The Hartselle Tigers began preparations for the 2023 football season with their spring practice this past month.

The Tigers, who finished 12-1 in 2022 under Coach Bryan Moore, have begun reloading. They will replace eight offensive starters, including quarterback Jack Smith, wide receivers Izayah Fletcher and Eli Tidwell, and four offensive linemen. In addition, they will need to find five starters on defense, replacing two defensive linemen, two linebackers and a defensive back.

“We had a really good spring with over 120 kids from grades 9-12 out for practice and another 105 seventh and eight graders,” Moore said. “Our numbers are better than ever.”

Spring practices were structured in a way so every coach could see every athlete, no matter what grade they were in. The seventh and eight graders began the last week of April, with the freshmen and varsity practicing over the last three weeks.

“We have to get a lot better in the summer to compete in a very difficult region along with a challenging out-of-region schedule,” Moore said. “I like where we are at overall right now. We retained all of our coaches from last season and are happy with the continuity of the staff as well.”