TUSCALOOSA – Super 7, indeed.
Count ’em: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and, as of Friday, 2023. That’s two straight and seven overall high school football state titles in the last decade for Fyffe High School.
The latest was won with a 43-24 takedown of Reeltown in the Class 2A final at Bryant-Denny Stadium at the Alabama High School Athletic Association Super 7 Championships.
In what might have been a rebuilding season, the Red Devils reeled off 14 straight wins after opening with a loss and added another blue-tinted trophy in the case.
Against Reeltown, Fyfe played one senior on offense and another on defense. Four freshmen and a sophomore started on offense.
“They don’t know any better,” legendary coach Paul Benefield told 256 Today. “They’re robots. Some people have called us robots, that we just program ’em in there.
“We just talk about things that don’t matter like nobody cares how young you are, you’ve got to play.”
The Red Devils did just that against the Rebels, led by junior running back Logan Phillips. He rushed 34 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns and finished with school single-season records with 2,864 yards rushing and 45 touchdowns.
It was his junior class and the rest of the underclassmen that Benefield expected to lead Fyffe back to the championship game – next year. The Red Devils will no doubt open 2024 as the favorite to win another state title.
“We’ll go to work and try to put maybe 12-15 pounds on everybody, or 10,” Benefield said. “We’ve got a chance to be better. I thought we’d be better next year. Of course, you gotta keep people healthy, that’s obvious.”
With the win, Benefield (351-56-0) tied Danny Horn (351-97-0) for second-most wins in AHSAA history. Terry Curtis is the wins leader, and all three of the coaches are active. Benefield spent five seasons at Sylvania, where he went 45-11-0. He now has a 306-45-0 record in 27 seasons at Fyffe.
Following Friday’s win, the team had a celebratory supper at a church just outside of Tuscaloosa. The Red Devils then bused home, receiving a police escort from Fort Payne to a lighted Paul Benefield Stadium around 11 p.m. where players celebrated and took pictures with family and friends.
Saturday, the players were named Grand Marshalls of the Fyffe Christmas Parade.
The spotlight will soon fade, and the time will come to begin preparations for next season.
“I’ll get their heads unswelled about January and we’ll go back to work,” Benefield said. “That’s what our kids do and that’s what they’re expected to do. They know they’re expected to do that. So, it’ll take a few tail chewings, but they’ll get back to work.”
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