Top ranked Deshler visits No. 4 Russellville tonight to kickoff high school football season

By Staff
Scot Beard
RUSSELLVILLE – Friday nights in Alabama are all about high school football.
Teams play for bragging rights every night, but when two rivals meet on the field the intensity goes up a notch.
Tonight, two long-time rivals will meet to start the season.
If they were any two ordinary rivals fans would be excited, but these are not ordinary rivals. This is Russellville and Deshler.
"Both programs have a lot of tradition and a lot of success," said Russellville coach Doug Goodwin. "I expect if we live up to our end of the bargain it will be a dogfight like last year."
The Golden Tigers had to rally to tie the game late and held on for a 34-28 win in double overtime.
Last year Russellville was ranked No. 4 in Class 5A and Deshler was ranked No. 10 in Class 4A.
What a difference a year makes.
While Russellville will open the season in the No. 4 spot again, Deshler is No. 1.
The Tigers, which lost to Central-Tuscaloosa in the state title game, are returning most of the key players from last year's team.
Russellville has lost several key players off last year's squad including quarterback Cory Trapp and running back Michael Abernathy.
Goodwin said his two quarterbacks – Joey Howe and Jake Ward – are both gifted athletes and his corps of running backs should be able to help carry Russellville this season.
Both teams are looking to get the 2008 season off to a strong start by knocking off a Top 10 team.
For the Golden Tigers to pull a repeat of last year's game they will have to fight hard.
"They probably have the best talent of any school in northern Alabama," Goodwin said. "And they have everybody back."