Decatur Red Raiders
Head Coach: John Ritter (third season) Career Record: 13 seasons, (89-58) At Decatur: 2 seasons, (4-16) Stadium: Shorty Ogle Stadium 2026 Enrollment:  724 Rank:  68th in the AHSAA, 36th in Class 5A

History

Overall Record:   664-384-27   (63.0%) Last 25 years:   154-126   (55.0%)  (Rank: 140th in the AHSAA, 27th in Class 5A) Since 2010:   84-90  (48.3%)  (Rank: 211st in the AHSAA, 34th in Class 5A) Last Playoff Appearance:   2022 Last Region Championship:   2007 Last Winning Season:   2022 Last Losing Season:   2025

2025

Class:  6A              Region:   7 Record:  2-8 Region Record:   1-5, (sixth) Playoff Record:   Did not qualify. Final ASWA Poll:   Not Ranked Scoring:  144 (14.4) Defense:  340 (34.0)

2026

Class: 5A              Region:   7 Strength of Schedule: 60-52 (54%) (133rd in the AHSAA, 20th in Class 5A) Region Strength:  48-32 (60%) Non-Region Strength:  12-20 (38%)

2025 Results   8/22   vs. Buckhorn  (6A)   12-27   L    8/29   vs. Austin  (7A)   6-47   L    9/5   vs. Jasper  (6A)  *  13-48   L    9/12   @ Muscle Shoals  (6A)  *  0-66   L    9/19   @ Hartselle  (6A)  *  7-42   L    9/26   @ Lee Huntsville  (6A)   35-12   W    10/3   vs. Columbia  (6A)  *  37-0   W    10/9   @ Mae Jemison  (6A)   7-12   L    10/17   @ Cullman  (6A)  *  13-37   L    10/24   vs. Athens  (6A)  *  14-49   L    10/31    OPEN

2026 Schedule   8/21   @ Buckhorn  (6A)         8/28   vs. Grissom  (6A)         9/4   @ Austin  (5A)  *        9/11   vs. Athens  (5A)  *        9/18   @ Florence  (5A)  *        9/25   @ Arab  (5A)         10/2   vs. Hartselle  (5A)  *        10/9   @ Muscle Shoals  (5A)  *        10/16   vs. Russellville  (5A)  *        10/23   vs. East Limestone  (5A)  *        10/30    OPEN

Class  5A Region  7 Team 2025 Record Region Scoring                             Muscle Shoals (6A) 12-1 6-0 430-121 Hartselle (6A) 10-2 5-1 405-127 Russellville (5A) 7-5 5-1 310-268 Austin (7A) 6-5 5-2 268-220 Athens (6A) 6-5 3-3 302-225 Florence (7A) 6-5 5-2 228-236 Decatur (6A) 2-8 1-5 144-340 East Limestone (5A) 1-9 0-6 147-277

2026 Preview

Decatur finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 2-8 record. Last year Decatur finished sixth in Class 6A region seven with a 1-5 region record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.        Decatur was inconsistent offensively last year and they need some improvement if the Red Raiders want to be competitive. They only averaged 14.4 points a game.        The Red Raiders would prefer to forget the past two seasons as they have finished with a 4-16 record. Since 2010, Decatur has gone a combined 84-90. Their 48.3% winning percentage ranks 34th in Class 5A over the past sixteen seasons.        Over the past 25 seasons, Decatur has managed to compile a record of 154-126. Their 55.0% winning percentage ranks 27th in Class 5A and 140th in the AHSAA. Head Coach:        The Red Raiders are led by head coach John Ritter who is entering his third season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 4-16 over the past two seasons at Decatur. The Red Raiders have yet to reach the playoffs under his direction. They have not won a region crown with Coach Ritter. Over the course of his career, Coach Ritter's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of ten times and won five region championships. Season Outlook:        The Decatur Red Raiders will play in Class 5A region seven during the 2026 season.        Decatur will face six opponents that reached the playoffs last season.        It's actually difficult to comprehend how far the Decatur football program has fallen over the past seven seasons. If we take away the 9-3 season of 2022 the Red Raiders are averaging less than three wins a season. You have to go back to 1966-68 to find a three year stretch where the Raiders won less than the seven games they won the past three seasons.        The only victories in 2025 for Decatur came against Lee and Columbia which were a couple of teams that finished the season with 0-10 records. It was an exact repeat of the 2024 football season. So now the only way to rebuild this once proud football program is up. Can Coach Ritter get the ship righted in 2026?     The Red Raiders will need to win a few more games this fall if they hope to grab one of the four playoff slots in region seven this season. After just 2 wins last year, Decatur will be hoping to become more competitive in the region.

Players to Watch in 2026:
  Offense:  (7)

  Defense:  (7)

  Newcomers:  Jayden Parker WR, Ridge Tourney LB

The Coach had this to say:
      Return a great nucleus of two and three year starters. We have had a great off-season in the weight room and in the classroom learning to play the game the right way. In order to be successful, we must maximize our ability and stay healthy. The margin for error is pencil thin

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Season Opener:
       The Red Raiders open the 2026 season on the road against non-region opponent Buckhorn on Friday, August 21 at Tommy R. Ledbetter Stadium. Last year the Buckhorn Bucks finished with an overall record of 7-4 and in third place in Class 6A region eight. The Bucks lost in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs to Hartselle by a score of 33-7.

       Decatur and Buckhorn have met a total of 13 times on the football field. The Red Raiders have a 7-6-0 record against the Bucks. They last met in 2025 with Buckhorn winning by a score of 27-12.