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






2024 Team Previews 

  


Handley Tigers

Head Coach: Larry Strain (tenth season)
Career Record: 25 seasons, (179-118)
At Handley: 9 seasons, (77-32)
Stadium: Wright Field
2024 Enrollment:  304
Rank:  196th in the AHSAA, 49th in Class 4A

 History 
Overall Record:   577-454-28   (56.0%)
Last 25 years:   194-102   (66.0%)  (Rank: 66th in the AHSAA, 12th in Class 4A)
Since 2010:   117-52  (69.2%)  (Rank: 50th in the AHSAA, 8th in Class 4A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2023
Last Region Championship:   2023
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2018

 2023 
Class:  4A              Region:   4
Record:  10-2
Region Record:   6-0, (first)
Playoff Record:   Second round loss to B.T. Washington by a score of 22-9.
Final ASWA Poll:   6th
Scoring:  438 (36.5)
Defense:  223 (18.6)


 2024 
Class: 4A              Region:   3
Strength of Schedule: 50-59 (46%) (273rd in the AHSAA, 46th in Class 4A)
Region Strength:  32-47 (40%)
Non-Region Strength:  18-12 (60%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  @ Valley  (5A)   22-7   W  
 9/1  vs. St. James  (3A)   55-27   W  
 9/8  vs. Jacksonville  (4A)  *  32-24   W  
 9/15  @ White Plains  (4A)  *  41-0   W  
 9/22  @ Central Clay County  (5A)   6-31   L  
 9/29  vs. Lanett  (2A)   42-27   W  
 10/6  vs. Anniston  (4A)  *  39-6   W  
 10/12  @ Talladega  (4A)  *  51-13   W  
 10/20  vs. Cleburne County  (4A)  *  38-14   W  
 10/27  @ Munford  (4A)  *  35-14   W  
 11/3   OPEN 
 Playoffs 
 11/10  vs. St. Michael    68-38   W  
 11/17  @ B.T. Washington    9-22   L  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  vs. Central Clay County  (5A)       
 8/30  @ Dadeville  (3A)       
 9/6  vs. Cleburne County  (4A)  *      
 9/13  @ St. James  (4A)  *      
 9/20  vs. Munford  (4A)  *      
 9/27  @ Lanett  (2A)       
 10/4  @ Bullock County  (4A)  *      
 10/11  vs. Tallassee  (4A)  *      
 10/18  @ Talladega  (4A)  *      
 10/25  vs. B.T. Washington  (4A)  *      
 11/1   OPEN 


Class  4A Region  3
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Handley (4A) 10-2 6-0438-223
St. James (3A) 11-3 6-0562-358
B.T. Washington (4A) 9-5 5-2369-257
Cleburne County (4A) 4-7 2-4232-399
Munford (4A) 3-7 2-4230-355
Tallassee (5A) 1-9 0-5171-397
Bullock County (4A) 4-6 2-5176-239
Talladega (4A) 0-10 0-6127-438

 2024 Preview 


       Handley completed the 2023 season with a 10-2 record. Last year Handley captured the region four title and a number one seed in the Class 4A playoffs. They finished region play with a 6-0 record. Handley reached the second round of the playoffs before falling to B.T. Washington by a score of 22-9.

       Over the past two seasons the Tigers have Finished 21-4 and will be looking to continue that winning tradition. Since 2010, Handley has gone a combined 117-52. Their 69.2% winning percentage ranks 8th in Class 4A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Handley has managed to compile a record of 194-102. Their 66.0% winning percentage ranks 12th in Class 4A and 66th in the AHSAA.

Graduated All-State Players:
       Handley lost 4A All-State  running back Elijah Goss to graduation. He was named to the second team last season. Also graduating was teammate linebacker Amajah Williams.

Head Coach:
       The Tigers are led by head coach Larry Strain who is entering his tenth season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 77-32 over the past nine seasons at Handley. Under his direction the Tigers have qualified for the playoffs a total of eight times. They have won four region crowns with Coach Strain. Coach Strain has won two state championships at Handley, the last coming in 2020. His 179 wins rank 24th among active coaches in the AHSAA. Over the course of his career, Coach Strain's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of twenty times and won six region championships. He has a 32-18 record in the playoffs during his career. The playoff victories rank with the best among active coaches.

Season Outlook:

       The Handley Tigers will play in Class 4A region three during the 2024 season. Following realignment, the Tigers remain in 4A but move from region four over to region three.

      

       The Tigers enter the 2024 season riding a 5 game regular season winning streak. They have won 15 straight games on their home turf at Wright Field.

       How do we describe the Handley Tigers each preseason? Mostly we just say ''They're just Handley.'' What does that mean? It means they are just going to be playing Handley football each and every year and winning games. Coach Strain has had them playing Handley football the past six seasons as they reached the playoffs each year.

       Since 1975 they have qualified for the playoffs thirty-two times winning a couple of championships along the way. This year will be no different. Look for the Tigers to be in the hunt for a region title when the smoke clears in late October.

       Region 3 should be exciting this year with the addition of St. James and the arrival of B.T. Washington. Add traditional winner Tallassee to the mix and this could be a fun race to watch in 2024.

    While most teams rebuild during the off season, Handley has been a consistent winner the past few years and will simply reload this season.     The Tigers are considered one of the favorites for the region three championship this season and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers have successfully qualified for the playoffs every year since 2017 and expect to be included again when November rolls around.

Returning Starters:
KEY PLAYERS: QB- Cordan Patterson; RB- JaMarcus Daniel, WR- Dquavian Slaughter, WR- Makavian Allen, ATH- Elijah Stegall, LB- Ladarious Tucker, H-Back- Ben Pike, DB- Taevion Houston

Season Opener:
       The Tigers open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Central Clay County on Friday, August 23 at Wright Field. Last year the Central Clay County Volunteers finished with an overall record of 10-1 and in first place in Class 5A region four. The Volunteers lost in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs to UMS-Wright by a score of 7-0.

       Handley and Central Clay County have met a total of 13 times on the football field. The Tigers have a 3-10-0 record against the Volunteers. They last met in 2023 with Central Clay County winning by a score of 31-6.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Marion County defeated Meek 83-6 in a playoff game in 2012. It is the most points scored by a team in a playoff game.