Cullman Times, Football Preview 2020 | Page 19

Cullman switched regions in the offseason and will compete in Region 8. The favorite is obvious. “Muscle Shoals is always the team to beat,” Glasscock said. “They sort of set the standard. I was the defensive coordinator at Hartselle for five years, and that was the team that dominated the region then, and nothing’s changed. Until somebody starts consistently beating them, they’re the favorite every year — period.” Traditional rivals for the Bearcats fill out some of the region, including Hartselle, Athens and Decatur. Also in Region 8 this season are Buckhorn, Columbia and Hazel Green. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools are altering their schedules when it comes to fall sports. Muscle Shoals is one of them, delaying its season opener until Sept. 4. Glasscock agreed with the AHSAA’s decision to start the season as scheduled. “My thing is, there’s no data out there that says a month from now it’s going to be any better,” he said. “Especially in high school. If something else comes up, you’re just guaranteeing you’re not going to have a season instead of trying to go ahead and start. I’m proud for the state to go ahead and get this done. Now, if we get started and all of a sudden we have to suspend things for a couple of weeks, we have time to work with.” Glasscock called 2020 a triumph already for the Bearcats in terms of the way they’ve prepared. “The way these kids have bought in and the way they work and the way they take care of each other, it’s already a success,” he said. “They don’t care about what’s going on in the outside world necessarily. And I say this all the time, but we can’t control what goes on outside this building or practice field. We have to focus on the people in this building. Let’s work for each other, play for each other. Let’s get better in our decision-making, better as people, better as football players and all the other areas we can improve in, and let’s enjoy doing it.” 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 19