Submitted photo
By Chris McCarthy/Publisher
Homecoming 2025 came several months early at Ashville High.
Mark Sanders was named the school’s head football coach at a meeting of the St. Clair County Board of Education on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Sanders replaces Kirakias Shepard, who was 1-19 in his two years with the Bulldogs.
A 2001 AHS graduate, Sanders (pictured at right) acknowledged that he won’t have much difficulty in finding his way around campus.
“I pretty much spent my entire youth here, so I know the place inside-out,” he said. “My dad was the school’s principal and he coached here with John Grass and Bill Clark and Rush Propst, so me and my brother were always around the [football] program. I started out as a water boy and a manager, and I just grew up loving Ashville football. It feels great to have the opportunity to go back home and try to make a difference.”
Sanders is aware that Ashville has not experienced sustained success in quite some time. The Bulldogs have won three games over the last two seasons and have not made the state playoffs since 2005. Ashville competes in Class 4A, Region 6 along with Alexandria, Anniston, Cherokee County, Etowah, Hokes Bluff, Oneonta and White Plains.
“The first thing I want to do is to create a family atmosphere in that the guys just love playing for each other, and I want that in the elementary school through the middle school to the high school,” he said. “If we can create that, it will really help in changing the dynamic. The other important thing is, which I’ve seen at the other schools where I’ve coached, is that you have to develop a winning mindset. Once a group of guys have experienced a certain amount of losing, it’s all that they know. We need to get them out of that zone and make them believe in what they can accomplish. Once they have that mindset, you’ll see them playing a lot faster and acting a lot more selfless. That’s where I want to take this program.”
Sanders is confident that he can convince potential players to sign up for the program.
“I’m sure there are some guys walking those hallways who maybe thought about [playing football] but perhaps weren’t encouraged the right way,” he said. “God blessed me with the ability to connect with young people, and I want to use that gift in a sincere way to let them know that I do love them and do care about them. It’s not just about wins and losses; it’s about what kind of man they will grow up be one day.
“I don’t know if there is a misconception around Ashville that playing football is too hard or that nobody likes it anymore, but I’m going to focus on how the sport will benefit you as a man when you get older, like realizing that you won’t be able to do everything on your own and that you’ll have to rely upon the help of others in order to achieve your goals. If I can get them to think more of “we” and less of “me,” I think we can have a ton of success.”
Sanders said he learned quite a bit during his two years as an assistant coach at Westbrook Christian under Steve Smith.
“Coach Smith is very organized person who demands a lot from his players and his coaching staff. Consistency and excellence were the two things that were expected, which is what I’ll definitely use in my coaching career.”
Ashville went 19-3 under Grass during Sanders’ sophomore and junior football seasons, after which Sanders was named to the All-St. Clair County and ASWA All-State first teams.
“More than x’s and o’s, the biggest thing Coach Grass did was letting his players know how much he loved them cared about them,” said Sanders, who played on the offensive line. “He didn’t just talk about that; he showed it. He was always a players’ coach. I’ve always held onto that, and I really hope and pray that I can do the same thing with the kids here at Ashville now.”
Sanders, who also competed in basketball, baseball, track and field and gold while in high school, signed a football scholarship with the University of Alabama, where he played under coaches Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula. Sanders received limited playing time due to injuries and playing behind such standouts such as Wesley Britt, Justin Smiley and Evan Mathis before working his way into the starting lineup for his senior season of 2005. Unfortunately, his final year was cut short when he suffered a serious leg injury during the first game of the year. However, Sanders made it back in time to start in the Crimson Tide’s Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech.
“I was just one of those guys who worked hard like everybody else, and injuries always had a way of coming in and biting me in the tail. But I was able to have a good end to a troubled career.”
Sanders did not get into high school coaching until three years after graduating UA, when he joined Raymond Far-mer and later Teddy Helms at Coosa Christian for three seasons. After a three-year hiatus, Sanders accepted the head football coaching position at Victory Christian in Pell City. In three seasons, he guided the Lions to a 17-14 record and a playoff appearance after the program had won one game over the previous four seasons.
In 2018, Sanders arrived at the Donoho School in Anniston, where over the next five seasons he led the Falcons to a 23-28 record. His 2018 and 2019 teams went 18-5 and made it to the second round of the state playoffs. Following the 2021 season, Sanders joined Drew Noles at Westbrook Christian, where he has spent the past two-plus seasons as offensive line coach and head coach of track and field.
Sanders and his wife Heather have six children – Cade, Caylee, Maddie, Naomi, Sadie and Kate.
“I just want to go in and create some solidarity and get everyone involved and bring the love of Ashville to everyone in the community,” said Sanders. “I like to consider myself as a motivator who wants to help people get better and give them good guidance. Football just happens to be a catalyst for me to be able to do that. God opened this door for a reason, and I’m really excited to see where this experience will take me. I plan on being here for a long time, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”