I’ve made some fellow journalism friends through this career, but the one I talk to more than anyone else, excluding my coworkers both past and present, is OA News’ Jacob Waters. We crossed paths while we were both in college as part of a student media poll for college football; we never actually talked, but we were mutual followers on Twitter (X).

And funny enough, we united here in Alabama — him with his coverage area and me with mine. We have some overlap with our shared teams, but in 2024 we saw each other every week with Reeltown’s run to the state championship.

Samuel Higgs is the sports editor for the Alexander City Outlook and Dadeville Record.