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The best of the best in Alabama High
School Football over the past 100 seasons.
Rivalries
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The Battle of Prichard is one of the shorter rivalries but definitely one of the most intense. During the 1990s this rivalry often matched two of the best teams in the state against each other. Blount won Class 5A titles in 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Vigor competed for a championship almost every season during this time. The teams share Prichard Stadium along with most everything in the town. They work and live together for fifty-one weeks a year but quickly choose sides during rivalry week. The players went to the same elementary and middle schools. During the 1990s, 15,000 to 20,000 fans packed a Stadium that seats about 10,000 fans. In Prichard, it means a green and purple church service. Every October, the congregation at Philadelphia Baptist Church on Wilson Avenue parts like the Red Sea - except these waters are purple and green. The Sunday before the annual football showdown the congregation shows its colors. All Blount fans on one side. All Vigor fans on the other side. In 1995 quarterback Kelvin Robinson completed 15 of 20 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns as 16,000 fans witnessed Blount take an 18-7 win over Vigor at Prichard Stadium. Detrorin Singleton caught five passes for 130 yards, including a one-handed grab between two defenders on a 96-yard scoring play in the second quarter. Running back Ernest Perdue gained 203 yards on 17 carries for the Leopards. More than 19,000 fans crammed into Prichard Stadium to watch the 1998 game, which Blount won 21-13 on the way to a state title. In the past few years the rivalry has changed with reclassification. The two no longer play during the regular season but instead play a preseason game. Although the win does not count in either team's overall record, it counts a lot to the winner. Somehow I believe the coaches and players will continue to play the game as if it were for a state championship. Total Meetings: 44 Series Record: Vigor leads 33-11-0 First Meeting: 10/1/1971, Vigor 7, Blount, 8 Last Meeting: 9/27/2013, Blount 40, Vigor, 13 Longest Winning Streak: Vigor 14 (1999-2012), Blount 2 (1973-1974) Biggest Wins: Vigor 46-0 (1987), Blount 44-0 (1973) Biggest Upsets: 1977 - Blount (1-8-1) upset Vigor (6-4) 13-10
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David Parker
AHSFHS.org
dparker@ahsfhs.org
Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History
Luverne 'Toad' Wise was the first female football player in Alabama and may have been the first in the country. She was a kicker for the Escambia County Blue Devils in 1939-40.
Luverne 'Toad' Wise was the first female football player in Alabama and may have been the first in the country. She was a kicker for the Escambia County Blue Devils in 1939-40.
