Pigskin Roundup 2016 | Page 77

TALLADEGA TIGERS Class, Region: Class 5A, Region 4 Head Coach: Robert Herring, Jr. 2015 Record: 2-7 2015 Playoffs: None HOME OF THE Coach Herring, Jr. 2015 Rewind: The key word for the Tigers in 2015 was “growth”. The Tigers had five seniors on the squad which forced them to rely on underclassmen. The experience gained from 2015 will serve the Tigers well as they head into 2016 with momentum and confidence. Head coach Robert Herring says returning starters at key positions will be critical to the Tigers’ success this season. Key Losses: JaQuan Scales (RB, WR & DB) will have the most impactful loss. Scales was an all purpose player who scored six touchdowns in 2015. The Tigers also lost Demyus Beavers and Bruce Garrett who both played receiver and defensive back. Beavers was also a return specialist. TonySerraFord.com 877-DRIVE-FORD 723 E. Battle St. Talladega, AL 35160 Players to Watch: Quarterback Ashton Duncan returns under center for the Tigers. The junior embraced the starting role as a sophomore and has worked hard on his fundamentals this offseason. Expect to see the multi-sport athlete, who plays both AAU basketball and travel baseball, to take his game to another level in 2016. Talladega also returns three starting offensive lineman. Senior guards (and three year starters) Jamonte Twymon and Nyjahl Garrett will anchor the inside. Robert Houston (6’4”, 270 lbs) will return as left tackle. Meanwhile talented Jae-Lyn Russ (6’5” 270 lbs) will start at right tackle. The Tigers will lean on all four seniors on both sides of the ball. In addition to their offensive duties, Houston and Russ start at defensive end. Twymon will serve as a defensive tackle and Garrett at linebacker. 2016 Roundup: The upcoming season presents a lot of challenges for the Tigers. Six of Talladega’s ten opponents made the playoffs in 2015. Cleburne County is now a region opponent in Class 5A. The Tigers and Tigers will hook up for the first time since World War II and just the fifth time in school history (Talladega has won all four matchups). Likewise, the Tigers will play Walter Wellborn for the first time in 17 years in a non-region matchup midseason. Herring expects his team to compete hard in every game this season and believes confidence can grow with each game. Did You Know? Talladega’s opening matchup against Oxford will feature a pair of brothers against one another. Robert Herring’s Tigers will travel to Lamar Field to face Ryan Herring’s Yellow Jackets on August 19th. The game marks one of very few matchups in state history with relatives as head coaches. The brothers are the sons of Hall of Fame coach Robert Herring. 2016 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine | 75