By Chris McCarthy, Publisher
Photo courtesy of Average Joe’s Sports Talk
As a varsity starter in football since his eighth-grade year of 2020, Clete O’Bryant has logged quite a bit of time on the gridiron. So much so that his name was recently recorded in the Alabama High School Athletic Association record books.
The Coosa Christian senior linebacker surpassed the 500-tackle mark for a career during the Conquerors’ 49-8 victory over Cold Springs on Oct. 11. He was one tackle shy of the mark coming into the game. He now has 515 career tackles, good for 14th on the AHSAA all-time leaders in tackles.
“I had no idea that I was close (to the milestone) coming into this year,” he said. “But we finally figured out my eighth-grade stats and saw that I had a good chance to reach 500. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that only 13 other guys have done it. I feel honored.”
O’Bryant (pictured at right) was quick to deflect credit, pointed to the sacrifices of his teammates as the primary reason for his accomplishment.
“Our D-line takes care of me in a lot of games by making it to where I can go one-on-one and make the tackle,” he said. “They don’t usually get the credit for what they do. But sometimes I have to go out and make a play, too.”
O’Bryant’s accomplishment is even more impressive considering that he’s missed significant time due to injuries. He tore my hip flexor his sophomore year, tore his UCL last baseball season and suffered a hyperextended elbow three weeks ago.
“I’ve had my fair share of injuries, for sure,” he said. “I’m also having some leg issues right now, but other than that, I’m good. I think as a team we’ve blocked out the distractions this season. We’ve got a chance to do something special, and our chemistry is the best it’s ever been. We just have to stay focused and locked in.”
O’Bryant and his fellow seniors appreciate the success they’ve had over the past three seasons considering that the team went 10-17 from 2020 through Week 6 of the 2020 season. Following that 28-24 loss to Gatlinburg-Pittman of Tennessee, the Conquerors have gone 28-4 on the field while making the state semifinals in 2022 and the state finals last season. Coosa is currently 7-1 and clinched the program’s first-ever region title with the victory over Cold Springs.
“Those were some tough couple of years as eighth graders and freshmen,” he said. “We were everybody’s homecoming game and getting our eyes beat in, but now it’s flipped and we’re beating up on everybody.”
O’Bryant credits his instincts on the field as another reason for his high tackle output game in and game out.
“I’m not blessed with a whole lot of speed, but I know where the ball is going to go,” he said. “It’s hard to explain, but I just know what going on during a game. A of of times I can read off a lineman about what kind of play it’s going to be. I don’t know how I can see a play [develop], but I do. When I watch film, I get a sense of how [a team] is going to move, and by game time, I know where it’s going to go.”
Since last season, the versatile O’Bryant has lined up at inside linebacker, outside linebacker and strong safety, making it difficult for an opposing offense to keep track of his whereabouts.
“I really like it, because I get to either drop into coverage of blitz or play straight up. It causes a bunch of problems for the other team, I can tell you that. I bet it’s hard to prepare for.”
In addition to his team’s success, O’Bryant has collected some serious individual hardware. Last season, he was one of three finalists for Class 1A Back of the Year after amassed 125 tackles (including 23 for a loss), two sacks, three interceptions, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He spearheaded a defense that posted eight shutouts in 15 games, including four in a row. The Conquerors allowed an average of only 6.5 points a game to finish the year as the top scoring defense in all AHSAA classifications. He was named MVP of the Class 1A, All-Region 7 football team, ASWA first team Class 1A All-State and the Overall MVP of the All-Messenger football team.
“Clete and I have been together on this journey since his seventh-grade year,” said Mark O’Bryant, Clete’s dad and the school’s head football coach. “Speaking as a dad rather than a coach, to see him achieve a mark like this, especially one that’s so hard to accomplish, makes me really proud of him. We’ve figured out that he’s missed 14 quarter this year from being injured and from being pulled out and 20 quarters last year and several in his sophomore year, so if he doesn’t miss all of that time, he’s be well over 600 [tackles] at this point.”
Clete believes that his 600th stop is within sight with two regular seasons games left and possibly five more in the postseason.
“I’m going to go for it,” he said. “Hopefully I can get there.”
