A former DHS cheerleader herself, Abrams enjoys the atmosphere of the bands, the cheerleading and the support of the town as the Demopolis team has a chance this year to win a state championship.

The undefeated Demopolis High School Tigers football team will face the defending state champion UMS-Wright Bulldogs in a 4-A semi-final playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.

Pettus said he is proud of seeing the players come together as players and friends.

The team means so much to the town because the young athletes are "the heart and soul of the town,"

Pettus said.

Often teams in the past were ready for the season to end, but Randall said from watching the practice this season, he had not seen any of the current team who were ready for this season to be over. "The coaches have done a good job of keeping the interest. There’s still a lot of spirit.

Randall has also been impressed with the crowd support for the Tigers. "That was the biggest crowd Friday Night (at Trinity) that I have seen for an away game," he said. "I see a lot more student involvement. Kids (are) out there are painting themselves up and not just sitting on their hands and socializing like they’ve done in the past.

All that is not only a tribute to the kids we have now but to the type of kids we have now."

Randall also believes the game ending ritual of the team recognizing the band and the alma mater being played is very important to building a winning tradition.