1 of 5
Photo by Todd Lester
Will O’Dell (18)
2 of 5
Photo by Shawn Bowles
Jayden Aparicio (24)
3 of 5
Photo by James Nicholas
Marty Myricks (1)
4 of 5
Photo by Todd Lester
Bradley Haizlip (77)
5 of 5
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Oak Mountain head coach Shane McComb talks with the defense during a timeout in a game at Pelham High Shool’s Bobby Haynes Field on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
It’s still about the little things for the Oak Mountain High School football team, as Shane McComb enters his second season as head coach.
His expectations for the program were set in the first year, from techniques on the field to strength and conditioning habits off the field.
The numbers in the program have grown significantly since McComb took over ahead of last fall.
“Everything’s going in the right direction. We’re trending right,” he said.
The facilities are being improved as well, with a new indoor turf field recently completed and future plans for a new weight room, locker room, coach offices and more.
Those all lend to the product on the field continuing to improve. The Eagles won their first game of the season last fall, and despite a nine-game skid to end the year, four close losses in that span provide hope that things could be different this fall.
“Hopefully we can put that together on Friday nights, win the games we need to win and be competitive in all the football games this year, leading into the future of this program,” McComb said.
OFFENSE
Jerad Holder has come over to Oak Mountain as the offensive coordinator, with Clay Machen serving as the co-offensive coordinator. McComb said the two have worked together seamlessly as they have put the offense together.
Will O’Dell returns as the team’s quarterback, with McComb saying he has improved drastically in his all-around game.
“His ability and his throwing motion has gotten a lot better. Hopefully, he’s going to be a handful,” McComb said.
Marty Myricks had a strong year last fall and returns at running back. Sean Ray has moved over to the offensive side of the ball and will be a slot receiver. Zach Fitzgerald, Walker Shook, Jacob Moore, Boston Brewer and Joey Carbonie are names to watch at receiver as well.
The offensive line returns several contributors from a season ago, with Bradley Haizlip, Colton Cason, Luke Kelly among the guys who played last season. Barron Meadors and John Bay Whatley are also in the mix to start.
“We don’t have one guy that’s going to run the entire offense,” McComb said. “We need a lot of people to have good games and do their jobs on Friday nights for us to be successful.”
DEFENSE
McComb admits the defense he ran last fall wasn’t the best fit for the Eagles, so he has plans to mix things up a little this fall, tactically and personnel-wise.
“We’ve changed our base front quite a bit. Our terminologies pretty much stayed the same, but certain coverages and things we’re doing, communication-wise, in the secondary is much, much different than last year,” he said.
Colton Moore and William Yoder started at linebacker for Oak Mountain last season and will do so again. The Eagles’ other linebacker position, a hybrid role, is up in the air, with players like Peyton Gamble, Nolan Lawson and Brooks Braswell seeking playing time there.
There are more than a handful of players set to rotate along the defensive line. Caleb Jaworski, Niko Varvoutis, Ethan Walton, Daveon Johnson, Joey Lewis, Dailan Gantt and Jordan Pierce-Harris are all expected to contribute and provide the ability to keep everyone fresh.
Cole Kelly, Colby King, Robert Yoder and Jayden Aparicio are all back in what will be an experienced and deep secondary for Oak Mountain. McComb mentioned Clay Mills, JC Schwender, Blake Silas, Mason Mitchell and Kennedy Silas among the players eager to earn playing time as well.
“There’s a lot of competition going on right now,” McComb said of the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the biggest losses for Oak Mountain from last season is kicker James Whatley, who signed with Georgia Tech.
Josh Renfro, Gavin Stone and Ben Mielke are in the mix to handle kicking and punting duties for the Eagles. McComb has been encouraged by their improvements throughout the offseason.
SCHEDULE
As a team in Class 7A, Region 3, the schedule is never easy. Such is life yet again this season for Oak Mountain.
The Eagles get both of the new members to Region 3, Prattville and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, at home to bookend the region slate. They also host Tuscaloosa County and Vestavia Hills.
Oak Mountain takes road trips to Thompson, Hoover and Hewitt-Trussville, three playoff teams from a year ago.
In the non-region slate, Oak Mountain begins the season with games against Briarwood and Pelham and concludes the regular season against county foe Chelsea.
