THEODORE, Ala. — Theodore football is entering a new era under head coach Randy Larson, but the Bobcats aren’t starting over. With one of the state’s most productive running backs, an experienced defensive front and a recent history of postseason success, the program believes its proven identity can carry it back into the playoffs in 2026.
Larson takes over after the retirement of Steve Mask, an AHSAA Hall of Fame coach who won four state titles at St. Paul’s before going 20-13 in three seasons at Theodore, including an 8-4 finish and a second-round playoff trip in 2025. It’s Larson’s first head coaching job, but not his first stint at Theodore — he coached there from 2008 to 2015 before stops at Saraland and Satsuma, then returned in 2020. “I don’t think you’re ever ready until you do it,” Larson said. “But the football side of it is still football.” He doesn’t plan a wholesale overhaul of a program that has made the playoffs eight times in 10 years and won three region titles in that span. “It wasn’t necessarily broken, so there aren’t a lot of fixes that have to be made,” he said.
The Offense
The offense centers on senior running back Kendrick Able Jr., who rushed for 1,553 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and is verbally committed to Grambling State. “The big thighs get to moving,” Larson said. “They don’t like to see No. 6 coming late in the second quarter and fourth quarter.” Able, who also carries a weighted GPA above 4.0, described his own game: “I feel like I’m a back with great vision, great pad level and I’m very physical. I break arm tackles. I also make people miss in open space.” Senior Jadon Strait is expected to take over at quarterback, with junior Demarcus “Duke” Beckham and offensive linemen Finn Gipson and Warren Wade also expected to play key roles.
The Defense
Defensively, Theodore returns experience at every level, including linebacker Hayden Coleman (70 tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception last season) and Jermaine Bush (59 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions). “Up front, we’ve got two returning starters with Kaden McDonald and Troy Burks,” Larson said. “Defensively, I feel really good about what we’ve got coming back.” The Bobcats face a demanding region slate that includes Saraland, Spanish Fort, Baldwin County, Gulf Shores, Blount, Murphy and new region opponent Elberta. “There are really no off weeks,” Larson said. Theodore opens the season against Davidson and begins region play at home against Baldwin County on Sept. 4.
Theodore and Alabama High School Football
Theodore High School sits in south Mobile County and is one of the larger schools in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 6A classification. The Bobcats compete in a region that has produced a string of playoff teams in recent years, and the program’s recent run of three region titles and eight postseason trips in a decade reflects the kind of consistency that earns respect around the state. The school’s location, just west of Mobile along the bay, gives it a deep pool of football talent drawn from south Mobile County’s growing residential population.
Larson’s promotion from within, after years as a Theodore assistant and head coaching stints at Saraland and Satsuma, gives the program continuity rather than disruption. The new head coach’s familiarity with the program’s players, parents and feeder schools matters more than any schematic overhaul, especially in a region where rival coaches have had time to study the Bobcats’ tendencies.
The Region Slate
Theodore’s 2026 region schedule reads like a list of recent South Alabama champions. Saraland, Spanish Fort and Baldwin County all have recent playoff pedigree, and Gulf Shores has emerged as a Class 6A contender since being elevated from a smaller classification. Murphy, Blount and new region opponent Elberta round out a slate that gives the Bobcats no room for an off week. The season opener against Davidson, a non-region game, is a chance to install the new staff’s wrinkles before the region grind begins with Baldwin County at home on Sept. 4.
Larson inherits a defense that returns starters at linebacker and along the defensive line, which should help the Bobcats weather the early-season grind of a tough schedule. Hayden Coleman and Jermaine Bush form an experienced linebacking corps, while Kaden McDonald and Troy Burks anchor the defensive line. That kind of returning experience, especially in the front seven, is what Larson pointed to when he said he felt good about what the defense has coming back.
The Coach and the Program’s Outlook
Larson’s path to the Theodore head coaching job is itself a story about south Alabama high school football. A long-time Bobcats assistant, he left to take head coaching positions at Saraland and Satsuma before returning to Theodore in 2020 as an assistant under Steve Mask. When Mask retired following the 2025 season, Larson was the natural internal successor, and the school did not have to conduct a wide search.
The new coach inherits a roster with a clear offensive centerpiece in Able, a committed senior who has already drawn an offer from Grambling State. A workhorse running back with vision, pad level and the physicality to break arm tackles, Able is the kind of player whose late-season workload is what Larson hinted at when he said defenses don’t like to see No. 6 coming in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Jadon Strait, junior running back Demarcus “Duke” Beckham and offensive linemen Finn Gipson and Warren Wade round out a veteran offense that should keep the Bobcats in games even when the defense is still finding its footing early in the season.
For Theodore fans, the question is whether the program’s recent run of playoff appearances and region titles can survive the transition. Larson’s answer, in essence, is yes: the foundation is in place, the defense returns experience, and the offense has a featured back. The 2026 season, like every season in 6A football, will come down to how the Bobcats handle the region slate and whether the new head coach can avoid the kind of missteps that turn close losses into season-long slumps.
The AHSAA Context
The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 6A is the largest classification in the state and the one that consistently produces the deepest playoff brackets. South Mobile County schools have made a habit of competing at that level, with Theodore, Saraland and Spanish Fort all fielding teams capable of deep postseason runs. The Bobcats’ recent stretch of eight playoff appearances in 10 years and three region titles in that span is the kind of record that gets a program taken seriously by coaches around the region and the state.
The Steve Mask era, which preceded Larson’s promotion, brought four state titles from St. Paul’s before Mask moved to Theodore and went 20-13 across three seasons. That kind of championship pedigree in a head coach is hard to replicate, and Larson’s challenge in 2026 is to show that the program’s success was about more than one leader. The roster returning this fall suggests he has the players to make that argument convincingly.
The Bobcats’ Place in South Mobile County
Theodore sits in a part of Mobile County that has produced a long line of college and professional football talent, and the Bobcats’ pipeline into the SEC, Sun Belt and SWAC reflects that depth. Kendrick Able Jr.’s verbal commitment to Grambling State is the kind of program-defining recruit that anchors an offense, and the presence of seniors like Jadon Strait, juniors like Demarcus “Duke” Beckham, and veteran linemen like Finn Gipson and Warren Wade gives the new coaching staff a veteran core to build around.
The defense, meanwhile, leans on returning production from linebackers Hayden Coleman and Jermaine Bush and defensive linemen Kaden McDonald and Troy Burks. Coleman put up 70 tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception last season, while Bush added 59 tackles, six tackles for loss and two interceptions. That kind of returning production in the front seven is what allows a new head coach to focus on offensive installation and game management early in the season.
Looking Ahead to the Season
The 2026 season opens with a non-region game against Davidson before region play begins at home against Baldwin County on Sept. 4. That opening region game will be the first real test of Larson’s new staff against a conference opponent, and the result will set the tone for a region slate that includes Saraland, Spanish Fort, Gulf Shores, Blount, Murphy and new region opponent Elberta. Theodore’s path back to the playoffs will run through that stretch, and the Bobcats’ depth on both sides of the ball will determine how far they can go once November arrives.
