The 2024 season begins this week with an almost full schedule of games. Here are a few tidbits entering the season.
*We are back with for our eighteenth season of covering high school football in Alabama. Once again we will be releasing a weekly 'Tidbits and Records' article. We do ask that if you see something wrong on the website pertaining to a game score please let us know and it will be corrected. Thanks to all the fans who constantly work to assist me with this project throughout the year.
*There are some of excellent Interstate matchups to open the 2024 football season. The Thompson Warriors will entertain Grayson to open the season on Thursday night. The next night Oxford will travel to Central Carrolton, Georgia in a great matchup. In other Friday night games; Hoover goes to Western FL, Mary Montgomery travels to Pace FL and Coosa Christian is on the road to face off with the reigning state champions in Georgia Pierce County.
*The ASWA polls are out and as usual we have a few notes there. Gadsden City in th2 #9 team in 6A and that is the first time since the 2016 season they have been in thee rankings. Dora also joins the 4A polls for the first time since 2018.
*It is also the highest ranking ever for three other teams. #2 Moody in 5A, #2 Parker in 6A and #2 Coosa Christian. These schools all begin the 2024 football season with high expectations according to the votes.
*Fyffe has been ranked by the ASWA for an amazing 165 consecutive polls dating back to the 2009 season. The Red Devils open the 2024 season as the #1 team in 3A and face an excellent Pisgah team on August 29th.
*The Leroy Bears begin the 2024 football season riding the state's longest winning streak at twenty games. Lowndes Academy is just behind them with a 19 game streak.
*Columbia now holds onto the longest losing streak at 81 straight contests. They now hold the all-time record for consecutive losses.
*Catholic Montgomery has a streak of 34 consecutive region wins. The Knights open region play in a couple of weeks. Madison Academy (26) and Russellville (25) are the next two schools with long region winning streaks.
*Barbour County has lost 65 consecutive region games but do not begin region play for a couple of weeks.
* The #4 ranked Catholic Montgomery Knights have won 34 straight regular season games. The Elba Tigers are behind with a string of 27 consecutive regular season wins.
*Saraland, ranked #1 in 6A, enters the 2024 season with a string of 25 consecutive home wins. The Spartans entertain Jackson on their home field to open the season on Friday.
*Catholic Montgomery also holds onto the longest road winning streak having won 23 consecutive road games. Their first three road contests this year are at St. James, Eufaula and Saraland.
*Jackson has won their last 16 season openers since losing to Leroy to start the 2007 football season. That streak may be in jeopardy when the open this season at Saraland.
* Gordo will try to extend their streak of 31 straight winning seasons. Gordo has won at least nine games in each of the last ten seasons so they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The Green Wave last suffered through a losing season way back in 1992 when they finished with a 4-6 record. Oneonta owns the longest streak all-time when they won more games than they lost every year between 1956-1994. Demopolis (29) and Fyffe (27) are not far behind.
* Fyffe broke an obscure record a couple of years ago for the most ten win seasons in a row. Just another record for one of the state's best dynasties ever. They have now won at least ten games in thirteen consecutive seasons.
* Fyffe hopes to avoid the dreaded shutout and extend their streak of consecutive games scoring. They are currently sitting on a string of 321 games without being shutout. T.R. Miller sits atop this list with a string of 354 games.
* The Luverne Tigers willbe working hard to extend their string of qualifying for the playoffs to 42 consecutive seasons under first year head coach Bobby Hudson. He is the tenth different coach during the streak. The last time they did not qualify for the playoffs was way back in 1982.
* Vina has suffered through thirty-three consecutive losing seasons. The Red Devils finished last year with a 1-8 record. That is the second longest in history behind only R.C. Hatch with a string of 36 straight losing seasons.
* Two coaches will be in search of their 100th win as a head football coach once the season opens. All have over 90 victories during their careers.
Team approaching the 700 win club
687 - Thomasville (687-350-49)
Team approaching the 650 win club
647 - Guntersville (647-414-21)
647 - Jackson (647-373-41)
Team approaching the 600 win club
599 - Bibb County (599-430-38)
595 - Athens (595-427-36)
594 - Fyffe (594-309-13)
593 - Prattville (593-416-27)
593 - Sweet Water (593-366-25)
593 - Addison (593-304-13)
Team approaching the 500 win club
497 - Minor (497-486-22)
496 - Greensboro (496-440-37)
495 - Hale County (495-442-24)
492 - Cottonwood (492-377-20)
492 - Pike County (492-391-18)
Coaches approaching the 150 win club
149 - Mark Hastings (Lynn) (149-123)
146 - Ben Blackmon (Enterprise) (146-59)
145 - David McKinney (Winfield) (146-55)
144 - Jerry Hood (Leeds) (144-69)
144 - Roland Jones Jr. (Brantley) (144-46)
143 - Smitty Grider (Benjamin Russell) (143-71)
Coaches approaching the 100 win club
98 - David Smothers (Addison) (98-41)
97 -Jeremy Perkins (Austin) (98-60)
*Lowndes Academy has won a team record 19 consecutive games since 10/14/2022.
*Gulf Shores has won a team record 15 consecutive games since 8/24/2023.
*Catholic Montgomery has won a team record 15 consecutive games since 8/25/2023.
*Columbia has lost a team record 81 consecutive games since 10/23/2015.
*Robertsdale has lost a team record 24 consecutive games since 10/1/2021.
*Albertville has lost a team record 18 consecutive games since 9/2/2022.
*Dallas County has lost a team record 16 consecutive games since 9/23/2022.
*D.A.R. has lost a team record 14 consecutive games since 9/30/2022.
*Snook Christian has lost a team record 11 consecutive games since 10/28/2022.
*Huffman has lost a team record 11 consecutive games since 10/21/2022.
*Valiant Cross Academy has lost a team record 10 consecutive games since 11/10/2022.
