Central High School is a suburban public school located in Phenix City, Alabama. Central’s mascot is the ‘Red Devils’ and their school colors are red and black. Central participates in the 7A level of sports in the AHSAA (Alabama High School Athletic Association). The Central Phenix City Red Devils have won two state titles in football, once in 1993 and again in 2018. Their all-time record in football is 598-36-33, which is a winning percentage of 62%. Some notable alumni currently in the NFL are JD McKissic (RB for Commanders) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (NT for TB Buccaneers). The Central High Football Team has been under the command of Head Coach Patrick Nix for the last three years.
Coach Nix reiterated how Central has always been a competitor prior to him taking the job. Jamey Dubose was the Head Coach before he arrived and won the state championship for Central in 2018. He is the current head coach at Orange Beach High School. Prior to arriving at Central, Coach Nix was coaching college for 18 years and high schools for 10 years. He won the state championship with Pinson Valley High School (Alabama 6A) in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. His first three years at Central have been the winningest 1st three years for a head coach at this school. In those three years, Coach Nix has been to the 7A semifinals twice and the 7A state title once, losing to Thompson two years ago.
This year Central won their first three games of the season. They lost a close game @ Opelika in Overtime by 3 points. They won one more game and then lost a home game to IMG Academy. After their second loss of the season to IMG, Central finished out the season 4-0, placing their regular season record at 8-2 before the playoffs. Central won the first two games of the playoffs convincingly and eventually fell to state runner-ups, Auburn, in the semifinals by ONE point (14-13). Coach Nix was not the most excited about the success of last year, as he expects state championships yearly.
Looking forward, Coach Nix believes that Central has the talent and coaching stability to make an improvement on their recent success. This will be his 4th year at Central, meaning all seniors would have been freshmen when he first arrived. Besides the team continuity, Coach Nix knows that his team must put in the time, work, effort, and training to be the best team possible. I was able to ask Coach Nix about some prospects I’ve heard will be expected to lead the Central High team next year. Check out some of these guys below!
#25 Jayden Coleman is a 5 ’11” 175 lb class of 2024 Cornerback. Jayden is very talented, instinctual and understands the game very well.
#8 Cam Coleman is a 6 ‘3” 165 lb class of 2024 Wide Receiver. Cam is a very athletic, long, and lean Wide Receiver who has huge upside.
#88 Isaia Faga is a 6’2” 250 lb class of 2024 Defensive Tackle and Defensive End. He is a very physical lineman who can stop running plays easily.
#11 Rydarrius “RED” Morgan is a class of 2024 Strong/Free Safety. Red is VERY fast and athletic, and he can play a lot of positions in the secondary.
#1 Jiquan Sanks is a class of 2024 Cornerback. Jiquan can play multiple positions, while still being athletic and physical.
#6 Zack Simmons is a 5’10” 170 lb class of 2024 Running Back. Zack is a very powerful back who is violent, explosive, physical, and elusive.
#13 Makel Green is a 6’3” 205 lb class of 2025 Defensive End. Makel is a very physical, powerful, and explosive end. He will have the chance to be relied upon and improve after two seniors who played in front of him have now graduated.
