2024 Team Previews
| |
Muscle Shoals Trojans |
|
Head Coach: Scott Basden (seventeenth season) Career Record: 24 seasons, (218-75) At Muscle Shoals: 16 seasons, (149-46) Stadium: J.F. Moore Stadium 2024 Enrollment: 665 Rank: 80th in the AHSAA, 48th in Class 6A |
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overall Record: 350-318-6 (52.0%) Last 25 years: 185-102 (64.0%) (Rank: 78th in the AHSAA, 13th in Class 6A) Since 2010: 138-35 (79.8%) (Rank: 12th in the AHSAA, 3rd in Class 6A) Last Playoff Appearance: 2023 Last Region Championship: 2023 Last Winning Season: 2023 Last Losing Season: 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class: 6A
Region: 7
Record: 11-1 Region Record: 5-0, (first) Playoff Record: Quarter-finals loss to Clay-Chalkville by a score of 44-27. Final ASWA Poll: 4th Scoring: 510 (42.5) Defense: 204 (17.0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class: 6A
Region: 7
Strength of Schedule: 49-50 (50%) (174th in the AHSAA, 37th in Class 6A) Region Strength: 26-38 (41%) Non-Region Strength: 23-12 (66%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 Preview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Muscle Shoals completed the 2023 season with a 11-1 record. The Trojans cruised through the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record going into the post season. Last year Muscle Shoals captured the region seven title and a number one seed in the Class 6A playoffs. They finished region play with a 5-0 record. Muscle Shoals lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs last season to a good Clay-Chalkville team by a score of 44-27. The high-scoring Muscle Shoals offense ranked 12th in the AHSAA. They averaged 42.5 points a game. Over the past two seasons the Trojans have Finished 22-3 and will be looking to continue that winning tradition. As one of the best football programs in the state since 2010, Muscle Shoals has gone a combined 138-35. Their 79.8% winning percentage ranks 3rd in Class 6A over the past fourteen seasons. Over the past 25 seasons, Muscle Shoals has managed to compile a record of 185-102. Their 64.0% winning percentage ranks 13th in Class 6A and 78th in the AHSAA. Their last losing season was 2008. Graduated All-State Players: Muscle Shoals lost 6A All-State defensive back Xavier Johnson to graduation. He was named to the first team last season. Also graduating were teammates receiver Jamir Goodloe and athlete Cole Woods. Head Coach: The Trojans are led by head coach Scott Basden who is entering his seventeenth season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 149-46 over the past sixteen seasons at Muscle Shoals. Under his direction the Trojans have qualified for the playoffs a total of fifteen times. They have won six region crowns with Coach Basden. His 218 wins rank 16th among active coaches in the AHSAA. Over the course of his career, Coach Basden's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of twenty-two times and won nine region championships. He has a 37-21 record in the playoffs during his career. The playoff victories rank with the best among active coaches. Coach Basden won a state championship at Cordova in 2007. Season Outlook: The Muscle Shoals Trojans will play in Class 6A region seven during the 2024 season. The Trojans enter the 2024 season riding a 12 game regular season winning streak. The Trojans will need to find replacements for graduated all-state players like DB Xavier Johnson, WR Jamir Goodloe and ATH Cole Woods. The non-region schedule is brutal with Gadsden City, 7A Florence and 7A Austin on the slate. In Region 7 they will have to contend with Hartselle, Athens and Cullman for the region crown something they won in 2023. The Muscle Shoals football team has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past fifteen seasons. Back-to-back eleven win seasons and five playoff victories are great but the Trojans would like to get back to the Super 7 something they have not done since 2013. Could this be their year? The Trojans return six starters from last year's squad to the offense and another six on defense. Coach Basden shared his thoughts on this year's team. ''Great core group of returning starters, young in spots but, look for them to be great players in the future.'' The Trojans are considered one of the favorites for the region seven championship this season and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. The Trojans have successfully qualified for the playoffs every year since 2008 and expect to be included again when November rolls around. Returning Starters: OFFENSE: WR/RB- Jaquess Green; RB- Nattaruean Hampton; OL- Eric Thirkill; OL- Dakota Muse; TE- Anderson Flippo; WR- Ezra Fowler DEFENSE: LB- Patrick Johnson; LB- Carter Berryhill; DE- Ka'Mhariyan Johnson; Devin Smith; DT- Sebastian Naramore; CB- Christian Pritchard NEWCOMERS: Safety- Keavay Foster; WR- Byrce Young; QB- Kade Clemmons; WR- KJ Cowen Season Opener: The Trojans open the 2024 season on the road against non-region opponent Gadsden City on Thursday, August 22 at Titan Stadium. Last year the Gadsden City Titans finished with an overall record of 9-4 and in first place in Class 6A region eight. The Titans lost in the quarter-finals round of the Class 6A playoffs to Parker by a score of 35-20. This will be the second meeting between Muscle Shoals and Gadsden City on the football field. The Trojans have a 0-1-0 record against the Titans. 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.
Spence McCracken won a record 21 Area/Region Championships at Montgomery Academy, Lee Montgomery and Opelika during his coaching career.