Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Fourth consecutive championship road paved with milestones

Early in Lowndes Academy’s 2024 football season, the Rebels made history by breaking the school’s winning streak, 20 victories in a row. Now, heading into their fourth consecutive Alabama Independent School Association 2A championship contest, the Rebels are at 30 undefeated matches, and counting.

The team that declared, “We don’t rebuild, we reload” has exceeded all expectations, coming together as a unit of student-athletes reaching milestones individually and collectively. According to head coach Shane Moye, the Rebels’ last loss was in 2021, in a matchup against Patrician, a team they defeated on Nov. 14, 35-18.

“Jeremy Hardy exceeded the 1,000-yards-rushing mark and one of our senior captains, Watters Box has had 10 or 11 interceptions,” Moye said. “It’s been a whole team effort. We never rely on one person, or one class. We have a winning culture built into [our team].”

Moye said the team, as junior high student-athletes, never won a game. Their dedication and the efforts of the team’s coaches have combined to form a team which lives up to the Lowndes Academy legacy and shines in its own right.

“Because of their hard work and that of the entire coaching staff, we have gotten them where they need to be,” Moye said. “I know they are excited to play their first championship game.”

Heading into the final round of playoffs Thursday, Moye said Thursday’s contest could bring the school’s seventh state title. In his seventh year as head coach and his 13th year with the Lowndes Academy athletic program, a win would be his fourth since assuming the role of head coach.

Athletic Director Matt Marshall said the team has growth both in athletics and leadership.

“From where we started until now, I’ve seen them grow into leadership roles,” Marshall said. “We graduated 10 seniors last year and had a lot of returning starters, but a lot of people are in new leadership positions.”

The team’s successes are largely due to hard work, he said, and a commitment to put the time in needed to build cohesion and athletic skill.

“We practice hard,” he said. “The coaches, for all our sports, expect players to be the coaches on the field. Having players who [display] leadership and know when to step up, when to make calls or when an attitude adjustment is needed, makes all the difference in the world.”

Senior Reid Owen plays center for the Rebels. All offensive plays start with him, and Owen said he owns the serious responsibility.

“Play starts with me,” Owen said. “Every play involves that ball. So, if I mess up, everybody messes up. 

“Everybody has got a job to do. If one person doesn’t do their job, then the play doesn’t go right.”

Quarterback Bradyn Stokes said he feels the weight of his role as playmaker and knows it’s up to him to decide who to connect with or whether to call his own number.

“I’ve got to read the defense and throw to an open receiver,” Stokes said. “And if there’s no one open, I just run [the ball.]”

Offensive and defensive lineman Ashton Yelder has played for the Rebels since fifth grade. He is a multi-sport student athlete and said his objective is to work towards team goals one step at a time.

“It doesn’t matter what sport [we play],” Yelder said. “We all stay together; we’re like a family. We set a goal at the beginning of the year and we work towards it from the first game to the last.”

Senior Zack Azar plays offensive and defensive tackle. His objective on the field is to control the gap.

“Our objective might not necessarily be to get the ball,” Azar said. “As long as everyone controls their gap, someone will end up making a tackle.”

Watters Box works for the teams’ success as safety, wide receiver and kicker. Shifting from one role to another and keeping the opponent from scoring, requires a focus on what’s happening in the moment.

“I guard the pass and I keep them from playing the ball,” Box said. “If they don’t play it, I go to whoever has the ball. Then, when I need to kick, I just take a deep breath and hope I make it.”

Crawford Dansby emphasized the need for each team member to focus on their role.

“Everybody has stepped up and done their job,” Dansby said. “My job is to tackle whoever is running the ball, to keep them from making a first down.”

Wide receiver and cornerback Will Brasell said his focus is on stopping the ball, whether that means capturing it on a rush to the end zone or intercepting a pass.

“I want to stop the run or the pass,” Brasell said. “I want to turn the ball over as soon as possible, to go for the ball and make a big play.”

Seniors on the Rebels’ team agreed that the support of their fans is a driving force behind every success.

“My favorite part of the game is when we make a big play and hear the crowd go wild,” Brasell said. “[Hearing them cheer] gives me a lot of hope, and I want to make another big play to shine in the moment.”

The Rebels will meet South Choctaw at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m.