HSFT Stop #52: New Albany

New Albany, Miss. (WCBI)- New Albany football is looking to turn the page this season and get back on track. In 2021, the Bulldogs weren’t where they were used to being and head coach Cody Stubblefield thinks his team learned a lot about themselves because of it.

Last season included a hot start with a bumpy finish for the Bulldogs. After starting out 4-1 New Albany lost its last five, including double-digit losses in its last three. It was a new low for Stubblefield, who is entering his fifth year.

“It was the first losing season the players had been a part of and the first losing season I was a part of,” Stubblefield said. “It’s not something we want to do again and we will do whatever it takes for that to not happen again. The seniors are leading that way so they can have a successful year. The underclassmen are coming along with them.”

“When we got into district we fell apart as an offense so we will keep working together on that,” senior outside linebacker and wide receiver Armand Bowling said.

Senior left guard Matthew Harris said every player has a chip on their shoulder after how 2021 went down. “It will never happen again,” he said.

The Bulldogs have a new man under center- freshman Braden Shettles. He has impressed Stubblefield so far.

“Each day he is doing things to prepare himself to be as good as possible,” Stubblefield said. “It’s good to see a young guy with a work ethic like this. He’s a guy who does really well and we have high expectations even though he’s young. He finished last year with us as an eighth grader and we’re excited about him.”

New Albany’s season gets rolling August 26th at East Union.