Photo by Todd Lester
Sam Canale (26).
Familiarity has never been much of a problem for the Briarwood Christian School football program. This fall, that changes.
The Lions have landed in a reshaped region that stretches across the state, part of the tradeoff for being moved into a new classification under the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s decision to split public and private schools.
Head coach Matthew Forester’s team will spend the next two years facing programs it has rarely, if ever, seen, as part of the Private-AA division.
“We’re used to being the smallest school in our classification,” Forester said. “Now we’re the second largest school in our classification, and we’ve got 140 kids in our grade, and we’re playing against schools that have 70 in their grade. It’s a big difference.”
The unfamiliar slate arrives as Briarwood breaks in one of its largest senior classes in recent memory, 29 strong, a jump from last year’s group of just 15. Those underclassmen soaked up heavy varsity reps a year ago, helping push the Lions to the state quarterfinals before injuries thinned the roster down the stretch.
“We’ve had a great time playing Florence and Saraland and Spanish Fort and everybody in between over the years,” Forester said. “We’ve never played this kind of schedule before, but we’re just focused on these seniors being the best they can be.”
Briarwood has also opened the last two seasons slowly, a trend Forester wants to reverse. The Lions begin this fall against Moody, now coached by former Briarwood assistant Kyle Tatum, before hosting Homewood in Week 2.
“We’re always going to start the season off with a bang,” Forester said. “You’ve got to figure out who you are and what you need to work on.”
Briarwood opens the season on the road against Moody on Aug. 21, then hosts Homewood before starting region play Sept. 4 against Westminster Christian. The Lions travel to Lee-Scott and St. John Paul II and host Madison Academy, John Carroll and Randolph within the region, with a road trip to ACA closing out region play. Briarwood also hosts Montgomery Catholic in a non-region matchup Sept. 25 and has a bye Oct. 30.
OFFENSE
Briarwood’s offense will take shape around a new starting quarterback, with junior Jamison Barnes and senior Max Beaumont competing for the job throughout the summer. Forester wants whoever wins the role to protect the football, get the ball to the Lions’ playmakers and be a threat with his legs when the offense needs it.
“When the quarterback can run, we can limit turnovers,” Forester said. “That’s been the key to our success.”
Photo by James Nicholas
Jackson Reyer (8).
Senior Jackson Reyer takes over at running back after waiting his turn the last two seasons. Forester praised his ability to read blocks and understand the offense, with juniors Ben Reynolds and Sebastian Locy pushing for carries behind him.
The receiving corps might be the deepest, most senior-laden group on the roster. Sam Canale, an Air Force Academy commit, and John Campbell, who Forester called perhaps the fastest player in program history before a hamstring injury slowed him last fall, headline the group on the outside. Will Butler, Copeland Holley and Zac King add experience as well, while sophomores JH Caldwell and Tory Smith bring speed with room to grow.
At tight end, the Lions have size to work with in Charlie Allen and Rowdy Leonard, who will also play defense, along with Ethan Van Asselt and Luke Irons.
Up front, Briarwood returns three starters in Austin Johnson, Adrian Derico and Hudson Parker, with Wynn Falkner and Morgan Luster stepping into open roles. John Burke Henderson, Payne Harrison and Will Berryman provide depth behind them.
“I’ve got some good backups that would start on a lot of teams,” Forester said.
DEFENSE
Briarwood’s defensive line, long a program strength, took a significant hit last season when all-state lineman Garrett Witherington tore his ACL in Week 5, an injury that forced Forester to scrap the defensive scheme midseason. The Lions adjusted on the fly amid adversity and still made the playoffs.
The line returns five seniors this fall in Grant Skinner, Brooks Robertson, Tucker McGough, Ken Azar and Nathan Fox, with juniors Noah Cox and Rowdy Leonard and sophomore Callum Williamson adding depth.
Photo by David Leong
Gage Nasworthy (16).
Gage Nasworthy returns at middle linebacker off an all-state season, and Forester expects the natural senior-year jump that position tends to produce. Mark Mataya moves down from safety to Sam linebacker, continuing a pattern Forester said has repeated for years, while Radford Andrews shifts over from the line to Will linebacker. Jacob Turner and sophomore Isaac Kerley round out the group.
The secondary returns three starters for the first time in years, with seniors Brandt Aho and Cooper Johnson back at cornerback and Camden Schroeter at safety. Coleson Gooch and Alex Marshall are candidates for the other safety spot, with junior Tucker Miller and sophomore Will Morris waiting behind them.
“This is the way it should be,” Forester said of his group’s returning experience.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Harrison Hebert and holder Max Beaumont both return, giving Briarwood some stability at specialist. Austin Johnson, Max Watson and McGough, who handled long snapping duties a year ago, are all competing for the job this year, and junior Evan Ballenger will push for time as well.
