On the Road with Olivia and Alexa Episode 12: Austin and Decatur
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Episode 12 of On the Road with Olivia and Alexa features the two schools that play in the River City Rivalry: Austin and Decatur.
The Black Bears finished 8-3 overall in 2023 after a first-round playoff loss to Vestavia Hills.
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Head coach Jeremy Perkins says his roster this year includes a combination of youth and experience, and he’s excited to see what this group can do.
Aside from the x’s and o’s, no matter what happens on the field this year, when the Black Bears’ lights turn off at the end of the season, what does a successful year look like for Coach Perkins?
“As a coach, you want your guys to have the best experience that they can have, plain and simple,” Perkins said. “Wins and losses are great and I’m competitive I want to go undefeated and be a state champion and that’s the goal we set that’s what we’re striving for.”
The Decatur Red Raiders finished with a 3-7 overall record last season.
This season, a new coach takes over the program, but it’s not a coach who’s new to football in North Alabama. John Ritter has been a head coach at Red Bay, West Morgan and Russellville, and now, after spending six years at the helm of the Golden Tigers, he takes over the Red Raiders.
So, what do Decatur fans need to know about Coach Ritter and how he runs his program?
“We’re very old school, new school,” Ritter said. “We want to run football, and we want to play good defense, playing fast, playing tough and playing physical. Regardless of talent, if you’ll strike you can be successful and that’s things that we’ve kind of been hammering home with these guys since February.”
Both teams will travel on Friday, August 23, to open the season. Austin will travel to Hartselle, and Decatur will go to Buckhorn.
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