This may sound like a broken
record but we think Saraland will be the team to beat in 6A
once again. Make no mistake about it.
Behind QB KJ Kacey, Santae McWilliams, Antonio Coleman and star players
everywhere the team seems to be unstoppable this year just as they were
the last two years except in the 2023 state championship game. On
paper they seem unbeatable but as we all know the games are not played
on paper.
Once again the Parker
Thundering Herd will be loaded and out to prove something this year.
The defense is good enough to beat anyone but the offense will need to
be more productive in the big games to get over the hump and into the
Super Seven.
Oxford is a
year older and more experienced. Stars dot both sides of the football
led by QB Mason Mims and DT Keenan Britt. This could be the year
of the Yellow Jackets.
The same
can be said for Pike Road. The Patriots welcome back QB Cason
Myers and RB Ja'Michael Jones to a team who lost to Saraland in the
semi-finals. The offensive line returns almost intact so keep an
eye on the patriots and look for them to be around after the first few
rounds of the playoffs.
Clay-Chalkville
will have a new head football coach this year and will need to do some
rebuilding especially along the offensive line to have a shot at getting
back to the Super Seven. But we have heard this story before and they
seem to always be in the mix for a championship.
Another
team to watch out for in 2024 will be Fort Payne. The Wildcats have a
chance at being something special this season. They return QB Dax Varnadore
and a cast of skilled players on offense that will make this team fun to
watch when the season opens. Don't be surprised if they are one of the
top teams in the north.
Teams a little off the radar but
could pose a threat are Helena, St. Paul's, Spanish Fort,
Mountain Brook, Gadsden City, Benjamin Russell, Hueytown, Spain Park and Homewood.
It's difficult to believe we left those teams out of the top ten.
The most competitive region once again will be region one. With so many teams
making the playoffs with losing records it seems a shame that a couple of very good teams
from region one will be sitting home in November. The weakest region is
two. Only Pike Road and Rehoboth won more games than they lost
last year.
Playoff Teams
Region 1
Region 2
Saraland
Pike Road
Theodore
Wetumpka
Gulf Shores
Percy Julian
Spanish Fort
Stanhope Elmore
Region 3
Region 4
Helena
Hueytown
Spain Park
McAdory
Benjamin Russell
Northridge
Pelham
Central Tuscaloosa
Region 5
Region 6
Parker
Oxford
Homewood
Clay-Chalkville
Mortimer Jordan
Mountain Brook
Gardendale
Pinson Valley
Region 7
Region 8
Muscle Shoals
Fort Payne
Hartselle
Gadsden City
Athens
Southside Gadsden
Cullman
Buckhorn
Most
Difficult Schedules 2024
The toughest overall schedule in 6A belongs to the
Baldwin County Tigers who not only play in a difficult region but will take
on 7A opponents in Foley and Mary Montgomery. Actually their first six
opponents are in order; Foley, St. Paul's, Spanish Fort, Theodore, Mary
Montgomery and Saraland. A win in any of those games will be huge for
the Tigers from Bay Minette.
Pinson Valley opens with
road games against Central Phenix City and Gardendale. Later in the
season they take on 7A Hewitt-Trussville and Hueytown in non-region
contests. Their region opponents include Oxford, Mountain Brook and
Clay-Chalkville.
Region One holds onto five of the
top six spots in the weighted schedule list. Gadsden City plays the most
teams who reached the playoffs last year with eight.
Saraland opens against
4A Jackson and will host 5A Catholic Montgomery in a midseason matchup.
While both opponents are expected to be excellent teams in 2024 they are in
lower classifications which drops the Spartans down on the weighted schedule
list.
The easiest schedules in 6A belong to
Park Crossing, Central Tuscaloosa and Bessemer City.
Toughest Overall
Baldwin County
78-39
Blount
68-36
Saraland
75-41
Pell City
71-43
St. Paul's
71-46
Gulf Shores
70-45
McGill-Toolen
69-47
Murphy
69-46
Oxford
68-46
Pinson Valley
69-47
Weighted Schedule* See note below
Baldwin County
83.1
Pinson Valley
75.6
McGill-Toolen
72.3
Gulf Shores
71.8
Theodore
70.3
Murphy
69.6
Clay-Chalkville
68.4
Pell City
68.0
Oxford
66.8
St. Paul's
66.5
* Weighted schedule - AHSFHS.org uses a formula to
better show teams with difficult schedule. Example: If a team plays an
opponent from a higher classification they are awarded extra points above
their opponents win total. If they play an opponent from a lower
classification points are deducted from their opponents win total. If a team
plays an opponent from two classifications lower than their own more points
are deducted.
Most
Victories 2010-2023
The team with the most victories the past fourteen
seasons in 6A are the Spanish Fort Toros with 156 wins and a winning
percentage over 82%. Current region one teams
have also laid claim to nine state titles during that time although St.
Paul's won theirs as a 5A school.
Clay-Chalkville with a
perfect 14-0 record last season jumps three spots to number two this year.
All the teams on this list have won at least 100 games.
Titles
Spanish
Fort
156-34
82.1%
3
Clay-Chalkville
148-35
80.9%
3
Muscle
Shoals
138-35
79.8%
St.
Paul's
145-39
78.8%
4
McGill-Toolen
128-40
76.2%
1
Saraland
135-43
75.8%
1
Hartselle
125-42
74.9%
1
Mountain Brook
124-48
72.1%
Oxford
121-49
71.2%
1
Pinson
Valley
118-52
69.4%
3
McAdory
116-52
69.0%
Fort Payne
105-53
66.5%
Hueytown
107-58
64.8%
Homewood
105-57
64.8%
Gardendale
100-64
61.0%
Last 25 seasons (1999-2023)
The
top three teams with the best winning percentage over the past 25 seasons in
6A are all relatively new football programs. Also notice that the top
seven schools are all in or very near one of the three largest cities in the
state. Hartselle is the only member of the top ten not close to a major
city.
McAdory may be the surprise team here as
they have just been a consistent winning program the past 25 years.
The Yellow Jackets and Mountain Brook have not won a state championship
during that time. All the other top ten teams have a blue map in their
trophy case.
The Toros of Spanish Fort did not begin varsity football until
2006 and have still won 182 games which would rank them 10th in total wins.
