By Michael Butler

The high school football regular season kicks off this week. Tallassee, coming off a 9-3 season, will face Montgomery Academy on Friday, Aug. 22 at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium at 7 p.m.

The Eagles beat Tallassee in last year’s season opener 22-16.

“We had five turnovers,” Tallassee head football coach L.A. O’Neal said. “We got in the red zone three times and weren’t able to punch it in.”

O’Neal hopes that having a jamboree under the team’s belt will alleviate some of the “first-game jitters.”

The Tigers beat Jemison 21-7 on “Tiger Night” Friday and did not commit a turnover. The varsity scored twice in three quarters with a one-yard run by Roderick “Tiny” Green and a seven-yard touchdown pass from John Carter to Courtland Roberts.

The junior varsity added a TD in the final quarter on a 40-yard toss from Hamp Love to Milaki Griffin.

“We’ve got some things we’ve got to work on,” O’Neal said after the scrimmage. “I’m proud of the effort. I’m excited about the season.”

It was the first work in a purple jersey for Carter, who transferred to Tallassee from Texas. Two-year quarterback Trent Morris suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand in summer 7-on-7s.

Morris threw for 1,540 yards in 2024 with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 280 yards adding two more scores.

“Trent was really seeing the defenses,” O’Neal said of his previous starter at quarterback. “John moved in midway through the spring. He came from Texas. His dad got the job at Tuskegee as the linebackers coach and moved to Tallassee. John has some attributes. He’s learning the offense.”

Carter, a junior, stands 6-3 and weighs in at 195 pounds.

“The only thing that’s changed with the offense is the amount of times we can run. Trent was a little undersized but played big.”

Green (5-9/190) was the leading rusher on the team a season ago. He ran for 713 yards on 179 carries (3.98 per carry) with eight touchdowns.

“He lost a lot of his baby fat,” O’Neal said of the returning senior. “He’s a whole lot quicker. He’s going to have to catch the ball as a running back.”

The Tigers are replacing their top three pass catchers from last year. Jordan King, Chase Chumley and Kevin Mason combined for 1,298 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.

Roberts, a senior, and Jaiden Gordon, a sophomore, are a couple of the playmakers on offense to watch.

Another dynamic player is Jaden “JD” McKenzie, who already has multiple college offers. McKenzie will primarily play on defense and special teams.

“JD is a legit 4.4 40 guy. We kept putting his film out there. Southern Miss, Tuskegee and North Alabama all jumped on it. It’s just beginning,” O’Neal noted. “Competition matters. JD went up against some of the best receivers last year. When you’re able to play big in big-time situations, coaches take notice.”

O’Neal also spoke of some new faces entering the THS lineup on the defensive front.

“Randall Morgan is a 6-4, 205-pound end with long arms. He’s gotten extremely strong. You have Quez (Thomas) playing nose. He’s emerged as one of our leaders. You have Kendall Harris. He came in this summer. You have the young guy, AJ Smith, a ninth grader. Every time we have a coaches meeting, his name is getting called. I don’t want to leave out “Mr. Sparkplug.” That’s Monkia Hooks. Every practice, he’s doing something.”

Kicker Yuren Rodriguez, a 12th-grader, also returns. He was 38-of-42 on extra points and 5-of-13 on field goals, including a long of 47 yards that tied the school record held by Hunter Mullins.

“He’s been hitting from about 55,” O’Neal added. “He’s got the leg.”

Tallassee opens the season at No. 7 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 4A rankings, their first preseason ranking since 2018. The Tigers finished last season at No. 10 in the ASWA poll.

WTLS – Score 94.7/Fun 101.1 will broadcast live on Friday with the pregame beginning at 6 p.m. Video streaming is available on Tallassee Times TV on YouTube.