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Week One - Shelbyville vs. Alto


Shelbyville vs. Alto   

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  1. 1. Who wins???


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Hope y'all don't mind me bringing the elephant in the room outside for some sun, but we owe it to the kids of Alto to treat this season and next as any other out here on Smoaky.

I looked for "this thread" before posting but don't see anything out here.  Under normal circumstances we'd be on page five by now.  We can ignore the elephant or we can do the team proud and treat them and their opponents with respect week in and week out, and that means discussing the week's match-up here on Smoaky as we have for years.

Keep it on the field and out of the administration building.  Thnx.

Who ya got??

 

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5 minutes ago, YellowjacketBacker said:

Hope y'all don't mind me bringing the elephant in the room outside for some sun, but we owe it to the kids of Alto to treat this season and next as any other out here on Smoaky.

I looked for "this thread" before posting but don't see anything out here.  Under normal circumstances we'd be on page five by now.  We can ignore the elephant or we can do the team proud and treat them and their opponents with respect week in and week out, and that means discussing the week's match-up here on Smoaky as we have for years.

Keep it on the field and out of the administration building.  Thnx.

Who ya got??

 

I saw a thread on this game and remember adding a poll......I'll look for it and merge the threads.....

 

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Area Football Previews:

Shelbyville Dragons (0-0) at Alto (0-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Cam'Ron Matthews Field at Jacket Stadium in Alto

Head coaches: Jerrod Wallace, Shelbyville; Brock Grigsby, Alto

Game notes: Shelbyville returns 11 starters off of last season's Area finalist squad and should give the Mean Sting a real test ... The Dragons are adept in running the ball, with Zay Cartwright to one to look out for ... The Yellowjackets ran up some big numbers, both with the run and the pass in a scrimmage against Troup last week ...Alto's OL, the "Boss Hogs", could give the Jackets an edge offensively ... Many expect this game to be a close one and worth the price of admission.

https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/sports/area-football-previews-troup-brook-hill-alto-to-play-at-home-in-week-1/article_77668f4c-23cf-11ed-956b-6f72d6ce4540.html

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1 hour ago, StingEmALTO said:

Thank you for doing this. I logged in for the first time in a while today with the intentions of creating the thread and here it is. Good job and well said.

As a dad with a senior my heart has been shattered. And not just any senior, but one who has dreamed his whole life of playing for the Alto Yellowjackets. He was practically born with a football (any ball really) in his hand. He’s that kid; you know the kind. The one who has been to every Friday ballgame (and most Thursdays) since he was born. He has cried when the Jackets lost (just about inconsolable when the 28-game win steak came to an end the first week at San Augustine…and he was 3). He learned to count by 7s if that tells you anything. If the boys were playing ball, he wanted to be in the middle of it. And most of the time it was older cousins and their friends or kids who would meet him in the halls of AHS that he would juke and pretend to be running for touchdowns. He played peewee ball in Lufkin with his Alto buddies and dreamed of the day when he got to play for his school.

We have had to readjust our thinking and make the best out of a horrible situation that is out of our control. That has been hard because of the hopes and dreams of a lifetime and the realization that those have been taken away. The night of August 2nd helped me to put things in perspective. Close to 100 folks showed up at practice to support the boys. I sat in silence and didn’t really talk to anyone; I didn’t want to. But people showed up and it was comforting. Kind of like grieving and mourning a death, I sat and watched as my boy and his teammates had a better practice than the day before. I was pretty amazed at how upbeat everyone was. I couldn’t imagine what the coaches had said to the boys to have them so motivated and focused. Then I remembered that’s who these kids are. That’s what life has taught them….to take what you have been given and make the best of it. Tornadoes, portable buildings, pandemic, a 2-8 season as sophomores when they were district champs in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades….and the absolutely devastating loss of a teammate and friend on a basketball court just this February. The hardest of them all. Earth shattering and life changing. The season and the playoff run was to be dedicated to Vonte. And all these boys wanted to do was to go and make a run for Vonte, #9 running back and newcomer of the year last season.

As practice continued I turned and heard a familiar voice. It was Meka, Vonte’s mom. She and her family had come up to encourage the kids. Here is this lady who will not get to watch her baby on that football field this season ENCOURAGING US. I went over and hugged her and she spoke some wonderful words to me. And that, my friends, puts things in perspective. I get to watch my son play the game that fills his heart with joy. 2 scrimmages and 10 games; it’s not what we hoped or dreamed of but I know Meka would give anything just to be able to see her boy again. She said she would be at every single game cheering our boys and to just keep on playing.

And that’s what we are doing and what we will do, just as the 94 Yellowjacket teams who have come before this 95th version have done through the years…play ball. We will play for Vonte, his family, our brothers on the field, coaches, our school, and our town. Our LOVE of the game. We will gather every Friday night under the lights and celebrate the team we love and the game that brings us together. We will remember this time and give thanks for the blessing of another day watching our boys, cheerleaders, and band give it all they got.

And I will cherish every second. This guy of mine, #21 of the Alto Yellowjackets, (and his teammates) deserve nothing less. He has worked his tail off for years and I know that he will fight every week and leave it all on the field. He does every single time and I couldn’t  be more proud.

Go Jackets!

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Excellent post!! Thnx for a different look at a personal level.  Go Jackets!!

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17 hours ago, villagegenius said:

Shelbyville has looked pretty good against Huntington and Beckville. Alto had some bright spots against Beckville but didn’t look like they got any better against troup. Me thinks Shelbyville wins this one. 

How did they do against Huntington? CC beat them 20 to 0 in the live quarter,  and they never scored on us the whole scrimmage 

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