Decatur High School (Alabama)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Decatur High School
City Decatur, Alabama
School District Decatur City Schools
Established 1913
Student Population
 - Regular
 - Developmental
986
40
Mascot Red Raider
School Colors Red and Black
Principal Mike Ward
Official Website [1]

Decatur is a public high school in Decatur, Alabama, United States, enrolling 1006 students in grades 9-12. It is one of two high schools in the Decatur City School District. Decatur High offers technical, academic, and International Baccalaureate programs, as well as dual enrollment with the John C. Calhoun Community College System.

Decatur High, along with southwestern Decatur's Austin High School, were the first International Baccalaureate schools in Alabama north of Birmingham, Alabama.

Contents

[edit] Athletics

Decatur High is represented each year in the State Playoffs, and has won many state championships in Basketball, Football, Golf, Soccer, and Cross Country.

Decatur's athletic teams consistently compete with those of schools two, three, and four times its size, each year ranking among the top teams in the state.

Decatur High's football and soccer programs play at the 9,000 seat Ogle Stadium at the southern end of the campus. Rival, Austin High School, routinely argues that the two schools share this stadium, but Decatur advocates have the upper hand in the debate: 1) The stadium is located on Decatur High campus, 2) The stadium is named after Decatur High coach, "Shorty" Ogle, 3) Decatur's sports teams often use the field as a place to practice, 4) The only evidence of Austin's ownership is a small, ugly logo on the stadium's south wall (it is hidden from view and few know of its existence).

[edit] Football

The Decatur High football team is considered an elite team in North Alabama.

The team has defeated cross-town rival Austin High School many times, with the leading number of wins in the rivalry.

[edit] Basketball

On February 23, 2007, #11 Rico Pickett broke the 5A state regional tournament record for the number of points scored by a single player. Pickett scored 42 points in the Northwest Regional Tournament, a record that had previously been set by Albertville's Alex Beason.

[edit] Soccer

The Decatur High School girl's soccer team defeated Briarwood Christian in the class 5A Alabama State Championship game on May 10, 2008. The game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, and after two 5 minute overtime periods the game remained 2-2. Offensive player Sally Adams took the position of goal keeper, knocking down the Lady Lion's final shot, to win the state championship. Adams was named the State MVP, and this was Decatur's first soccer state championship.


The Decatur High School men's soccer team, in their most successful season in the school's history, was unsuccessful in its attempt at a state championship. The Red Raiders fell to the Cullman Bearcats, in a questionably called game at Ogle Stadium, 1-0. Throughout the 2008 season Decatur played 5A state champion John Carroll Catholic, losing by one, and extremely talented Grissom, losing by one with only 15 seconds remaining on the clock.


[edit] Rivalries

[edit] Football

The Cross Town Rivalry

Nothing in the central Tennessee Valley matches the annual "Decatur - Austin" game on a late season Friday in November (this game will now be played the first game of the season). Nearly 11,000 fans pack into Ogle Stadium to watch one of the most heated rivalries in Alabama high school football. The series dates back to 1965 when Decatur defeated Austin in the first meeting 27-7. This marked the beginning of a rivalry that fans schedule and plan events around. (Decatur is usually considered the favorite in the matchup although their school is much smaller.)

Decatur high leads the series 30-14.

The Cross River Rivalry

This is Decatur High's oldest rivalry, dating back to before the creation of Austin High. This rivalry is one of the most intense among North Alabama high schools. This is because in the years that the two high schools began playing each other, they were the largest in North Alabama, as the city of Huntsville, Alabama was still near the bottom when compared to the cities of Decatur, Florence, and Athens. Both schools in their time were considered among the elite of the region and the main athletic focus of North Central Alabama. Up until 1965 no other game came close to comparing in the minds of the Decatur fans. This rivalry was soon eclipsed in the mid 1970s by the Decatur - Austin game. As the area grew larger and soon left the city of Athens in its wake, the cross town rivalry soon took the top spot. But, to this day, there is still debate about which game is more intense.

When Decatur High dropped in the AHSAA classifications to 5A in the 06 and 07 seasons, this rivalry took on a new meaning. The change brought the intensity that the game had lost in years past. Both schools were in the same region, and fought for the same title each year, in one of the most competitive regions in 5A AHSAA football. However, due to new realignments, Decatur will resume class 6A play starting with the 2008 season.

Though there is no official tally available, it is mutually accepted that Decatur leads the series.

The In-County Rival: The "Hartselle Hicks"

This is also an old rivalry for Decatur High. The annual game, that both schools now play in regional play, inspires the yearly Hartselle Hick Day at Decatur. Students dress up as farmers in plaidand overalls, and dance to the tune of Cotton Eyed Joe during the pep rally. This rivalry has grown in recent years, and is approaching the Decatur-Athens rivalry status in the Tennessee Valley. After AHSAA classification changes, Decatur dropped to 5A, and competed in the same region as Hartselle and Athens. The Athens game is now pulling away from the Decatur-Hartselle game and is being more compared to the Decatur-Austin rivalry, since Athens continues to be one of the toughest opponents on Decatur's schedule.

Though there is no official tally available, it is mutually accepted that Decatur leads the series.

This game is not considered nearly as great of a rivalry as either of the above, but, after a perfect season upset in 2004, Decatur High has always sought revenge. In that year, The Senators, upset the region leader, Decatur, and stole the regional title after the loss. This loss came after a less than average season of 2003 in which the Red Raiders had up to 5 losses. Of those 5 losses, 3 were to Birmingham powers Hoover and Vestavia(2). It was the toughest schedule Decatur had ever played and those 5 losses came by a total of 20 combined points. In 2005, The Raiders, took control of the region, and claimed the Region 8 title that year after the Austin game. Unfortunately, during Decatur's lackluster season of 2006, a No. 10 ranked Sparkman Senators took that year's rivalry title and ran with it, never looking back. In a rebounding season of fall 2007, Decatur took a win against the senators, 19-13.

The series is tied at 2-2

[edit] Basketball

This is Decatur High's biggest rivalry. The two high schools compete against each other twice annually at the 3,000-seat Carlton Kelly Gymnasium at Calhoun Community College's Main Campus in Decatur, Limestone County. The athletic rivalry with Austin surrounds all kinds of sporting events from football to marching band. But, as soon as football season ends, basketball is king, and the competition on the court begins.

Decatur faced Austin on January 13, 2007. During the Varsity Boys game, the lead swapped back and forth all the way to halftime. As the buzzer sounded off the game was tied at 33-33. The final half and third period began and Decatur came back as a force, ending the whole game 85-66, snapping a five game losing streak that dated back to 2004. This win came as The Red Raiders, with an outstanding senior basketball lineup searched for a state title. This search came to an unfortunate end as the raiders lost in the first round of the Final Four in Birmingham in the BJCC.

[edit] Fine arts

The Decatur High School's Chorus and Concert Bands have consistently received superior ratings in both District and State competitions.

Decatur High has the longest string of District Competition Superior Ratings in Alabama, dating back to the competition's formation in 1947, never receiving anything less than a superior rating.

Decatur High also continues to lead in number of Alabama Bandmasters State Competition Superior Ratings at 58, more than any other high school in state history. However, Austin High School still holds the record for the longest string of state superiors with 44 consecutive overall superiors.[1]

The Decatur Red Raider Marching Band won the Tennessee Valley Invitational at Muscle Shoals High School in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 2006. This is the most important award that the band has earned since the new band director, Robbie Stout, took control of the band in 2004. Since becoming the new band director, Decatur has rebounded to joined the same group as the Austin High Symphonic A Band, the Virgil Grissom High A Band, and other bands that are considered to be among the few Alabama high school elite.

[edit] Alma Mater

 Hail, to thee, our Alma Mater
 By the Tennessee
 Through the years we'll oft remember 
 Days we spent with thee
 -
 Here's to thee, our dear old high school
 Here's to thee a song
 May the happy memories of thee
 Linger with us long
 -
 Soon our faithful band will sever
 Soon our ways will part
 Friendship ties will live forever
 Engraven in our heart
 -
 Always faithful, always loyal
 To our ensign bold;
 Hail to thee, our Alma Mater
 Decatur High, All Hail!

The second line of the lyrics is due to the location of the old "Riverside High School" built in 1921 to replace an aging Gordon Bibb. The RHS still stands on the edge of Rhodes Ferry Park in Decatur on Wilson Street, and is situated about 275 ft. from the edge of the Tennessee River.

[edit] Trivia

  • The graduating class of 2007 (the smallest graduating class ever produced by Decatur High), was offered over $6.5 million in scholarship money.*
  • The graduating class of 2006 was offered more than $5 million in scholarships out of the $8 million offered to students in the Decatur City Schools.*
  • 99% of the school's seniors passed the Alabama High School Graduation Exam in 2005.
  • Decatur high has a graduation rate of 98%.
  • Varsity Boys Basketball coach Jamie Lee recently, January 19, 2007, earned his 100th career victory, which came against Decatur's Cross River Rival, Athens.
  • Decatur High School is home to the 2007 Alabama Junior Miss, Mary Catherine McAnnally.


  • *The amounts of scholarship money stated were scholarships offered (not necessarily scholarships accepted or used).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Decatur City Schools Highlights to Cheer. Decatur Daily Newspaper (07-11-2006).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Decatur City Schools
Decatur, Alabama
This box: view • talk • edit
High Schools

Austin  • Decatur
Middle Schools

Brookhaven  • Cedar Ridge  • Oak Park
Elementary Schools

Austinville  • Banks-Caddell Elementary SchoolBanks-Caddell  • Benjamin Davis  • Chestnut Grove  • Eastwood  • Francis Nungester  • Julian Harris  • Leon Sheffield  • Somerville Road  • Walter Jackson  • West Decatur  • Woodmeade
Alternative Schools

Horizon
Sports Facilities

Ogle Stadium • Celebration Arena  • Carlton Kelly Gymnasium


v • d • e
International Baccalaureate Schools in Alabama