Hey all! We are a few weeks away from the start of the 2021 season. The preseason poll has been released. Just curious what everyone's preseason picks were to be state champs at the end of the season?
Way too early for me to have even begun formulating a guess. Since I am the most familiar with 4A North, I will say that Gordo is still the team to beat in the North. Their QB is a game changer.
1A: Brantley vs Decatur Heritage 2A: Mars Hill vs Lanett 3A: Fyffe vs Bayside Academy 4A: Handley vs Gordo 5A: St. Paul's vs Pleasant Grove 6A: Clay-Chalkville vs Opelika 7A: Auburn vs Thompson
Just curious now that we are in week 5 if anyone wanted to revisit this and see what your predictions for the Super 7 might be? Just for fun!
I would say mine (as of right now) would be: 7A: Thompson over Auburn 6A: Spanish Fort over Hartselle 5A: Central Clay over Alexandria 4A: Cleburne County over Gordo 3A: Catholic Montgomery over Fyffe 2A: Mars Hill over Leroy 1A: Keith over Pickens Co.
7A: Thompson over Auburn(Thompson will crush everyone in their path) 6A: Spanish Fort over Briarwood 5A: Central Clay over Pleasant Grove(Rematch from 2019 classic) 4A: Handley over Etowah 3A: Catholic over Fyffe(Revenge from the 2020 3A title game) 2A: Mars Hill over Lanett(Revenge from the 2019 1A title game) 1A: Brantley over Pickens County(Keith is the biggest wild card in the state)
1A: Brantley over Pickens County 2A: Mars Hill over Ariton (There's like 8 teams I could see making it from the south) 3A: Piedmont over Montgomery Catholic (Fyffe looks beatable after last week) 4A: Handley over Madison Academy 5A: Pleasant Grove over Faith Academy (I don't know what to think about St. Paul's or UMS right now) 6A: Spanish Fort over Clay-Chalkville 7A: Thompson over Auburn
Ok. I will give this a shot. My "way too early" predictions. I can do much better in late November than now.
7A: Thompson over "the field" maybe Central PC 6A: Clay-Chalkville over Spanish Fort 5A: Pleasant Grove over Pike Road. I am sticking with Coach Browning's Patriots. 4A: Handley over Etowah 3A: Catholic Montgomery over Piedmont. Stupid to pick against Fyffe. 2A: Mars Hill over Lanett 1A: Pickens County over Keith. Can Keith be this good????
I think Keith is the biggest unknown in the whole state. Like has a team ever came outta the blue and caught everyones attention like them? Can not remember the last time. Also they will blow out AL Johnson tonight
Just curious now that we are one week away from the start of the playoffs if anyone wanted to revisit this and see what your predictions for the Super 7 might be? Make some changes to early guesses?
Just curious now that we are one week away from the start of the playoffs if anyone wanted to revisit this and see what your predictions for the Super 7 might be? Make some changes to early guesses?
These aren't my official pre-playoff picks. I'll wait until the regular season is completely over for those.
1A: Brantley over Pickens County 2A: Elba over Cleveland (I had no idea who to pick in either bracket) 3A: Montgomery Catholic over Fyffe 4A: Madison Academy over Vigor 5A: Pleasant Grove over UMS-Wright 6A: Clay-Chalkville over Saraland 7A: Thompson over Central Phenix City
My Earlier picks. 7A: Thompson over "the field" maybe Central PC 6A: Clay-Chalkville over Spanish Fort 5A: Pleasant Grove over Pike Road. I am sticking with Coach Browning's Patriots. 4A: Handley over Etowah 3A: Catholic Montgomery over Piedmont. Stupid to pick against Fyffe. 2A: Mars Hill over Lanett 1A: Pickens County over Keith. Can Keith be this good????
I feel pretty good about all of them except Handley. But I don't see one great team in 4A this year. The finals could be between any of about a dozen teams as I see it now. I still think if Thompson gets their QB back they will take Hoover the next time in semis.
Are we going to do the bragging rights contest again this year ?
We will do that. Remind me early next week in case I forget to set it up. I guess we can do what we have done the past couple of years unless someone has a better idea???
Fyffe could very well lose a first round game at home to Walter Wellborn next week. Wellborn is big and physical and play a lot lot Fyffe.
Mike Naugher
I agree, I kind of root for Fyffe even though most in our area do not. I have followed them from a distance for a few years and this years team doesn't have the same depth as the teams have had over the last few year. They have always been a run first team but they have been able to impact the game with the pass when they wanted or needed to. Case in point last years state championship game. I don't think they have that ability this year. Also Piedmont probably should have won the game last year. With the loss to Geraldine right or wrong it gives the appearance of them being vulnerable. That makes the other teams believe more and makes the target on Fyffes back just a little bigger.
Fyffe could very well lose a first round game at home to Walter Wellborn next week. Wellborn is big and physical and play a lot lot Fyffe.
Mike Naugher
I agree, I kind of root for Fyffe even though most in our area do not. I have followed them from a distance for a few years and this years team doesn't have the same depth as the teams have had over the last few year. They have always been a run first team but they have been able to impact the game with the pass when they wanted or needed to. Case in point last years state championship game. I don't think they have that ability this year. Also Piedmont probably should have won the game last year. With the loss to Geraldine right or wrong it gives the appearance of them being vulnerable. That makes the other teams believe more and makes the target on Fyffes back just a little bigger.
Go Eagles!
I'd say that was true even after the Sylvania game that they barely won. Fyffe's season has felt very much like Alabama's to this point in the year. They had a game early that they almost lost but managed to pull out. Then a few weeks later they did lose. And now everyone has to feel like they at least have a realistic shot at taking them down just because seeing them have two one-score games in a single regular season is almost unheard of. It's obvious they aren't quite as good as they have been, but the question remains "is their not-as-good-as-they-have-been still better than everyone else?"