Jason Rowell may have struck something special in Citronelle

 

There is such a thing on social media — and you know whatever you see there must be the truth — known as the “New Citronelle.”

It even has an official hashtag: #NewCitronelle.

But what does it mean?

It must be different than #OldCitronelle, which for years was also known as the #UsualCitronelle. Back then, the most exciting thing to happen in town might have been a tent revival or a roving carnival with a broken-down Ferris wheel, which was much like the Wildcats’ football program — turning in long, lethargic circles and going nowhere.

A new high school was finally built, and it was long overdue, but the same old football team remained.

From time to time, a new coach would appear and get the citizenry’s hopes up, only to disappear into the mists of whatever mysterious swamp Citronelle coaches always seemed to go. The most obvious exception is Ronny Massey, who stayed 17 seasons and is the winningest coach in school history.

There is again a new coach in town, the fourth in the last decade, and his name is Jason Rowell. So, what makes this different?

We are about to find out.

In the next two weeks, the Wildcats (3-0) play Williamson on the road, then Vigor comes to the once-verdent oil fields of north Mobile County. The Lions and Wolves have butchered outmanned opponents so far, going a combined 6-0 by a combined 279-19. If Citronelle gets through that crucible with two wins, the Wildcats will emerge as a championship contender.

That isn’t something Rowell whispers about.

“We’re nowhere near where we want to be,” he said, trying on one hand not to wake up the ghosts of failures past who want nothing more than to drag Citronelle back into that swamp.

On the other hand, a lot of those coaches talked about restoring the program to respectability and beyond but Rowell might be the first one since Massey to be taken seriously when he speaks.

“Our three goals are to host a home playoff game, win the region and compete for the state championship,” Rowell said. “When those stop being our goals, it will be time for me to step away.”

He’s talking about a team that hasn’t won a region championship since 2004 and has never come close to a Blue Map.

But like the oil, there’s something under the surface; it just has to be extracted. At its peak in the 1970s, about 170 million barrels of crude were pumped from the Citronelle field. But amid all the dry holes where the petroleum once was, Rowell may have struck something else of vast intrinsic value.

“This is the desert God called me to,” Rowell said in the preseason.

Since then, the prospector on a sacred mission has irrigated the parched fan base and town and it was never more apparent than in Friday night’s 40-8 rout of Faith Academy in a monsoon that Massey may have sent down from above. That gave the Wildcats 40 points in consecutive games for only the third time in school history and for the first time since Massey’s 1991 team — the best in school history — did it in the playoffs.

Rowell joked that he hired offensive coordinator Chris Peterson because he bears a strong resemblance to Massey. You can also call it karma or providence but it hardly seems coincidental that Rowell is connected to all three Citronelle teams since 1922 to score 40 points in back-to-back games.

His father Tommy, a sophomore linebacker at the time, was on the 1969 team coached by Billy Coleman which scored 41, 76 and 62 points in its final three games.

Rowell himself was a manager on Massey’s 1991 team, a little boy whom the coach allowed to hang around the fieldhouse in the summer and see how a successful program operated. Massey even regularly bought the kid a hamburger or chili cheeseburger for lunch at Ward’s as a reward for sweeping and cutting grass. Rowell grew into a man whose dream job was not at Hoover or Thompson but at Citronelle. When he got the job in 2023, he hung a photo of Massey at the entrance to his office, as sort of a guardian and a reminder, as Rowell put it, “that there are no shortcuts.”

Since Rowell came home, the Wildcats have gone from 1-9 to 6-4 and now 3-0, the most dramatic turnaround since Mama June got so thin she no longer had to stop off at the weigh station while driving to the grocery store or her latest televised debacle.

“I think there’s a feeling of pride being restored,” Rowell said. “You see a lot of Wildcat shirts and hats around town.”

The feeling was already bubbling before the 2024 season started. Even Rowell said, “I think we can see a special run of football we haven’t seen in some time.”

Special things are already happening.

Citronelle is off to the best start in school history. Yes, several other teams have started 3-0 but never have the Wildcats started 3-0 while outscoring the opposition by 63 points, not even Massey’s revered 1991 team.

They have trailed just once, briefly, to Faith at 2-0 on a safety after the first series Friday night. Citronelle promptly scored on its next possession and kept scoring.

Its defense has given the offense short fields. Except for two series, the Wildcats’ starting point has been at or around their 40 in the first three games.

“That’s hidden yardage,” Rowell said.

What is not hidden is senior leadership, the way the team prepares, creating turnovers while not giving them away and a valve that is letting talent in but not out.

“The kids are hungry,” Rowell said. “They want to go to work. They know we haven’t arrived and (the seniors) are telling our younger players, ‘Come in Sunday at 4 or 5 o’clock and lift and get film in.’ You can’t replace a player-led team.

“We’re practicing more like a complete team. It’s faster and more up tempo. We’ve got 11 helmets flying to the football. If we play with relentless effort, we’ve got a chance on defense. I’m seeing them practice and play with great effort.”

Citronelle is no longer bleeding players and is even attracting some who can see the program looks different. Rowell said he hasn’t had a player transfer out since he’s been on the job — “and that’s been an old problem,” he said — while former Millry star Daylon Edmunds provides All-State quarterback skills and fellow transfer Sye Byrd provides three players in one.

“It’s relational,” Rowell said of keeping and attracting talent. “It’s loving on them. It’s not just football. … They are a close bunch. If you’re in town, you usually see three or four of them together. We had 21 seniors hanging out over here at the house recently and we had to make three trips to the grocery store.” Thank God the #OldMama June wasn’t around or it wouldn’t have been enough.

The Wildcats are rushing for 250 yards per game behind a young offensive line but Rowell knows Edmunds will soon be tested.

“As we get deeper into region play, we’re going to have to throw the ball and take our shots and get our playmakers in space,” he said.

The best thing Edmunds has done so far is taking care of the football. Citronelle has just one turnover in three games while the defense has forced 11.

“What we’ve focused on since February is turnovers,” Rowell said. “We have a Monday tackling circuit and Turnover Tuesday. We want to take the ball away.”

And make sure Byrd is around it.

“Sye has added a dimension to the backfield and as a Wildcat quarterback,” Rowell said. “Surprisingly, he has also given us good reps at defensive end. The kid plays really hard. If you have to coach effort, you’re not going to win.”

That doesn’t seem to be a problem with any of Rowell’s players, as the last two routs have given him a chance to play eager backups.

“I don’t worry about records,” he said. “It’s getting the young kids experience so they’ll know what to do when their feet are in the fire. That’s how you build a complete program.”

Complete programs don’t stop at 10 games each season.

“We just want to add one more week to our schedule every week,” Rowell said.

Now that’s a #NewCitronelle.