The 2019 season is underway. Here are a few tidbits and notes from this week's action.

   *   Once again I want to thank Cody for making the helmets each season for us. If your team sports new headwear this year let Cody or I know with an email or post it in the forums. It is a huge task to create the helmets and Cody does a great job with that project and has for many years.

   *  Something new this year will be the AHSFHS Power Ratings. We did a little with them during the playoffs last year and will be rolling them out beginning this week. I am looking for your input so join us in the forums or drop me an email to have your say and thoughts. Remember the Power Ratings are only for entertainment purposes and in no way are we trying to encourage any form of gambling. Enjoy!

   *  More school changes: Lyman Ward has decided to change the school name to Southern Prep Academy so you will not find Lyman Ward in our records any longer. Coosa Valley Academy will be playing an 8 Man schedule this year. Four other new schools will join the ranks of teams fielding 8 Man football squads in 2019. East Central HomeSchool in Moody, The Oaks School in Opelika and finally Banks Academy in Birmingham - The Jets are back with Riley White, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Shorty White as the head coach at Banks Academy. All 8 Man and 6 Man schedules are posted now.

  *   The Alabama teams opened the season with a 7-10 record against out of state competition in the first week of action. Opelika may have had the most impressive victory as they topped Callaway, GA 10-7 on Thursday night. The state teams went 0-7 versus Florida and Tennessee and 7-3 against Georgia and Mississippi.

   *  Hoover has been ranked by the ASWA for an amazing 209 consecutive polls dating back to the 2000 season. The Bucs opened  the 2019 season as the #2 team in 7A and defeated the top ranked Red Devils of Central Phenix City on a last second field goal 17-14.

   *  UMS-Wright is coming off a state championship season and opened the season with a 18-13 win over rival St. Paul's. They now own the state's longest winning streak at twenty games after Monroe Academy fell to Glenwood School 28-12.

   *   Barbour County hopes to end a string of fifty consecutive losses this season. They are followed by Calhoun (42) and Ellwood Christian (36). The streaks are not close to the longest in state history behind R.C. Hatch at 68 losses in a row.

   *   Brindlee Mountain has lost 38 consecutive region games but do not begin region play for a couple of weeks. Wilcox Central has lost 36 straight region contests.

   *  The Fyffe Red Devils have won 38 straight regular season games and will play their season opener next week. Chambers Academy has a string of 35 over the past three seasons after defeating Lee-Scott Academy by a score of 36-7 Friday night.

   *   Demopolis has a streak of 32 consecutive region wins with no signs of slowing down this year. The Tigers open region play in two weeks. Georgiana has a string of 30 straight region victories.

   *   The Volunteers of state champion Monroe Academy entered the 2019 season with a string of 40 consecutive home wins. Fyffe leads the AHSAA schools with a 31 game home winning streak.

   *   Hokes Bluff has won 12 consecutive road games. Chambers Academy leads the AISA schools with a streak of 22 straight road victories.

   *   Maplesville has scored twenty or more points in 64 consecutive games following an impressive 40-6 win over Fultondale. The Clay-Chalkville Cougars scored at least twenty points in 80 straight games to set the state record a couple of years ago.

   *   Fyffe hopes to avoid the dreaded shutout and extend their streak of consecutive games scoring. They are currently sitting on a string of 249 games without being shutout.

   *   Beauregard was shutout by Benjamin Russell 35-0. It was the first time they have been held scoreless in 122 games.

   *   Matt Griffith picked up his 100th career coaching victory on Friday as the Sylacauga Aggies knocked off Leeds by a score of 20-3. His career record stands at 100-92 after nineteen years as a head football coach at Pell City and Sylacauga.

   *   Danny Horn has accumulated 299 wins over his coaching career and has a chance to join the 300 win club this week as the Central clay County Volunteers open the season at Benjamin Russell.

Team approaching the 500 win club
  494  -  Hoover  (494-172-7)
  493  -  Haleyville  (493-397-23)
  492  -  McGill-Toolen  (492-422-29)
  491  -  Hueytown  (491-432-32)
  489  -  McAdory  (489-390-25)

Coaches approaching the 100 win club
  99  -  Ben Blackmon (Spanish Fort)  (99-42)
  98  -  David McKinney (Winfield)  (98-44)
  97  -  Toby Greene (Florala)  (97-86)
  96  -  Don Jacobs (Scottsboro)  (96-49)
  94  -  Ronnie Cottrell (Mobile Christian)  (94-66)
  92  -  Reuben Nelson (Ramsay)  (92-60)
  91  -  Chris Hilliker (Northside)  (91-61)
  91  -  Brian Seymore (Demopolis)  (91-54)
  90  -  Gene Hill (Sardis)  (90-68)
  90  -  Roland Jones Jr. (Brantley)  (90-34)