MADISON- As the 2024 high school football season kicks off, every team has high expectations on its season with thoughts of playing for a state championship. Superb off-season training, summer workouts and pre-season practices all will make a difference of how each of those teams will perform as each player dons uniforms and takes to the gridiron.

Any high school coach knows they never really know how their team will perform until the first snap of the season opening game, but team character is something each team possess and can be seen even before the season’s kickoff. Coaches and players alike are in tune with what each is made up of in character.

Ty Doughty, (WR/RB, 5-9, 170, Sr.) two-time All-State athlete, who specializes at wide receiver for James Clemens, knows all-to-well how a team’s chemistry makes a significant mark on the team’s character. “It’s like a big family as they are bunch of hard-working guys. Whenever we can, we get together and work together, as each of us are big on God and I think that’ll help us to be successful this year.”

At Madison Academy, character will be an important makeup of the team’s readiness for the 2024 season after the Mustangs had their perfect 2023 season come to a dramatic end (14-1) losing in the Class 3A State Championship Game versus Mobile Christian. With 14 seniors making up a portion of the 47-player roster, Bob Godsey, in his sixth season as head coach, feels the players who experienced last season are ready for even more success.

“It’s their turn,” said Godsey. “I see a nucleus of guys who understand what it’s all about who have been through it and know what it takes. I like our team as they have done nothing but show up and work as hard as they can every day. I see a younger group of players who know it’s their turn to step up and move into a counted-on role. They know the standard we have is one of high expectations and I’m really proud of this bunch and how they have worked as they have grown into new roles.”

Mississippi State commit A.J. Rice of Madison Academy (TE/LB, 6-3, 240, Sr.) has a goal of winning, even more than last season’s near-perfect outcome. “We’re gonna play for each other. We’re gonna be tough and make sure we do everything we can do things right.”

No team in Alabama needs hard-nosed character building for the upcoming season more than Sparkman. The Senators were 5-0 at the midway point of 2023 but fell victim to upsets in the second half of the campaign and missed the post-season playoffs finishing 5-5.

“They love to cheer on each other. It’s a competitive team, but if one player has his head down there’s another player there to grab that chin and pull it up,” said second-year head coach Ronnie Watson. “We’ve seen this in all the competitions within the team and during 7-on-7 tournaments this summer. It’s been night and day compared to last year’s. They have bonded much more as a team.”

“Any athlete has something to prove, and we want to show what we can do and perform to the best of our ability and how we know we can play,” said Sparkman senior quarterback Jaiden Scott (QB, 6-0, 185, Sr.).

Bob Jones is coming off three consecutive 5-6 seasons with 14 returning starters and a team character of “this is the year.” Senior offensive lineman Sam Grimes (OL, 6-2, 275, Sr.) is in his second season as a starter said being a senior means being a leader. “We’re always working on the family aspect of this and being better leaders,” said Grimes. “We have this model character Coach (Kelvis White) came up with where it’s store managers and employees. Our seniors, our leaders are the few store managers. I want to be that guy that’s in front of my team leading them. We have talked about our recent won-loss records and we’re not too happy about that as it sort of leaves a feeling in your chest that makes you angry. That’s extra motivation to change. We want to be better than that. That’s my goal.”

For the 23 seniors on the Patriots’ roster this is their last chance to prove they are winners. One of those starting seniors is defensive lineman Chandler Vaughn (DL, 6-2, 250, Sr.) who is looking to prove his program can be winners. He added about the team character, “We want to show the public who we are not acting as a fool and acting crazy on and off the field. That’s having good character.”

As Class 7A Region 4 defending champs, James Clemens has 31 seniors on its roster who are led on offense by Doughty and Cam Berry (RB, 5-9, 178, Sr.) who said the team’s motto is “Physicality.”

“We worked harder in the weight room this year compared to last year even outside of practice, too,” said Berry. “We got together and worked. That will make us stand out.”

The true definition of character is of mental and moral qualities of an individual or group. Each high school football team has its own temperament or disposition. How each team carries these traits will easily determine how it performs, handles diversity and ultimately will help mold its character on its race to the finish line of the 2024 season.