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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

It’s been an offseason full of change for the Montevallo Bulldogs, but they still have high hopes of competing and continuing their recent run of success.

The biggest change starts at the top as former defensive coordinator Garrett Langer takes over the head coaching position following Blake Boren’s departure to Prattville after four seasons at the helm.

“All this is new for me,” Langer said. “I’ve never been in this role but definitely excited about the opportunity, excited about our guys here and to see what they’re going to do this year and about the success that’s in front of them.”

While this is Langer’s first season as a head coach, his experience on the Montevallo staff not only brought continuity to the team, but energized it.

Offensive lineman K’Erius Cockrum was one of many players who said that Langer pushed them to work harder, especially in the weight room, and raised the team’s standards.

“He chose to stay,” Cockrum said of Langer. “He pumped the motivation up. His standard’s a lot different. It drove us to be better. We want to be the best version of us that we can.”

Cockrum and the veteran offensive line will be a key part of Montevallo’s attack as the unit will look to open gaps for one of last year’s biggest breakout stars in the county, running back Razareo Conwell.

Conwell made the All-County Second Team as a junior last season after rushing for 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns, driving much of the Bulldogs offense throughout a 7-3 season.

Fellow All-County Second Team member Derek Diaz said he and the offensive line now know what to expect since they’ve had more experience playing in front of Conwell and that he’s driving their improvement this offseason.

“We’re more aware of how our running back is going to run this year because it was his first year last year playing as varsity,” Diaz said. “So, we watched film, we’re trying to improve on what we can do so we can help him out.”

Those improvements with their experienced players will be crucial because Montevallo will have a new quarterback in the pocket this year. Jordan Ward will succeed the graduating Braxton King as the Bulldogs starter this season, and the team is confident in his ability to lead the offense.

Ward has been the heir apparent for the last few seasons, and during that process, Langer said he’s grown into the offense and as a leader, both of which have prepared him well to assume the mantle.

“He’s kind of gone through our system over the last couple of years and grown up from freshman to sophomore,” Langer said. “Now it’s his team offensively as a junior. He’s worked really hard in the offseason, continuing to build and grow as a leader, and we’re excited about the possibilities that he’s going to bring for us this year.”

With Ward presenting a dual threat as a runner and passer, Conwell looks forward to sharing the backfield with him so he doesn’t have to shoulder the entire load of the run game, which preserves him to make the same impact late in the season.

“I think it’s going to be different with a new quarterback because he’s able to run the ball and throw, so I’m not going to have as much carries and he’s going to throw the ball a little bit,” Conwell said.

Returning receiver and defensive back Dee Cutts trusts Ward as both a passer and leader, welcoming the increase in targets that come with his full-time move to the No. 1 receiver and a leader he’s trusted since they were young.

“I feel like he can take the leadership,” Cutts said of Ward. “He’s been like that since we were little kids. That’s why we all have the chemistry with him like we do now because we have been going for years.”

All of those changes come alongside another big adjustment for Montevallo: a move up to Class 5A for the first time in the 94-year history of the program.

However, there are some familiar faces in Class 5A, Region 3 as Sipsey Valley moves up with the Bulldogs and last year’s non-region foes Shelby County and Jemison welcome them into the region.

Langer believes it’s a tremendous opportunity for Montevallo to showcase itself on a bigger stage, even if it will be another difficult path to making the playoffs with Demopolis ruling the region.

His goal is to take the season one game at a time to use their difficult non-region schedule against Sylacauga and John Carroll and aforementioned weight room gains to make the successful move up.

“Our whole philosophy since we’ve taken over is to increase that intensity in the weight room in preparation for this jump to Class 5A, because it is going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” Langer said. “But we’re excited about it too. We don’t shy away from a challenge.”