Oak Mountain Eagles
That kid
Every team needs “that kid,” a player who displays heart, leadership or other intangibles — not only under the Friday night lights but also during the sweltering heat of August practices.
“Hall Morton is a little undersized but he’s a high energy, great effort guy who pound-for-pound may be our best football player. Riley Fowler is always out front, always early, and both are great students.”
-Coach Cris Bell
Eagles soar into tough region
Oak Mountain finds itself in a challenging region in 2014.
“I think it’ll be great for the fans,” said Eagles coach Cris Bell. “It is what it is. I think it’ll be really fun for high school football fans in the Birmingham area especially.”
Class 7A, Region 3, is a brutal region with the likes of Hoover, Mountain Brook, Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Tuscaloosa County, Thompson and Hewitt-Trussville joining OMHS.
“I think we have a shot to finish in the top four and make the playoffs,” Bell said, “but realistically they’re going to pick us in the bottom half. And that’s fine, until we prove we can compete with these guys. When we were in with those teams before, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to compete and that’s something we need to be able to address and change if we want to be the type of program we say we want to be. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’ve got a good group that I think wants to take this challenge and run with it.”
And “run” may be the operative word. The game plan week in and week out will be running the football, mixing in a few throws, keeping the ball away from the high-powered offenses the Eagles will face. If they grow up quickly on defense, stay healthy and catch a few breaks, the Eagles could have the surprise team in this region.
OFFENSE
Senior running backs Harold Shader and Josh Gaines return to lead a strong ground game. “Josh has been our leading rusher the past two seasons, and Harold’s been right behind him,” Bell said. “I think they give us a chance against anybody we play.”
Junior Warren Shader, Harold’s brother, is the returning starting quarterback, having started as a sophomore. “He had played for us as a freshman in the secondary and moved over last year, and I thought he really did a great job for us. He’s exciting to watch, is a competitor and makes things happen. He’s not a polished passer, by any means, but he’s a tough, gritty kid who finds a way to get positive yards. With a year under his belt he has much more confidence reading the option for us and is just a gritty, gritty kid.”
Two starters are back on the offensive line, plus another who played a lot. At center will be Justice Hammond. Benton Stroud will return at guard. Michael Walker, who played a lot, should start. Big Blake Snow (6-5, 275) will step in at tackle, and Bell says he’s made strides in the past eight months. Barrett Marraman and William Earle are battling for the final starting spot in a line Bell thinks can be very good. He’s looking for a more consistent mindset, linemen who want to “slop around in the mud.” He’s looking for physicality over finesse from these guys.
The Eagles’ option attack doesn’t emphasize the pass, but Bell knows that to be successful running the ball, Oak Mountain will have to throw a little more to deter the eight and nine men in the box they’ve been facing. Reid Golson and Avery Nguyen have played a lot at wide receiver, and Payton Youngblood and Kylen Brown are defensive players who have some offensive skills that the Eagles may utilize because of their potential playmaking ability.
DEFENSE
The defense is young with just three starters back, but Bell thinks it is a talented group. It’s still not settled who will line up where along the front, but returning starter Chris Hill along with Lee Darby, Allen Perkins, Alex Hooks and Armond Lloyd figure on the inside and Avery Holsomback, a transfer from Pelham, Jared Buxton and Zach Pierce are candidates to be the ends in a four-man front.
The linebacking crew is led by returning starter Riley Fowler. Joining him are Josh Jones and Chris Taylor, who played a good bit last season. In the secondary, Nathan Bowman returns at safety. Youngblood will start at the other safety with Hall Morton competing for time. At cornerback, Brown, Mitchell Jones and Garrett DeArajuo will vie for the starting spots. Again, Bell says, they’re young but do have ability.
“We’ve got to grow up in a hurry,” he said.
SPECIAL TEAMS
DJ Garver will handle kickoffs and place-kicking duties for the Eagles, and Bell feels very confident in him. Nick Somers and Jaxson Ellis are competing for the punting job. Brown returned kickoffs last year and Golson returned punts, but Bell isn’t completely settled on them.