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bs091880
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
308 Posts |
 Posted - 08/22/2026 : 04:33:00
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Private schools done a number on public schools on this first week.
The inter class matchups was something like a 90% win total when private schools played public schools.
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hthe3
AHSFHS Forum Member
93 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 10:32:20
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At least from the game I was at, I don't think Tallassee is very good. No depth so their good skill players are always out there and the OL/DL is just out of shape and slow. Their starters scored late against MA's backups but that's because Tallassee didn't have anyone to sub in to get experience.
MA should be pretty good this year but I'm not sure they'll be able to learn much from this game or the one against Catholic next week (for different reasons). |
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rivalsjp
Forum Member
35 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 13:19:19
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quote:
Originally posted by bs091880
Private schools done a number on public schools on this first week.
The inter class matchups was something like a 90% win total when private schools played public schools.
Overall this is one of the more strange week 1s I can remember. Lots of just shocking games all around. If I?ve learned anything it?s not to put too much into week one results. But of course it can be a harbinger of things to come in terms of a team being a lot better or not as good as they eventually end up being. |
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Bandkid15
AHSFHS Forum Master
105 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 13:39:39
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quote:
Originally posted by rivalsjp
quote:
Originally posted by bs091880
Private schools done a number on public schools on this first week.
The inter class matchups was something like a 90% win total when private schools played public schools.
Overall this is one of the more strange week 1s I can remember. Lots of just shocking games all around. If I?ve learned anything it?s not to put too much into week one results. But of course it can be a harbinger of things to come in terms of a team being a lot better or not as good as they eventually end up being.
Exactly, I think this year will definitely not be determined by week 1 results. Like what do you mean Hueytown lost 60-18? And that?s probably like not even in the top 10 of most shocking or odd scores this week. |
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Tom Servo
AHSFHS Forum Member
85 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 16:18:25
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quote:
Originally posted by rivalsjp
quote:
Originally posted by bs091880
Private schools done a number on public schools on this first week.
The inter class matchups was something like a 90% win total when private schools played public schools.
Overall this is one of the more strange week 1s I can remember. Lots of just shocking games all around. If I?ve learned anything it?s not to put too much into week one results. But of course it can be a harbinger of things to come in terms of a team being a lot better or not as good as they eventually end up being.
Shocking is right and also quite bizarre and not just the upsets. Some of the winning margins were unexpectedly big or strangely narrow. Just a whole host of games that made me scratch my head. I was going to make a list but there was so many results that didnt make any sense. One of the strangest week 1's I can ever remember. |
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rivalsjp
Forum Member
35 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 16:34:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Bandkid15
quote:
Originally posted by rivalsjp
quote:
Originally posted by bs091880
Private schools done a number on public schools on this first week.
The inter class matchups was something like a 90% win total when private schools played public schools.
Overall this is one of the more strange week 1s I can remember. Lots of just shocking games all around. If I?ve learned anything it?s not to put too much into week one results. But of course it can be a harbinger of things to come in terms of a team being a lot better or not as good as they eventually end up being.
Exactly, I think this year will definitely not be determined by week 1 results. Like what do you mean Hueytown lost 60-18? And that?s probably like not even in the top 10 of most shocking or odd scores this week.
I have a theory on why there are a few things that made this years opening week a bit unique. Sorry if this is a little long but hear me out.
1. The weather/lightning delays. It wasn't just an area of the state, it was practically state wide. I know there are one or two weeks a year we see this happen, but never week one. This is a time where you have some teams traveling farther than normal, breaking in new starters and all kinds of other factors. Throw in 30 minute, an hour, 2 hour lightning delays and that causes all kinds of mayhem to flow and momentum of a game. Many games had multiple delays and/or start times. They would kick off, play a while, stop 30 minutes, play another quarter, then have halftime, play a little more, have an hour delay, etc.
2. The public/private split, classification shrinkage. I think some of those changes shifted the perceptions of some teams and where they are/should be in the pecking order. Things will settle in more as time goes on.
3. The above also led to some very neat, but unusual non region matchups. Because reclassing got pushed so far back and there were so many unanswered questions it was difficult for teams to schedule. Some had scheduled an opponent only to end up in a region with them, or one school ended up in a larger class and didn't want the non region tiebreaker penalty or a number of other things. Some just waited. So it resulted in everyone scrambling to fill their schedules in a short amount of time.
4. An unusual amount of coaching turnover. Theres always a large number of these at the high school level, but will all the changes there was a lot more than usual, especially in some bigger name jobs.
I just think all of those things played in to it. On top of week one always being a bit quirky to begin with.
There were a few results that caught my eye. The first is one you mentioned:
Hueytown/Mountain Brook:
A few things on this one. Mountain Brook is rarely great, but always very very good. They are as sound as it gets, you will have to beat them. They will give you nothing and capitalize on anything you give them. Hueytowns first possession ended with a snap over the punters head and MB getting the ball inside the five. Their second possession ended with a blocked punt in the endzone which MB recovered for a TD. It was 16-0 before you could blink and it was Hueytown's mistakes. Mountain Brook is going to kill you if you do that. Its why they are always good, they seldom lose a game they shouldn't and consistently beat teams with significantly more talent because they get the most out of each player and play mistake free football.
Hueytown on paper seems like this should be a good game, but keep a few things in mind. They had coaching turnover and a lot of kids that would be there this year went other places. Also, yes Hueytown went to the 3rd round last year, but they were 5-5 and had two very favorable opponents in the first two games. That is in no way to diminish their season, but compare them to the other quarterfinal teams in 6A last year and they were clearly a tier below.
Briarwood/Moody:
Briarwood was projected to be good this year and if nothing changed was projected to be able to make a run at a state title in 5A. Also, we all know Moody lost a lot including their coach. I still don't think anyone projected this, but it may be that we find out Briarwood is just really really good and Moody has just reverted back to being average. Or maybe its just one of those things. Briarwood plays Homewood this week. If they turn around and beat Homewood by double digits this week, then yeah, maybe its time to take notice of Briarwood.
Hoover/Muscle Shoals
I'll be honest that I did not expect this to be this competitive. Again, maybe Hoover isn't that good this year, maybe Shoals lost Badsen and didn't miss a beat or maybe it's both. It's hard to say.
There are really a lot of games I could talk about. Fyffe/Clay Central is a big one. Clay Central was in complete control and imploded. Jacksonville beating Piedmont was a little bit of a surprise, but blowing them out I don't think many had in the cards. Randolph boat racing Pisgah was an interesting one.
Pelham might be sneaky good. Spanish Fort might be better than expected or perhaps Daphne is below average. Time will tell.
I don't think any teams should be in freak out mode nor should they start measuring ring sizes. It was typical week one weirdness on steroids this year. Things will start to take shape more over the next few weeks.
Of all the teams mentioned I am most interested in seeing how Briarwood does this week. I had heard they were really really excited about this team. If they beat Homewood and especially if they do it convincingly this week then look out, the Lions will put everyone in class AA on notice. Them skulldragging Moody like that was a surprise, but its possible Moody is just okay this year. But if Briarwood pulls a stunner like that a second week in a row, then it will be more of a story about how good Briarwood is than anything else. |
Edited by - rivalsjp on 08/22/2026 16:44:21 |
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mcslate
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
397 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 19:32:54
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Just a few personal opinions
1. Only one game but I think Priceville might be a hair below what they were last season but still solid.
2. West Morgan played Athens closer than the final score might indicate. Just became a numbers game in the 4th quarter.
3. I'm disappointed with Austin. No shame in losing to JC but with the experience they brought back they shouldn't have been blown out on their home field.
4. Guntersville might be down this year. Arab usually plays them tough but with a new head coach, getting blown out by Douglas in the jamboree, and already some staff drama they got alot to figure out before region play.
5. Decatur taking Buckhorn to overtime was a little surprising. Ritter is a good coach and the Red Raiders might be a pain for some of the top teams in their region.
6. Hartselle lost quite a bit and was still able to hammer Bob Jones. This might be the year we start talking about Coach Newton being among the best coaches in the north. |
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mcslate
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
397 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 22:05:23
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| It's over, Columbia wins! |
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Brochap1202
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 22:17:20
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| No more 101 losing streak the eagles fly tonight congrats Columbia |
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Brochap1202
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2026 : 22:19:39
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| No more 101 losing streak the eagles fly tonight congrats Columbia |
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GoldenTiger86
AHSFHS Forum Member
85 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2026 : 02:17:59
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| I know it was Greensboro, and I don't think Columbia suddenly is a state championship contender--but I think a 4 seed isn't inconceivable in that region. They're probably good enough to beat Douglas and Lee as it stands. Boaz and Ft Payne are probably asking a lot, but find a way to beat two of Albertville, Arab, or Mae Jemison and you're probably in. |
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mcslate
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
397 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2026 : 04:07:29
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Still think it's a longshot for them to make the playoffs. We don't know what Mae Jemison is going to be like yet but I'm thinking they'll beat Lee and that's it. Still, I believe they beat East Limestone next week and probably have an outside shot at beating Grissom. 3-7 would be huge for them. Gotta learn to walk before you can run.
Went to the game and had a blast. There's a lot of bad in the world right now and being able to witness this streak ending is just the kind of feel-good story we need. Noticed there were several kids/players from other schools that turned up tonight to pull for Columbia as well. Not just the other Huntsville schools either. I noticed kids from Tanner, Danville, Bob Jones, Hartselle, and Buckhorn among the non-Huntsville teams that made the trip. Even found one guy who said he drove up from Birmingham to see it.
EDIT: Forgot about Albertville. I'd say it's a toss up between them. |
Edited by - mcslate on 08/23/2026 04:10:36 |
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Tom Servo
AHSFHS Forum Member
85 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2026 : 09:12:04
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Excellent observations and comments from everyone. A few of my own.
rivalsjp re Briarwood: I'm not sold on Homewood. They are not the team they were last year although their defense looked OK. It remains to be seen how good John Carroll really is though. Homewood should have scored more and their run game isn't great. They have a lot of underclassman playing too. I would not be surprised if Briarwood wins that game.
I didn't watch any of the Fyffe - Central Clay County game but when I saw it on the schedule I thought Central would win handily. It was a big ask for Fyffe to step up 2 classes and play a very good school twice their size. Of course Fyffe being Fyffe doing Fyffe things I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Yes it was a miracle win but they put themselves in that position. They're going to be tough to beat this year but when are they not?
Trussville wasn't expected to be as good this year yet they slayed the Auburn dragon in an offensive explosion.
Lanett had beat Loachapoka 10 years straight and usually by a wide margin. Lanett losing to Loachapoka 40-20 was a big surprise.
And how about Geraldine 54, Anniston 6?
The comments regarding Pelham and Hartselle are very interesting because there is a connection between these two teams that some may not know. Both are coached by the sons of Homewoods most successful coach ever, Bob Newton. They definitely have the pedigree.
You cant mention week 1 without also talking about Clay Chalkville. Creekside in GA is a much bigger school with a pile of seniors on a defending State Championship team and Clay played them tough as nails. Creekside had a couple TD's called back and threw an interception deep in Clays territory but overall Clay represented very well. Despite losing some amazing talent from last years team they are still very very good and likely the class of 5A again this year. Do they hold the title as best in state again this year? I'm not sure because Thompson looked awfully good and this weeks game is going to be very interesting.
Cheers... |
Edited by - Tom Servo on 08/23/2026 09:37:45 |
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rivalsjp
Forum Member
35 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2026 : 13:00:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Tom Servo
Excellent observations and comments from everyone. A few of my own.
rivalsjp re Briarwood: I'm not sold on Homewood. They are not the team they were last year although their defense looked OK. It remains to be seen how good John Carroll really is though. Homewood should have scored more and their run game isn't great. They have a lot of underclassman playing too. I would not be surprised if Briarwood wins that game.
I didn't watch any of the Fyffe - Central Clay County game but when I saw it on the schedule I thought Central would win handily. It was a big ask for Fyffe to step up 2 classes and play a very good school twice their size. Of course Fyffe being Fyffe doing Fyffe things I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Yes it was a miracle win but they put themselves in that position. They're going to be tough to beat this year but when are they not?
Trussville wasn't expected to be as good this year yet they slayed the Auburn dragon in an offensive explosion.
Lanett had beat Loachapoka 10 years straight and usually by a wide margin. Lanett losing to Loachapoka 40-20 was a big surprise.
And how about Geraldine 54, Anniston 6?
The comments regarding Pelham and Hartselle are very interesting because there is a connection between these two teams that some may not know. Both are coached by the sons of Homewoods most successful coach ever, Bob Newton. They definitely have the pedigree.
You cant mention week 1 without also talking about Clay Chalkville. Creekside in GA is a much bigger school with a pile of seniors on a defending State Championship team and Clay played them tough as nails. Creekside had a couple TD's called back and threw an interception deep in Clays territory but overall Clay represented very well. Despite losing some amazing talent from last years team they are still very very good and likely the class of 5A again this year. Do they hold the title as best in state again this year? I'm not sure because Thompson looked awfully good and this weeks game is going to be very interesting.
Cheers...
My point isn't necessarily on Homewood, more on Briarwood. I would agree Homewood is not as good as they were last year. However, there is a very strong argument they were the second best team in 6A last year. No one expected them to be as good as last year, particularly in week one. However, when has Homewood ever been bad? They are young and experimenting with the lineup, but likely end up being a team that can make a run.
That said, my point is on Briarwood. As I mentioned there were many who felt they were a state title favorite to make a run in 5A this year if there had not been a split. They looked great Friday, but as I said, maybe Moody is just okay and a 5-5 type team. Or maybe they are still really really good. We don't know yet. What I do know is if Briarwood were to go out and beat Homewood by say 10-14 this week, then yeh Briarwood is for real. Even if Homewood isn't as good as last year that still awfully impressive.
Fyffe win was a stunner. Yes, amazing, I don't know how they pulled that off, but thats what they do. It was just extra surprising with a class size difference and over a Danny Horn squad.
Agreed on Geraldine/Anniston. I think most expected Anniston to take a step back, but my goodness not like that.
Interesting notes on the Newton brothers, had not even thought of that. Hartselle is always solid and look very good again. Unfortunate for them they will run up against Clay Chalkville before the title game. Also good notes on them.
Pelham showed signs at the end of the season last year and frankly should have beaten Hueytown in the playoffs. I think most have considered that region to be a Homewood/Mountain Brook battle for 1st and it still probably is. But I sure would not discount Pelham.
Just so much to take in from this week one. As mentioned it was just a bizzare opening week for many reasons. Lots of things to take note of, but also would be cautious of putting too much stock into this week. We will have some clarity after week two but week 3 is where region play starts, lineups get solidified and the rubber meets the road.
Congrats to Columbia. Nothing against Greensboro, but I think Columbia had the whole country behind them this week. Happy for those kids. |
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JEREF
AHSFHS Forum Member
92 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2026 : 10:30:38
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Columbia is a good story, but I think people are getting carried away with the rest of the season. Very likely they'll go 1-9 or 2-8.
Very Unlikely
Ft.Payne, Arab, Grissom, Boaz, Albertville
Unlikely
Mae Jemison - They always have athletes.
Two maybes
Lee - They are on a 21 game losing streak.
East Limestone - They are 2-19 over the last 21.
Uncertain
Douglas
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Edited by - JEREF on 08/26/2026 10:33:34 |
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CCHS07
Forum Member
54 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2026 : 13:19:41
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I wasn't expecting Columbia to break the streak with a top-10 night for scoring output in school history. I would be very interested to see the transfer numbers for Columbia. They may be out there, but from what I recall the only ones that were released were for the teams that were ranked in the ASWA preseason poll.
I would imagine Columbia has a fair to high number of transfers for this year, given how badly they have lost to some very dreadful teams over the past 100 games. Columbia is in a gigantic school system (relatively speaking) that has half a dozen large high schools; they are not from a poor, sparsely populated backwater place in terms of funding or the kind of talent walking the halls. Maybe they have suffered from the facts that their district borders much more attractive schools (Bob Jones and James Clemens), but man, 101 losses in a row should have never happened.
at least its now over. |
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mattharris75
Forum Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2026 : 23:22:30
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| All transfer numbers are available on the Dragonfly website. I did a quick look through their roster and if I've counted correctly Columbia has 24 transfers. |
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Tom Servo
AHSFHS Forum Member
85 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2026 : 13:25:48
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quote:
Originally posted by mattharris75
All transfer numbers are available on the Dragonfly website. I did a quick look through their roster and if I've counted correctly Columbia has 24 transfers.
Wow, 24 transfers...hmmm....seems like a lot. Is it possible many of those transfers are more school related than football related? Huntsville is growing like mad is Columbia perceived as a better school for education. Just trying to get a better picture on this really high number of transfers. |
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mattharris75
Forum Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2026 : 13:53:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Tom Servo
Wow, 24 transfers...hmmm....seems like a lot. Is it possible many of those transfers are more school related than football related? Huntsville is growing like mad is Columbia perceived as a better school for education. Just trying to get a better picture on this really high number of transfers.
No, it is not a highly thought of academic school, but there are a few schools in town where it might be seen as a lateral move. |
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JEREF
AHSFHS Forum Member
92 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2026 : 14:21:04
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24 transfers for Columbia is crazy, but it likely has less to do with school choice and more to do with land.
As Huntsville continues to annex land to the west in their efforts to maintain status as Alabama's biggest city and one of the best cities in America, there is nowhere else realistic for the students to go if they happen to fall into "Huntsville territory." They're nowhere near the other 4 schools (Grissom, Huntsville, Mae Jemison, Lee).
Second is just availability. "Go West, young man." Madison is sky-high, which makes the next best choice somewhere W/SW of that. Prospective buyers may love an area because of $pSQFT and be willing to accept a school system that will have their kid on a bus for two hours a day.
Look at this ridiculous map for context.
https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/myschoolsmap/ |
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Tom Servo
AHSFHS Forum Member
85 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2026 : 18:15:56
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quote:
Originally posted by JEREF
24 transfers for Columbia is crazy, but it likely has less to do with school choice and more to do with land.
As Huntsville continues to annex land to the west in their efforts to maintain status as Alabama's biggest city and one of the best cities in America, there is nowhere else realistic for the students to go if they happen to fall into "Huntsville territory." They're nowhere near the other 4 schools (Grissom, Huntsville, Mae Jemison, Lee).
Second is just availability. "Go West, young man." Madison is sky-high, which makes the next best choice somewhere W/SW of that. Prospective buyers may love an area because of $pSQFT and be willing to accept a school system that will have their kid on a bus for two hours a day.
Look at this ridiculous map for context.
https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/myschoolsmap/
That map is interesting and Huntsville's growth definitely plays a role in the transfer issue. Looks like Huntsville annexations have completely encircle the City of Madison and they now have a tremendous amount of land in Limestone County. Huntsville is obviously betting on future development to increase their tax base. Not a bad plan at all actually. I wonder if Madison is worried about being landlocked by Huntsville? Obviously a lot of socio-economic dynamics involved and really not the forum for this type of discussion. Recruiting exists in many places but I'm less concerned about it here after seeing the map. Thanks for linking it. Cheers... |
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Looking over all the scores
