Berry's Hunter Mims No Stranger To Northside Football Rivalry

BERRY, AL — Sporting a red polo with a "B" on the chest, Hunter Mims looks a bit out of place to those who know him well. Even he admits he's still getting used to it.

The new head football coach at Berry High School is the son of Alabama high school coaching royalty who grew up just down Highway 43 in Samantha, where he was a star athlete and class valedictorian at longtime rival Northside High School.

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A United States Marine, Mims returned home for good in January following deployments in the Pacific and Middle East. He left the service as a 1st Lieutenant, turning down a promotion to captain so he could return to his hometown and enjoy civilian life.

"It's been a wild ride. I haven't even been back in the country but for about nine months," Mims laughed. "I came home, I knew I wanted to teach, and I knew I wanted to coach football."

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Mims, a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College who played football for the Panthers, told Patch he initially thought the road to a head coaching job would be a long process. But while taking graduate classes in secondary education at the University of Alabama, he was told about the opening and reached out.

"Anybody I talk to from Northside, a lot of them will ask me if I feel like a traitor," he said. "I love Northside. I grew up there and followed my Dad around there ... But with a lot of these kids at Berry, I know their older brothers and parents from back when they were playing. But at the same time, this will be the first time I have been back on Northside's football field since my senior year."

At 28, Mims is the youngest head coach in west Alabama high school football, with the memories still fresh of the 2-2 record his teams posted against his current employer during his time as a starter for the Rams, along with his younger years as the Rams do-it-all water boy and manager.

His father, Larry Mims, retired as Northside's baseball coach in 2014 after 37 years and saw his name emblazoned above the baseball diamond he spent so many years coaching on. The elder Coach Mims, also a Northside graduate, has been a close confidante and mentor for his son as he embarks on his own coaching career.

The retired Rams coach went on to tell Patch that he will likely mix up his attire for his son's coaching debut against the Rams on Aug. 19, possibly donning a Northside hat/Berry shirt combo.

Until yet, it remains a game-time decision.

"Starting with Northside is a tough one," Mims said with a mixture of laughter and seriousness. "But he is going to be great for the job. I know he is excited and I'm proud of him."

Despite just now getting back to civilian life, the first-year coach at Berry said he still keeps tabs in his old stomping grounds, as several of the same faces are still on the sidelines at Northside from his time in school.

"I talk to coach [Lance] Green all the time and there's a picture of me my senior year before one of my football games and [Braden Green, Northside's current starting quarterback] is in kindergarten," Mims said. "Now, he's the starting quarterback."

Apart from his old contacts, Mims said he has talked at length with legendary Northside coach Steve Deavours — A Berry native who would make his mark in coaching over three decades at his alma mater's chief rival in Samantha, before making the understandable move to return to Berry to retire as a Wildcat.

"Having Dad and being able to call Coach Deavours, that's huge," Mims said. "Being from the area, though, Samantha isn't far at all."

The rivalry is an important one for bragging rights along the Tuscaloosa/Fayette county line, despite Northside growing at a faster clip on its ascent to AHSAA Class 4A compared to its Fayette County counterpart. Berry, on the other hand, is located in a town of a little more than 1,300 people and has been in Class 1A for decades.

The matchup between the Rams and Wildcats later this month will mark the 51st meeting of the rivals, with Northside leading the series 31-19.

In 2020, both teams would go on to historic playoff runs, with Northside defeating Berry 27-7 in the season opener following a five-year hiatus in the gridiron rivalry. Despite sustained success throughout the previous decade, the Wildcats have not won a game in the series with their nearby rival since a 62-19 win to open the 2011 season ... a year removed from Mims' senior season at quarterback for the Rams.

But while taking down Northside will definitely prove a tall task, Mims will also have to face another nearby rival in 1A competitor Hubbertville. The Lions will take the field led by former Berry football coach Caleb Hynds — a friend to Mims who helped take the Wildcats to the fourth round of the 1A playoffs in 2020.

When looking at the talent he inherited from Hynds, though, it's more than apparent that the cupboards were not left bare following the historic 11-2 campaign in 2020.

Chief among the returner starters will be defensive lineman Deon Mayfield, a first team 1A All-State selection last season who will anchor the Wildcats defense.

"He's as quick as anybody out there," Mims said. "If he wasn't so useful on the line, he could be playing back for a lot of schools. This summer, he has busted his tail in the weight room. Him and linebacker Dylan Westbrook, they worked out all summer. All the kids worked hard in there but nobody outworked them."

Mims also counted the Wildcats blessed for being able to return 6-2 quarterback Isaiah Kizzire and Houston Cannon at center, who will both be looked to for leadership on offense.

"We're going to have to replace an all-state running back and two that rushed for over 1,000 yards, but we have a lot of speed," Mims said, before pointing out the expectations for junior Chrishaun Jennings.

But apart from getting his team ready for opening kickoff and feeling out a new job, Mims expressed his gratitude not only for the community buy-in, but the dedication of his team in doing the necessary things, like spaghetti dinner fundraisers and youth football camps.

"We did a work day this past Saturday and folks who their kids hadn't played in years were calling to see what we needed," he said of the community support. "The community loves the school and they love these boys."

The Berry Wildcats will kick off the 2021 season on the road against the Northside Rams on Thursday, Aug. 19.

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