By Matthew Watkins, Sports Correspondent
As the regular season in Alabama high school football draws to a close, the Hokes Bluff Eagles find themselves in a position that they haven’t been in since 2022: out of the postseason.
The Eagles, Class 4A, Region 6, are currently 4-5 overall with a 2-5 region record. Of those five region losses, three of them came down to one possession. The loss to Cherokee County would have ended as a one-possession game if not for a Warriors touchdown that came in the closing seconds of the contest.
Last week against Oneonta was no different. The Eagles found themselves deep in Oneonta territory with a chance to tie or take the lead. The Hokes Bluff offense gave it their best effort, but ultimately was not able to convert on a fourth-down pass attempt from senior quarterback Bryce Whitaker, giving Oneonta the ball back, along with a senior night victory. Elation on one sideline, and heartache on another. This is high school football in its purest form.
Which now brings us to the final week of the Eagles’ season, where they will pack up and head further south to face off against the Tigers of Randolph County (Class 3A, Region 4). The Tigers are 7-2 on the year, and boast a 4-2 region record. They will be heading to the playoffs next week following this game.
These two teams matched up last year, also for the tenth and final game of the regular season. That was the first time in history that the schools had played one another. Hokes Bluff came away victorious, outpacing the Tigers 44-12. That game featured two non-region teams that were each destined for the playoffs, which can sometimes make coaching decisions difficult. Everyone wants to win, but at what cost? However, the stakes this year are obviously different.
Randolph County, much like last year, would love to secure a win without hampering their postseason chances with an untimely injury. It will also be the Tigers’ senior night, which adds another layer of emotion to an already emotional contest.
On the Eagles’ side of things, this is the last game for their seniors. Seniors like Bryce Whitaker, a player that has more than cemented himself as one of the most prolific players to ever play for Hokes Bluff. Senior lineman Conner Wellingham (6’6” / 330lbs) will also suit up for the final time, before possibly moving on to play at the next level.
It would also be unfit to not mention senior defensive back/wide receiver Drew McCarver, who tragically suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in the Eagles’ Week 2 matchup against Etowah. While Whitaker is without a doubt the engine that makes the Eagles go, and an unquestioned leader in his own right, McCarver was a representation of the toughness that every Hokes Bluff team strives to maintain.
McCarver, a three-sport athlete for Hokes Bluff, was the type of player that you can’t replace, whether that be individually or through an aggregate. His impact on the team went further than just some tally-marks on a stat sheet; he was a jack-of-all-trades that could be whatever the team needed from him on any given Friday.
It remains to be seen what type of punctuation mark the Eagles will put on the 2025 season. Outsiders may see nothing to play for, but if you have ever been around a team from Hokes Bluff, especially one led by Head Coach Mike Robertson, then you know that this is the farthest thing from the truth.
