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The best of the best in Alabama High
School Football over the past 100 seasons.

2024 Team Previews




Hanceville Bulldogs
Head Coach: Levi Estes (first season) Career Record: 0 seasons, (0-0) At Hanceville: First season Stadium: Ray Talley Stadium 2024 Enrollment: 279 Rank: 212nd in the AHSAA, 1st in Class 3A

History

Overall Record: 451-430-25 (51.0%)
Last 25 years: 84-172 (33.0%) (Rank: 328th in the AHSAA, 49th in Class 3A)
Since 2010: 56-87 (39.2%) (Rank: 280th in the AHSAA, 43rd in Class 3A)
Last Playoff Appearance: 2013
Last Region Championship: 2013
Last Winning Season: 2013
Last Losing Season: 2023

2023

Class: 4A Region: 6
Record: 4-6
Region Record: 1-5, (sixth)
Playoff Record: Did not qualify.
Final ASWA Poll: Not Ranked
Scoring: 193 (19.3)
Defense: 305 (30.5)

2024

Class: 3A              Region: 5
Strength of Schedule: 50-56 (47%) (263rd in the AHSAA, 45th in Class 3A)
Region Strength:  38-37 (51%)
Non-Region Strength:  12-19 (39%)

2023 Results

8/25	vs. Brewer (5A)	7-23	L
9/1	@ West Point (5A)	29-15	W
9/8	@ Oneonta (4A) *	24-43	L
9/15	vs. Ashville (4A) *	32-6	W
9/22	@ Cherokee County (4A) *	0-55	L
9/29	vs. Lawrence County (5A)	32-17	W
10/6	vs. Good Hope (4A) *	0-28	L
10/13	vs. Etowah (4A) *	14-49	L
10/20	OPEN
10/26	@ Fultondale (4A) *	14-43	L
11/3	@ East Lawrence (4A)	41-26	W

2024 Schedule

8/23	vs. Cold Springs (2A)
8/30	@ Holly Pond (3A)
9/6	@ Gordo (3A) *
9/13	@ Carbon Hill (3A) *
9/20	vs. Oakman (3A) *
9/27	OPEN
10/4	@ Vinemont (3A) *
10/11	vs. Midfield (3A) *
10/18	@ Winfield (3A) *
10/25	vs. Phil Campbell (3A) *
11/1	vs. Oak Grove (4A)

Class 3A Region 5
Team	2023 Record	Region	Scoring
Gordo (3A)	10-2	6-0	515-184
Winfield (3A)	10-2	5-1	446-170
Oakman (3A)	7-4	4-2	283-238
Phil Campbell (3A)	4-7	2-4	216-425
Vinemont (3A)	4-7	3-3	254-310
Midfield (3A)	3-5	2-4	226-195
Carbon Hill (3A)	0-10	0-6	76-517
Hanceville (4A)	4-6	1-5	193-305

2024 Preview

       Hanceville completed the 2023 season with a 4-6 record. Last year Hanceville finished sixth in Class 4A region six with a 1-5 region record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

       The Bulldogs last playoff victory came during the 1995 season. They would love to break through this year with a post season win.

       Hanceville was inconsistent offensively last year and they need some improvement if the Bulldogs want to be competitive. They only averaged 19.3 points a game.

       Since 2010, Hanceville has gone a combined 56-87. Their 39.2% winning percentage ranks 43rd in Class 3A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Hanceville has not won much with a record of 84-172. Their 33.0% winning percentage ranks 49th in Class 3A and 328th in the AHSAA. The Bulldogs have struggled on the football field with only four winning seasons during this time.

Coaching Change:
     Ryan Brewer leaves Hanceville after three seasons as the head football coach with a record of 11-19. This was his first time serving as a head football coach in the state. The football program at Hanceville has struggled the past ten seasons without making a single playoff appearance during that time.

2024 Head Coach:
    Levi Estes spent the past three seasons at Oak Mountain, where he served as associate head coach, strength and conditioning coordinator, and run game coordinator. Estes played college football at Bethel University, earning two conference titles as an offensive lineman.

Coach Estes was the defensive coordinator at Dresden High School in Tennessee before taking over the head coaching duties in 2017 for two seasons with a 15-7 record. He moved on to Lassiter High School in Georgia for two seasons before landing at Oak Mountain.

Season Outlook:

       The Hanceville Bulldogs will play in Class 3A region five during the 2024 season. The Bulldogs may find the schedule slightly easier this season with the move down in classification from Class 4A to 3A. They will compete in region five this year.



       The Bulldogs have struggled a bit lately on the football field. The past ten seasons have not produced a winning record nor have they qualified for the playoffs in any of those years. The drop back down to 3A may help the cause and a playoff spot could be in their future soon.

       Hanceville returns QB Hunter Black along with five other starters from last season to the offense. They also welcome back three players on defense so they will be looking for some of the younger players to fill some voids left by graduation.

    The Bulldogs could find themselves challenging for one of the playoff spots for region five this season with a few breaks and a little improvement. Hanceville has failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2013 but hope to return to the post season this year.

Returning Starters:
OFFENSE: Hunter Black - QB, Eli Akin - OL, Brodie Butts - OL, Marquies Leeth - RB, Ashton Hurst - TE, Drake Bentley - WR
DEFENSE: Eli Akin - DL, Brodie Butts - DL, Ashton Hurst - LB
NEWCOMERS: Zavier Malcom - RB/DB, Jacob Keith - OL/DL, Jaylon Flannigan - WR/DB, Peyton Twilley - WR/DB

Season Opener:
       The Bulldogs open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Cold Springs on Friday, August 23 at Ray Talley Stadium. Last year the Cold Springs Eagles finished with an overall record of 4-6 and in sixth place in Class 2A region five.

       Hanceville and Cold Springs have met a total of 9 times on the football field. The Bulldogs have a 6-3-0 record against the Eagles. They last met in 2017 with Hanceville winning by a score of 36-20.

Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Morris Higginbotham coached three different teams to divisional state championships in the 1950s. He won titles at Walnut Grove in 1952, West Blocton in 1955 and Enterprise in 1960.