The 2018 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 197 consecutive polls dating back to the 2000 season. The Bucs open the 2018 season in a very familiar spot as the #1 team in 7A.

   *  Lanett and Pinson Valley are coming off state championship seasons and enter this year with fifteen game winning streaks which leads the AHSAA schools.

   *   Barbour County hopes to end a string of forty-one consecutive losses this season. They are followed by Calhoun (31) and Ellwood Christian (26). 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 58 consecutive region games but do not begin region play for a couple of weeks. Southeastern has lost 38 straight region contests.

   *  The Fyffe Red Devils have won 28 straight regular season games. They are well short of the 56 game mark set by Prattville a few years ago. McGill-Toolen has a string of 25 over the past couple of seasons.

   *   Maplesville has a streak of 53 consecutive region wins with no signs of slowing down this year. The Red Devils open region play in two weeks.

   *   The Volunteers of state champion Monroe Academy enter the 2018 season with a string of 34 consecutive home wins. Fyffe leads the AHSAA schools with a 23 game home winning streak.

   *   McGill-Toolen has won 18 consecutive road games. The have a very manageable schedule on the road this year until they reach the playoffs..

   *   Gordo will try to extend their streak of 25 straight winning seasons. 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.

   *   Maplesville has scored twenty or more points in 50 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 234 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 36 consecutive seasons.

   *   The Hoover Bucs have won 44 consecutive playoff games on their home field. They have also won 20 consecutive opening round playoff games. That ties the state record with Hazlewood set between 1970 and 1996.

   *   Vina has suffered through twenty-seven consecutive losing seasons. That is the second longest in history behind only R.C. Hatch with a string of 36 straight losing seasons.

   *   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
  491  -  Georgiana  (491-382-23)
  490  -  Haleyville  (490-389-23)

Coaches approaching the 100 win club
  99  -  Lymos McDonald (Cherokee)  (99-54)
  98  -  Charlie Taylor (South Choctaw Academy)  (98-73)
  96  -  Tim Smith (Evangel Christian Alabaster)  (96-93)
  92  -  Matt Griffith (Sylacauga)  (92-88)
  92  -  Don Jacobs (Scottsboro)  (92-43)
  88  -  Ben Blackmon (Spanish Fort)  (88-39)