​Aug. 19—Lay of the landAthens will be in Class 5A, Region 7 with Austin, Decatur, East Limestone, Florence, Hartselle, Muscle Shoals and Russellville.—Head coachCody Gross is entering his 11th season at Athens. The Golden Eagles are 62-45 under Gross with eight playoff appearances.—Last seasonAthens (6-5, 3-3) finished fourth in Class 6A, Region 7.—Words to grow onAfter losing multiple starters, Athens has a lot of new faces. However, Gross is no stranger to getting a young team”The way I approach it is by making the offseason as hard as we can make it, as gritty as we can make it without actually being under the lights,” Gross said. “We test them in order to try and get them to grow up fast. Of course, when you actually get to the Friday night lights, it’s a little different.”—QuarterbackJunior Zayden Homann will be the signal caller this year with Gross saying senior Cam Carden could be in the mix as well.—OffenseAthens must replace two dynamic running backs from last season in Xavier Edwards and Damarcus Malone.Gross said it would be a running back by committee approach this season but leading the charge will be Aidan Lovell, a do-it-all athlete with college offers who will line up at running back, receiver and tight end.”He’s started since he was a sophomore and he brings a lot of experience,” Gross said. “He’s a tough, talented kid with a lot of intelligence and we can plug him in wherever we need him.”Other running backs will be Eli Henson and Jaylen Johnson.At receiver, DD People returns after starting last year, while Carden, Jaxson Moore, Michael Hubbard, Ezekial Byrd and CJ Harris. James Newby will start at tight end for the third year in a row.At offensive line Jordan Horton, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound sophomore, will start at one tackle, and the other tackle will be Desmond Malone. Shemar Yarbrough and Max Shinkunas will start at guard, while Almarion Davis will start at center. Max Jones could also play at any of the interior spots.—DefenseAthens must replace six guys who played along the defensive line last season.Lazarrius Nelson will be a set starter at defensive end, while the other spots will rotate between Max Jones, James Newby, Braylon Young, Blake Harris and Daniel Rivera.Linebacker is the most experienced position group for the Golden Eagles. Austin Campbell returns as a three-year starter at middle linebacker and Halston Barker returns at the other inside linebacker spot. Tommy Wiggins will also play inside linebacker.At outside linebacker, Aayden Baines will start after previously starting on the inside. Tylon Robinson and Luke McGuire will also play on the outside.At cornerback, the Golden Eagles will play three players in Labron Turner, Jonathan Booker and DeAndre Doss. Kaydon Bledsoe and Brady Johnston both return as starters at safety.Cam Carden will be the team’s punter and Jaxon Swift will be the kicker.—Final wordWith such a young team, Gross said senior leadership will be at a premium this year.”Their r