Extra Point Previews: Geneva County Bulldogs

HARTFORD, Ala ( WDHN ) — Sometimes you can’t really mince words when it comes to high school football. Not every team is successful every year, but going winless is another level of pain for any athlete. The Geneva County Bulldogs and new Head Coach Al Gilmore want to make sure they never feel that feeling again.

“As a coach, you never want to see a child get to the point where they’re so demoralized that they don’t believe that they deserve to win,” said Head Coach Al Gilmore. “And I chose that wording carefully because that’s when I got there. I had a kid tell me, ‘Coach, you know not to expect that much, right? Like, we’re Geneva County; it’s OK, no one expects us to do anything.’ And I said that mentality stops right now.”

After an 0-10 season, it can be a daunting task to take over a team and shift the culture, but Gilmore is tackling the task head strong, a mentality he wants to see mirrored in the down-to-down play of his football team.

“You know, every coach is going to say we want to be physical at the point of contact,” said Coach Gilmore. “I’m trying to bring to the table at Geneva County that level of physicality that our kids can kind of identify with, and that’s going to become our M-O. We want to be the most physical team on the field. We want to be the best blocking team and the best tackling team. And if you do that, I think everything else will fall into place.”

Any culture change, though, in reality, begins with the players and leaders you have in place, and one that Coach Gilmore expects to step up big time is senior running back Brendan Hall.

“Not many people know his name yet,” said Coach Gilmore. “If he has the kind of season that I expect him to have, I think several people will. He has not missed a single workout this summer. He has dedicated himself. He’s proven himself to this point to be a leader.”

But it takes more than one man. Caden Hutchings will be a big contributor for the Bulldogs from the QB position and at safety on defense.

An O-line guy at heart, Gilmore says he sees this team going as far as the big nasties can take them. Bailey Broxton, Jayden McMillan, and William Smith are set to be leaders in that group, and Gilmore likes what he’s seen so far.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 17 years as a head coach, when a kid looks you in the eye and says, ‘Coach, I want the ball,’ you can give them the ball,” said Coach Gilmore. “And these guys, these guys that I’m naming here, especially those three on that offensive line, you know they looked at me and said, ‘Coach, we want the ball.’ And I can’t say enough good things about them because they are absolutely proving it right.”

The Bulldogs will be looking for their first win since October of 2022 when they head to Pleasant Home on August 23rd to kick off their season.

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