Sivley's ball hawk skills fueling Priceville defense

Sep. 3—PRICEVILLE — There were few defensive players that brought as much excitement to college football as Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu.

Mathieu played defensive back at LSU from 2010-11 and became known for his fearless and aggressive style of play that forced numerous turnovers for the Tigers' defense and earned him a Heisman finalist position in 2011. This style of play earned him the nickname "Honey Badger" after the animal that didn't care what stood in its way.

Two games into the 2026 high school football season, it looks like the Priceville Bulldogs may have a honey badger of their own.

Priceville is 2-0 with blowout wins over Brewer (46-0) and Springville (39-16), and sophomore defensive back Tripp Sivley, with his propensity to force turnovers, has been one of the team's biggest highlights.

"He's a ball hawk," Priceville coach Austin Burke said. "He's always around the ball, and he's not afraid to stick his nose into anything. When you have someone that has great ball skills but at the same time is willing to come down and strike someone, you have a special player."

Through two games, Sivley's stat line is indeed special. So far he leads the area in interceptions with four. He also has 10 tackles, two passes defended, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown.

It's safe to say wherever the football is on the field, Sivley is probably there, too.

"Wherever the ball is at, I'm just looking for a chance to steal it. That's just what I love to do," Sivley said. "When I'm on the field I just have the mindset of going and getting (the ball) no matter what. Doesn't matter what I have to do or how far I have to run."

Sivley is just a sophomore, and Burke said he still has to remind his young player just how good he can be.

"The other night, the first time (Springville) punted, I told him to go get it, and he looked at me like I was crazy," Burke said. "Then he got close to blocking it and realized he could do it. The second punt he went and blocked, scooped it and scored it. It was awesome."

Coming into the season, there were plenty of questions surrounding Priceville football. Last year the Bulldogs went from 2-8 in 2024 to 8-4 and reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. However, coach Seth Parker, The Daily's 2025 Coach of the Year, left to take the same job at Bob Jones, and as Burke was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, the question was whether the Bulldogs would be able to continue to improve despite the change.

Through two games the answer seems to be a resounding yes.

"So far we've shown that we're still a great team, and I think it comes from all the work we put in the offseason," Sivley said. "We came into this year with a chip on our shoulder because we felt like we had a lot to prove and we still feel like we haven't shown how good we can really be."

Priceville will get a chance to prove itself this week when it opens region play at West Point. The Bulldogs will continue region play next week at home vs. Lawrence County before traveling to Howard Chappell Stadium on Sept. 18 to take on Deshler in what will be one of their biggest games of the season.

Sivley is focused on helping his team navigate its schedule but he also has his eyes set on some personal goals. Four years ago, Falkville's Isaiah Warnick was named Decatur Daily Player of the Year in a season where he finished with 12 interceptions, which led the state that season. The all-time state record for most interceptions in a season is 18. Sivley hopes to surpass that.

"My goal is to do whatever I can to help the team succeed, and I think the best way to do that is by breaking every record I can," he said.

caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2