FAIRVIEW, Ala. – At Fairview High School this morning, Zayden Cruce signed his scholarship offer to play football at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.
After a breakout junior season in 2024, a leg injury threatened not only his senior season but his career. Cruce fought back, however, playing in the final four games of the Aggies’ 12-1 2025 season.
“‘Z’ fought his way back to the Good Hope game, the Arab game and the Jacksonville game, but I can’t help but get chill bumps when I watch the Scottsboro game. ‘Z’ gets the interception in the second quarter to take away a big drive, and he also goes on to make a big catch right at the end of the game to get us into field goal range just as time expired,” his former head coach George Redding said. Redding then recalled “There was a day towards the end of the football season that I won’t forget. I remember asking Zayden ‘what are you going to do next?’ and I remember him smiling as he always does and saying ‘I don’t know, I just don’t think I’m done yet.'”
He’ll go on to join a Hawks team that had the second-ranked offense in the USA South Conference in 2025. Despite holding offers from a handful of other schools, Cruce cited the proximity to home and a family member that attended the school as reasons for choosing Huntingdon.
“I’m taking this community, this family, with me. There wasn’t a time where I came in and didn’t feel welcome. Even at school, we’re just a big family. I love it. The support was crazy, especially when I got injured, but I knew they were gonna be there for me,” Cruce said on what he’ll take from his time as an Aggie.
