33 Teams in 33 Days: Cottage Hill Warriors

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Next up on “33 Teams in 33 Days” — WKRG Sports is checking in with the Cottage Hill Warriors!

Carvel Jones enters his second season as the head coach of the Warriors program. Last year, Jones turned to several underclassman — with six freshman starting at least one game.

While Cottage Hill endured some growing pains, Jones is excited about seeing that experience pay off this fall.

“Guys are really, really bought-in and the main focus really has been setting the standard in the locker room and on the field, in the classroom, as well, that’s number one priority,” said Jones. “This is a time where you learn the fundamentals. Every day we come out and do start and stance.”

Jones says building his roster for 2024 has meant getting current Cottage Hill student-athletes interested in playing football.

“We got a lot of guys out of hallways this year, so this is going to be very pivotal. That’s why we’re doing a lot of skill development this spring. Having that off season is going to be big for us and then this summer, we’re going to really, really hit it hard,” said Jones.

“We’re just trying to build something and make it standard that we can all follow. We got some new guys coming in — we want to make sure we mold them into team and standard, as well,” said Warriors safety Andrew White.

Cottage Hill finished 2023 with a win over St. Luke’s — spring-boarding the team’s motivation for offseason work.

“We’re going to be grinding it out every morning in the weight room and on the field. Film time is going to be big for our guys, we’ll require that,” said Jones. “They’re putting in the minutes and putting in the work on and off the field.”

The Warriors return key starters on defense, led by junior linebacker Shadarius Toodle. The 4-star recruit holds more than 20 college offers — including Auburn, LSU, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State. Toodle played both ways for Cottage Hill in 2023 — he recorded more than 100 tackles with 10 sacks on defense, to go along with 600 total yards and 13 touchdowns on offense.

“We’re getting the whole team ready. Coach is having us holding everybody accountable for coming in the weight room every day and working hard. Coming out here and working hard to have a great season this year,” said Toodle.

Cottage Hill opens the season against Washington County on August 23rd.

2023 Record (notable wins):

• 2-8
• Monroe County, 42-8
• St. Luke’s, 29-13

Key Players:

• LB Shadarius Toodle – 103 tackles, 10 sacks, 13 touchdowns
• LB Caden Wiggins – 50 tackles
• DB/RB Andrew White – 44 tackles, 132 yards, 1 touchdown
• TE/DE Caleb Metzner – 3 touchdowns, 60 tackles, 6 sacks

Key Matchups:

• vs. Satsuma (8/30)
• @ Excel (9/8)
• vs. Mobile Christian (10/13)

Who’s next:

The next installment will feature the Murphy Panthers. Follow along with WKRG’s “33 Teams in 33 Days.” Each team will be featured during the 6:30 p.m. newscast on the weekdays and during the 10 p.m. newscast on the weekend.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.