The 2023 season begins this week with a partial schedule of games. Here are a few tidbits entering the season.

   *  We are back with for our seventeenth season of covering high school football in Alabama. Once again we will be releasing a weekly 'Tidbits and Records' article. We do ask that if you see something wrong on the website pertaining to a game score please let us know and it will be corrected. Thanks to all the fans who constantly work to assist me with this project throughout the year.

   *  There are some of excellent Interstate matchups to open the 2023 football season. Saraland, the defending 6A champion, and ranked #1 will host Tennessee champion Lipscomb Academy on 8/25. Last season Lipscomb Academy defeated Thompson 24-14 so this will be a true test for the Spartans.

   *  Hoover has been ranked by the ASWA for an amazing 260 consecutive polls dating back to the 2000 season. The Bucs open the 2023 season as the #3 team in 7A and face an excellent team in Auburn at the AHSAA Kickoff Classic in Montgomery.

   *  Number one Fyffe saw their string of fifty-one consecutive victories halted in 2021 against Geraldine. Never worry too much about Fyffe coming back from a defeat. They once again begin the 2023 football season riding the state's longest winning streak at fifteen games. Patrician Academy is just behind them with a 13 game streak.

   *   Columbia now holds onto the longest losing streak at 71 straight contests. They now hold the all-time record for consecutive losses.

   *   American Christian has a streak of 35 consecutive region wins. The Patriots open region play in a couple of weeks. Mars Hill (32) and Catholic Montgomery (27) are the next two schools with long region winning streaks.

   *   Barbour County has lost 58 consecutive region games but do not begin region play for a couple of weeks.

   *  The #3 ranked Catholic Montgomery Knights have won 24 straight regular season games. The Hartselle Tigers are just behind with a string of 23 consecutive regular season wins.

   *   UMS-Wright, ranked #3 in 4A, enters the 2023 season with a string of 17 consecutive home wins.

   *   Catholic Montgomery also holds onto the longest road winning streak having won 16 consecutive road games.

   *   Maplesville had the longest current streak of season opening victories snapped at 17 consecutive wins last year when they opened with a 36-12 loss to Meek. Jackson has won their last 15 season openers since losing to Leroy to start the 2007 football season.

   *   Gordo will try to extend their streak of 30 straight winning seasons. Gordo has won at least nine games in each of the last nine seasons so they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The Green Wave last suffered through a losing season way back in 1992 when they finished with a 4-6 record. Oneonta owns the longest streak all-time when they won more games than they lost every year between 1956-1994. Demopolis (28) and Opelika (27) are not far behind.

   *   Fyffe broke an obscure record by winning fifteen games last year. They broke a tie by surpassing Russellville (2000-10) for the most ten win seasons in a row. Just another record for one of the state's best dynasties ever. They have now won at least ten games in twelve consecutive seasons.

   *   Fyffe hopes to avoid the dreaded shutout and extend their streak of consecutive games scoring. They are currently sitting on a string of 306 games without being shutout. T.R. Miller sits atop this list with a string of 354 games.

   *   The Luverne Tigers will be working hard to extend their string of qualifying for the playoffs to 41 consecutive seasons under first year head coach Ed Rigby. He is the ninth different coach during the streak. The last time they did not qualify for the playoffs was way back in 1982.

   *   Vina has suffered through thirty-two consecutive losing seasons. The Red Devils finished last year with a 0-9 record. That is the second longest in history behind only R.C. Hatch with a string of 36 straight losing seasons.

   *   Some head coaches will be reaching milestone wins in 2023. Mark Freeman has amassed 247 victories and will in search of number 250 in September. Mike Battles Jr. can join his father in the 200 win club with just six more wins at Tallassee this season.

   *   No less than six different coaches will be in search of their 100th win as a head football coach once the season opens. All have over 90 victories during their careers.

Team approaching the 700 win club
  694  -  Deshler  (694-369-35)

Team approaching the 600 win club
  599  -  Central Phenix City  (599-368-33)
  495  -  Anniston  (595-400-27)

Team approaching the 500 win club
  496  -  Southern Choctaw  (496-370-24)
  495  -  Randolph County  (495-408-25)
  495  -  Greensboro  (495-431-37)
  493  -  Minor  (493-479-22)
  492  -  Hale County  (492-435-24)
  491  -  Hackleburg  (491-437-29)

Coaches approaching the 250 win club
  247 - Mark Freeman (Thompson)  (247-55)

Coaches approaching the 200 win club
  194  -  Mike Battles Jr. (Tallassee)  (194-100)

Coaches approaching the 150 win club
  148  -  Josh Wright (Tuscaloosa Academy)  (148-45)
  146  -  Clint Smith (Jacksonville)  (146-86)
  145  -  Jamey DuBose (Orange Beach)  (145-43)
  143  -  Doug Vickery (Flomaton)  (143-111)
  142  -  Ernie WIllingham (Collinsville)  (142-94)

Coaches approaching the 100 win club
  98  -  Patrick Plott (Carroll)  (98-47)
  97  -  Patrick Nix (Central Phenix City)  (97-31)
  94  -  Adam Fossett (B.B. Comer)  (94-76)
  93  -  Jason Massey (Leroy)  (93-52)
  90  -  Jeremy Perkins (Austin)  (90-57)
  90  -  David Smothers (Addison)  (90-38)