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






2024 Team Previews 

  


Mobile Christian Leopards

Head Coach: Charles Lawson (first season)
Career Record: 0 seasons, (0-0)
At Mobile Christian: First season
Stadium: Harrison Field
2024 Enrollment:  250
Rank:  236th in the AHSAA, 65th in Class 4A

 History 
Overall Record:   338-198   (63.0%)
Last 25 years:   175-116   (60.0%)  (Rank: 86th in the AHSAA, 17th in Class 4A)
Since 2010:   119-56  (68.0%)  (Rank: 60th in the AHSAA, 9th in Class 4A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2023
Last Region Championship:   2023
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2022

 2023 
Class:  3A              Region:   1
Record:  15-0    (Team record for wins in a season)
Region Record:   7-0, (first)
Playoff Record:   Won the Class 3A State Championship by defeating Madison Academy at the Alabama Super Seven 55-28 in Birmingham.
Final ASWA Poll:   1st
Scoring:  642 (42.8)    (Team record for points scored in a season)
Defense:  152 (10.1)


 2024 
Class: 4A              Region:   1
Strength of Schedule: 48-39 (55%) (100th in the AHSAA, 13th in Class 4A)
Region Strength:  35-28 (56%)
Non-Region Strength:  13-11 (54%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  vs. Athens Academy GA    41-21   W  
 9/1  vs. Munroe FL    31-0   W  
 9/8  @ W.S. Neal  (3A)  *  38-6   W  
 9/15  vs. Excel  (3A)  *  55-0   W  
 9/22  vs. Monroe County  (3A)  *  57-8   W  
 9/29  @ Orange Beach  (4A)   39-7   W  
 10/6  vs. Hillcrest Evergreen  (3A)  *  42-0   W  
 10/13  @ Cottage Hill Christian  (3A)  *  34-0   W  
 10/20  @ Flomaton  (3A)  *  42-0   W  
 10/27  vs. Thomasville  (3A)  *  45-14   W  
 11/3   OPEN 
 Playoffs 
 11/10  vs. Beulah    52-7   W  
 11/17  vs. Houston Academy    35-10   W  
 11/24  @ Trinity    42-21   W  
 12/1  vs. St. James    34-30   W  
 12/7   Madison Academy    55-28   W  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  @ Chelsea  (6A)       
 8/30   OPEN 
 9/6  vs. Satsuma  (4A)  *      
 9/13  @ Escambia County  (4A)  *      
 9/20  @ Jackson  (4A)  *      
 9/27  @ Saint Stanislaus MS   (-)       
 10/4  vs. Catholic Pensacola FL   (11-3)       
 10/11  vs. St. Michael  (4A)  *      
 10/18  vs. Orange Beach  (4A)  *      
 10/25  @ W.S. Neal  (4A)  *      
 11/1   OPEN 


Class  4A Region  1
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Jackson (4A) 11-1 7-0481-98
Mobile Christian (3A) 15-0 7-0642-152
W.S. Neal (3A) 6-5 5-2355-262
St. Michael (4A) 6-5 5-2412-328
Escambia County (4A) 6-4 3-4256-241
Satsuma (4A) 5-5 2-5203-317
Orange Beach (4A) 1-8 1-6115-252

 2024 Preview 


       Mobile Christian completed the 2023 season with a 15-0 record. Last year Mobile Christian captured the region one title and a number one seed in the Class 3A playoffs. They finished region play with a 7-0 record. The Leopards reeled off five straight playoff wins to claim the Class 3A State Championship by defeating Madison Academy at the Alabama Super Seven 55-28 in Birmingham.

       No team at Mobile Christian ever won more games in a season than the fifteen victories last year. The 642 points scored by the Leopards last year were a team record in a single season. The Leopards hope to continue the success they had last season. Coach Lawson saw improvement as they won fifteen games following a 6-8 record in 2022.

       The high-scoring Mobile Christian offense ranked 10th in the AHSAA. They averaged 42.8 points a game.

       The Leopards defense dominated most opponents as they ranked 13th in the AHSAA. The defense gave up just 10.1 points a game.

       Over the past two seasons the Leopards have Finished 21-8 and will be looking to continue that winning tradition. Since 2010, Mobile Christian has gone a combined 119-56. Their 68.0% winning percentage ranks 9th in Class 4A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Mobile Christian has managed to compile a record of 175-116. Their 60.0% winning percentage ranks 17th in Class 4A and 86th in the AHSAA.

Graduated All-State Players:
       Mobile Christian lost 3A All-State  receiver Michael Moore to graduation. He was named to the first team last season. Also graduating was teammate offensive lineman Diego Camboia.

Coaching Change:
     Ronnie Cottrell  retires from the sidelines in Alabama with a record of 138-60 in nineteen seasons as a head football coach in the state. His last team at Mobile Christian captured the Class 3A state championship with a perfect 15-0 record.

2024 Head Coach:
    Charles Lawson  was promoted to the head coaching job at Mobile Christian in January after the retirement of Coach Cottrell. Lawson was the defensive Coordinator for the Leopards during their 2023 state championship run.

Lawson graduated from Pascagoula High in 1998 and spent two years playing college football at Southern Mississippi. He arrived in Mobile in 2015 as the linebackers coach before being promoted to the defensive coordinator position in 2021.

Season Outlook:

       The Mobile Christian Leopards will play in Class 4A region one during the 2024 season. The Leopards move up in classification to Class 4A. They may find the going slightly tougher with the move.

      

       The Leopards enter the 2024 season riding a 15 game winning streak. They have also won 13 consecutive regular season games. Mobile Christian has won 10 consecutive region games. They have won 9 straight games on their home turf at Harrison Field.

       While the starting quarterback returns in Damien Gatson and their starting back in PJ Brown the Leopards will need to find a couple of capable wide receivers to fill the void left by the loss of Michael Moore to graduation.

       The offense will return five starters from last year's players who started in the championship game. They will also return six to the defense along with kicker Carter Lewis.

    The Leopards are considered one of the favorites for the region one championship this season and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Don't be surprised if the Leopards are making another deep run into the playoffs. The Leopards have successfully qualified for the playoffs every year since 2014 and expect to be included again when November rolls around.

Players to Watch in 2024:
      QB Damien Gatson will be returning for his senior season after completing 153-of-236 passes for 2,633 yards and 27 TDs last season.

      RB PJ Brown will be back too for his junior season after rushing for 1,890 yards and 23 TDs last season. RB Jason Todd will also be returning for his junior season after rushing for 602 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Returning Starters:
OFFENSE: QB Damien Gatson, RB PJ Brown, OL Bo Cagle, WR Kentonio Kelly Jr., OL Landyn Gardner
DEFENSE: DT Floyd-Dawens Boucard, DL Jaevin Jenkins, RB/LB Jason Todd, Kicker Carter Lewis

Season Opener:
       The Leopards open the 2024 season on the road against non-region opponent Chelsea on Friday, August 23 at Chelsea High School Football Stadium. Last year the Chelsea Hornets finished with an overall record of 2-8 and in seventh place in Class 7A region three.

       This will be the second meeting between Mobile Christian and Chelsea on the football field. The Leopards have a 0-1-0 record against the Hornets. They last met in with

  


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.