ADDISON, Ala. – The Addison Bulldogs’ 2025 season began with mystery, as they had a new head coach in Mark Hastings, and loads of questions regarding the roster. Well, the questions were answered, and Coach Hastings had an outstanding first year carrying the Bulldogs to 1A State Playoffs with a 12-2 overall record, eventually falling to Class 1A power Wadley, 22-14, in the semi-finals. So, the question this year is how will the Bulldogs respond going from minimal expectations, to having fans legitimately thinking state championship-or-bust.
Addison started seven sophomores last year, so the ‘Dawgs have a strong returning group of depth and experience. They have three All-State players returning in senior QB/DB Elijah Roberts, junior WR/DB Connor Lane and WR/LB Judah Wilkins. The players’ participation numbers are up as Addison had 43 kids turn out for summer workouts- 8-10 more than usual for the Bulldogs.
When asked about the high expectations for the upcoming season, Coach Hastings replied, “Thought we did a good job last year of managing our kids’ emotions and just getting better each week. We didn’t get too high or too low, and were consistent in our effort and execution. We need to improve each week correcting our mistakes from the previous game and getting each player to focus on his responsibility. I believe that competition is the key factor in motivating players. If you have someone behind you that is able to take your job if you don’t give effort and maximize your ability, then you tend to work harder or you won’t be starting long. Our team goal is of course to win it all, but my goal is to see these young men grow and improve as young adults as well as improve as players.”
Giving Roberts a clean pocket is critical to the offense’s success, on the offensive line, Hastings said, “The biggest question for our team is our offensive line. We lost some three key long-time starters and have several kids fighting for those three spots. I feel good that whomever will win the job will perform and there will be no drop off from last year. Our two returning starters are sophomore left tackle Kyeler Hill and junior guard Noah Daffron. The three new starters will come from, in no particular order, senior Noah Benton, senior Briley Denson, sophomore Noah Cleghorn, senior Joseph Frock, junior Kane Stewart, junior Tucker Hayes, junior Robert Gilmore and Dahl Miller.”
On what he believes this team’s strong spot is, Hastings said, “Our biggest strength I believe is our skill players, especially our receiving corps. Our receivers are outstanding, with good combination of speed and hands. Juniors Scout Flynn, Judah Wilkins and Connor Lane, all returning starters, are excellent. We have ample depth with senior Tanner Gaither, sophomore Tanner Morgan and sophomore Ben Bridges. Morgan has had a great summer, and kinda came out of nowhere. Tight end is especially strong with senior Michael Lee and junior Major Snoddy manning the position. Both (Michael) Lee and (Major) Snoddy are good blockers who can catch the ball.”
When the question of quarterback was brought up, Hastings was asked what a returning an all-state QB means to the team.Â
“Elijah (Roberts) is a very good athlete who improved tremendously from the beginning of the year to the end. He is a smart kid and has a strong arm and excellent mobility. Elijah’s strength is his ability on a broken play, he can go the distance every single time he touches the ball. The sky is the limit for him this season, especially since this is his second year in our system,” Hastings said.
The running back position features a mixture of youth and veterans that will man it this year. Hastings said, “Senior Zane Smith is 100% healthy from his knee injury last year and has improved his strength, Zane should have a good year. Junior Joey Wilson is a tough runner who gets the tough yardage and young (Ben) Bridges and freshman Kash Turner both showed flashes last year and will play.”
Addison is known for strong defense, and last year was no different, as they held Wadley’s all-everything back Jaquez Wilkes to his season-low in rushing yardage in a game. It starts up front, and Addison appears to be very strong there.Â
“Michael Lee was a menace off the edge last year, consistently putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and doing well against the run. Senior Skylar Cleghorn came out of nowhere and about midseason, opposing teams had to game plan for him as well. Skylar and Michael are good opposites, Michael is strong and Skylar is exceptionally quick and he was able to get by the opposing lineman before they completely got out of their stance. Michael and Skylar have also been focused in the weight room to improve there as well. Tucker Hayes is a plugger in the middle, and we have several other kids, mainly the group from the offensive line, that will play at defensive tackle,” Hastings said.
The Bulldog secondary will tough to play this upcoming year due to all the returning talent. Â
“(Connor) Lane came out and actually became a shutdown corner for us. He had about ten interceptions and returned several for touchdowns. Most people didn’t realize it but we played Connor on the opposing team’s sideline all year. It is a tougher job due to most teams throw the majority of the passes to their sideline. He did an excellent job all year for us. Junior Silas Frazier started at the other corner and did well. Silas was really good in run support and wasn’t afraid to stick his head in there to make the tackle. Elijah (Roberts) will man the safety position for us again and ‘quarterback’ the secondary. Sophomore Preuitt Woods has shown some ability at safety and (Ben) Bridges, (Tanner) Morgan and sophomore Carson McCaleb will play as well,” Hastings said.
The 2026 Addison Bulldogs will come into the season with something that they haven’t had in many years, a reasonable and legitimate expectation to win it all. With all the returning starters and experience, the pressure is on for the ‘Dawgs. Addison is one of five teams that are consistently mentioned for the 2026 title: Addison, Hubbertville, Red Bay, Maplesville and Leroy are the favorites, and I see no problem with that assessment. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be a great year to be a fan of Addison football. Â
