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The best of the best in Alabama High
School Football over the past 100 seasons.
Rivalries
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Brewton is situated directly in the fork of Burnt Corn and Murder Creeks. Just to the eats of town is Fort Crawford, where General Andrew Jackson made a stop on his memorable campaign during the Creek Indian war. Murder Creek got its name in the 1800s through the massacre of a small trading party by the Creek Indians. Burnt Corn Creek got its name from the incident of the burning of corn belonging to the traders a few miles above Brewton. Later one of the culprits was caught and hanged on the very spot. Brewton was called one of the wealthiest towns in the United States in the early twentieth century. There were two large lumber manufacturing companies that drove the local economy along with other businesses that took advantages of the natural resources in the area. A ride through the town reveals spectacular homes dating back over 100 years. Fast forward 100 years and Brewton is know for having one of the greatest high school football rivalries in America. The annual meeting between T.R. Miller and W.S. Neal schools - known as The Battle of Murder Creek - remains a spectacle. When these two teams play every available seat at the stadium is filled hours before the scheduled kickoff. While T.R. Miller is in Brewton, W.S. Neal is actually in East Brewton. Two miles and Murder Creek divide the two schools. It is a blended community with Neal, a county school, being considered "blue collar" and Miller, a city school, more "white collar". Even though it's T.R. Miller against W.S. Neal on the football football, it's also Brewton against East Brewton. It is something the larger cities around Alabama would know nothing about. T.R. Miller first fielded a football team in the fall of 1926 and was the only high school in the town. In 1946 it was decided that a new school was needed for the community. The debate raged about where to build the school. Finally it was decided the new school would be in East Brewton. Time has changed the two communities over the years but the roots run deep. Children can't wait to don the Columbian Blue and Gold of the Eagles or the Red and Black of the Tigers. The stereotype jokes have prevailed over the past sixty years. As Neal fans crossed the bridge in 1988, Miller fans greeted them with a big sign "Welcome to the City". Miller won that game 13-7 in double overtime. Other incidents have included the occasional thrown egg and prematurely lighting the other school's bonfire before it could be used for the pre-game pep rally. Miller won the first three games in the series and built a 10-3 advantage by the fall of 1959. The Eagles won the next seven games to knot the series up at 10-10. By 1973, Neal had gained a 15-12 advantage in the series but all that was about to change. Since 1973 Miller has owned the rivalry with a 38-6 record against their neighbors. In 1995 both teams entered the game with perfect record for the only time in the series. Miller was 8-0 and Neal sported a 9-0 record. The Tigers came out on top 18-14 but just four weeks later found the Eagles once again on their playoff schedule in the semi-finals of the state playoffs. The Tigers had little trouble in the rematch, winning 34-14. In 1996, W.S. Neal came to Brewton with another perfect 9-0 record but this time they defeated Miller 36-14 complete the second undefeated regular season in the school's history. Once again the two teams met in the semi-finals of the 1996 playoffs and Miller got a measure of revenge by beating the Eagles 16-14 in East Brewton. There have been many other notable games along the way. In 1985, Neal came in with only 19 healthy players and a 2-7 record. The Eagles defeated the defending state champions 6-3. When the stadium lights are turned off following the annual game between Miller and Neal, this rivalry will not be over. It will continue for 12 months until the two teams line up again when nearly everyone of the expected 5,000 fans (both towns have a population of approximately 3,600) squeeze into their seats at the stadium. Total Meetings: 73 Series Record: T.R. Miller leads 51-22-0 Home Record: T.R. Miller: 24-11-0 W.S. Neal: 11-22-0 First Meeting: 11/22/1946, T.R. Miller 25, W.S. Neal, 0 Last Meeting: 10/30/2015, W.S. Neal 26, T.R. Miller, 17 Longest Winning Streak: T.R. Miller 12 (1986-1996), W.S. Neal 7 (1959-1965) Biggest Wins: T.R. Miller 55-0 (2008), W.S. Neal 38-0 (1949) Biggest Upsets: 1985 - T.R. Miller (6-2) was upset by W.S. Neal (2-7) 6-3
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David Parker
AHSFHS.org
dparker@ahsfhs.org
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.
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.
