2025 HSFT Stop #46: South Lamar

MILLPORT, AL. (WCBI)- Last season, South Lamar football finished just 2-8, but don’t let the record fool you. The Stallions are riding into 2025 with a whole new attitude. A new season means a new mindset, and this team is set on getting tougher.

“The physicality, you know,” Head coach Clay Gilliam said. “We were very soft last year, and that’s one thing we wanted to get back to, which is to be more physical and impose our will on folks.”

Physicality, toughness, and smash-mouth football are the buzzwords for South Lamar this year. And this group of guys has completely bought into them this offseason.

“I asked our head coach if some of our young players were on steroids because they’ve been working so hard,” linebacker Mason Hardin said.

But don’t worry, there are no steroids around here. Just the Stallions putting in some serious work, and it’s not going unnoticed.

“We’ll be a lot more physical as a team and not just personal things,” tackle Alston Tucker said. “I feel like these young guys will definitely step up and help us out in a huge, huge way.”

But in Millport, it isn’t just about strong hits and big muscles; it’s about building something stronger.

“This team right here has worked really hard in the offseason and in the weight room,” Gilliam said. “They didn’t like how the season was last year, and they’ve really bonded together and come together to become a really close-knit family this year over the fall and spring and into the summer.”

It’s that kind of bond, earned through sweat and struggles, that Hardin says changed the energy on the field.

“We’ve got a bunch of young guys coming out here, busting their butts every day, and we’re ready,” Hardin said. “It makes me want to play for the guy next to me.”

With a new year and a new team on the horizon, South Lamar is determined to be bigger and better. The Stallions will kick off their season on August 22 against Lamar County.