Sparkman’s Emmanuel Armstrong picked for AHSAA Leadership Team

HARVEST – Even before Emmanuel Armstrong suits up for spring practice and preps for the 2025 high school football season through a grueling summer and pre-season workout schedule, the talented current junior at Sparkman High School is a winner by being a leader. Being one of three players nominated by Sparkman football head coach Ronnie Watson for the AHSAA Leadership Team, the super talented defensive back was selected for the honor and will represent both the Harvest located school and North Alabama.

“My definition of a leader is someone who leads by example and saying something when there are problem issues present,” said Armstrong. “A leader is someone who is respected. For me, I feel I’m a leader, but I need to learn how to be more vocal.”

A two-sport athlete playing football and running track for the Senators, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Armstrong is a defensive back and in 2024 played in nine games where he recorded 42 tackles, including 18 solo stops, had two interceptions and one forced fumble. He first played football in the fifth grade and suited up at Monrovia Middle School and was an exceptional two-way player getting reps as both a defensive back and wide receiver. Upon making his way to Sparkman, he made the varsity squad his sophomore year.

In track, Armstrong concentrates on the sprint races. Those include the 100, 200 and 400 meter individual events and relays and this spring will also try his luck at the javelin and long and triple jumps. He said his best event is the 200 where his personal best time is 24.70 seconds. His PRs in the 40m are 4.76 and in the 100m a 12.10.

He currently has a 3.97 grade point average and would like to study sports medicine or aerospace engineering in college. At the same time, he hopes to possibly progress in his football talents and play in college after he graduates from Sparkman in 2026.

“Everything he touches turns to gold. He has a bright future,” said Watson. “Emmanuel is the perfect example of a leader on and off the field. He’s the first one ready to work and the last to leave. He is selfless in everything he does and is always helping others who may be struggling. He’s like having another coach on the field.”

The AHSAA Leadership Team are examples of student-athletes who are heroes for the local community. Each make good leaders and role models who are well-rounded through education and have developed high class values.

For Armstrong, the eldest of three children to Earlest and Shatika Armstrong, he’s currently helping his 15-year old brother, Elijah, who is also on the Sparkman track team, and sister, Elise, who is 12 and may join her brothers in track next year. Armstrong is a member of several school clubs and said he plans to run for Vice President of his senior class in the fall.

Religious Faith is a big part of Armstrong’s life. He attends a new place of worship, Becoming Church, which currently meets at James Clemens High School. Within the church, he’s a volunteer for the Youth Teaching Group where he sits and reads and explains stories from the Bible to Pre-K and kindergarten age children.

Armstrong knows how to play the saxophone which he learned in the fifth and sixth grades. He loves “old-School” R&B music and always has the tunes playing loud in his 2010 gray Nissan truck. In preps to being a better leader, he has plans to take a speech class next fall as part of studies at Sparkman.

“I’m so very proud to have this young student- athlete representing not just our football program, but our area as well,” added Watson.