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






2024 Team Previews 

  


Sweet Water Bulldogs

Head Coach: Pat Thompson (eleventh season)
Career Record: 10 seasons, (91-29)
At Sweet Water: 10 seasons, (91-29)
Stadium: Nolan Atkins Stadium
2024 Enrollment:  133
Rank:  337th in the AHSAA, 10th in Class 1A

 History 
Overall Record:   593-366-25   (62.0%)
Last 25 years:   235-81   (74.0%)  (Rank: 19th in the AHSAA, 5th in Class 1A)
Since 2010:   134-43  (75.7%)  (Rank: 21st in the AHSAA, 5th in Class 1A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2023
Last Region Championship:   2023
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2015

 2023 
Class:  1A              Region:   3
Record:  9-2
Region Record:   5-0, (first)
Playoff Record:   Second round loss to Maplesville by a score of 28-21.
Final ASWA Poll:   3rd
Scoring:  346 (31.5)
Defense:  142 (12.9)


 2024 
Class: 1A              Region:   1
Strength of Schedule: 61-51 (54%) (115th in the AHSAA, 3rd in Class 1A)
Region Strength:  33-43 (43%)
Non-Region Strength:  28-8 (78%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  @ Clarke County  (2A)   41-28   W  
 9/1  vs. Thomasville  (3A)   13-26   L  
 9/7  @ University Charter School  (1A)  *  41-6   W  
 9/15  vs. R.C. Hatch  (1A)  *  44-12   W  
 9/22  @ A.L. Johnson  (1A)   1-0   #Won  
 9/29   OPEN 
 10/6  vs. Linden  (1A)  *  20-0   W  
 10/13  @ Keith  (1A)  *  27-7   W  
 10/20  vs. Marengo  (1A)  *  48-6   W  
 10/27  @ St. Lukes  (2A)   42-7   W  
 11/3   OPEN 
 Playoffs 
 11/10  vs. Florala    48-22   W  
 11/17  vs. Maplesville    21-28   L  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23   OPEN 
 8/30  @ Thomasville  (3A)       
 9/6  vs. Millry  (1A)  *      
 9/13  vs. Leroy  (1A)  *      
 9/20  @ McIntosh  (1A)  *      
 9/27  vs. Georgiana  (1A)       
 10/4  vs. J.F. Shields  (1A)  *      
 10/11  @ Fruitdale  (1A)  *      
 10/18  vs. Marengo  (1A)  *      
 10/24  @ Southern Choctaw  (1A)  *      
 11/1  @ Tanner  (2A)       
 11/8  vs. Choctaw County        
 11/15  @ Maplesville        


Class  1A Region  1
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Leroy (1A) 14-0 6-0523-158
Sweet Water (1A) 9-2 5-0346-142
Millry (1A) 9-3 5-1508-164
Southern Choctaw (1A) 4-7 3-3239-319
Marengo (1A) 3-7 1-4140-312
McIntosh (1A) 2-7 2-4156-273
Fruitdale (1A) 1-9 1-590-395
J.F. Shields (1A) 0-10 0-692-467

 2024 Preview 


       Sweet Water completed the 2023 season with a 9-2 record. Last year Sweet Water captured the region three title and a number one seed in the Class 1A playoffs. They finished region play with a 5-0 record. Sweet Water reached the second round of the playoffs before falling to Maplesville by a score of 28-21.

       The defense was very stingy last season as Sweet Water ranked 24th in the AHSAA. The defense allowed only 12.9 points a game.

       Since 2010, Sweet Water has gone a combined 134-43. Their 75.7% winning percentage ranks 5th in Class 1A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Sweet Water has finished a combined 235-81. Their 74.0% winning percentage ranks 5th in Class 1A and 19th in the AHSAA. The Bulldogs have been successful on the football field with twenty-two winning seasons during this time.

Graduated All-State Players:
       Sweet Water lost 1A All-State  defensive lineman Jayson Dixon to graduation. He was named to the first team last season.

Head Coach:
       The Bulldogs are led by head coach Pat Thompson who is entering his eleventh season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 91-29 over the past ten seasons at Sweet Water. Under his direction the Bulldogs have qualified for the playoffs a total of ten times. They have won five region crowns with Coach Thompson. Coach Thompson has won two state championships at Sweet Water, the last coming in 2021.

       If Sweet Water can win nine games this season, Coach Thompson will reach the 100 win milestone.

Season Outlook:

       The Sweet Water Bulldogs will play in Class 1A region one during the 2024 season. Following realignment, the Bulldogs remain in 1A but move from region three over to region one.

       The Bulldogs have one of the toughest overall schedules in Class 1A. Their opponents had a combined record of 61-51 last season. That ranks 3rd in Class 1A and 115th in the AHSAA.

       The Bulldogs enter the 2024 season riding a 7 game regular season winning streak.

       The Sweet Water Bulldogs are always a team to watch. Just when you begin to watch other programs here they come again with another of those patented playoff runs. It's been a couple of years since they won a state championship so it may be time to pay attention to the Bulldogs once again in 2024.

       They have made the playoffs every year since 2000 so look for them to add to that streak again this year.

       The Bulldogs seem on the verge of making another push for a trip to the Super Seven in 2024. They return a cast of experienced players and fans should look for another patented Sweet Water team this season. A lot of the players expected to start this fall gained valuable playing time last year.

       Coach Thompson had this to say about the Bulldogs in 2024. ''We have thirteen seniors with lots of playing time. Really need some young guys to step up and provide some depth. Moved into a really tough region but we expect to play for championships.''

    While most teams rebuild during the off season, Sweet Water has been a consistent winner the past few years and will simply reload this season.     The Bulldogs are considered one of the favorites for the region one championship this season and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs have successfully qualified for the playoffs every year since 2000 and expect to be included again when November rolls around.

Returning Starters:
OFFENSE: QB- Timothy Kelley; QB- Nate Norris started 4 games; RB- Elliot Lucy; RB- Ethan Carr; OL- Remington Roe; OL- Evan Dunn; OL- Coby Edmonds; OL- Nathan Smith
DEFENSE: DL- Luke Thompson; DL- Jaquez Dixon, DL- Deion Blanks; LB- Gabe Beck; LB- Ethan Carr; LB- Elliot Lucy; DB- Delvontae Lucy; DB- Timothy Kelley; DB- Daquan Norwood; DB- Zyreonne Hamilton
NEWCOMERS: TE- Brayden Norris; DL- Darion Mason

Season Opener:
       The Bulldogs open the 2024 season on the road against non-region opponent Thomasville on Friday, August 30 at Anderson Field. Last year the Thomasville Tigers finished with an overall record of 10-2 and in second place in Class 3A region one. The Tigers lost in the quarter-finals round of the Class 3A playoffs to St. James by a score of 28-26.

       Sweet Water and Thomasville have met a total of 79 times on the football field. The Bulldogs have a 14-64-1 record against the Tigers. They last met in 2023 with Thomasville winning by a score of 26-13.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Spence McCracken won a record 21 Area/Region Championships at Montgomery Academy, Lee Montgomery and Opelika during his coaching career.