GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders, led by head coach Alan Scott, rode a scorching hot offense to an 8-2 record and a playoff appearance in 2025.
With wins over Cherokee County and West Morgan, the Raiders made it all the way to the third round of the state playoffs, where they eventually fell to Plainview, 21-7.
While they’ll open their 2026 campaign with a shot at revenge over the Bears on August 21, the Raiders are mentally leaving their incredible ’25 season behind and starting fresh.
“Every individual team has to just kind of take their own identity. Obviously, every team wants to leave a legacy so these guys, especially these seniors that have been in the program for four years- they want to have success,” Scott said. He added, “I’ve liked our attitude this summer. We had really good attendance. The kids have worked hard. I think the standard’s been set from the teams before and about what it takes to be successful.”
Returning to lead an offense that scored over 31 points per game last season is senior quarterback Parker Johnson. In 2025, Johnson passed for just under 1500 yards and added over 1100 on the ground with a total 26 touchdowns accounted for.
The 5-9 signal caller leads an offense that Scott said he “hates to put a word on,” to describe it, instead saying the priority is to find ways to get their best players the ball.
The Raiders mostly do that by running the football, and utilize power and counter rush attacks in a variety of formations. Leading the backs will be returning senior Karson Hollis, who will be complemented by senior Kayden Collins and junior Ryker Hancock.
Returning on the offensive line are three starters in senior Isaiah Owens, junior Eli Drake and sophomore Hank Johns. On the line as a whole, Scott said, “We’ve got a lot of a lot of pieces of the puzzle back, so hopefully they can get the other guys to rally around them and make some plays.”
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line projects to be a strength for the Raiders, with 6-3 defensive end Ross Clark, an ASWA 4A honorable mention last season, returning to wreak havoc on quarterbacks once again.
Collins, who plays linebacker in addition to running back, will be in the middle of what’s been one of the strongest defenses in the state as of late.
They’ll look to stay hot in a new region that includes 2025 5A playoff teams in Scottsboro, Fairview and Guntersville. Additionally, they’ve also ended up in the same region as Cherokee County, who they knocked off in last season’s playoffs.
“I think it’s a very, very difficult region,” Scott said. He added, “We just always want to play as hard as we can. We want our kids to be disciplined and give great effort. I know that’s coach speak, but it’s really who we pride ourselves on being. If these guys will go out there and put themselves in a good position- you can never predict wins and losses- but if it’s good enough by the end of the night, then we hope we get the W.”
