BEARCATS
STORY BY NICK JOHNSTON
Success has the tendency to
bring expectations.
Coming off its first Class
6A playoff win in school history
and boasting a bevy of returning
talent, Cullman is looking
forward to what could be a big
2020 campaign.
As senior defensive back Jaden
Kay put it, “It’s time to come
together, play as one and get
some Ws.”
Oscar Glasscock returns for
his second season at the helm of
the Bearcats, having guided his
team to a 6-6 record in 2019. The
playoff win over Mae Jemison
was the high point, especially for
the seniors.
“I’m really proud of those
seniors,” Glasscock said. “They
were a small group on their
fourth head coach in their four
years playing here. Just to see
them go out with some success
and develop good memories
playing football, that meant a lot
to me.”
In 2017, longtime coach Mark
Britton had to step down during
the season because of health
issues. Mark Stephens came
in as the interim to finish the
year before Matt Plunkett’s lone
season in 2018.
“From an improvement
standpoint and getting the
program heading in a direction
I had a vision for, I would say
yes,” Glasscock said when asked
if he considered the 2019 season
a successful one. “We improved
steadily over the course of the
year and got stronger in the
weight room. Everything sort
of came together in the ending
stretch run we had.”
Now headed into 2020,
the Bearcats will have some
continuity under Glasscock
and returning assistants. The
team has more than two dozen
seniors listed on the roster and a
junior class with a lot of playing
experience. Glasscock couldn’t
pinpoint the exact number of
returning starters
for that very
reason.
“We played
so many guys, I
don’t really see
it like that,” he
said. “We’ve got
plenty of guys
with starting
experience,
and we’ve got
some guys that
started other
positions that are now
playing new positions. Depthwise,
we’re in a lot better shape
than we were last year.”
And that’s directly affected
how his team has handled the
COVID-19 pandemic. The vast
majority of the players already
knew the expectations despite
not having a spring training
session.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 20: vs. Grissom
(Louis Crews Stadium)
Aug. 28: Jasper
Sept. 4: at Hartselle*
Sept. 11: Buckhorn*
Sept. 18: Hazel Green*
Sept. 25: at Mars Hill Bible
Oct. 2: at Decatur*
Oct. 9: Columbia*
Oct. 16: at Athens*
Oct. 23: Muscle Shoals*
Oct. 30: BYE
*Class 6A, Region 8 Game
16 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW