By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SAND ROCK – Youth will have its day at Sand Rock during the 2023 football season.

The Wildcats have just three seniors on this year’s team in Jimmy Cochran, Cody McLane and Kaiden Sweat. On the other end of the class spectrum, there are 14 freshmen and an eighth grader.

But the Wildcats aren’t using youth as an excuse for not having a successful season.

Fourth-year head coach Alan Heath has already won a big battle before this season begins, and that’s the players he does have are bought in to what the Sand Rock coaches are trying to teach.

“We’ve got a young football team, but the buy-in and attitude has been so positive,” he said. “Kids who grow up who want to wear that maroon jersey, that’s something that’s the fulfillment of a dream. That’s a very important aspect of what we do.

“I can tell you these guys we’ve got on this football team are playing for each other. They’re not playing for themselves, and that’s important. That’s what we’re trying to do through athletics in high school, to build that back where it used to be. It’s not about me, me, me. It’s about us.”

One of those younger players the Wildcats are relying on is freshman quarterback Alec Ashley. He’s the younger brother of former starter Ace Ashley, who graduated in the spring.

“He’s worked really hard,” Heath said of the Wildcats’ young signal caller. “He’s put on 20-30 pounds in the offseason.”

The younger Ashley will have a veteran to hand off and throw to in junior Gatlin Cox at halfback. Cox is returning as the team’s leading receiver. He had 34 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown last season.

“Gatlin really came on last year and became one of our better players,” Heath said. “The weight room has been tremendous for him. He’s a hard-working kid.”

Joining Cox in the backfield is freshman fullback Gaven Glenn.

Sophomore Alex Stone and junior Gavynn Cunningham are the Wildcat wideouts. Another target Ashley has the option to utilize is junior tight end Cam Gifford. Cochran is also expected to be utilized in the passing game after he recovers from a broken collar bone.

Blocking up front for the Wildcat playmakers are McLane, juniors Caiden Bullard, Kane Robison and Seth Holland, and sophomore Morgan Tucker.

“All of those guys got good experience last year, so we are young in skill, but we have some experience up front,” Heath said.

Tucker, Holland, Bullard, Gifford, Sweat, and sophomore Grayson Layne will be in the defensive line rotation.

The Wildcats will also have a rotation of Ashley, Stone, Cunningham, and freshmen Nick Clanton and Brendon Lindsey in the secondary. That unit will be bolstered by Cochran and freshman Ty Traffanstedt once they recover from injuries. Heath said Ryker Woodall, an eighth grader, will likely see some time in the secondary as well.

Robison, Gifford, Bullard and Glenn are the Wildcat inside linebackers. Cox, Bullard and freshmen Landon Chadwick and Lathan Amos are Sand Rock’s outside linebackers.

Sand Rock plays in Class 2A, Region 7 along with defending state champion Fyffe, Pisgah, Collinsville, North Sand Mountain, Section, Ider and Whitesburg Christian. If the Wildcats expect to compete in such a top-heavy region, they’ll have to keep the injuries to a minimum.

Sand Rock had a hard time doing that last season. After starting 2-2, they lost four in a row before finishing the season with wins at Ider and over Whitesburg Christian to finish at 4-6.

As mentioned, the Wildcats have had a few bumps and bruises during the summer, but Heath is hopeful this team can recover from those setbacks and make a run at the postseason.

“It’s a tough region, but there’s been a tough region pretty much everywhere I’ve ever coached and every year I’ve coached. That just makes it that much sweeter when you’re successful,” Heath said. “It gives you the opportunity to really perform and do the very best you can. Sometimes you sneak up on some people who maybe think ‘Sand Rock’s young this year.’ You’re right. Let’s go play ball.”

“I’m just excited to prove people wrong,” Holland said. “That’s all I’m hearing right now, how this, that and the other is going to prevent what we want to do. I know my buddies in the weight room work really hard, and we’re giving it our all.”

2023 Sand Rock Football Schedule

Aug. 25                 Spring Garden
Sept. 1                  Cedar Bluff
Sept. 8                  at Pisgah
Sept. 15                Section
Sept. 22                Collinsville
Sept. 29                at West End
Oct. 6                    at North Sand Mountain
Oct. 13                  at Fyffe
Oct. 20                  Ider
Oct. 27                  at Whitesburg Christian