Each week this season AHSFHS.org will post games of the week provided by our forum friends better known as the "Barber Shop Gurus". Welcome TheMUBM, Kodyaufan2 and Sloth Nationzz as they analyze games of their choice and even give us a prediction for each contest.

TheMUBM Week 1 Picks

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(#10)  Corner (10-2) at  (#9)  Winfield (10-2)  at Estes Hudson Stadium Corner   Winfield 10-2 (6-1)  Record 10-2 (5-1) 5A-R5  Class/Region 3A-R5 #10  ASWA Ranking #9 50.4  Power Rating 49.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Winfield as a 1 point favorite. Last Meeting:   The Corner Yellow Jackets defeated Winfield by a score of 32-13 in week 1 on the road  on Thu., Aug. 22 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Winfield and Corner have met 2 times on the field.... The teams have both won 1 game. Comments:    Corner loses a very successful senior class. They do bring back some heavy hitters on defense with CJ Brown and Rhett Cofer. However, moving up to 5A and losing Brendon Conner, Nick Dyer and Calvin Taylor going to prove to be a tough task.     Winfield comes in with a pretty good size senior class that is stacked with talent. Keylon Hughes returns to anchor the offense and defense for his senior year. Sean Wyers provides a good target at wide receiver, standing 6'5''.     I think Corner ultimately struggles this year with the move up, and Winfield could be a real contender in 3A North. This game should be pretty tight for the most part.   Prediction:  Winfield 24 Corner 14

Addison (8-3) at  (#7)  Winston County (5-5)  at Malcolm Blake Stadium Addison   Winston County 8-3 (6-1)  Record 5-5 (2-4) 1A-R7  Class/Region 2A-R8 NR  ASWA Ranking #7 29.5  Power Rating 29.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Winston County as a 2 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Winston County Yellow Jackets defeated Addison by a score of 48-13 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Winston County and Addison have met 87 times on the field.... Addison holds a 50-36 edge in the games played.

Comments:    A big rivalry that has been played over 80 times, this is always a fun game to start the season. Addison will be a solid 1A North team again this year, aided by a bad region. They will have to overcome the loss of 2 time all state QB Jed Wilkins. Now the decision has to made who will take over the offense? One player to watch is Bradley Willette, a 6'7'' 285lb OT/DE.

Winston County just missed the playoffs last year, although they were competitive in all but one game. They have a lot of returning starters from that team, 7 on offense and 7 on defense. Dillyn Chancey has shown the ability to work well in space from the WR position, Chris Clemmons and Rakim Moore (1k rusher) will anchor the backfield.

I really believe this Winston Co team will be competitive with most any team they come across in 2A. Unfortunately for Addison, losing Jed Wilkins will prove to be a big obstacle. They'll be fine and I still think they will finish 2 or 3 in their region, but it is going to take a minute for the offense to find their groove and starting against a tough WCHS defense isn't ideal.

Prediction:  Winston Co 27 Addison 8

Donoho (0-9) at  Gaylesville (1-9)  at Roy Knapp Sr Field Donoho   Gaylesville 0-9 (0-6)  Record 1-9 (1-5) 1A-R6  Class/Region 1A-R8 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 15.9  Power Rating 14.4 AHSFHS Power Ratings have the teams as even.

Last Meeting:   The Gaylesville Trojans defeated Donoho by a score of 42-28 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Gaylesville and Donoho have met 16 times on the field.... The teams have both won 8 games.

Comments:    Donoho comes in riding a 12 game losing streak. The Falcons do have quite a bit of starters returning. I expect them to be much improved this year. They have some good looking athletes, starting with WR/DB James Benkwith who stands 6'3'' 175 lbs, Hayes Ferrell at 6'5'' 205 lbs and Brayden Johnson 6'4'' 235 lbs. All three typically go both ways and really seem to excel on the defensive side of the ball

Gaylesville comes in on a 10 game (on field) losing streak. They did notch a forfeit win against Coosa Christian last year. Gaylesville returns 5 starts on O and 6 on D. Alex Beatty and Karrson Ray will be a big focus of the offense, both from the RB position. Collin Hendon provides a good target at WR.

Both teams struggled mightily last season and are looking to turn it around. I think Donoho has a chance to improve vastly this year, I just don't see it from Gaylesville.

Prediction:  Donoho 38 Gaylesville 14

(#8)  Austin (8-3) at  (#9)  Hartselle (9-3)  at J.P. Cain Stadium Austin   Hartselle 8-3 (5-2)  Record 9-3 (4-1) 7A-R4  Class/Region 6A-R7 #8  ASWA Ranking #9 76.5  Power Rating 71.2 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Austin as a 3 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Austin Black Bears defeated Hartselle by a score of 35-34 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Hartselle and Austin have met 58 times on the field.... Hartselle holds a 32-25 edge in the games played.

Comments:    It wouldn't be the start of football in North Alabama without a much anticipated Hartselle/Austin game. Austin should be one of the better offenses in North Alabama, regardless of classification. They return a ton of production with JL Davis, Jaxon Potter and of course, RB superstar Gavin Fuqua. Austin doesn't return a ton on defense, but the offense should be good enough to allow the new unit time to gel.

Hartselle debuts a new coach but I don't expect much to change with Bert Newton at the helm. He has been with the program for four years. Noah Lee, who received significant playing time last year due to injuries, will be in charge of the offense. The loss of Ri Fletcher will be a big blow but the elusive Jayden Morris and the 6'7'' Markus Tapscott should help fill the void. 4 year starter Porter Simmons will lead the defense from the DE position.

Early in the season you expect defenses to be slightly ahead of the offenses, which would seem to give the edge to Hartselle here. However, with so many returning contributors for the Austin offense, I can't rightfully say that's true. Classic matchup of a great offense vs a stingy defense. In the end, I really like the weapons Austin has assembled.

Prediction:  Austin 21 Hartselle 16

kodyaufan2 Week 1 Picks

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American Christian (8-3) at  (#4)  Tuscaloosa Academy (10-3)  at Knights Stadium American Christian   Tuscaloosa Academy 8-3 (6-1)  Record 10-3 (5-1) 4A-R4  Class/Region 2A-R5 NR  ASWA Ranking #4 56.1  Power Rating 40.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have American Christian as a 14 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Tuscaloosa Academy Knights defeated American Christian by a score of 38-24 in week 1 on the road  on Thu., Aug. 22 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Tuscaloosa Academy and American Christian have met 7 times on the field.... Tuscaloosa Academy holds a 4-3 edge in the games played.

Comments:    This is just the seventh all-time meeting between these two Tuscaloosa private schools, each with proud winning traditions. It will be the third straight season the schools have met after a 30-year gap between 1992 and 2022. Expect a lot of points in this one.

Tuscaloosa Academy returns most of their key pieces from one of the top passing attacks in the state last year, including QB Preston Lancaster. He will be one of the top QBs in the state this year regardless of classification, as is coming off a season in which he threw for 46 TDs and nearly 4,000 yards. Top receiver Mills Powell graduated, but they return their next two leading receivers in Ellis Hamiter and Kaleb Colgrove. The defense will be led by their play-making LB Ford Beeker.

American Christian will have to replace 2nd team all-state WR Davis Dare, but the good news is they return QB Kai Young, who had 1,826 yards and 22 TDs last year. Young has a good arm, capable of making all the throws you could ask, and he seems to have a good command of the offense. The Patriots will look to extend their playoff streak to 10 straight seasons this year in a tough Class 4A Region 4.

Both of these teams averaged over 35 points per game a season ago and have stellar QBs. Expect a lot of passing yards, and a lot of points.

Prediction:  Tuscaloosa Academy 36, American Christian 27

(#7)  St. Michael (6-5) at  Bayside Academy (8-3)  at Freedom Field St. Michael   Bayside Academy 6-5 (5-2)  Record 8-3 (5-2) 4A-R1  Class/Region 3A-R1 #7  ASWA Ranking NR 51.5  Power Rating 48.7 AHSFHS Power Ratings have St. Michael as a 1 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The St. Michael Cardinals defeated Bayside Academy by a score of 31-10 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Bayside Academy and St. Michael have met 5 times on the field.... Bayside Academy holds a 4-1 edge in the games played.

Comments:    These two teams met in a region game a year ago, which resulted in a Bayside win in OT. Even though Bayside has dropped back down to 3A, I expect this to be another competitive game.

Bayside Academy will take the field this year under 2nd-year Head Coach and former Auburn QB Barrett Trotter. QB Sammy Dunn transferred during the offseason, so they'll have to break in a knew signal-caller. The top target will likely be 3 Star TE and SMU commit Miles Uter. DE Billy Neill and MLB Monroe Partin will lead the defense, each finishing with over 100 tackles last season.

The show for St. Michael this year will be Sophomore QB Gunner Rivers, son of former NFL QB and current St. Michael head coach Phillip Rivers. The younger Rivers is listed as a 4 Star prospect and will receive plenty of Division I offers in the coming years. Even as a Freshman last year he led a prolific offense, which managed to score 20+ points on both Gulf Shores and Jackson-those two squads only surrendered that many points once each the rest of the season. I would expect to see this St. Michael offense score well over 40 points per game this year. If their defense can improve on the nearly 30 points per game they gave up a year ago, this team is primed for a deep playoff run.

With two former QBs leading these teams from the sidelines, don't be surprised to see a lot of points in this one. Bayside is typically known for their defense, but they'll have a tall task to stop Gunner Rivers & Company.

Prediction:  St. Michael 49, Bayside Academy 34

(#1)  Jackson (11-1) at  (#1)  Saraland (14-1)  at Spartans Stadium Jackson   Saraland 11-1 (7-0)  Record 14-1 (8-0) 4A-R1  Class/Region 6A-R1 #1  ASWA Ranking #1 61.0  Power Rating 81.4 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Saraland as a 22 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Saraland Spartans defeated Jackson by a score of 35-27 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Saraland and Jackson have met 5 times on the field.... Jackson holds a 4-1 edge in the games played.

Comments:    These will be two of the most talented teams in the start regardless of class, and both are preseason favorites to play for the state championship in their respective classes.

Saraland lost WR Ryan Williams to the college ranks, where he will suit up this season for the Crimson Tide, but they return a significant portion of the team that has made the past two 6A state championship games. 4 Star Texas commit KJ Lacey returns at QB along with 3 Star RB Santae McWilliams Jr and two more future college players in WRs Carson Gill and Dillon Alfred. On the defensive side, recent Auburn commit in 4 Star DL Antonio Coleman returns to anchor a defense that spent last season in the shadow of their offense despite only giving up 14.7 points per game.

Jackson enters 2024 in pretty much the same position Saraland found themselves in during the 2022 and 2023 seasons - with a loaded class of Juniors and Sophomores. 4 Star QB Landon Duckworth is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2026, and RB EJ Crowell is the top RB and a 5 Star prospect in the Class of 2027. WR Keeyun Chapman is a lightning-fast Junior and is currently committed to play for Gus Malzahn at UCF, as is 3 Star Safety Jamariion Gordon. They just have a ridiculous amount of talent for a 4A squad.

This game may come down to how well Saraland can hold up at the line of scrimmage, as that is normally where we see teams in higher classifications separate themselves from teams from the lower classes. Jackson has the skill guys to play with Saraland and should get their share of big plays, but I think they'll be a little outmatched in the trenches at the end.

Prediction:  Saraland 36, Jackson 24

Ramsay (12-3) at  (#3)  Parker (12-2)  at Major Brown Memorial Stadium Ramsay   Parker 12-3 (7-0)  Record 12-2 (6-0) 5A-R5  Class/Region 6A-R5 NR  ASWA Ranking #3 70.0  Power Rating 75.0 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Parker as a 7 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Parker Thundering Herd defeated Ramsay by a score of 41-12 in week 1 on the road  on Thu., Aug. 22 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Parker and Ramsay have met 16 times on the field.... The teams have both won 8 games.

Comments:    Another battle between two teams that are among the most talented in their classifications, but it's possible that Parker may have taken over the mantle as the MOST talented team in the state this year in any class. These two teams are very familiar with each other, as this will be the 11th straight season they've played.

The amount of talent Parker has this year is absurd. They have no less than 10 players with Division I offers to play college football. The crown jewell among them is 5 Star CB Na'eem Offord, who is currently committed to Ohio State. He had to play both ways last year, including some at QB, so it will be interesting to see if he focuses more on one side of the ball this year. Timothy Merritt will line up at CB opposite of Offord, and he is a 4 Star in his own right. They'll have a two-man wrecking crew up front in 4 Star Senior DL Jourdin Crawford and 4 Star Junior DL Vodney Cleveland, but they also have two more future college defensive linemen in Caleb Smith and Robert Taylor III. Good luck to opposing OCs.

Ramsay lost talented RB Ashton Ashford, but QB Kameron Keenan returns to lead the offense once again, and he is coming off a 3,200 yards, 31 TDs season. They lost LB QB Reese and DL Demarcus Wynn from a defense that allowed just 12 points per game, but MLB Marquel Patterson returns after getting 163 tackles last season.

This is a tough one to predict, as last season's matchup resulted in a Parker win by just three points, 20-17. I expect to see Ramsay have to run a lot of quick passes and screens in an attempt to neutralize Parker's D-line, which will result in some solid drive. Ultimately, however, I think they'll struggle to move the ball consistently enough to win.

Prediction:  Parker 32, Ramsay 17

Sloth Nationzz Week 1 Picks

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(#1)  T.R. Miller (8-4) at  (#6)  Reeltown (13-1)  at Cramton Bowl T.R. Miller   Reeltown 8-4 (5-2)  Record 13-1 (7-0) 3A-R1  Class/Region 2A-R4 #1  ASWA Ranking #6 50.5  Power Rating 44.7 AHSFHS Power Ratings have T.R. Miller as a 6 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The T.R. Miller Tigers defeated Reeltown by a score of 28-7 in week 1 at Home  on Thu., Aug. 22 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Reeltown and T.R. Miller have met one time on the field.... T.R. Miller holds a 1-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Two of the state's most historic programs finally line up against one another in Cramton Bowl on Thursday Night. The biggest question here is depth. Both teams have excellent coaching and athletes and players all over the field.

Tae Martin is expected to take the throne from the former Reeltown star Arthur Woods. If you talk to people from the area they do not believe there will be much of a dropoff as Tae Martin is seen as an excellent running back in his own regard. Myles Johnson is considered to be the next great in the long line of TR Miller greats to roam the hallways in Brewton, Alabama.

I said earlier in this report that it would come down to depth and here is why I think that is the biggest difference between these two great programs. TR Miller has been in 4A these last few years as Reeltown has historically been a 2A outside of two years in 3A that many Rebel fans choose to forget. Reeltown plays up in competition at times, usually against big rival Tallassee, and outside of the years where Tallassee has been horrible, Reeltown has been soundly defeated by Tallassee.

My Prediction: I think TR Miller has the depth and with Myles Johnson on the field, I think the Tigers are a real title contender. Reeltown is as well, but TR Miller has the depth and size to win. My Prediction: Give me TR Miller to win in a competitive game to kick off the season!

Prediction:  TR Miller 34 Reeltown 26

Excel (4-6) at  Lee-Scott Academy (11-1)  at Judd Scott Field Excel   Lee-Scott Academy 4-6 (2-5)  Record 11-1 (6-1) 3A-R1  Class/Region 3A-R4 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 34.9  Power Rating 48.0 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Lee-Scott Academy as a 15 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Lee-Scott Academy Warriors defeated Excel by a score of 33-16 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Lee-Scott Academy and Excel have met one time on the field.... Lee-Scott Academy holds a 1-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Welcome to where the big boys play Lee Scott. In what has probably been the most hyped AISA to AHSAA move in history, the Warriors of Lee Scott look to make a statement against a program that has been in 3A since 2010.

It has not been the most fun for the Panthers during their time in Class 3A with only one playoff appearance since moving up. Lee Scott is coming off of back to back AAA AISA Titles. The Warriors are led by Pelzer Reeves, who plays quarterback, and Tyler Kennedy who is the running back and linebacker.

I think Lee Scott will have to figure out just how physical they are. They have many physical teams on their schedule and this is a first good test as Excel runs the single wing. I think being at home is also an underrated factor as that is a long drive as Excel has to travel all the way to Auburn.

My Prediction: I think the Warriors secure their first AHSAA victory over a physical, yet subpar 3A squad in Excel. The Panthers will test the Warriors toughness, but the Warriors pass, and will be testing on the road in Wedowee in September. Lee Scott wins going away.

Prediction:  Lee-Scott 27 Excel 12

Tallassee (1-9) at  Montgomery Academy (4-7)  at McLemore Field Tallassee   Montgomery Academy 1-9 (0-5)  Record 4-7 (4-3) 4A-R3  Class/Region 3A-R2 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 51.6  Power Rating 47.0 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Tallassee as a 3 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Montgomery Academy Eagles defeated Tallassee by a score of 22-16 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Montgomery Academy and Tallassee have met one time on the field.... Montgomery Academy holds a 1-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    The new look Tallassee Tigers move down to 4A and hire Lawerence O'Neal from Booker T Washington to travel on the road to the Montgomery Academy Eagles who make the move back down to 3A to Eagle fans' pleasure.

Montgomery Academy has a great receiver in DJ Vinson alongside quarterback David Whisenhunt. Tallassee landed highly touted running back Josh Griffin from Catholic as he returns to Tallassee where he started his career. I am very curious about this game for a variety of reasons.

Last year, The Tallassee Tigers were very bad, no question about that. But with a brand new coaching staff and team, will that help bring them back to their winning ways? Will the move back down to 3A bring Montgomery Academy back to hosting playoff games, rather than being other team's homecoming game? I think this could be a great game in the river region.

My Prediction: I think Tallassee gets the victory over the Montgomery Academy Eagles. I don't think this is an indictment against either team, I think both will be better than people think. Give me Tallassee to win.

Prediction:  Tallassee 28 Montgomery Academy 21

(#2)  Mars Hill (10-2) at  Madison Academy (14-1)  at Bill Washington Stadium Mars Hill   Madison Academy 10-2 (5-1)  Record 14-1 (6-0) 3A-R7  Class/Region 4A-R8 #2  ASWA Ranking NR 49.8  Power Rating 56.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Madison Academy as a 9 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Mars Hill Panthers defeated Madison Academy by a score of 34-7 in week 1 on the road  on Fri., Aug. 23 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Madison Academy and Mars Hill have met 2 times on the field.... The teams have both won 1 game.

Comments:    Mars Hill losses Griffin Hanson to graduation and Madison Academy losses Ken Cherry as he continues his athletic career at Samford. Madison Academy lost a lot to graduation and they made the move up to Class 4A.

I think this matchup has flown under the radar of many AHSAA fans outside of those who reside in north Alabama. Is this the year that Mars Hill finally breaks through in Class 3A? It seems that they have found a classification for them where they are competitive but not winning the title, does that change this year?

With Fyffe in the North it seems unlikely, but could see them in November. Madison Academy I think will struggle more than they have as 4A seems more of a balanced class for them.

My Prediction: I think Madison Academy lost a lot from last years team and will fall to the Panthers as Mars Hill scores the upset.

Prediction:  Mars Hill 28 Madison Academy 14