Citronelle High School’s football program spent decades stuck in neutral, cycling through coaches who came in with big promises and quietly moved on when the wins didn’t follow. This fall, something different is taking shape under second-year head coach Jason Rowell, and the buzz has spread far enough that locals have given it a name on social media: #NewCitronelle.
The Wildcats opened the 2024 season 3-0, outscoring opponents by 63 points along the way, the best start in program history. That includes a 40-8 rout of Faith Academy in a driving rainstorm, the second straight week Citronelle topped 40 points, something the program had done in back-to-back games only once before, during its celebrated 1991 playoff run under longtime coach Ronny Massey, the winningest coach in school history with 17 seasons on the sideline.
Rowell isn’t shying away from big talk, even though Citronelle hasn’t won a region championship since 2004 and has never made a deep playoff run under the state’s blue map format.
“Our three goals are to host a home playoff game, win the region and compete for the state championship,” Rowell said. “When those stop being our goals, it will be time for me to step away.”
At the same time, Rowell is quick to temper expectations before the Wildcats face a brutal two-week stretch against undefeated Williamson and Vigor, teams that have combined to outscore opponents 279-19 this season.
“We’re nowhere near where we want to be,” Rowell said.
Rowell’s connection to Citronelle football runs deep. His father, Tommy Rowell, played linebacker on the 1969 team that closed the season with three straight 40-plus-point outings. Jason Rowell himself was a team manager under Massey during the historic 1991 season, sweeping the fieldhouse and cutting grass in exchange for lunch at a local burger joint. When Rowell took over the program in 2023, he hung a photograph of Massey near his office door as a reminder, he said, “that there are no shortcuts.”
Since Rowell’s arrival, Citronelle has climbed from a 1-9 season to 6-4 and now to a 3-0 start in 2024.
“I think there’s a feeling of pride being restored,” Rowell said. “You see a lot of Wildcat shirts and hats around town.”
Part of the turnaround comes down to keeping talent home instead of watching it transfer elsewhere. Rowell said no player has transferred out of the program since he took the job, while the team has actually drawn in new talent, including quarterback Daylon Edmunds, a transfer from Millry with All-State caliber skills, and Sye Byrd, who has given the offense a boost at running back and receiver while also playing defensive end.
“It’s relational,” Rowell said of building and keeping a roster together. “It’s loving on them. It’s not just football. They’re a close bunch. If you’re in town, you usually see three or four of them together.”
On the field, the Wildcats are leaning on a ground game that is averaging 250 yards per game behind a young offensive line, while Edmunds has protected the football, with the offense committing just one turnover through three games as the defense has forced 11. Rowell credits an emphasis the coaching staff placed on takeaways starting back in February workouts, including a recurring session the team calls “Turnover Tuesday.”
“What we’ve focused on since February is turnovers,” Rowell said. “We want to take the ball away.”
Defensively, Citronelle has also flipped the field position battle in its favor, with the offense starting most drives near midfield through the first three games.
“That’s hidden yardage,” Rowell said.
Rowell said he expects Edmunds and the passing game to be tested more as region play intensifies. “As we get deeper into region play, we’re going to have to throw the ball and take our shots and get our playmakers in space,” he said.
With Citronelle’s lopsided early wins, Rowell has also been able to get backups meaningful playing time, which he considers part of building a program built to last beyond one strong season.
“I don’t worry about records,” he said. “It’s getting the young kids experience so they’ll know what to do when their feet are in the fire. That’s how you build a complete program.”
Citronelle will get its clearest measuring stick yet over the next two weeks against Williamson and Vigor before turning attention to the postseason chase in Class 5A, Region 1.
“We just want to add one more week to our schedule every week,” Rowell said.