HARVEST- The Sparkman Senators have something to prove after last season’s team lost its last five games and missed the post-season playoffs in the Class 7A division of play. Second-year head coach Ronnie Watson knows every athlete and coach always have something to prove and he looks to the 2024 squad to turn around the way the previous season came to an end. The Senators will rely on emotional and physical strength to prove Sparkman has a tremendous attitude to be winners.

Among the Senators with brawn is Jamarion Matthews (DL, 6-3, 245, Jr.) who has set the bar, literally, for all his teammates to strive for in their quest to turn around the program and head into playoff contention in 2024.

“We just need more team leaders and yes, sir, I plan on jumping in as you have to have a big voice as sometimes people won’t listen, so you have to speak up,” said Matthews, who has a deep thunderous voice and who, just a junior, has received numerous colleges offers including from Louisville, Liberty, Samford, North Alabama, Penn State and Alabama A&M.

Matthews is being considered a top-notch player as a junior for Sparkman and during the off-season he has extended his workouts to include more time in the weight room. His efforts have powered him to join the elite “1000-Pound Club,” which is the total amount of weight lifted in the squat, dead lift and bench press. His best effort came in the power/clean where he set a team best mark at 270-pounds.

“I worked on technique and don’t go too heavy as I gained muscle with it to make me stronger,” added Matthews, who carries a 3.2 grade point average to add brain to his brawn.

The 2023 team at Sparkman allowed just 20 points per game while posting four shutouts. The defense was the mainstay for the Class 7A team particularly in their 5-0 start. The current squad has bonded much more as a team and that has had a lot to do with what they’re doing in the weight room together and what their emotions are on the field. The pre-season question remains, can the defense play at a high level as it did a season ago? “Yes, sir, of course,” said Matthews with tremendous confidence. “Our D-line, linebackers, safeties and corners all are capable of doing what we did last year. We have talked a lot about what we did last year and we’re looking to do everything we did last year.”

Matthews grew up in football. He would spend hour after hour watching his older brother play the sport, though Matthews admitted he really wasn’t into the sport at the beginning. “I just started playing one day. With me growing up with my older cousins, I didn’t really have around me folks my age, so I just grew up with them and they made me tough. I just stuck with it.”

The 2024 schedule looks to be much tougher in the level of competition as the Senators face off against Spain Park, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Austin to open the campaign. They even face Bob Jones and James Clemens back-to-back in the first two weeks of October.

“My goal is to just make my team better as I’m not focused on myself at the moment, I just want to do everything for my team and win games,” said Matthews. “For me to do that, I plan on coming off the ball quickly, using my hands to get past the offensive tackle who usually blocks me, and make the big plays in the backfield.”

If physical strength and a strong mindset is needed to succeed, look for Matthews to stand up, take charge and be the strength of the Sparkman defense which looks to shutdown opponents of any caliber in 2024.