Photo from last week's Holly Pond vs. Coosa Christian game.
Vinemont Eagles (0-0) @ Good Hope Raiders (0-0)
James Shabel Stadium – Good Hope
Thursday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Vinemont defeated East Lawrence 14-12 in jamboree. Good Hope defeated Susan Moore 19-12 in jamboree.
SERIES: Good Hope leads 29-15.
LAST MEETING: Good Hope won 21-13 in 2013
Two programs that began football the same time in 1970, resume the rivalry with this being the season opener for both.
The Raiders and Eagles used last week as a jamboree with Good Hope overcoming four turnovers to get past Susan Moore. Vinemont's jamboree with East Lawrence was stopped late in the third quarter due to heavy rain and lightning reported near Mark Smothers Field.
Alan Scott, who coached Vinemont for four seasons, now faces the Eagles for the first time as the head coach for Good Hope. Scott was 1-1 vs. the Raiders with Vinemont winning in 2012 before falling in the 2013 contest.
Addison Bulldogs (1-0) @ Hanceville Bulldogs (1-0)
Ray Talley Stadium – Hanceville
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Addison defeated Elkmont 28-0. Hanceville defeated Cold Springs 20-8.
SERIES: Hanceville leads 6-2
LAST MEETING: 2015 with Addison winning 37-18
This is the third straight year of the battle of the Bulldogs. The two schools hadn't played one another since 1951 and now have kept the game on the schedule.
Addison dominated Elkmont last Friday with the game being called after halftime due to inclement weather at A.G. Hicks Stadium. Hanceville welcomed new coach Craig Flanigan to the sidelines and the Bulldogs responded with a come from behind upset at Cold Springs.
David Smothers is in his fifth season at Addison and is 29-15 overall.
North Jackson Chiefs (0-0) @ Cullman Bearcats (0-1)
Oliver Woodard Stadium – Cullman
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Cullman lost to Hartselle 27-17. North Jackson did not play.
SERIES: Tied 1-1
LAST MEETING: 2003 with Cullman winning 30-0
Trying to forget about the season opener, the Bearcats now make their 2016 debut in front of the home crowd with North Jackson coming back to Cullman for the first time since 2002 when the Chiefs edged the Bearcats 33-27. That was Mark Britton's second year coaching the Bearcats.
Britton is 124-56 in his 16th season at his alma mater. Cullman is 15-6 on the artificial surface at Woodard Stadium since the 2012 season. The 'Cats are trying to break a two-game home losing streak.
North Jackson was 7-5 last season, reaching the second round of the 4A playoffs. The Chiefs are directed by Mark Rose who has coached them for 11 seasons and has a record of 99 wins, 24 losses.
East Lawrence Eagles (0-0) vs. Fairview Aggies (0-1)
West Point Stadium – West Point
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Fairview lost to North Sand Mountain 15-14. East Lawrence lost to Vinemont in a jamboree 14-12.
SERIES: East Lawrence leads 3-1
LAST MEETING: 2001 with Fairview winning 24-21
Unable to play the game at Dafford Smith Stadium as construction continues on the bleachers for the home and visitors, the Aggies have been given assistance from their friends at West Point High School.
The Warriors are letting the Aggies play there this week while they are on the road. Fairview will be back at West Point at the end of September for a regional game. The Aggies were 30 seconds away from starting 2016 with a victory when North Sand Mountain scored and decided to gamble with a two-point conversion that paid off for the Bison.
East Lawrence was in Cullman County with a jamboree at Vinemont that was called late in the third quarter for a thunderstorm and a flash flood warning for the area. George Redding has never faced the Eagles in the 10 seasons he has been on the sidelines for Fairview.
The Eagles have not had a winning program since 1997 when they were 7-4. East Lawrence's record is 13-37 in the past five seasons with a 2-8 mark in 2015. The Eagles were winless in 10 tries in 2014.
Holly Pond Broncos (1-0) @ Brindlee Mountain Lions (0-1)
Lions Den Stadium – Guntersville
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Holly Pond defeated Coosa Christian 49-0. Brindlee Mountain lost to J.B. Pennington 40-0.
SERIES: Brindlee Mountain leads 4-2
LAST MEETING: 2015 with Brindlee Mountain winning 25-18.
Two consecutive victories have now taken place for the Broncos. They were in complete control last Friday in Gadsden, leading Coosa Christian 25-0 after the first quarter.
Now the Broncos embrace an opponent that has become a rival. Brindlee Mountain has posted three straight victories against the Broncos, coming from behind last season to prevent Mike Bates' squad from taking the contest that was the season opener.
In two consecutive wins, the Broncos have produced 49 points on the scoreboard. The victories have come at Cold Springs to end the 2015 schedule and at Coosa Christian to open the 2016 slate.
The Lions have been playing in the AHSAA since 2006 and never have experienced a winning season. Their best record was 3-7 in 2011. The Lions' lone victory came against the Broncos in the previous season. The Lions have gone through nine consecutive losses at home with the last time they won on campus was in 2014 against Holly Pond by the score of 21-0.
Cold Springs (0-1) @ Berry Wildcats (1-0)
Fred Webster Stadium – Fayette
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Cold Springs lost to Hanceville 20-8. Berry defeated Curry 6-0.
SERIES: Tied 4-4
LAST MEETING: 1999 with Berry winning 48-26.
Cold Springs journeys into Fayette County for the first time in 17 years, trying to end a three-game losing skid. The Eagles’ momentum they had early against Hanceville was unable to be maintained last Friday after an hour delay due to a thunderstorm, with the Bulldogs scoring three touchdowns after getting behind the Eagles 8-0 in the first quarter.
The Wildcats have been a strong 1A program for over a decade. Berry was 10-3, earning a berth to the quarterfinals last year. Berry is 49-24 since 2010 and currently has a five-game winning streak at home. The Wildcats have won 19 of their last 25 assignments at Webster Stadium.
Cold Springs played well on the road in 2015 with four wins against two losses. The Eagles have never won at Berry and are trying to claim a win in west central Alabama for the first time. The Eagles are 0-3 in Fayette County and 0-3 in games played in Lamar County.
West Point Warriors (0-1) @ Wilson Warriors (1-0)
Warrior Stadium – Florence
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: West Point lost to Hamilton 14-10. Wilson defeated Sheffield 17-14.
SERIES: 1st meeting
West Point invades the town of Florence for the first time in football history. The Warriors have played only twice in Lauderdale County with two games at neighboring Brooks High in the Killen community.
The Warriors have been working hard to regroup from the season opening loss to Hamilton as the Aggies scored with 1:18 remaining to pull it out at a rain-soaked West Point Stadium.
Wilson came through by a field goal on the road to edge Sheffield in its opener last Thursday. The Warriors have been a competitive squad in Class 4A with a 25-17 record since the 2012 season. Scott Brown's team was 6-5 last season and 9-2 in 2014.
Wilson is 1-2 all-time vs. Cullman County teams with a win over Hanceville and a loss to Fairview.
Meek Tigers (1-0) @ Hubbertville Lions (0-0)
Wiley Hollingsworth Stadium – Hubbertville
Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Meek defeated Phillips 44-14. Hubbertville was idle.
SERIES: Hubbertville leads 23-12
LAST MEETING: 2015 with Hubbertville winning 10-6.
Tigers go from playing in Franklin County to Fayette County. Meek had a 24-6 lead by halftime against Phillips and coasted to victory on opening night.
These teams were in the same region for the previous two years with the AHSAA relocating them for 2016 and 2017. Hubbertville competes in Region 5 of 1A with Meek a member of Region 7.
Coach Lance Archer's Tigers have won four straight regular season games and six of their last seven coming into this weekend.
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