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






2024 Team Previews 

  


Saraland Spartans

Head Coach: Jeff Kelly (fourteenth season)
Career Record: 20 seasons, (179-70)
At Saraland: 13 seasons, (132-36)
Stadium: Spartans Stadium
2024 Enrollment:  884
Rank:  53rd in the AHSAA, 21st in Class 6A

 History 
Overall Record:   135-43   (76.0%)
Last 25 years:   135-43   (76.0%)  (Rank: 10th in the AHSAA, 3rd in Class 6A)
Since 2010:   135-43  (75.8%)  (Rank: 22nd in the AHSAA, 6th in Class 6A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2023
Last Region Championship:   2023
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2010

 2023 
Class:  6A              Region:   1
Record:  14-1    (Team record for wins in a season)
Region Record:   8-0, (first)
Playoff Record:   Lost in the Class 6A State Championship game to Clay-Chalkville at the Alabama Super Seven 31-28 in Birmingham.
Final ASWA Poll:   1st
Scoring:  754 (50.3)    (Team record for points scored in a season)
Defense:  220 (14.7)


 2024 
Class: 6A              Region:   1
Strength of Schedule: 75-41 (65%) (10th in the AHSAA, 3rd in Class 6A)
Region Strength:  49-40 (55%)
Non-Region Strength:  26-1 (96%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  vs. Lipscomb Academy TN    31-30   W (OT) 
 9/1  @ Murphy  (6A)  *  54-6   W  
 9/8  vs. St. Pauls  (6A)  *  47-3   W  
 9/15  @ Spanish Fort  (6A)  *  49-7   W  
 9/22  vs. Robertsdale  (6A)  *  66-0   W  
 9/29  vs. Foley  (7A)   70-20   W  
 10/6  @ Blount  (6A)  *  59-20   W  
 10/13  vs. Baldwin County  (6A)  *  56-7   W  
 10/20   OPEN 
 10/27  vs. Theodore  (6A)  *  42-13   W  
 11/3  @ McGill-Toolen  (6A)  *  70-27   W  
 Playoffs 
 11/10  vs. McAdory    54-14   W  
 11/17  @ Briarwood    51-14   W  
 11/24  vs. Hillcrest Tuscaloosa    31-21   W  
 12/1  vs. Pike Road    46-7   W  
 12/7   Clay-Chalkville    28-31   L  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  vs. Jackson  (4A)       
 8/30  vs. Blount  (6A)  *      
 9/6  @ Gulf Shores  (6A)  *      
 9/13  vs. Spanish Fort  (6A)  *      
 9/20  @ McGill-Toolen  (6A)  *      
 9/27   OPEN 
 10/4  vs. Baldwin County  (6A)  *      
 10/11  @ St. Pauls  (6A)  *      
 10/18  vs. Murphy  (6A)  *      
 10/25  @ Theodore  (6A)  *      
 11/1   OPEN 
 11/7  vs. Chelsea        
 11/15  vs. McAdory        
 11/22  vs. Spain Park        
 11/29  @ Pike Road        


Class  6A Region  1
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Gulf Shores (5A) 15-0 8-0576-138
Saraland (6A) 14-1 8-0754-220
Spanish Fort (6A) 9-3 7-1330-174
Theodore (6A) 7-4 6-2257-158
St. Pauls (6A) 7-4 5-3236-189
McGill-Toolen (6A) 5-5 4-4271-266
Murphy (6A) 2-8 2-6123-330
Blount (6A) 2-8 2-6129-274
Baldwin County (6A) 2-8 2-6213-317

 2024 Preview 


       Saraland completed the 2023 season with a 14-1 record. The Spartans cruised through the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record going into the post season. Last year Saraland captured the region one title and a number one seed in the Class 6A playoffs. They finished region play with a 8-0 record. The Spartans won four consecutive playoff games to reach the Class 6A State Championship game only to fall just short of claiming a title. They were defeated by Clay-Chalkville at the Alabama Super Seven 31-28 in Birmingham.

       No team at Saraland ever won more games in a season than the fourteen victories last year. The 754 points scored by the Spartans last year were a team record in a single season.

       The high-scoring Saraland offense ranked 3rd in the AHSAA. They averaged 50.3 points a game.

       The Spartans defense dominated most opponents as they ranked 38th in the AHSAA. The defense gave up just 14.7 points a game.

       Over the past two seasons the Spartans have Finished 28-2 and will be looking to continue that winning tradition. Since 2010, Saraland has gone a combined 135-43. Their 75.8% winning percentage ranks 6th in Class 6A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 14 seasons, Saraland has finished a combined 135-43. Their 76.0% winning percentage ranks 3rd in Class 6A and 10th in the AHSAA. Their last losing season was 2010.

Graduated All-State Players:
       Saraland lost 6A All-State  offensive lineman Daylan Martin to graduation. He was named to the first team last season. Also graduating were teammates linebacker Jamison Curtis and defensive back Delvon Gulley.

Head Coach:
       The Spartans are led by head coach Jeff Kelly who is entering his fourteenth season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 132-36 over the past thirteen seasons at Saraland. Under his direction the Spartans have qualified for the playoffs a total of thirteen times. They have won three region crowns with Coach Kelly. Coach Kelly led to a state championship in 2022. His 179 wins rank 25th among active coaches in the AHSAA. Over the course of his career, Coach Kelly's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of eighteen times and won four region championships. He has a 33-17 record in the playoffs during his career. The playoff victories rank with the best among active coaches.

Season Outlook:

       The Saraland Spartans will play in Class 6A region one during the 2024 season.

       The Spartans have one of the toughest overall schedules in Class 6A. Their opponents had a combined record of 75-41 last season. That ranks 3rd in Class 6A and 10th in the AHSAA.

       The Spartans enter the 2024 season riding a 11 game regular season winning streak. Saraland has won 9 consecutive region games. They have won 25 straight games on their home turf at Spartans Stadium.

       WR Ryan Williams may be gone and off to Alabama but make no mistake, these Spartans are loaded with talent everywhere. They will also be playing with a huge chip on their shoulder after falling short of a state championship in 2023 by inches.

       Saraland will return five starters from the 2023 football team on offense and only three to the defense. So there be some rebuilding of the defense if the Spartans hope to make another run at a championship in 2024. The skilled players on offense are as good as any in the state.

       The non-region schedule is brutal for the Spartans in 2024. They only play two non-region opponents but those two may be the best of Class 4A and 5A in Jackson and Catholic Montgomery.

    While most teams rebuild during the off season, Saraland has been a consistent winner the past few years and will simply reload this season.

    The Spartans enter the season with expectations of not only a region crown but will be contending for a trip to the state championship game. They are considered one the favorites in region one and should be a team in the thick of the hunt to represent the South in the Class 6A Super Seven come December. The Spartans have succeeded in reaching the playoffs every year since 2010 and this year should be no exception.

Players to Watch in 2024:
      QB KJ Lacey will be returning after completing 219-of-315 passes for 3,448 yards last season along with 42 touchdowns. WR Carson Gill will also be back after catching 48 passes for 708 yards and scoring 4 TDs.

      RB Santae McWilliams Jr. will be returning for his senior season after rushing for 1,024 yards and 20 TDs last season. Also back will be RB Deshawn Spencer after rushing for 561 yards and 6 TDs.

Returning Starters:
OFFENSE: QB KJ Lacey, RB Santae McWilliams Jr., WR Dillion Alfred, WR CD Gill, OL Landon Sullivan
DEFENSE: DT Antonio Coleman, Kicker Tucker Singleton, DB Arterus Moffett, OLB Isaih Bowie

Season Opener:
       The Spartans open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Jackson on Friday, August 23 at Spartans Stadium. Last year the Jackson Aggies finished with an overall record of 11-1 and in first place in Class 4A region one. The Aggies lost in the quarter-finals round of the Class 4A playoffs to B.T. Washington by a score of 20-17.

       Saraland and Jackson have met a total of 5 times on the football field. The Spartans have a 1-4-0 record against the Aggies. They last met in 2013 with Jackson winning by a score of 42-17.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

The first football game played by a high school team in Alabama was in 1892 when Central Birmingham (Phillips) lost to Alabama 56-0 on November 11.