MONTGOMERY – Tonight’s AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week features two the top high school quarterbacks in AHSAA history.  However, neither will be able to take a single snap in the game.
      Sylacauga High School (0-2) hosts Elmore County (2-0) tonight at 7 p.m., at Legion Stadium in Sylacauga. The Aggies will have first-year head coach Chris Smelley on their sidelines, and the Panthers will have Kyle Caldwell, now in his second season as head coach, on their sidelines.
     Both coaches inherited programs that went 0-10 the year before. Both programs have plenty of reason to have high expectations of things to come, however.
     Smelley, who quarterbacked collegiately at the University of South Carolina for Coach Steve Spurrier, finished high school at American Christian in the spring of 2006. He quarterbacked the Patriots to a 39-3 record his last three seasons at the Tuscaloosa private school, set the AHSAA state  record at the time with 565 passing yards in a Class 1A semifinal 43-31 loss to eventual state champion Brantley. He closed his career 10,385 passing yards – which still ranks fourth in the AHSAA all-time – was voted the ASWA Class 1A Back of the Year and played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game in 2006.
     At South Carolina, he played in two games as a freshman before earning the starting job by his junior year. He passed for 3,210 yards and 23 TDs for the Gamecocks but transferred to Alabama in 2009 where he closed his collegiate career as a catcher on the Crimson Tide baseball team.
     Caldwell took over Elmore County’s program last season – guiding the Panthers to a 7-4 season and state playoff appearance just one year after the team struggled and finished 0-10.  Caldwell, at 5-foot-8, was an incredible high school quarterback himself. He led Dadeville to a 33-4 record in his three years as starting quarterback. The Tigers were 0-10 his freshman year.
      Like Smelley, he was honored by the ASWA as the Class 4A Back of the Year his senior season in 2010. He played in the 2011 North-South All-Star Game earning MVP honors leading the South to a 37-33 win. He broke the All-Star Game passing records that were set 44 years earlier by John Carroll quarterback Pat Sullivan – the same Pat Sullivan that earned the Heisman Trophy as at Auburn in 1971.
     Caldwell finished his career with 5,292 yards passing and 48 touchdowns. He also accumulated 6,270 total yards, which is also listed in the AHSAA Record Book. He played quarterback collegiately at the University of West Alabama despite standing only 5-foot-9. Inducted into the UWA Hall of Fame in 2020, he accounted for more than 9,000 yards while earning Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year  in 2011 and earned All-America honors while being named two-time South Conference offensive player of the year in 2013 and 2014. A finalist for the NCAA Division II Harlin Hill Trophy, he finished his college career with school records for total offense (9,201), yards passing (7,731), TD passes (72) and total touchdowns (72). He was voted to the UWA and Gulf South Conference Football Teams of the Decade.
     Smelley coached his alma mater American Christian for six seasons – compiling a 65-21 record with all six teams reaching the state playoffs. His final team reached the Class 4A semifinals.
     “Sylacauga has a lot of football tradition,” said Smelley. “However, we felt like they got away from the physicality of the game. That’s what we tried to teach the players in the spring.”
     The Aggies, which went from 53 players last year to 88 this year, opened the season losing to Wenonah 38-7 but played much better in a 31-17 loss to Moody last week. “The players improved a lot from game one to last week,” he said. “We improved by 54 missed tackles from game one to game two.”
     Smelley said the improvement has created some excitement in the school and community. Three strong receivers, 6-foot-4 Quindavius “Q” Swain, Jakarri Cottingham, and Brice Oden, are among the Aggies stepping up their leadership. Caleb Storey stepped in at quarterback when the starter got hurt in game one. The talented Swain set the AHSAA record for charges taken in a season as a member of the Aggies’ basketball team.
     Elmore County comes in at 2-0 with wins over Class 5A Marbury (56-28) and Class 1A Autaugaville (62-0). Caldwell, now 9-4 as a head coach, praised his defensive coaches and players for last week’s shutout – which included setting an AHSAA state record for holding the Eagles to minus-119 yards rushing on the night – breaking the previous mark minus-67 yards) set  by Greensboro versus Uniontown 46 years earlier in 1977. Among the defensive leaders are safeties Jackson Mann and Chris Holt.
     The Panthers were able to hold senior running back C.J. Wilkes, who injured an ankle in the season opener, out of last week’s game. Wilkes, who averaged 7.3 yards a carry in 2022 while gaining 1,303 yards in 11 games, is back healthy, said Caldwell, and ready to play tonight.
     Caldwell said he is pleased with the play of quarterback Ryals McNeely. He can do a lot of things for us. He has really embraced our offensive philosophy.”
 Tonight’s game is being produced by Vince Earley and his talented crew from WOTM TV. Caleb Brooks and Mickey Shadrix will be in the announcers’ booth for the game, which will be shown live over WOTM, My68 TV in Birmingham, the AHSAA TV Network member cable affiliates and will be live streamed over the NFHS Network and WOTM.tv.
      The AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week is one of at least eight scheduled for tonight  over the NFHS Network. A total of 124 broadcasts are currently scheduled for the NFHS Network tomorrow night.
       To access the AHSAA Game of the Week the NFHS Network, go to the following link
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/gamcb7a816bea

       The AHSAA Radio Network’s Scoreboard Show will also air across the state Friday night. Go to www.ahsaaradionetwork.com for network information.
       Kickoff for tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m. Next week’s Game of the Week will be another Class 5A contest with Jasper High School hosting Fairfield in a Region 5 battle.