ALMA, Ark. — After falling one win short of winning the 5A West in 2023, the Alma Airedales are looking to come back stronger led by a large senior class.
Alma was 7-2 going into their final regular season game where they took on Shiloh Christian. A win would've given them a Conference title, but they fell short. This brought them down to the 4 seed for the 5A Playoffs. They eventually got a tough draw having to go on the road against the eventual 5A State Champions, Little Rock Parkview.
After last season left a bad taste in the team's mouth, they feel ready to go. The team will be led by running back Israel Towns-Robinson and 15 other seniors who have a lot of experience, especially after those big-time games toward the end of last season.
Alma head coach Rusty Bush said those seniors will make a huge difference for the 2024 team.
"Anytime a young man can get some experience like that, whether it's game time or whether it's against really good, established football programs, I think that's great," Bush said. "We've got a lot of guys back. This senior class is 16 strong, and it's full of guys that have really been two-year starters, so they've got [a lot of] games under their belt now."
The Airedales will get their season started at home on Thursday, Aug. 29, for a non-conference game against Van Buren at 7:30 p.m.
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