The 2017 season begins this week with a partial schedule of games. Here are a few tidbits entering the season.

   *  Before we get to the usual things here, I want everyone to notice the new helmets for many teams. Cody Walker does a magnificent job with the helmets and gives us the best around. It seems to be a never ending project.

   *  Hoover has been ranked by the ASWA for an amazing 186 consecutive polls dating back to the 2000 season. The Bucs open the 2017 season in a very familiar spot as the #1 team in 7A.

   *  Ramsay opens the season as the top ranked team in 6A. It is their first number one ranking since the 1951 season. Handley is ranked #1 for the first time since 1984.

   *  Piedmont is coming off a second consecutive state championship and enters this year with a twenty-five game winning streak which leads the AHSAA schools. Maplesville follows with a 23 games streak of their own.

   *   Barbour County hopes to end a string of thirty-two consecutive losses this season. They are followed by Brilliant and J.F. Shields with twenty-six straight losses. The streaks are not close to the longest in state history behind R.C. Hatch at 68 losses in a row.

   *   Bullock County has lost 52 consecutive region games in a row but do not begin region play for a couple of weeks. Southeastern has lost 32 straight region contests.

   *  The G.W. Long Rebels have won 34 straight regular season games. They are well short of the 56 game mark set by Prattville a few years ago. Gordo has a string of 30 over the past three seasons.

   *   Tanner has a streak of 53 consecutive region wins with no signs of slowing down this year. The Rattlers open region play in two weeks with a new head coach in Maurice Belser. Maplesville is riding a streak of 47 consecutive region victories.

   *   The Hornets of state champion Beauregard enters the 2017 season with a string of 23 consecutive home wins. The Hornets open the season at home against Greenville on September 1st. Bessemer Academy and Monroe Academy lead the AISA schools with 27 game home winning streaks.

   *   Maplesville has won 21 consecutive road games. The Red Devils face Resurrection MS on September 1srt on the road.

   *   Gordo will try to extend their streak of 24 straight winning seasons. The Green Wave last suffered through a losing season way back in 1992 when they finished with a 4-6 record. They should have little trouble extending the streak in 2017 coming off a 13-1 record last year. Oneonta owns the longest streak all-time when they won more games than they lost every year between 1956-1994.

   *   Maplesville has scored twenty or more points in 38 consecutive games. The Clay-Chalkville Cougars scored at least twenty points in 80 straight games to set the state record last year.

   *   Fyffe hopes to avoid the dreaded shutout and extend their streak of consecutive games scoring. They are currently sitting on a string of 221 games without being shutout. T.R. Miller sits atop this list with a string of 354 games.

   *   The Davidson Warriors have won 19 season openers in a row since opening the 1997 season with a loss to Daphne. Ironically the Warriors open this season against Daphne this Thursday in Mobile.

   *   The Luverne Tigers will be working hard to extend their string of qualifying for the playoffs to 35 consecutive seasons.

   *   The Hoover Bucs have won 43 consecutive playoff games on their home field. They have also won 19 consecutive opening round playoff games. The state record belongs to Hazlewood at 20 straight between 1970 and 1996.

   *   Vina has suffered through twenty-six consecutive losing seasons. That is the second longest in history behind only R.C. Hatch with a string of 36 straight losing seasons. Talladega with 22 and Curry with 20 are not far behind and will gunning to turn things around in 2017.

   *   No less than five different coaches will be in search of their 100th win as a head football coach once the season opens. All five are sitting on ninety-nine wins during their careers.

Team approaching the 500 win club
  499  -  Linden  (499-319-30)
  499  -  Reeltown  (499-279-13)
  498  -  Valley  (498-357-21)
  497  -  Scottsboro  (497-436-37)
  496  -  Baldwin County  (496-428-30)
  496  -  Piedmont  (496-399-30)
  495  -  Fairhope  (495-348-24)
  495  -  Tarrant  (495-446-40)
  489  -  Fyffe  (489-295-13)

Coaches approaching the 100 win club
  99  -  Michael D. Jackson (Red Bay)  (99-68)
  99  -  Jeff Kelly (Saraland)  (99-55)
  99  -  Jimmy Perry (St. James)  (99-53)
  99  -  Rodney Stidham (Hamilton)  (99-50)
  99  -  Doug Vickery Jr. (Flomaton)  (99-86)
  97  -  Jay Brown (Moody)  (97-94)
  97  -  Smitty Grider (Park Crossing)  (97-40)
  97  -  Jeff Pugh (East Limestone)  (97-87)
  95  -  Josh Wright (Bessemer Academy)  (95-21)
  94  -  Jonathan McWhorter (Cedar Bluff)  (94-41)
  93  -  Jim Elgin (Pleasant Grove)  (94-58)
  93  -  Clint Smith (Jacksonville)  (93-66)
  90  -  Charlie Taylor (South Choctaw Academy)  (90-70)