Extra Point Previews: Ashford Yellowjackets

ASHFORD, Ala ( WDHN ) — Ashford football hasn’t won a playoff game since 2002, but after showing notable growth in year one under head coach David Stapleton, this season could be the one to end that streak.

“I expect a lot from our kids. We’re an older group now. Last year we were really young, but a lot of the sophomores are now juniors. So I think they believe in themselves more. This senior class—and I wasn’t here when this happened—but they were 0-10. And then the year before I got here, they were 2-8, and then last year we were 4-6. So I think now it’s time to get over the hump,” said Stapleton.

Senior wide receivers Coy Paramore and Tylan Peterman are set to be key playmakers for a Yellowjacket offense looking to fill the void left by the departure of Cam Fields. Juniors Jes’ius Ragland and Braylon Bigham will form a powerful duo at running back, supported by an experienced offensive line featuring returning starters Eli Hicks, Wesley McLendon, and Judah Bolden.

Another junior, AJ Lewis, is expected to step up and lead the offense from the quarterback position. “He played middle linebacker last year. He also played quarterback on the back half of the season. He did really well for us, and he’s going to start at quarterback for us this year, and you probably won’t see him on defense. We try to keep him healthy—unless it’s some type of emergency situation,” Stapleton explained.

While Lewis won’t be playing both ways, several other key players will. Bigham, Peterman, and Paramore will anchor the defensive backfield, while Ragland will join linebackers TJ Morris and Maddox Tillery.

“We have no excuse why we can’t accomplish the goals we want to accomplish because there’s not a lack of athletes. I think it’s just about piecing it together. It’s about them understanding the team that we have and that they’ve got to go and do it on Friday nights,” Stapleton emphasized.

The Yellowjackets are moving up to 4A, joining a Region 2 that includes only two teams from last season—Dale County and Geneva. The rest of the field, like Ashford, moved up from 3A. Stapleton believes the region is wide open.

“You know, I think it’s just kind of like a toss-up, like in basketball—you know, toss up the ball, let’s see who’s gonna go get it. So I think it’s fair game. I don’t think there’s any quote-unquote favorite in my opinion. I just know that we’ve got to show up every Friday night,” Stapleton said.

The Yellowjackets open their season on August 23rd on the road against the Rehobeth Rebels.

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