It was a difficult job
narrowing the long list of excellent teams to just ten in 4A. There are a lot of teams deserving to
be in the top ten that were left off the list. Anniston lost a lot to
graduation and will have a new head coach in 2023. American Christian,
Dora, Etowah, West Morgan, Randolph, Orange Beach and Bibb County are
all deserving consideration this season.
Cherokee County returns RB Jacob Cornejo to lead the offense. The
Warriors lost a few skilled players to graduation but word is they
are filling those spots nicely this off season. A tough early season
schedule with
games against 5A Alexandria and Piedmont will test the Warriors.
Andalusia returns QB Jack Lathrop and RB JMarion Burnette to the offense
which should be very good this year. If the Bulldogs can find
replacements on the defensive side of the football they will be back in
the championship hunt.
Catholic Montgomery
returns one of the top QBs in the state in Caleb McCreary who totaled
over 3,600 yards of offense last year.
Jacksonville could well be
the Cinderella squad this year as Jim Ogle will return to lead the
Golden Eagles at quarterback. Last season, Ogle earned Class 4A All-State honors after throwing for 2,523 yards and 28 touchdowns along with rushing for 252 yards and two TDs.
B.T. Washington is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.
QB Elijah Hall will be returning after completing 110 of 192 passes for
1,767 yards last season along with 22 touchdowns. Hall also rushed for
another 1,839 yards and 17 TDs in 2022.
The Golden Eagles have not been accustomed to winning consistently but
this could very well be their best team ever.
Dora returns players at
most of the skilled positions and will be a team in the hunt later in
the season.
Orange Beach just has
a very difficult schedule to maneuver in 2023. They could start the
season 1-3 and still be a very good team. Lastly, Westminster Christian
returns their record setting QB Brandon Musch.
Watch out for the Wildcats in 2023.
T.R. Miller,
Oneonta and Handley will have a say in the playoffs just as they have
for the past few seasons.
Playoff Teams
Region 1
Region 2
Jackson
Andalusia
T.R. Miller
Catholic Montgomery
Orange Beach
B.T. Washington
St. Michael
Montgomery Academy
Region 3
Region 4
American Christian
Handley
Bibb County
Jacksonville
West Blocton
Anniston
Montevallo
Munford
Region 5
Region 6
Dora
Cherokee County
Northside
Oneonta
Haleyville
Etowah
Cordova
Good Hope
Region 7
Region 8
Deshler
Westminster Christian
West Morgan
Priceville
Rogers
Randolph
Brooks
Madison County
Most
Difficult Schedules 2023
The most difficult schedule in 4A belongs
to Montgomery Academy. The Eagles play in a very tough region with the likes
of Andalusia, Catholic and B.T. Washington. They also have St. James,
Trinity and Alabama Christian on their schedule.
The most difficult non-region schedule goes to Anniston who play
Walter Wellborn, Andalusia and Piedmont during the season.
Toughest Overall
Montgomery Academy
77
43
Dale County
73
44
B.T. Washington
69
47
East Lawrence
65
44
Hamilton
64
44
Geneva
68
47
Andalusia
64
47
North Jackson
67
48
Brooks
65
48
Cleburne County
66
47
Toughest Non-Region
Anniston
32
9
Montgomery Academy
30
9
Andalusia
26
8
Haleyville
26
8
Bibb County
29
9
American Christian
27
9
Randolph
26
9
North Jackson
27
11
Hamilton
23
10
St. Michael
23
11
Most
Victories 2010-2022
This is somewhat of a surprise. I doubt
many fans would have guessed Jackson as the winningest team in 4A over the
past thirteen seasons. But here are the Aggies leading the way with 123 wins
and a state championship in 2011.
Titles
Jackson
123-39
75.9%
1
Andalusia
122-41
74.8%
1
T.R. Miller
116-41
73.9%
American Christian
118-42
73.8%
Bibb County
115-41
73.7%
Oneonta
117-49
70.5%
1
Etowah
107-45
70.4%
Brooks
102-46
68.9%
Handley
107-50
68.2%
3
Deshler
106-56
65.4%
Montgomery Academy
99-54
64.7%
Northside
93-51
64.6%
Bayside Academy
97-57
63.0%
Jacksonville
93-55
62.8%
Catholic Montgomery
93-57
62.0%
Last
25 seasons (1998-2022)
While T.R. Miller still sits atop the list of best teams over the past
25 seasons they have not won more than ten games in any season since 2013.
On the other hand they have been the most consistent winner in 4A the entire
25 years having suffered through only one losing season in 2007.
The 233 wins by American
Christian is the second most wins among teams that have not
won a state championship the past twenty five seasons.
