Belgreen routs Sumiton Christian to improve to 2-0

Belgreen—a football school?

For the second straight week, the Belgreen High School football team has routed its competition. In their season opener last week, the Bulldogs defeated Shoals Christian 54-8, and then on Friday night dominated Sumiton Christian 43-6 to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

“I’m really proud of the boys. They worked hard and they played well,” Belgreen head coach Jonathan Raper said. “They came out and really got after it.”

Belgreen was on the other end of the result in this matchup last season with Sumiton Christian beating the Bulldogs by 31 points in 2024. Raper said Friday’s result shows just how much the program has developed over the last couple years.

“We have come a long way from where we started out at, building the program from scratch,” Raper reflected with a chuckle. “You can hardly compare it. We look like a normal football team almost!

“The kids are just reacting and playing now. They’re not thinking as much and they’re just playing football,” he added.

Similar to their first game against Shoals Christian, the Bulldogs came in without much knowledge of what Sumiton Christian would throw at them but were able to adapt to the challenge.

“Like the game last week, we didn’t really know what to expect. We didn’t really have any film on anybody, but our kids have done a great job of making adjustments on the fly,” Raper said. “Just going over it on the sideline and in between drives and making those adjustments, that’s been very encouraging. We’ve still got a long way to go, but that’s been very encouraging.”

Friday night’s contest, which was Belgreen’s home opener at Sparks Stadium, was all but over by halftime. Sophomore quarterback Rush Berryman along with junior Ethan Dawson, sophomore Logan Alexander, and senior Miguel Willingham all contributed to the scoreline. Meanwhile, the defense was stifling, holding the shutout over Sumiton Christian until the late stages of the ballgame. The Bulldogs took a 43-0 lead into the intermission, and that advantage was more than enough to see the game through.

“We took a good lead early, and we were able to score in different ways. We even had two or three touchdowns called back, which isn’t great, but we were able to overcome that. We had some penalties, as well, but we were able to overcome those, too. I think that just shows some of the maturity we have, being able to overcome that adversity early on in the game,” Raper told the Franklin Free Press. 

Belgreen played more younger players in the second half. Raper said it was great to see the older players get the job done quickly giving more inexperienced players the opportunity to get game reps.

“They came out and played hard, and I was proud of them for coming out and putting the game away early and doing the job with the understanding that, ‘Hey, I may only play two quarters or a quarter and a half,’ but allowing the younger guys to play and get some experience,” Raper said. “You know they want to play four quarters, but that, to me, just shows the growth and maturity that they’ve had.

“We got to play a ton of young kids, and that’s always really good,” he added.

Belgreen will have an opportunity to improve to a perfect 3-0 in its game next week against Tharptown. But there’s danger in the double distraction of the whole affair; Belgreen will be holding its first football homecoming next week and doing so against a county rival.

“I definitely think (Tharptown) would be a natural rival for us this early on in the program. Their kids know our kids and vice versa, and the players get a little more amped up when they know who they’re playing. You see them when you go out and you play them in baseball and basketball and all the sports. It makes a difference,” Raper said. 

“And then you have your first homecoming and it’s a big ordeal—and it should be. Homecoming’s are always a big ordeal, but we’ve never even had one!” he added. “This is a completely new experience for all these kids. 

“There’s all the typical homecoming activities that go on, but we’ve still got to try to be ready to play Friday night. That’s what I told (the players): There’s going to be a lot going on, but you can’t get caught up in everything else—there’s still a football game to prepare for and do our best to win.

“I told them to enjoy it but don’t forget what we’re trying to accomplish here. Keep things in perspective,” Raper said. “But I feel good about our team, feel good about where we’re at, and I’m confident that we’re going to do what we need to do to get ready for that game.”

Belgreen’s Homecoming game against Tharptown is set to be played at Sparks Stadium on Friday, September 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.