner

5 Dylan Sessions

6 Jaylen Hughey

7 Kaleb Bates

8 Jaden Kay

9 Jake Dueland

11 Jeb Bartle

12 Ethan Echols

15 Logan Holley

16 Elijah Hayes

17 Gabe Sosa

18 Matt Brock

19 Griffin Barksdale

20 Parker Hodges

21 Jamar Kay

22 Noah Kee

23 Tyler Owens

24 Sam Brand

25 Drew Conway

26 Cole Herfurth

27 Ethan Moore

28 Alex Sheppard

29 Nate Zillis

30 Patton Elkins

31 Eli Calligaris

32 Ben Washburn

33 Garrett Rester

34 Brodie Malcom

35 Brody Adams

36 Jonathan Pittman

37 Daemon Griffith

38 Jackson Ray

39 Preston Gray

40 Banks Baker

41 Hunter Brooks

42 Sawyer Trimble

43 Cody Lynn

44 Drew Ball

46 Cannon Trimble

47 Jackson Norris

48 Brody Foxx

50 Drew Carter

52 Josue Miranda

53 Mason Richards

54 Carson Hill

55 Hayden Wynn

58 Lane Parker

59 Beckett Calvert

61 Layne Dial

62 Mason Williams

63 Evan Richards

64 Gavin Bush

65 Jared Shelton

68 Jay Knop

70 Carter Ziegenbein

74 Tyler White

75 Parker Hyatt

77 Lance Larue

80 Jonathan Dudley

81 Evan Johnson

85 Nic Glass

88 Tripp Gudger

90 Kaleb Heatherly

Coaches:

Oscar Glasscock – Head Coach

Heath Saint

Matt Hopper

Kyle Morris

Trent Walker

Kenny Gleaton

Ty Campbell

David Hannah

Shannon Fondren

Copyright 2020 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.