Football success is a family affair for the Fletchers

Aug. 19—HARTSELLE — There's bad news and good news for Hartselle football this season.

The bad news is that there is not another Fletcher brother ready to make an impact in his freshman season on the varsity. The third Fletcher brother, Ozias, is just a fourth grader.

The good news is that the older brothers, Izayah and Ri, return to be two major offensive weapons in Hartselle's quest to compete for the Class 6A, Region 8 championship.

"It makes it easy on offense at times when you have two talents like them that have legit 4.4 speed," Hartselle head coach Bryan Moore said. "What makes them really special is how they are willing to do the little things. They both are hard workers."

Izayah (6-foot-1, 163 pounds) begins his junior season after making an impact at wide receiver as a freshman in 2019. Opponents learned in a hurry that it was impossible to cover him with one defender. There have been times when he has faced triple coverage.

Last season Izayah caught 51 passes for 865 yards and seven touchdowns. He torched the Decatur defense for six catches, three touchdowns and 144 yards. He caught a 56-yard touchdown pass vs. Buckhorn.

"We were not allowed to play football until the eighth grade," Izayah said. "I played on the varsity at (Lawrence County) as an eighth grade defensive back. I never played receiver until I got to Hartselle. It's been a lot of fun."

Ri (5-9, 155) enters his sophomore season after making an impact at running back last season. He's not a big back, but he's got that make-a-difference speed. He doesn't need a big hole at the line of scrimmage. Ri can hit a small crease and explode into the defensive backfield.

"When your name is called to get the ball, you show up and do what you are supposed to do," Ri said. "Last year it took a few games for me to get really comfortable."

A 35-9 win over Muscle Shoals in the eighth game of the season was Ri's big breakout. On just nine carries he covered 122 yards and found the end zone twice. One of his scores came on a 62-yard run.

The next week, he ran the opening kickoff back vs. Hazel Green for a touchdown.

"They both are dynamic, big-time talents," Moore said. "I'm just glad they are Hartselle Tigers."

Their father, Zach Fletcher, is a Hartselle assistant coach. To his sons he's not just a father and a coach. He's a man with a plan. Discipline has always been a part of the plan.

"You have to instill discipline at an early age so it won't be a problem when they get older," Zach said. "My sons are good boys. They are blessings and are way ahead of where I was at their age. I just want to help them to be able to handle the opportunities they will have in life."

Basketball was Zach's sport in high school until Tim Gillespie took over the football program at Lawrence County in 1996. He turned Zach into a football player, who made first-team Class 4A All-State as a receiver in 1998.

Zach, who is now 40, then played two years of junior college football in California before signing with the Crimson Tide in 2002. He played one season for head coach Dennis Franchione (10-3), one spring for Mike Price and one season for Mike Shula (4-9). He finished his Alabama career with 28 receptions for 691 yards and five touchdowns.

"I always say that life is a process," Zach said. "Part of the process is taking the road you have to travel. My career went in a lot of directions, but that was part of the process for me. I'm happy with how it worked out."

Izayah said the discipline may have been tough when they were younger, but he knows it has paid off.

"He wants us to have the opportunities that he had," Izayah said. "He knows that hard work is how you take advantage of those opportunities."

Ri said that one of his goals is to be a better player than his father. Thanks to a DVD, they have been able to see some highlights of Zach's career.

"I don't think he was as fast as we are," Ri said, "but he had some pretty good highlights."

This summer the Fletchers hit the summer camp tour that included stops at Clemson, Alabama, Central Florida, UAB and Jacksonville State.

"It was a good experience for them to see what college coaches are looking for," Zach said. "It's a good way to get ahead of the game. I think they learned a lot."

Hartselle was a young, inexperienced team at the start of last season. The Tigers improved each week to finish 7-4 and advance to the playoffs. This season they are an older team with experience. They should be a contender for the region championship.

"I'm excited about this season. There's a lot to like about this team," Izayah said. "I think this team is definitely a lot smarter, stronger and bigger than we were last year. We have more assets at different positions and we have more experience."

— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.