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TheMUBM
AHSFHS Moderator
645 Posts |
 Posted - 08/26/2023 : 14:16:04
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I won't call it week 0. That makes no sense.
I have been coming to this forum for many years. Since 2018 I have been making predictions. Over the years the activity has grown and more and more people have started engaging. It has made this forum a great source of information. Another thing I'd like to start is impressions from the week. Just a quick run down of what you saw from games you have watched. Now I know I watch more games than most people, but even if you only saw one, give us your impressions.
Thursday Night:
Winfield vs. Dora: I have been very high on Dora. They have a ton of size and physicality. They also have a great QB in Kesean Pryor. I thought Winfield would take a step back this year. Winfield was undersized, but their defense played phenomenal and kept Pryor in check. There were a lot of dropped passes on Dora's part but that is to be expected this early in the season.
Winfield sent a message to a lot of people, myself included (for picking them to be blown out in the Guru's segment) that they are here to stay and will be a tough out in 3A north. I still think Dora can be a player in 4A North, but right now they are in that second tier with West Morgan (Had to edit, forgot Jacksonville got moved to the South). Right now I believe it's Oneonta and Cherokee County and everyone else in the north.
Tanner vs Lauderdale County: I say this with the utmost respect. Watching Lauderdale County play football is like watching paint dry. They are going to run it down your throat, they are going to hit you on defense and hope they break your will eventually. That's what they finally did to Tanner late in the game. I had LCHS third in the preseason in that region. They should get second. Of course first is probably Mars Hill. Have fun with that.
Tanner, who had a lot of injuries last year, looks much improved. If they can stay healthy they will challenge for their region. I am telling you, keep an eye on 2A R8. I am not saying anyone from that region will make a push for a title, but it will be one of the most entertaining and competitive regions in the state. Take Falkville, Red Bay, Lexington, Hatton and Tanner and put them in a hat and pull one out. That could be your region winner.
Friday Night:
Hartselle vs. Austin I think this result shocked a lot of people. Hartselle has their 23 game regular season winning streak snapped. But don't get ahead of yourself. Hartselle was moving the ball late in a 21-17 game and fumbled and Austin scooped and scored.
Hartselle is still going to Hartselle. That region should be a toss up between them, Muscle Shoals and a vastly improved Athens team. But they are still a legit north threat. I had Huntsville winning 7A R4, but after watching Austin, it's a no-brainer. They are the most talented team in the region. Of course your prize for winning 7A R4 is to play 7A R3 #4. Not exactly a great gift.
Demopolis vs American Christian: Rowser got his for Demopolis, but ACA was able to be competitive regardless. I was very impressed with ACA's run defense against one of the better running offenses in 5A (IMO). ACA pursued well and tackled even better. I said Kai Young would be the spark that ignited ACA and he played well. I think he will do great against 4A competition. Of course 4A South, you have some heavy hitters, but ACA won't be an easy out for anyone. There was one point where Demopolis had ran 37 offensive plays and ACA had ran 4, but they were still in the game. That says a lot of about them.
Sweet Water vs Clarke County: Both teams will be threats in their respective classifications. The weird thing is, the parts of this game I was able to see, there were no scores and both defenses were firing on all cylinders. Then I see the final is 42 to 28. And watching 4 games in one night you miss a lot, but I watched a lot of possessions. That makes me think their must have been a lot of big plays. Sweet Water has a punishing defense. When they hit you, you know it.
Aliceville vs Pickens County: This was the most entertaining game I watched all weekend. Both teams played hard the whole night. There were tons of big hits and a handful of big plays. Just when you thought someone had grabbed momentum after a big play, the defenses would step up and shut 'em down.
I would venture to guess that Aliceville may have had more total yards, but Pickens County defense stepped up when they had to. I had said I thought special teams would play a big part because both teams have electric returners. However, neither team ever got a really good punt off. That could hurt both teams in the future if it becomes a field position game. Late in the game Aliceville had a WR break inside and he was wide open for a TD but the QB threw it outside (obvious miscommunication) and that lead to an INT that pretty much sealed the game. Could have just as easily won the game for Aliceville. I really can't see a lot of teams scoring a lot of points on either team, especially Pickens County in 1A.
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Edited by - TheMUBM on 08/26/2023 14:43:21 |
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GiglnTiger
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
399 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2023 : 19:31:20
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Ill keep mine short and simple.
I watched 5 or 6 games between Thursday and Friday.
Ohatchee has made tremendous strides in the off season from where they were last year. I guess you can say they finished strong last year after, what, a 0-7 start? That strong finish definitely rolled over into the 2023 season. They are a top 2 seed in their region and I would not be surprised if they actually win region.
Pell City like Ohatchee made some major improvements. Yeah, they didnt win... but... had they played the first half like they did the second half they could have beat Moody. Even when they were behind by good amount they didnt give up and kept fighting and eventually got back in the game. They should alot of heart and I think they could definitely cause some havoc for teams fighting for 3 and 4 seedings.
Handley looked strong against a good Valley team. Defense is solid and you wouldnt have noticed a miss in beat with Jay Haynes gone. The next up running back looked good. Handley vs J-ville for the region. Im still liking J-ville though.
Wadley is primed for a deep playoff run. If your an old football guru like me then you may remember a Wadley running back by the name of Terrance Wilkes. He was a all state running back who was commited to Auburn before he was murdered. His nephew is the running back for Wadley and he is a man among boys. Hes tall, big and a force. If he doesnt get a college offer by the end of the year as a junior id be shocked.
Randolph County... Im not going to say much because it was just a jamboree but I was happy with what I saw on both sides off the ball. They beat Fayetteville 34-0.
Saks... The offense has no go or excitement to it. Its bland. Very bland. Thats not the worst part. The biggest things for me with Saks is textbook technique. They dont have it. 3 and 4 players hitting the running back and not locking up. The defense cant make open field tackle or team tackle. It's back to the basics for Saks.
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Jeremy Wortham
Randolph County Tigers
2003 Class 2A State Champions
2017 Class 3A State Runner-Ups, 1998 Class 3A State Runner-Ups,
1984 Class 3A State Runner-Ups, 1979 Class 2A State Runner-Ups |
Edited by - GiglnTiger on 08/27/2023 09:15:34 |
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kodyaufan2
AHSFHS Moderator
271 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2023 : 16:19:18
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I've mostly just seen highlights of a few noteworthy games.
Vestavia Hills vs Mountain Brook: I don't think this is a poor reflection at all on Mountain Brook. They'll still probably win their region and make a deep playoff run. But Vestavia Hills looks really good. I think they'll end up being top 2 in their region.
Beauregard vs Selma: Saw the first half of this one. Selma has some good players, but they were just completely outmatched up front. I saw Beauregard in person last year, and their team this year looks pretty similar. There's nothing that really stands out and makes you go WOW, but they also don't really look like they do anything poorly. Just a very good, steady football team.
Saraland vs Lipscomb Academy (TN): I did watch most of this one and it was as good and high-quality a game as you'll ever see at the high school level. Lipscomb recovered an onside kick to score 10 points in the last 1:45 to force OT. Both teams scored in 1 play in OT, only to have Lipscomb miss their extra point to end the game. I don't envy any DB who has to match up against Ryan Williams from Saraland. Shoutout to Lipscomb's kicker for what was probably the best-executed onside kick I've ever seen. He kicked it straight ahead, sprinted in front of the ball, and had it land in his chest right at 10 yards.
Some other notable results:
Mortimer Jordan 31, Leeds 28: Suddenly the top 4 teams in 6A Region 5 seem a lot less obvious than they did a week ago. I'll be interested to find out more about this game over the next week.
Moody 28, Pell City 24: I kept up with the score of this one and it seemed like a tight one all night. Pell City got destroyed a year ago by Moody, so the fact that this was even close means they're miles ahead of where they were 12 months ago. Not sure that Pell City will be able to get into the playoffs in an already top-heavy region, but they're definitely a team that I'd expect to continue getting better as the season progresses and could be really tough by season's end.
John Carroll 36, Homewood 31: I was pretty high on Carroll coming into the season, but even with all the losses at Homewood I couldn't have predicted this. It may end up being one we look back at once the season ends and realize it wasn't the upset we thought it was, but for now it still seems like a massive upset considering the recent history of the programs. |
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mcslate
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
307 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2023 : 16:14:36
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| I wasn't shocked that Madison Academy beat Deshler on the road but I was shocked that it was 42-6. Is Deshler young this season? |
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TheMUBM
AHSFHS Moderator
645 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2023 : 17:44:05
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| Pretty young and they lost both arguably their best offensive player to graduation and without a doubt their best defensive player. They still have some players and a good coaching staff. They?ll challenge for second in the region. Also I think Madison academy is very good. |
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Week 1 Impressions
