Coach Wommack C Spire 1st & 10- Post Meeting Wrap Up
Last Monday night (August 21st), the 68 Ventures Bowl hosted the first C Spire 1st & 10 Club meeting of the season welcoming Kane Wommack, Head Football Coach at the University of South Alabama. Wommack led the Jags to an impressive record of 10-3 last season and currently the Jags are ranked at #2 for the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference preseason rankings.
Wommack spoke about the upcoming season opener game for the Jags against nationally ranked #24, the Tulane Green Waves. As preparation is coming to a close and game day inches closer, Coach Wommack said he’s “very excited about where our team is right now… our depth is so much further along than it was a year ago.” Coming out of the ’22 season the Jags pulled off a historic record of 10-3, setting a new personal record in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Following his speech, Coach Wommack opened up to a Q&A session with the crowd of the 1st & 10 Club meeting. There were members of the club as well as some Jags Football season ticket holders in the crowd. One member asked Wommack, how is the team feeling going into the season? Coach responded saying, “There is a lot of confidence in our young men… this team is playing with an expectation. There is no longer belief; belief is what Disney sports movies are made of. With expectations, we have the ability to have enough confidence to find a way to win.” Coach is very pleased with where the team is currently and looks forward to kick-off against Tulane next Saturday, September 2nd.
The Student Athlete of the Month awards were presented by WNSP 105.5 Corey LaBounty. These players were selected for their recent performance in the 2023 preseason. They are as follows:
Defensive Preseason Standout, Sterling Dixon Jr. (Sr.), Linebacker, Spanish Fort High School.
Sterling Dixon Jr. is a senior linebacker for the Spanish Fort Toros. Sterling is a University of Alabama verbal commit and had 172 tackles, 40 for loss, and 18 sacks a year ago. He is the reigning 3A Lineman of the Year. He is currently ranked the #10 senior in the state of Alabama according to On3’s 2024 Top Football Alabama Recruits.
Offensive Preseason Standout, Ryan Williams (Jr.), Wide Receiver, Saraland High School
Ryan Williams is a standout junior wide receiver who plays for the 6A defending State Champions Saraland Spartans. Ryan is a verbal commit to the University of Alabama and this past year, he caught 88 passes for 1,641 yards and 24 touchdowns. He rushed 57 times for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ryan is the reigning Mr. Football in the State of Alabama and only the 2nd to return to defend the award in its 41 year history.
Special Teams Preseason Standout, Miguel Frias (Sr.), Kicker, Theodore High School
Miguel Frias is a senior kicker for the Theodore Bobcats. Miguel is an honor student who has been handling the kicking duties for the Bobcats since he was an 8th grader. Miguel has made 14/16 for field goals, 146/157 for extra points scored, and averages 48 yards per kick off. Miguel has a 4.3 GPA and is #2 academically in his class of 2024.
Team Focus Member of the Month, Anthony Castel (So.), Theodore High School
The Team Focus Member of the Month was presented by Aaron Dias, Alabama Director of Team Focus. Team Focus is a mentoring organization for young men without father figures in the home. This was awarded to Anthony Castel. Anthony started Team Focus when he was 11 years old, and is now a sophomore at Theodore High School. Anthony has learned how to be humble and how to act as a gentleman.
The next meeting will take place on Monday, September 11th, with keynote speaker Jim Donnan, former Head Football Coach at the University of Georgia.
