Friday Night Lights Show Unity Across Jefferson County, Alabama, with Five Unity Seats Games on September 11
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will join five high school football games across Jefferson County tonight as part of the national Unity Seats initiative marking the 25th anniversary of September 11.
The games include Jackson-Olin vs. Parker, Fairfield vs. Shades Valley, Corner vs. Pleasant Grove, Wenonah vs Dora and McAdory vs. Bessemer City.
At each game, first responders, school leaders and community representatives from both sides will come together on the field before kickoff. The groups will participate in a September 11 remembrance and moment of silence before the coin toss.
Sheriff Pettway and members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will take part in the events alongside local police and fire departments, principals, athletic directors, veterans and community leaders.
At Fairfield vs. Shades Valley, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin Jr. and Fairfield City Schools Superintendent Dr. Regina Thompson will join Fairfield Mayor Herman Carnes Jr.; Fairfield City Council President Phyllis Oden-Jones; Fairfield Athletic Director Maurice Ford; Irondale Mayor James Stewart Jr.; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Ashanti McKinney; Fairfield Police Chief Julius Hunter; Fairfield Fire Chief Carlos Perry; Fairfield High Principal Ms. Tamika Harton; Shades Valley Principal Dr. Marvin Carter II; and additional first responders and community representatives.
At McAdory vs. Bessemer City, Sheriff Pettway will be joined by Deputy Chief Kerry Morgan and Sergeant Jordan McCoy of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; McAdory Principal Cedric Buchannon; Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Allred; Lt. Craig Harris; Firefighter Cody Davis; Firefighter Micah Cunningham; Bessemer City High Principal Dr. Timothy Perry; Bessemer Police Chief Gary Carmichael; Bessemer Fire Lt. Derrick Chapman; Lt. Mario Wren; Firefighter Jeremiah Okai; Deputy Chief Steve Clevenger of McAdory Fire Service; McAdory Athletic Director Coach Holmes; Bessemer City Athletic Director Coach Nelson; and additional first responders and school representatives. Sheriff Pettway will conduct the coin toss.
At Jackson-Olin vs. Parker, Deputy Chief NaShonda Howard and Public Information Officer Henry Irby of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will join Jackson-Olin Principal Dr. John C. Lyons Jr.; Birmingham Board of Education District 9 Representative Yamika Foy and District 5 Representative James Sullivan; A.H. Parker High Principal Darrell Hudson; and Eric Marable of The Flourish & Greenhouse Alabama, representing cultural artists expanding creative spaces in Ensley. Student-athletes, school leaders, first responders and members of both communities will also participate.
At Wenonah vs. Dora, Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson will join Wenonah Principal Jerry Davenport, Dora Principal Jody Harrison, Sergeant Jordan McCoy of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, coaches and school leaders from both schools, student-athletes and Wenonah student and band member Summer Clark, representing The Flourish & Greenhouse Alabama and the arts community. Commissioner Tyson will conduct the coin toss.
At Corner vs. Pleasant Grove, the evening will include a special remembrance of Sydney Watson, a 2016 Corner High School graduate and wildland firefighter who served for more than six years, most recently as a member of the Rifle Helitack crew in Colorado. Watson died in the line of duty on June 27, 2026, while responding to the Knowles Fire along the Colorado-Utah border.
Sydney’s parents, Doug and Meridith Watson, will join Corner Principal Pam Dennis, Pleasant Grove Principal Jarvis Watkins, Captain Danny Barrett of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Darrell Tavel of Bagley Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Pleasant Grove Mayor Yolanda Lawson, Pleasant Grove Police Chief Danny Reid and representatives from the Corner and Pleasant Grove fire departments.
Before the game, the stadium will observe a moment of silence honoring Sydney, the lives lost on September 11 and all those who have given their lives in service to others. The Corner High School JROTC Color Guard will then present the national and state colors before the National Anthem. Captain Barrett will conduct the coin toss.
The five Jefferson County games are part of US United’s national Unity Seats initiative, which is bringing communities together at high school football games across the country on September 11. Nearly 100 communities across the United States are expected to participate in events led by local sheriffs and community partners.
Unity Seats brings people from different neighborhoods and backgrounds together through something they already share: their communities, their schools and Friday night football. Participants who may not have known one another before tonight will meet at midfield before returning to opposite sidelines for kickoff.
High school football already brings students, parents, teachers, coaches, first responders and neighbors together every Friday night. On the 25th anniversary of September 11, those fields will also provide a place to remember those who were lost, recognize those who continue to serve and bring neighboring communities together.
Tonight, we may be wearing different colors and cheering for different teams, but Jefferson County will stand together as one community.
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