Smiths Station seeks strides in cutthroat Class 7A

Looking back on his first season at Smiths Station, head coach Adam Fossett pinpointed the moment things went sideways.

After opening the season 1-1 with a one-point loss to Harris County, Smiths Station took on Jefferson Davis in a competitive showdown. The Panthers were in prime position to take their second victory in three games, but Jefferson Davis shut them down late in the goings to take a 32-14 victory.

From there, Smiths Station lost its next eight games. Lee Montgomery’s forfeit of its 42-14 win over Smiths Station left the Panthers with a 2-8 record; regardless, it was not what Fossett and everyone else had in mind.

With another chance to duke it out against some of the best in Alabama’s Class 7A, Fossett and his players are looking forward to the challenge.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys get bigger, faster and stronger,” Fossett said. “We graduated a big class last year. We brought in a big group of sophomores, and those kids have really worked hard. This senior class is a smaller group, but they’ve worked hard during summer. They’re doing all the right things to make themselves stronger, get in shape and put themselves in a good position on Friday nights.”

Fossett had no shortage of Panthers who have impressed him during the offseason.

It all starts with senior defensive lineman Deondrae Williams, the Navy commit who Fossett deemed a workhorse. Punter Tripp Vining is a player who Fossett lauded, saying he also plans to incorporate him into the Smiths Station offense in 2017. Wide receiver Bailey Densel, linebacker Hunter Ryan and offensive lineman and linebacker Tony Bond have also caught their head coach’s attention.

Fossett explained the players’ transition in 2016 was a tough one, considering Fossett was the senior group’s third head coach in four years. This season’s upperclassmen have had much more time to bond with their head coach and the assistants, which has Fossett hopeful.

One of the major issues for the Panthers once again will be depth. Smiths Station’s roster is much smaller than the typical Class 7A program; while the Panthers have about 85 players from ninth grade to 12th, most schools have more than 100 just from 10th grade on up. As a result, Fossett preaches preparedness to the younger players, stressing they’re a play away from taking the field.

Looking at 2017, Fossett reasoned the Panthers’ biggest key to success is confidence. That boldness was lacking for the better part of 2016, as the team eventually let its winning ways get lost amidst a tough streak of games. The summer commitment by the team has shown the makings of a strong season, but it will be meaningless if the Panthers don’t take what they can get.

If Smiths Station can play determined football this fall, a considerable turnaround might come to fruition.

“We’ve got to be a one-heartbeat type of group,” Fossett said.

2017 Schedule

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Smiths Station seeks strides in cutthroat Class 7A."