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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.






2023 Team Previews 

  


Paul Bryant Stampede

Head Coach: John McKenzie (first season)
Career Record: 3 seasons, (21-13)
At Paul Bryant: First season
Stadium: Stampede Stadium
2022 Enrollment:  801
Rank:  59th in the AHSAA, 27th in Class 6A

 History 
Overall Record:   65-138   (32.0%)
Last 25 years:   65-138   (32.0%)  (Rank: 348th in the AHSAA, 52nd in Class 6A)
Since 2010:   50-83  (37.6%)  (Rank: 279th in the AHSAA, 47th in Class 6A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2019
Last Region Championship:   Never
Last Winning Season:   2019
Last Losing Season:   2022

 2022 
Class:  6A              Region:   4
Record:  1-9
Region Record:   1-6, (seventh)
Playoff Record:   Did not qualify.
Final ASWA Poll:   Not Ranked
Scoring:  157 (15.7)
Defense:  483 (48.3)


 2023 
Class: 6A              Region:   4
Strength of Schedule: 53-54 (50%) (186th in the AHSAA, 39th in Class 6A)
Region Strength:  39-37 (51%)
Non-Region Strength:  14-17 (45%)



 2022 Results 
 8/19  @ Pleasant Grove  (5A)   8-51   L  
 8/26  @ Minor  (6A)   8-37   L  
 9/2  @ Central Tuscaloosa  (6A)  *  24-33   L  
 9/9  @ McAdory  (6A)  *  19-46   L  
 9/16  vs. Northridge  (6A)  *  6-41   L  
 9/23  vs. Demopolis  (5A)   16-74   L  
 9/30  vs. Hueytown  (6A)  *  7-75   L  
 10/7  vs. Brookwood  (6A)  *  23-18   W  
 10/14  vs. Hillcrest Tuscaloosa  (6A)  *  13-56   L  
 10/21  @ Bessemer City  (6A)  *  33-52   L  
 10/28   OPEN 

 2023 Schedule 
 8/25  vs. Park Crossing  (6A)       
 9/1  vs. Minor  (6A)       
 9/8  vs. Central Tuscaloosa  (6A)  *      
 9/15  vs. McAdory  (6A)  *      
 9/22  @ Northridge  (6A)  *      
 9/29   OPEN 
 10/6  @ Hueytown  (6A)  *      
 10/13  @ Brookwood  (6A)  *      
 10/20  @ Hillcrest Tuscaloosa  (6A)  *      
 10/27  vs. Bessemer City  (6A)  *      
 11/3  @ Demopolis  (5A)       


Class  6A Region  4
Team 2022 Record Region Scoring                            
Hillcrest Tuscaloosa (6A) 11-1 7-0506-250
Hueytown (6A) 8-4 6-1531-306
Northridge (6A) 7-4 5-2342-226
McAdory (6A) 6-5 4-3337-199
Brookwood (6A) 4-6 2-5190-298
Central Tuscaloosa (6A) 2-8 2-5121-401
Paul Bryant (6A) 1-9 1-6157-483
Bessemer City (6A) 1-9 1-6192-345

 2023 Preview 


       Paul Bryant finished the 2022 season with a disappointing 1-9 record. Last year Paul Bryant finished seventh in Class 6A region four with a 1-6 region record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

       The Stampede lost as many games as in any season since 2014. The Stampede have never won a playoff game in the school's history. They would like to break through and pick up that first post season victory in 2023.

       Paul Bryant was inconsistent offensively last year and they need some improvement if the Stampede want to be competitive. They only averaged 15.7 points a game.

       Paul Bryant struggled on the defensive side of the football last year. The defense found little success in stopping opposing offenses as they gave up an average of 48.3 points a game.

       The Stampede would prefer to forget the past two seasons as they have finished with a 4-15 record. Since 2010, Paul Bryant has gone a combined 50-83. Their 37.6% winning percentage ranks 47th in Class 6A over the past thirteen seasons.

       Over the past 20 seasons, Paul Bryant has not won much with a record of 65-138. Their 32.0% winning percentage ranks 52nd in Class 6A and 348th in the AHSAA.




       The Stampede will be under the direction of new head football coach John McKenzie as they enter the 2023 season.  Coach McKenzie moved north to Paul Bryant after spending the past three seasons in Mobile at Vigor and Murphy. His 2021 Vigor squad won a state championship. Over the course of his career, Coach McKenzie's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of two times and won one region championship. Coach McKenzie won a state championship at Vigor in 2021.

       This season, the Stampede will be a long shot for one of the four playoff spots in region four.

       The Stampede open the 2023 season at home against non-region opponent Park Crossing on Friday, August 25 at Stampede Stadium. Last year the Park Crossing Thunderbirds finished with an overall record of 0-9 and in seventh place in Class 6A region two.

       This will be the second meeting between Paul Bryant and Park Crossing on the football field. The Stampede have a 0-1-0 record against the Thunderbirds. They last met in with

      

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Morris Higginbotham coached three different teams to divisional state championships in the 1950s. He won titles at Walnut Grove in 1952, West Blocton in 1955 and Enterprise in 1960.