The Orange Beach varsity girls will open the season on the road at Saraland on Nov. 6. The varsity boys will open the season in the new Mako gym against St. Paul's on Nov. 10. 

ORANGE BEACH BOYS

Head coach Chris Laatsch enters his second season leading the Orange Beach boys and his 28th overall as a head coach. The Makos finished 17-13 last season, winning the Class 4A Area 1 championship and advancing to the Elite Eight.

“We just say, ‘if this is what the team needs from you today, you got to be able to do it,’” Laatsch said. “We don’t want our guys looking over their shoulders waiting on the other guys to come in. This is who is in the gym today, you have to get the job done. Here is the expectation, here is the standard, go meet it.”

The Makos lost four seniors and three starters but will lean on junior Miller Day and sophomore Lee Steele. A two-sport star, Steele is a top 10 basketball player in the state in basketball as well as the state’s No. 6 rated player in the class of 2028 for football.

With a new gym and athletic facility opening this week, the Makos are poised for another memorable season.

ORANGE BEACH GIRLS

Head coach Mike Chase brings 30 years of varsity experience into his third season leading the Makos, also awaiting the opening of the new Orange Beach facilities. Orange Beach finished 12-21 last year but reached the Elite Eight, falling to St. Michael.

Mia Watts is one of two seniors on the roster, though the other is currently recovering from an ACL tear. Freshman point guard Allie Roach, who returned from her own ACL injury last season, is expected to be a leader despite her youth.

“We played with a lot of injuries and those kinds of things last year,” Chase said. “I think we started to get it together right at the end of the year when we made the regional finals — we were a bucket away from going to the Final Four last year. We lost to St. Michael’s girls four times. Anytime you have a driving force for your team, I think that creates hunger and grit.”