Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

For most high school football players, their careers come to end on a cold night in November and usually with a loss unless the team is lucky enough to win a state championship. Some players of talented enough to go and play at the next level, but most never put on a pair of shoulder pads again. However, for a pair of Hartselle players, they will get a chance to play one more time. Connor Landers and Caleb Meyer were selected to play in the Alabama North/South All-Star game that will take place this month in Montgomery.

Landers and Meyer recently graduated from Hartselle after spending three years as starters on the Tigers’ defense. The first two years were rough as Hartselle adjusted to playing in class 6A. The Tigers went a combined 14-8 and exited in the first round of the playoffs each year. However, it all built up to their senior year. “We knew we had to change it when we got to our senior year,” Meyer said, “we had to step it up,” Landers tacked on, “we changed up our defense,” Landers said. “We knew we had to do something different after suffering some tough losses the previous years.”

Hartselle started the season off strong with a win over rival Cullman in a torrential rainstorm. “Beating Cullman in that first game was huge,” Landers said, “we knew offseason that we had been a good team but we had the potential to be a great team.”

Hartselle started the season 4-0 and it all led to a showdown with Muscle Shoals, who the Tigers hadn’t beaten since 2008. Hartselle dominated most of the game, but to the players’ horror Muscle Shoals seemed to be on the verge of knocking off the Tigers once again late in the game. The Trojans had the ball inside the Tigers’ 10 yard line needing a touchdown to win. However, the defense, led by Landers and Meyer, forced a field goal and Hartselle went on to win 36-33 in double overtime. “That was an unbelievable win,” Landers said. “That’s just something you look back on when your older.” Hartselle went on to erase their first round playoff curse before falling to a talented Minor team later in the playoffs. “I don’t think anybody in the locker room thought we couldn’t beat them (Minor),” Landers said. “You’ve got to be perfect in everything you do or those kind of teams will take advantage of you.”

While it seemed like they would never get to play again, the two Hartselle players are thrilled to get one more chance. “It’s refreshing,” Meyer said, “I feel like I left it all on the field but you still want just one more chance to play.”