Do you wanna be a good team? Or, do you wanna be an elite team?
That was the question posed by Russellville High School varsity boys’ soccer coach Trey Stanford to his team this offseason as his Golden Tigers prepare for the 2025 campaign.
For the last eight years Russellville, ranked No. 3 in the Class 5A preseason coaches’ poll, has been more than good—they’ve been great. Stanford, who has led the program since it began in 2017, has won numerous area titles at Russellville, has consistently made deep playoff pushes, and has taken the Golden Tigers to multiple state championship games—though they haven’t won it all… yet.
This season, though—this season could potentially be THE season. But good and great, Stanford said, won’t cut it. Not in this classification. Not against the teams they’ll be pitted against.
To get to the mountaintop and win a coveted blue map, a feat RHS has been at times in years past just minutes away from achieving, the Golden Tigers have to become elite.
“We talked about the difference between elite programs and good programs, and I explained that there are a lot of good programs out there—a lot of good programs, a lot of good teams, a lot of good coaches,” Stanford said. “There’s not many elite programs, and to be elite we’re gonna have to get over that hump of getting to the final and win in the finals. We're not quite there yet.
“We’ve really challenged them this offseason with what do we really want and what are you willing to pay to get there?,” he added. “I feel like all of our guys are on board and willing to do whatever so that we can get over that hump again.
“Practice has been more intense this year and we’ve tried to raise the level each day and hold them accountable. We’re just trying to up our game—and that’s not just the players but me included.”
The Golden Tigers enter the 2025 season after a 2024 campaign that saw them lose in the quarterfinals to eventual state runner-up Guntersville for the second straight year. An offside flag raised by the assistant referee in that game ultimately kept Russellville from advancing, but Stanford said he stressed to his players this offseason that they’ve got to grow through the experience of the hard times.
“We’ve drawn the tough end of the stick the last two years. (Guntersville) beat us fair and square and that’s how it goes sometimes,” Stanford said. “That’s what we talked about after that game and in the offseason is just dealing with those emotions and that adversity that life throws at you sometimes. You don’t think it’s fair but that doesn’t change anything.
“Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s about working and putting in the time in the offseason and playing as much as you can as a group,” he added. “We’ve got a pretty young team and to get where we wanna be it’s gonna take a lot of maturity out of these guys and for them to play above their age.”
Russellville didn’t lose many players from last year’s squad, but those that did move on to graduation were key contributors such as goalkeeper Miguel Andres and top scorers Brian Lara and Eric Jacobo, who combined for 42 goals last season.
To replace that attacking presence the Golden Tigers will look to the likes of junior Hailezgy Tekle, who scored 17 goals and was named Second Team All-State in 2024, and senior striker Manny Martinez, a talented goal-scorer who unfortunately struggled with injuries last campaign.
“Hailezgy is gonna be a key piece for us this year. I think he’s gonna end up being a really talented player for us,” Stanford said. “Manny is a great player and a great scorer. He does a great job of getting the ball in the net. He’s a leader for our program.
“(Martinez) had some problems with an ankle injury last year. Hopefully this year he’ll be rolling and ready to go because he’s gonna be important for us,” he added.
Others, such as junior midfielders Isais Jose and Erik Jacinto, senior midfielder Cristian Figueroa, and senior defender Brayan Perez, also saw a lot of minutes last year and will once again play big roles in the squad. Players like seniors Cesar Ponce and Freddy Quesada and sophomore German Perez will also likely see plenty of time on the pitch, as well.
“We’re putting pieces together every day at practice and trying to find the best 11 on the field,” Stanford said. “When you have a lot of talent, which we do, unfortunately someone gets left out of that 11.
“The sky’s the limit, you know, once we’re all on board and everybody understands that even if I don’t start I’m still in a key role because I can come in and play and I’m vital to our success. You’re only as good as your subs,” he added. “If you don’t have subs that can come in and keep the level of play the same, you’re gonna struggle. You gotta be able to have guys that can come in and play at the top of their game.
“That’s the hardest part about being a coach when you’ve got as much talent as we’ve got: You’ve gotta find places for guys and give them minutes, but we’ve all gotta have the same goal and we have to be on the same game plan and pull together.”
But a wealth of talent and a deep bench are good problems for the head coach to have. The Golden Tigers face a “brutal” 2025 schedule, so there will no doubt be plenty of minutes up for grabs and plenty of valuable experience to be gained.
“It’s a lot of really good (Class) 7A programs coming into town, we’re playing a tournament in Florence where we’re playing a team from Georgia that played in a state championship last year,” Stanford said. “I mean, our first game of the year here is against Jasper who went 15-5 last year, a really good program, has a really good team. It’s gonna be an absolute war out of the gate.
“And the season doesn’t get any easier after that. We’ve absolutely jammed it up with teams that are top tier,” Stanford added. “I think that’s gonna help us in the long run.”
“Honestly our schedule is pretty brutal but win, lose, or draw I’m pretty excited about it. I’m excited for the kids to be able to take on those types of games and see how we battle and how we overcome.”
It’s a fairly young team. It’s a tough schedule. The expectations are high. But there’s nothing Stanford wants to change. He said he’s looking forward to the fights ahead and the opportunity to chase something special—the opportunity to, perhaps, finally, reach the pinnacle of Class 5A boys’ soccer.
“I’m excited and I’m excited for the simple fact these kids are eager to win, eager to be successful, eager to be together. You can tell just by their demeanor every day that they’re serious; there’s not much goofing off. They love the game, they love the grind of the game,” Stanford said. “The guys have done a good job at buying in. They wanna have an elite program and they’re working hard to make it into an elite program.
“I feel like the sky’s the limit for these guys because we do have a lot of talent and they’re looking forward to it. You can see it in their eyes everyday, so I don’t see a reason why we can’t make a serious run for it again,” he added. “I don’t know if it’ll be this year, I don’t know if it’ll be next year, but I feel like this is a special group and it can happen for them. If we can all get into the boat and row together and play together like I feel we’re capable, maybe it’s this year. We’ll just have to see.”
Russellville kicks off its season at home against Jasper on Tuesday, February 11.
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