East Lawrence Eagles Football

During the East Lawrence Eagles football season, the Junior Eagles have been doing their part in securing a playoff berth in the open division. They have also been winning games by a lot, but it is the defense that really gets them going. The Eagles have a defense as good as it gets.

Bo Culver leaves

During the first half of the season, East Lawrence was a notch below the sexy hors d’oeuvre that is Hartselle. The Lions did not make the playoffs, but were a solid 4-7 on the season. The Eagles had a good showing in the non-league portion of the season, going 4-1. The most memorable game was a 49-7 thumping of Lawrence County, and a 49-10 thumping of the Eagles’ arch rival, Hamilton.

While the Eagles will be looking to replace 17 seniors this year, there is little doubt that Bo Culver leaves the program on a high note. Culver has had some success in the coaching world, as he was the head coach for the Hartselle Lions for the past two years. He also served as an assistant principal at East Lawrence for the better part of a decade. Culver is going to have his fill in Hamilton, where he will be the new principal of the district. The new man in charge will be aided by a full blown marketing campaign to keep the school’s spirits high. Bo Culver has been in the business of coaching high school football for quite some time and has built a legit winning record.

It is not surprising that Culver was the first to fill the empty office, but it is surprising that he is the last of the pack. The competition for the position is not what it was a few years ago, when Culver snagged a job with the Haleyville Lions. The big question is, will Bo still have a chance to put the team on the road to success? The question is, will he be able to fill the void left by his predecessor?

Culver is one of a small cadre of top coaches, including Hartselle’s John Hicks and Hamilton’s Doug Smith, whose tenures are nearing an end. The best chance for a fresh start is to hire Culver in a leadership role, assuming he is not already a head coach or head boy.

Don Smith resigns as head coach

Despite having a 17-16 record and four wins, Don Smith resigned as the head coach of the East Lawrence Eagles football program. This is the third head coach in five seasons to leave a Central Texas school.

Don Smith stepped into the position of head coach in August of 2016, after serving as an assistant for Illinois for the past two years. Smith was also the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans this past season. His resume includes coaching at several schools, including Italy, Elgin, Brookshire Royal, Giddings, El Paso and Giddings. He has also been an assistant coach at several Texas schools.

He is a Texans fan. The Texans are the worst team in the NFL. He has had a career record of 83-55. He was a 6th round pick by Tampa Bay in 1994 and stayed in the NFL until 1999.

Smith has had some success with Bears special teams, but his offense has been disappointing. He was a good offensive mind, but had trouble developing quarterbacks. His biggest success was his 10-4 record in 2016, when the Eagles went to the playoffs. Smith had a nice pay bump. He could be the last head coach before retirement.

He will step into an assistant AD role at McKinney ISD. He is a GHS alum. He has a 78-66 record in thirteen seasons as the head coach at North.

Jack Alvarez has taken three different teams to state semifinals. He led Ennis to a state championship in 2014. He has a 193-93 overall record. He has also been the interim head coach at several schools, including Sam Houston, Hardin-Jefferson, Bridge City, Monterey and Stamford. He has also been the interim head coach of the Texans in 2014.

Mike Wall has a 20-21 overall record as the head coach at Willis. He has also been an assistant coach at Georgetown and Lake Travis. He led Willis to the 6A Area Playground in 2021. He will also serve as the head coach at several schools in Texas.

Former Post head coach Michael Pittman will take over as the HC at Crane ISD. He had a 20-13 record and two state title appearances. He also stepped into the role as an interim head coach at Post in 2020.

Addison’s defense is as good as it gets

Despite the fact that the Minnesota Wild’s newest member, Chandler Addison, will play outside linebacker, the team has not stopped him from establishing himself on the offensive side of the ball. Addison will not only be used as a standup rusher, but he will also be able to stand up in certain situations.

The best part of the Wild’s offense is that Addison will be able to showcase his skills on the power play. He is capable of scoring on his own, and his ability to get to the net on a backdoor pass will be a great asset for the team.

Addison also is a fine defensive player. He is a sack artist, and his 7.5 sacks in the first half of the season are impressive. He also led the Panthers in sacks for a fourth straight year.

Addison also has an impressive number of assists. His 90 percent assists rank as the second-best in the league, and his power play assists rank in the top five. He will also have the opportunity to drop back into coverage, where he can use his offensive skills to beat an opponent’s quarterback.

Addison is not quite as good as Karlsson, but he is the next best thing. The Wild are in need of a blueliner to run their power play, and Addison’s offense may be a good fit.

The Wild also has an impressive organizational knowledge of the position, which should make it easier to coach Addison’s defense into shape. It’s a good sign that the team has left the door wide open for Addison to make an NHL roster.

The team has not only coached the aforementioned, but they have also scouted the best possible candidates to fill the void. Boldy and Rossi are two of the most likely candidates to make the team.

Despite the fact that Addison is not as good as Karlsson, his offensive game is a strong contender for the Wild’s top spot. If the organization can coach him up on the defensive side of the ball, then Addison could be one of the best offensive players in the WHL.

Junior Eagles earn playoff berth in open division

Several teams in the PSAC Central Division had strong seasons. In fact, five Bald Eagles received PSAC Central honors, and Shannon Slattery was named PSAC Central Coach of the Year. She led the Bald Eagles to a historic 20-0 season in division play and finished with a 38-14 overall record. She also earned NFCA Atlantic Region second team honors and was named to the NFCA All-Atlantic Region second team. Her teammates included McKenna Garlock (second team), Bekah Slattery (first team), Michelle Holweger (second team), and Rachel Mouillesseaux (first team).

The Haven also picked up steam over the second half of the season, winning eight of its final 11 games. The Haven also won three of its five elimination games in the tournament. They defeated St. Paul (20-6), Torrington (36-14), and Oxford (34-16). The Eagles fell to Woodland in Week 4 (21-8).

In addition to winning her first 100 career games, Coach Shannon was also named the PSAC Central Coach of the Year for the second straight season. She won 88 games in her career in the PSAC and placed seven athletes on the All-PSAC Central Division Team. She also coached freshman pitcher Jada Schellhammer to a 6-3 win-loss record over 52 innings pitched. In addition, seven Bald Eagles earned NFCA Academic All-American honors. In her first season with the Eagles, Coach Shannon also coached sophomore standout Mikayla Ruppert to a.392 batting average on 51 at-bats. She also helped sophomore left fielder Delaney Good earn second team honors in the PSAC East.

The Eagles started the season with a 36-0 loss to Naugatuck. In Week 4, the Eagles lost to Woodland (21-8), Oxford (34-16), and Seymour (35-1). The Eagles won eight of their final 11 games to finish the season 19-18. This is the first time they have finished with a 4-0 record since 2004. They will now look to improve on that record in Week 5 and earn their playoff berth in the open division.