At Vigor High School in Prichard, success isn’t measured by playoff appearances — it’s measured by championships, and after last season’s near miss, the Wolves say the standard hasn’t changed.
Vigor added another chapter to one of Alabama’s most storied football traditions in 2025, finishing 12-3 and advancing to the Class 5A state championship game before falling to Moody. Now, after moving into Class 4A for 2026, head coach Renardo Jackson says the expectations remain exactly where they’ve always been.
“The standard at Vigor has always been championships,” Jackson said throughout the offseason. “We work with a championship mindset.”
Rather than dwelling on a runner-up finish, Jackson said the Wolves turned their attention immediately toward correcting the mistakes that kept them from bringing another state title back to Prichard, building the offseason around a program-wide theme.
“Our motto this offseason has been DASH,” Jackson said. “Everything that you see us come out in this fall will have DASH somewhere on it. DASH for us represents daily actions that secure our harvest. We attacked each one of those areas every day — not focused on getting back to the championship — but correcting the things we didn’t do well to close out last season.”
New Quarterback, Familiar Expectations
Replacing quarterback Sammy Dunn won’t be easy. Vigor also graduated leading receiver Dylan Jackson and versatile playmaker Gerritt Holcombe, leaving junior Anthony Gill to step into one of the most demanding quarterback jobs in the state.
Jackson isn’t worried. “I’m very excited about our quarterback,” he said. “I’m ready for him to get a chance to show everybody else what I get a chance to see on a daily basis. He’s won the team over this offseason, and we believe we can build around what he does well and have an opportunity to have a lot of success on offense.”
Gill won’t have to carry the offense alone. Senior running back Demetris Johnson returns after rushing for 1,141 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, giving Vigor one of the area’s most productive backs. Arkansas State commit Zy Wilson is back as the top returning receiving threat after catching 38 passes for 723 yards and seven touchdowns.
The offensive line also returns experienced leadership, including four-year starter Gabe Brown, who Jackson believes is one of the area’s most overlooked players. “I think Gabe is probably one of the most underrated offensive linemen in this area,” Jackson said. “Anybody that can block Jabarrius Garror every day in practice deserves an opportunity to play at the next level.”
Defense Leads the Way
While Vigor replaces key offensive production, the defense could once again be among the state’s elite. The Wolves return 10 starters from last year’s defense, including three SEC commits.
Texas-bound defensive lineman Jabarrius “Chicken” Garror headlines the group after recording 94 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in 2025. Joining him are Auburn linebacker commit Isaac McNeil and Kentucky defensive back commit Miguel “Seatbelt” Wilson. In all, 14 players on Vigor’s roster already hold Division I offers.
Jackson believes last year’s deep playoff run gave an already talented defense something even more valuable — experience. “If I had to say the strength of this team, I would say these are some very intelligent athletes,” Jackson said. “When you look at this group of seniors, they’ve played a whole other football season because of the playoff games. They have a lot of reps under their belt, and good things should happen.”
Remembering How Last Season Ended
The loss to Moody still lingers, and for linebacker Isaac McNeil, it has become motivation. “It really hurt us,” McNeil said. “But I think we’re going to come back this year for sure. After last year, I think we know. I think we’re going to get it done this year.”
Jackson said he sees that same determination every day at practice. “We do everything with the mindset of finishing,” he said. “We didn’t finish last year. That’s one of our core values of the program, and we’re working very hard to improve as finishers.”
Battle of Prichard Opens Another Championship Chase
The Wolves won’t have to wait long for their first major test. Vigor opens the 2026 season on Aug. 22 against rival Blount in the annual Battle of Prichard at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, kicking off a season in which the Wolves are expected to be among the favorites in Class 4A.
With a roster loaded with Division I talent and expectations as high as ever, last December’s loss still serves as a daily reminder inside the Vigor locker room of what remains unfinished.