This week in HS Sports: Powerful lesson taking place at Carver

This is an opinion piece.

Bobby Carr built a pair of powerhouse football programs in the Alabama Independent School Association.

As he piled up seven state titles as head coach at Edgewood Academy and three more at Autauga Academy, he clearly had his eye on an eventual move to the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Entering his 26th year as a head coach, Carr finally has that chance this year at talent-rich Carver-Montgomery.

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, and I’m just glad I’ve gotten this opportunity,” he said this week at AHSAA Media Day in Montgomery. “(Thompson head coach) Mark Freeman told me a few years ago, ‘Don’t just take any job. Make sure it’s a job where you are going to have a chance to go in there and compete right off the bat.’ I couldn’t ask for a better place to go than Carver with the talent that is there. It’s just a matter of refining things and creating that standard we want our kids to meet every day.”

Carr’s first Carver team will open the season next Friday at Cramton Bowl against Vestavia Hills in the AHSAA’s Kickoff Classic. The expectations are already high. The Wolverines merged with longtime rival Sidney Lanier in the offseason, moving up from Class 6A to Class 7A.

“These people are excited about football,” Carr said of the Carver community. “I’ve said before that Carver fans are like Dallas Cowboy fans who expect to win the Super Bowl every year. I’m not sure if we’ve ever won a state championship, but the thing we’ve done is try to put a standard out there for our guys.

“Before we get to expectations, they have to reach that standard every day and hold each other accountable to it. They’ve done a really good job of buying in. Our coaching staff has done a good job. A head coach is only as good as the people he surrounds himself with. I think any leader in any organization is. I’m very fortunate to have the leaders we’ve got.”

Carr said it’s been emotional to watch as students at Carver and Lanier came together to form one school and one football team.

“To watch these kids put their differences aside and do what’s best for the group and maybe take a lesser role, whether you played at Carver or Lanier, and see how they’ve been receptive to one another – it’s just powerful,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how they would receive me when I first walked into that auditorium, and I was praying my whole way to the school that day. When I walked into the auditorium to see those kids give me a standing ovation before I was even introduced — it told me I was a home. It’s a great thing. A lot of people can learn a lot for our program right now.”

Can Carr carry his AISA coaching legend moniker into the AHSAA’s largest class? We will soon see.

A few other notes from the AHSAA’s Kickoff Roundtable and luncheon:

— AHSAA assistant director Devin Booth said the state will have 113 girls flag football teams in 2024 in two classifications. That’s up from the 50 schools that played in the first year of the sport in Alabama, 2021.

— AHSAA Director of Communications Ron Ingram is entering his 51st year of being involved with high school athletics and “getting paid for it.” Ron was in charge of high school sports for years at the Birmingham News and is a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. Congrats, Ron. No one better.

— AHSAA director of officials Ken Washington said one huge change for football this year is that numbers on jerseys must be solid and must clearly contrast with the uniform. Praise the Lord.

— AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon expects an update on the future home of the Super 7 football championship soon. The 2024 championships will be held at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, but the future after that has been up in the air after Auburn and Alabama withdrew because of college football’s expanded playoff system. “We have a meeting pretty soon that needs to happen first and then we will share our plan for that,” he said.

A rough beginning for the new boss

New AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon said his coaching career had a bit of a bumpy start. He was hired at Etowah in the late 1990s as an assistant for head coach Raymond Farmer.

He was the offensive line coach. His job was to teach his guys to block for Cadillac Williams and Derrick Nix. The 1998 Blue Devils reached the state final against Blount that year.

“Blount held Cadillac and Derrick to 50 yards rushing, and I was the offensive line coach,” he said. “Fortunately, that team came back the next year and won the state title.”

Blount beat Etowah 27-20 in overtime at Legion Field in 1998 in the Class 5A title game. The Blue Devils responded the next year by beating Williamson 42-26 for the title.

Quote of the Day

Vestavia Hills coach Robert Evans had by far the best quote of Media Day.

In talking about his team’s matchup with talent-rich Carver-Montgomery next week, Evans told ABC33/40:

“This guy is going to Alabama, this one is going to Florida, this one is going to TAMU, this one has 20 offers and we’ve got a bunch of Pi Kapp’s and Fijis.”

Difficult Week

It’s been a difficult week with the loss of two student-athletes.

Loachapoka football player Javion Gary, 16, was shot and killed Aug. 8. Two 18-year-olds have been charged in the shooting. Loachapoka coach Branden Hall confirmed that next Saturday’s game with Notasulga has been canceled in the aftermath of the shooting.

On Tuesday, New Brockton freshman Semaj Wilkins, 14, died after collapsing at football practice.

Hug your loved ones close. We aren’t guaranteed our next day.

Prayers out to the families of these two students, their schools and communities.

Thought for the Week

“The Lord says, ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com . He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.