MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Next up on WKRG’s “33 Teams in 33 Days” spring special is the Faith Academy Rams.
WKRG sports director Simone Eli and weekend sports anchor Gerhard Mathangani provide an inside look into the Rams, who are coming off one of the best seasons in program history.
The Rams went 11-3 overall with a trip to the Class 5A state semifinals. Faith Academy finished 8-2 in the regular season and scored a revenge victory over Gulf Shores in the third round of the playoffs after falling to the Dolphins in week two.
Jack French enters his sixth year at the helm for the Rams. He has led Faith Academy to five straight playoff appearances, which marks the longest streak since the Rams joined the AHSAA. Before leading Faith Academy, French enjoyed successful runs along the Gulf Coast with head coaching stops at Baker, Clarke County, and Baldwin County. French is excited about the momentum generated from last year’s run and he is enthusiastic for what lays ahead this season.
“We have a lot of experience at most positions,” said French. “Our strength was the back of our defense last year (and) a lot of that graduated, as you’d expect, but the rest of the defense has a good bit of experience.”
French’s defense was historically dominate last season allowing just under 10 points per game. The Rams held teams to under eight points in eight games with four shutouts. Meanwhile, the offense averaged nearly 31 points per contest. French feels good about an offense with a lot of returning starters back in the fold.
“Pretty much all our offense has got somebody who has played a lot to step in,” added French.
2022 Record (notable wins, losses):
- 11-3
- 34-7 win vs. St. Paul’s (non-region game)
- 26-0 win vs. Williamson (region game)
Key players:
- Jarrett Daughtry, 2024 QB
- Carson Ratliff, 2024 LB
- Ty Goodwill, 2024 WR/CB
Starting quarterback Jarrett Daughtry returns under center to lead a loaded offensive unit. Daughtry threw for more than 2,300 yards with 21 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense will be led by returning star linebacker Carson Ratliff. He registered more than 100 tackles in 2022. Ratliff posted 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. Ty Goodwill was did a little bit of everything for the Rams as a receiver, defensive back and kick returner. Goodwill recorded more than 900 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns. The veterans are excited to climb to even higher heights this season.
“We have a lot of upcoming senior leaders,” said Ratliff. “I think that all the seniors are doing a great job of leading and helping out all of the younger people.”
The returning stars are hungry to build on last season’s success.
“(The) spring is going really good,” said Daughtry. “We’re putting in the work and doing everything we can to be better than we were last year and make it to state.”
Key Matchups:
- vs. Gulf Shores (region game) — September 8
- @ St. Paul’s (non-region game) — September 29
- vs. Vigor (region game) — October 6
Link to full schedule
Who’s next:
Sunday will feature the Robertsdale Golden Bears. Follow along WKRG’s “33 teams in 33 days” throughout the next five weeks. Each team will be featured during the 6:30 p.m. newscast on the weekdays and during the 10 p.m. newscast on the weekend.
Full “33 teams in 33 days” schedule:
