During the 1950’s, the Etowah Blue Devils were considered one of the best football teams in the Southeast. They were led by the great Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Matt Glover. They won two championships in the STRONGMAN Competition.
Despite a 33-27 loss to Fort Payne, Etowah was able to win their first game of the season with a 38-0 thumping of Springville. Their top returner is Trace Thompson, who led the Bulldogs to a 15-0 record. This year’s team will run a 3-3-5 base defense, with Eric Emerson and Andrew Carson on the fullback/linebacker positions.
Matt Glover was hired as the next head football coach of Etowah High School on December 15. A native of Springville, Glover has coached at three previous stops, including Moody (2006-08), Pinson Valley (2009-16) and St. Clair County (2017-18). He has an impressive head coaching record of 76-70 with nine playoff appearances.
Matt Glover was named AHSAA’s 6A Assistant Coach of the Year for his defensive work at Clay-Chalkville. He was also named to the Alabama Football Coaches Association’s Class 6A Best of the Best list for his performance at Pinson Valley.
The other notable mention is Glover’s 10-4 record at St. Clair County in 2017. The Saints finished the year with a Class 5A state semifinal appearance. In the past, Glover has guided the Blue Devils to seven consecutive postseason appearances. This year’s team has a 35-0 record.
The Blue Devils are scheduled to play the Fort Payne Tigers next Friday, September 16, at 7:30 pm in Creekview. The Blue Devils will also play Allatoona, Sequoyah, and Canton in the regular season. A performance by the Blue Devils will be held at 7pm prior to the Allatoona HS game.
The Blue Devils will also participate in a World’s Strongest Man type competition on February 22. The Blue Devils are scheduled to play in the Class 4A, Region 6 state playoffs in 2022. They will join Hanceville, Asheville, and Cherokee County in Class 4A. The reclassifications are expected to be released later in the year.
The Etowah High School Blue Devils have a 111 year history. The school has won a state championship in 1999. It has a stadium named Jim Glover Field, and is located at 316 Jones St., in Attalla, Alabama. The Etowah High School athletic department is looking for a long-term coach.
Despite an incredibly successful NFL career, former Etowah football star Carnell “Cadillac” Williams has decided to return to his home state to coach his high school team. After graduating from Auburn University in 2004, Williams signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and spent seven seasons in the NFL before joining the St. Louis Rams in 2011.
In high school, Williams ran for over 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons. He also caught for over 1,000 yards and four touchdowns. He was named All-SEC first team in both his junior and senior years. He also led Etowah to a state championship in 1999. He was named the Class 5A Mr. Football in 2000.
During his time in high school, Williams led his team to three consecutive state championship games. He was also a member of the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star football game. He was named the 5A Back of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He was also named a Parade All-American. He also was named the Class 5A Football Player of the Year.
After graduating from Etowah, Williams went on to play college football at Auburn University. He became a starter during his freshman year. He ended up setting a school record with 17 touchdowns in his third season.
Williams was a four-year starter, and he was named an All-SEC first team running back in his junior and senior years. He ended up finishing his college career with 46 touchdowns and over 3,800 rushing yards.
In his first year, Williams was hampered by injuries. In the second year, he broke his collarbone and played just half the season. He was not at full strength in the third and fourth years.
Williams is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also has been named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
After playing in the NFL for seven years, Williams decided to start coaching in 2015. He was hired as the running backs coach at Auburn last week. He will return to his home state in 2019.
Carnell “Cadillac” has become an Alabama legend. He has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. He is a former Auburn All-American and an NFL star.
Besides winning 10 straight state playoff games, Etowah High School’s best year to date was a 9-2 campaign. The team boasts thirteen seniors, eight of which are starters on defense. Etowah finished with only four losing seasons in its twenty-two year history. This year, the team is preparing for its fourth consecutive state championship game.
The Blue Devils are starting their weight training regimens for the season and will be participating in the first annual Strongman competition. There are some notable absentees, but the team has plenty of talent to go around. The competition will be an interesting and challenging experience for the team. The team is led by newly named head coach Matt Kemper, who is tasked with grooming the boys in blue for the postseason. The team has also added a slew of newcomers to the mix. One of the more notable additions is sophomore quarterback Chase Moore, who has been named the starter after a stellar sophomore season. The team also added two more players in junior linebacker Chris Carlton and senior wide receiver Demetrius McLemore.
The team is also expected to add a few players to its offensive line and a few to its defensive line. The offense isn’t exactly the most impressive name in the book, but the players have a knack for getting into the end zone. The strongmen of the game include sophomores Kyler Williams and Kyler Smith, who both have a knack for getting into the endzone, along with seniors Chase Moore, Demetrius McLemore and Trent Davis.
During the football season, the Etowah Messenger is taking a look back at the top teams in Etowah County high school football history, from 1950 to 1986. Having recently completed their three-game series sweep of Jacksonville, the Blue Devils will play the winner of Brooks-Hamilton in the semifinals of the Class A tournament. Having won two games in the series, the team will have a strong chance to make it back to the state semifinals for the first time in eight years.
The Etowah Blue Devils have shown strong pitching, base running and hitting this season. They have been successful in 86% of their attempts so far this season. They have also been able to get on base 18 times in their last 18 at-bats.
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