First-year coach David Green hopes to elevate Buckhorn football program

The last time Buckhorn High School played for a state football championship, David Green was on the opposite side.

Green was a linebacker for Homewood when the Patriots beat the Bucks 45-13 in the 2005 Class 5A state title game.

In less than five weeks, Green will begin his quest to get Buckhorn back into title contention for the first time in two decades. He was named the school’s new head coach in April.

“This is a job I’ve always wanted and been intrigued by,” Green said at Huntsville Area High School Football Media Day on Monday. “The first time it came open in 2020, we thought about it. But when it came open this time around, we prayed about it, and this is where we wanted to be.”

Green replaces Matt Patterson, who went 20-23 in four years as the team’s head coach. The Bucks were 6-5 each of the last two seasons, both capped by a first-round playoff loss.

Green spent his last five seasons as an assistant at Class 7A Bob Jones. He also has coached at Helena, Dothan and Mae Jemison. Buckhorn marks his first tenure as a head coach.

“These guys work their tails off,” he said of his short time with the Bucks so far. “They are a very hard-working group. They have bought into our message and vision and are striving to maximize the opportunities they have and compete at a high level.”

Green already has made a believer out of defensive lineman Ian Harrell.

“He’s a really good coach,” Harrell said. “He’s more like a players’ coach. He takes what players think into consideration. He brings a lot of energy. He leads by example. He’s the best thing we could ask for right now.”

Green’s task is to elevate a Buckhorn program that has mediocre at best recently. The 2005 run to the title game is the last time the Bucks won a playoff game. The team hasn’t won more than seven games in a season since 2007.

“Ultimately, we want to be in the playoffs,” Green said. “We want to win the region. We want to go 1-0 every week. We also want to focus on the things to accomplish that because that is what everyone’s goals are. Are we willing to look at what has to be done to accomplish that? We have to focus on the moment right now, not where we are going, but where we are at.”

That process starts in earnest next week. With Green coming in late, Buckhorn didn’t have a spring practice, so the Bucks will start fall camp on Monday. Their first game is at Decatur on Aug. 22.

“We are going to have a great team,” senior DB/ATH Dave Sinegal said. “We are a young team. I feel like we have a lot of unknown weapons that everyone will know about real soon.”