ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WKRG) — Next up on WKRG’s “33 Teams in 33 Days” spring special is the Orange Beach Makos.
WKRG sports director Simone Eli and weekend sports anchor Gerhard Mathangani provide an inside look into the Makos, who are entering just their fourth season as a football program. There is plenty of excitement to begin the year after a solid campaign in 2022.
The Makos enter the second season on under head coach Jamey DuBose. The veteran leader is a proven champion, and he will look for his team to take another step forward this fall. Last season, the Makos set a program record with 404 total points (average a new team-high 36 points per game).
Orange Beach graduated a large senior class that laid the groundwork of gridiron success. DuBose told WKRG the spring is allowing the staff to evaluate the players returning and see where players can fill important roles.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces. We graduated 20 seniors a year ago, so a lot of positions open,” said DuBose. “We’re looking at our younger guys, seeing where they are and trying to get our offensive defensive schemes in. We talk to them every day about playing hard. The harder you play good things are going to happen.”
Another key theme for the Makos this season is strong competition at every level. DuBose praised his team’s competitive mentality as they move forward in spring practice.
“We compete well,” added DuBose. “Two major words we have are compete and finish. Every drill we got; we want it to be a competitive drill. We want to work on finishing.”
2022 Record (notable wins, losses):
- 8-3
- 31-14 win vs. Jackson
- 35-29 win vs. Bayside Academy
Key players:
- Chandler Wilson, TE/DE
- Grant Bilbo, WR/DB
- Charlie Edgeworth, OL/DT
- Carter Green, DB
The Makos will be led by a small, but very productive senior class. College prospect Chandler Wilson (6’4”, 225 lbs.) is back as the team’s tight end and defensive end. Grant Bilbo serves as another major offensive weapon as a wide receiver. In the trenches, Charlie Edgeworth (6’7”, 315 lbs.) anchors the offensive and defensive lines. Meanwhile Carter Green headlines the defensive backfield that has four returning players. The leadership group is eager to take charge this season.
“We are trying to just teach the young guys,” said Wilson of the senior class. “We have a lot of upcoming freshmen and sophomores, so we’re really trying to get those guys to step up their game up and lock in, playing varsity so that they can have a big role.”
There have been some hurdles during spring practice, but the leaders see the growth of the young players.
“First day was kind of rough, but we’ve definitely come a long way,” said Bilbo. “He (DuBose) always tells us to get one percent better each day. So that’s what we’ve been doing.”
The team understands that talent is only one component, that is the reason they are prioritizing toughness and effort.
“(We need to) definitely play faster and more physical,” added Wilson. “We might not have a lot of seniors, but we can play faster and more physical that a lot of other teams.”
Key Matchups:
- @ Jackson (region game) September 8
- @ T.R. Miller (region game) September 22
- vs. Bayside Academy (region game) October 13
Link to full schedule.
Who’s next:
Sunday will feature the Bayside Academy Admirals. Follow along WKRG’s “33 teams in 33 days” throughout the next five weeks. Each team will be featured during the 6:30 p.m. newscast on the weekdays and during the 10 p.m. newscast on the weekend.
Full “33 teams in 33 days” schedule:
