On the Road with Olivia and Alexa Episode 20: West Morgan and Brooks

(WHNT) — Episode 20 of On the Road with Olivia and Alexa features two schools who made it to the third round of the playoffs last year: West Morgan and Brooks.

2023 was a solid season for the Rebels; they finished with an undefeated regular season, a region championship, the first 12 win season in program history and a third round playoff appearance.

Head coach Drew Phillips says that last season was really special for him and the program but now they have to focus on 2024 and he’s looking forward to this year’s roster making a name for themselves.

“I think we just take momentum. Those guys did an excellent job last year, laying a good foundation behind and we had a lot of really good players and I think you just build on it,” Phillips said. “These guys are excited. They kind of have an edge. Anytime you have a season like that the expectations are high, but what we’re going to do is try to be our own team and just excited about this opportunity ahead.”

The Brooks Lions finished 8-5 overall in 2023 and made it to the third round of the postseason.

Head coach Tim Bowens enters his third season at the helm of the Lions’ program and he can’t wait to see his team hit the field but the first several weeks the Lions will hit the field on the road; the first five games that Brooks plays in 2024 will all be away but Bowens says it doesn’t matter who they’re playing or where his guys are going to be ready to go.

“The field’s still 53 and a half yards so it doesn’t matter to us if we’re playing in Zimbabwe or we’re going to play at Brooks High School or somewhere else these guys are ready to get after it,” Bowens said. “Being on the road, sometimes you have to be road runners and be ready to go and I don’t think it’s going to affect us.”

The Rebels will travel to Randolph on August 23 to kick off the year; Brooks is off for week zero so the Lions open at West Morgan on August 30.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.