October 17th, C Spire 1st & 10 Club Meeting _ Post meeting notes.
Last night (October 17th), the LendingTree Bowl hosted the second C Spire 1st & 10 Club meeting of the year. The club and bowl welcomed Bryan Harsin, head football coach for Auburn University for a fireside chat with Auburn Radio talent Brad Law.
Harsin, the 28th Head Football Coach of the Auburn Tigers is currently in his second season. Harsin’s all-time record is 85-35. So far this season, Harsin’s Tigers have faced a tough SEC schedule. The Tigers have an overall record of 3-4 (1-3 SEC) after a loss to no. 9 Ole Miss (7-0) in week 7.
In looking ahead to Arkansans, Harsin said, “We have a plan; we have a process… In our world, when we play against quality opponents every week, it’s those little things that make the biggest difference.” The Tigers will return home for their game against Arkansas on October 29th.
In his first season with the Tigers, Harsin lead Auburn to a 12 ranking in the AP Poll after a victory over 10th ranked Ole Miss. Later that season the Tigers would receive a berth in the Birmingham Bowl. Prior to joining the Tigers in 2020, Harsin spent the previous seven seasons (2014-2020) as head coach at Boise State where he compiled a 69-19 record overall and has 4 conference titles as a head coach (3 MWC, 1 SBC)
In addition to speaking on how he creates great athletes, Harsin spoke on his goal to create great men for the community. As a coach, he wants to make sure that he is molding quality men for the communities they will join in their post football lives. Harsin said he encourages his guys to take advantage of the opportunities they have been given and everything Auburn has to offer for their future careers in and out of football. “In our program we are always looking at what’s next for our guys. Are they going to be productive citizens, great husbands/fathers, and still be successful in things they love to do,” Harsin said.
In addition to Harsin’s fireside chat, the club recognized four area high school student standouts. Three high school students were awarded Student Athlete of the Month, while one was awarded Team Focus Member of the Month.
The Student Athlete of the Month awards were presented by iHeart Radio’s, Corey LaBounty and C Spire’s Anita Clarke. These players were selected for their performance in weeks 2- 5 of the football season. They are as follows:
Defensive Player of the Month, Michael Towner Jr. (Sr.), Defensive Lineman, Vigor High School.
Michael Towner, Jr. is a senior defensive end and quarterback for Vigor High School. In September, he had 38 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. For the season, he has 61 tackles; 15 for loss, 11.5 sacks, to go along with 26 rushed, for 186 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is also 12 out of 22 passing for 103 yards. During the 2021 season, he was named the 4A defensive lineman of the year. Michael is currently a hard commit for the UAB Blazers.
Offensive Player of the Month, Caden Creel (Sr.), Quarterback, Fairhope High School.
Caden Creel is the senior quarterback for the Fairhope Pirates. For the month of September, Creel was 62 out of 97 for 840 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed 66 times for 481 yards and 4 additional touchdowns. On the season, he has 125 carries for 885 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has passed for 1,453 yards and 9 touchdowns, giving him 2,338 total yards on the season. The Pirates are currently 7-1.
Special Teams Player of the Month, Jaeden Simmons (Jr.), Special Teams, Faith Academy.
Jaeden Simmons, is both running back and outside linebacker for the Faith Academy Rams. In the September game against B.C. Rain, he had 3 blocked punts, 1 fumble recovery, 14 total tackles, 6 solo and 8 assists. As a running back, dating back to his 2021 season, he has a total of 144 rushing yards on 19 carries, with an average of 10.3 yards per game, and 1 rushing touchdown.
Team Focus Member of the Month, Brian Hines, Faith Academy.
The Team Focus member of the month was presented by Aaron Dias, Alabama Director. Team focus is a mentoring organization for young men without father figures in the home. Brian is a Junior at Faith Academy, where he is also Class President. He has been with Team Focus for 7 years.
The next C Spire 1st & 10 meeting will take place on Monday, October 24th, with keynote speaker Associate Defensive Coordinator, Charles Kelly, from the University of Alabama.
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