HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Another football season is right around the corner and that means its almost time for the Hanceville Bulldogs to hit the field once again. The Bulldogs came up short of some of their goals a season ago but with experience returning on both sides of the ball and some new faces stepping up this offseason, Head Coach Levi Estes is excited to see what his team can do this fall.
“Looking at the roster from last year, we have about four of five starters returning on offense and then defensively we’ll have about four or five back as well and a lot of those guys are playing both ways. We’ve picked up some new faces this year whether they were walking around the school or they’ve moved in so I’m excited about those guys that we’ve picked up and the guys we have returning,” Estes said. “A lot of our guys have a lot of experience from last year. We played a lot of young guys last year and game experience is one of the most important things you can have as a football player to see the actual speed of the game on Friday nights. Just looking back on the summer, we went three days a week in June and four days a week in July and these guys have been there every day busting their tails and doing the right things to get ready. We’ve brought in some new coaches that have changed some of the schemes up and done a really good job of coaching these guys up and making it easy for them to understand and learn and play as fast as they can.”
The area that Estes and his staff are most focused on right now is the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs will have a couple seniors to lean on up front but are looking for some younger players to step into some of those spots as well.
“Right now, our biggest leap to take is on the offensive line up front. We’ve got two seniors up there and neither of those guys were part of our team last year. So, having those guys there is going to be good for us,” Estes said. “We’ve also got a bunch of young guys that are battling for spots up front as well so we’re looking at playing some freshmen with a couple seniors and not having a lot of experience so that can be a little worrisome but at the same time those guys have worked hard, and they work together really well. They play together and they have each other’s backs so that’s something we’re really focusing on is getting them ready for Friday nights.”
One place that Hanceville will have some familiar faces returning this season is at the skill positions. He’s looking forward to seeing those guys continue to develop but he’s been even more impressed with the way they’ve taken on leadership roles this offseason.
“Some things that I look at that are really bright spots is a lot of our skill positions on offense and defense are returning. Hunter Black is a two-year starter returning this year and you’ve got Drake Bentley and Javis (Leusby) and all these guys have started. Those are guys that we’re going to lean on when we have the ball and also to stop the other team,” Estes said. “We’re going to be young up front on both sides of the ball but at the same time with Jacob Jordan being a senior, he hasn’t missed a day all summer and he’s worked his tail off every day that he’s been there. He’s kind of the anchor of that group and he holds people accountable and does a good job of it. That’s what you have to have in your older group, they have to hold people accountable, but they also have to be accountable in what they do and all these guys show those qualities.”
2025 Hanceville Football Schedule (3A, Region 5)
Aug. 21 – at Cold Springs
Aug. 29 – Holly Pond
Sept. 5 – Gordo*
Sept. 12 – Carbon Hill*
Sept. 19 – at Oakman*
Oct. 3 – Vinemont*
Oct. 10 – at Midfield*
Oct. 17 – Winfield*
Oct. 24 – at Phil Campbell*
Oct. 30 – Oak Grove
*Region Game
