Southern Musings By Gary Lloyd: ‘Cause it’s a short piece of time

I’ve had a particular book idea saved since May 2019, one that I’ll jokingly hint at as this column concludes. But for everything in between, here goes. 

I cover high school football and have for something like 16 years now. My coverage is as old as some sophomore wide receivers. I guess it’s finally all right that they call me “sir” in postgame interviews.

I’ve been all over the state, but often in a destination-focused manner. Heading north to Milton Frank Stadium in Huntsville? Drive straight there. A regular season game at Hartselle? Interstate 59 for 19 miles and Interstate 65 for 67 creeping miles.

But last season, I made two playoff trips that changed the way I approach high school football coverage. I had been building toward it for a while, but it finally made sense to leave early enough to try. I wanted to mix football with local culture, to produce content — stories and columns, social media posts, photos, videos — that sheds light on different people and places in this state.

It started with John Carroll Catholic’s team traveling to Fairview in Cullman. I stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Cleveland for a 3:30 p.m. dinner. I had to have time to see more. I drove two-tenths of a mile to Hazelrig’s Orchards, where I perused apples, peaches, jams and cookbooks and left with a bag of chocolate-covered pecans and a smile on my face after a 45-minute conversation with the co-owner. I took photos of the Locust Fork River at dusk from the King’s Bend Overlook before making my way to Fairview High School, which looks suspiciously like a larger version of Cahaba Elementary School. 

A couple weeks later, I trekked two hours and 15 minutes northwest to Muscle Shoals to see the Trojans take on Clay-Chalkville. I drove straight to the Shoals, but this time I traveled mostly rural highways. I saw a million cows and dozens of barns. I spent a short time on Interstate 65, and I never had to ride the brake. 

When I arrived in the city limits, I did the first thing any tourist should: I found Champy’s World Famous Fried Chicken. OK, maybe that’s the second or third thing tourists do in Muscle Shoals. I could have pulled up the National Federation of State High School Associations game feed and covered the game with hours of that chicken. Coaches are now asking me on the sidelines where I ate before the game. I guess this is now my duty, and I accept it.

The games are great, of course. I love covering this sport. I always have and probably always will, even if someday my old age imprisons me to the cold bleachers instead of the hustle of the sidelines. But now I’m seeking out local restaurants, interesting cultures and beautiful views so I can plan fun day trips with my wife and son. Why Google every destination when you can just stumble upon new places like they did in the olden days? You know, like the 1990s. 

Trips across Alabama to write about culture and high school football? Excellent. Trips across Alabama with my family to make lasting memories? Excellent.

That’s a dual threat. 

Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.