By Damian Mitchell
Tribune Sports
Tigers: All grown up
SPRINGVILLE—Under first year head coach Matt Graben the Springville Tigers enter the 2018 season in a new region in class 5A.
This year’s team will have to compete with Central Clay County and Sylacauga who both finished with 8 wins last year, Mortimer Jordan won 9 games, and St. Clair County won 10 games before losing in the semi-finals of the playoffs. The Tigers will be on the road against three of those four teams.
“This new region is a tough one but there’s nothing we can do about it so we’re gonna compete and play ball,” Graben said.
The Tigers were the youngest team in the coverage area last season and coach Graben believes the maturation process will only make them better. “The guys played last year were young and they’ve gotten older now and they know what to expect, so we all believe we will be better this season,” he said.
There is talent on the Tigers team that could turn their misfortunes around and lead the team to a successful season.
Junior quarterback Andrew Hutcheson is the returning starter at quarterback who proved to be the bright spot for the team last year.
“He’s probably the best guy on the team with overall natural talent, he can do a lot for us and makes his teammates better. He’s definitely a leader.” Graben said.
That leadership from Hutcheson and the playmakers he has around him will be key to mustering up a winning season in an extremely tough region. “We’ve got guys that can make plays around him, we just have to not beat ourselves and make the big plays when they’re there.” coach Graben said.
Senior wide receiver Cole Clark is expected to be the top target for the Tigers on offense and uses his 6’4 200 pound frame to his advantage when the ball is in the air. Graben believes he can compete with even the best defensive backs in the region.
“He’s a tall guy and can use his strength with it as well,” he said. “What he lacks in speed he makes up in strength.”
The defense will be led by junior linebacker Braden Hughes. Coach Graben believes he is the unquestioned leader on defense. “He’s the middle linebacker that you expect on every team, he’s gonna make the calls to get everybody aligned and just knows how to get to the ball.”
Another bright spot on defense comes from the secondary in senior cornerback Aaron Byars.
“Aaron is a tall lanky guy, he’s going to go for the ball and just knows how to play the position. He’s all over the field, blocks punts, returns kicks, whatever you need him to do he’ll do it.” Coach Graben said.
“The biggest hurdle is the mindset of the team, we can’t beat ourselves. We know that not everything in a football game is not going to go our way but we have to be mentally strong to not bend or break,” Graben said.