#HSFT18 Stop No. 24 — South Lamar Stallions

*District games

MILLPORT, AL. (WCBI) — The long-awaited season in Millport finally came in 2017.

South Lamar won ten games for the first time since 2004, coming one game away from a state championship appearance.

After one of the best seasons in a decade, the Stallions haven’t forgotten just how close they were to a title appearance

Leading 7-6 over Pickens County into the fourth quarter, the Tornadoes rallied in a big way, scoring 29 unanswered points to race into the 1A title.

“We’ve implemented this all offseason to get there. We do a six-minute drill because that’s where we fell short, we lost control at six minutes left of the ball game,” head coach Clay Gilliam said.

Those final six-minutes have given the Stallions some extra motivation in the offseason.

“We’re hungry, because we came that close,” junior running back and defensive back Herachio Washington said, “we lost within six minutes of a football game and that shows us this year, that’s how much we have to step it up to get to the next level.”

South Lamar will be loaded again this season, bringing back every skill position player from that final four team a year ago.

Starting quarterback Jack Dowdle is back, along with the dynamic backfield on Buster Griffin and Herachio Washington.

This bunch has grown up together on the football field, and look to make one more magic run in Millport.

“Knowing that we’ve been playing together for so long, it’s just natural,” senior running back and cornerback Buster Griffin said, “then, coming back this year knowing how far we went last year is a big motivation for us.”

“Last year, we realized how much potential we’ve got, and I think that’s going to lead us this year with a head of steam,” Washington said.

It’ll be a rivalry showdown week one as the Stallions take on Vernon to open the season.