Cullman Bearcats (1-1, 0-0) @ Albertville Aggies (2-0, 0-0)
6A, Region 7 opener
McFord Field – Albertville, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Albertville leads 19-16-3
LAST TIME: Cullman defeated Albertville 58-21 in 2011
LAST WEEK: Cullman defeated North Jackson 45-14, Albertville defeated Arab 45-7.
This will be the first regular season game between the two since 2001. The 2011 contest was a first round in the AHSAA 5A playoffs. Cullman has won the last four meetings with Albertville. Mark Britton has only coached against the Aggies twice in his 16 seasons with the Bearcats.
Locust Fork Hornets (2-0, 0-0) @ Vinemont Eagles (1-0, 0-0)
3A, Region 6 opener
Mark Smothers Stadium – Vinemont, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Tied 1-1
LAST TIME: Vinemont defeated Locust Fork 13-6 in 2003
LAST WEEK: Vinemont defeated Good Hope 14-7, Locust Fork defeated Pisgah 30-24.
After a dramatic finish to begin the 2nd season of the Matt Norris' era in positive fashion, Vinemont meets an undefeated squad from Blount County in the Eagles' home opener and regional opener.
The last time Locust Fork came to Cullman County was a season ago when the Hornets downed the Good Hope Raiders 31-15. Locust Fork dropped from Class 4A to Class 3A for the 2016-17 season in being reclassified by the AHSAA. This will be Vinemont's lone home game during the next four weeks.
J.B. Pennington Tigers (2-0, 0-0) @ Holly Pond Broncos
(2-0, 0-0)
3A, Region 6 opener
Thomas-Michelfelder Field – Holly Pond, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: J.B. Pennington leads 24-14
LAST TIME: J.B. Pennington defeated Holly Pond 28-7 in 2013.
LAST WEEK: Holly Pond defeated Brindlee Mountain 33-20, J.B. Pennington defeated Boaz 41-7.
With victories in their last three games, the Broncos play in front of the home crowd for the first time this year. They resume their rivalry with their neighbors from Blountsville. J.B. Pennington is back to 3A football after playing the past two years in Class 4A.
The Broncos are looking to win on the home field for the first time under current coach Mike Bates.
Tarrant Wildcats (0-1, 0-0) @ Cold Springs Eagles (0-2, 0-0)
2A, Region 7 opener
Cranford Stricklin Stadium – Cold Springs, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Cold Springs leads 2-0
LAST TIME: Cold Springs defeated Tarrant 48-7 in 2015
LAST WEEK: Cold Springs lost to Berry 26-24, Tarrant lost to Fultondale 46-7.
One of these teams will enter the victory column for the first time in 2016. Cold Springs has lost its last four games, dating back to the final two the Eagles played in 2015. The last time the Eagles were winners, it was against Tarrant in the ninth week of the 2015 season. Both have been regional opponents for the previous two years.
The Wildcats lost to the Eagles 36-33 at Cold Springs in 2014, a game that clinched a playoff berth for Rod Elliott's squad in late October.
Fairview Aggies (1-1, 0-0) @ Corner Yellow Jackets (2-0, 0-0)
5A, Region 6 opener
Corner Stadium – Corner, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Fairview leads 5-1
LAST TIME: Fairview defeated Corner 41-7 in 2007
LAST WEEK: Fairview defeated East Lawrence 56-14, Corner defeated South Lamar 35-21
With plenty of momentum to carry into Jefferson County this week, the Aggies are looking to win a regional opener for the first time in their third year of playing in Class 5A. Corner has matched its win total of 2015 after two games in 2016. This is the third consecutive game for the Yellow Jackets at Corner Stadium.
George Redding coaches against the Jackets for only the second time in his 10 seasons at Fairview. The Aggies visit the Corner campus for the first time since 2006. A win for the Aggies will be career victory No. 60 for Redding.
West Point Warriors (0-2, 0-0) @ Hayden Wildcats (1-1, 0-0)
5A, Region 6 opener
Robert Reid Stadium – Hayden, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Tied 7-7
LAST TIME: Hayden defeated West Point 42-26 in 2015.
LAST WEEK: West Point lost to Wilson 41-13, Hayden defeated John Carroll 35-14.
Now regional rivals, the Warriors seek to end a rough beginning to the new season. A close loss in week one with Hamilton was followed by Wilson dominating the Warriors after the first quarter.
Don Farley's squad visited Hayden in 2014, coming out on top 31-0. The Warriors and Wildcats meet for the fifth time since 2010 with Hayden prevailing in three of those matchups.
Hanceville Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0) @ Fultondale Wildcats (1-0, 0-0)
3A, Region 6 opener
Wildcats Stadium – Fultondale, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Hanceville leads 2-0
LAST TIME: Hanceville defeated Fultondale 21-15 in 1987.
LAST WEEK: Hanceville lost to Addison 46-20, Fultondale defeated Tarrant 46-7.
Craig Flanigan's Bulldogs invade the Jefferson County school for the first time in almost 30 years. The Bulldogs will look to recover from a tough second half when Addison outscored them last week 25-6. Fultondale is glad to see a change in its region. The Wildcats spent the past two years playing in Region 3 of Class 3A, facing schools in the southern part of the state.
Now they have a region that is half made of Cullman County and the other half is opponents from Blount County.
Good Hope Raiders (0-1, 0-0) @ Fayette County Tigers (0-2, 0-0)
John Morgan Brown Stadium – Fayette, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Fayette County leads 2-0
LAST TIME: Fayette County defeated Good Hope 30-14 in 2011.
LAST WEEK: Good Hope lost to Vinemont 14-7, Fayette County lost to Brooks 21-0.
The Raiders play the Tigers in Fayette County's home opener, besides the game being a regional assignment. Fayette County was rated 10th last week in the 4A poll and will likely be replaced by another school when the rankings get released by midweek.
Good Hope encounters a squad that last season played for the 4A state championship and is coached by former Tiger standout Lance Tucker who played college ball at the University of Alabama.
The Raiders have one of the toughest regions for any school to face. Good Hope has never beaten four of its six regional foes and has only one victory vs. Winfield in five games and is 3-3 vs. Cordova all-time. The Raiders are 0-2 against Fayette County, then 0-4 vs. Hamilton, 0-2 vs. Haleyville and 0-4 vs. Dora.
RB Matt Dixon’s status is uncertain; he suffered an injury when he took a helmet to his knee on the final play of the first half in the Vinemont game last week. The Raiders need him in the young backfield to have a chance at consistency against the Tigers.
Southeastern Mustangs (0-2, 0-0) @ Addison Bulldogs (2-0, 0-0)
1A, Region 7 opener
A.G. Hicks Stadium – Addison, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Addison leads 4-0
LAST TIME: Addison defeated Southeastern 43-15 in 2015.
LAST WEEK: Addison defeated Hanceville 46-20, Southeastern lost to Cleveland 44-0.
Right now the Bulldogs are clicking on offense, led by QB Noah Rice, RBs Ben Robinson and Zeb Maze. The ground game has pounded yardage and 11 touchdowns through two games of the new season.
Southeastern has just been playing in the AHSAA since 2012 and has four victories all-time. The Bulldogs and Mustangs spent the previous two seasons as opponents in Region 6 of Class 2A.
David Smothers earned his 30th victory at Addison last week in his 45th game on the sidelines. In his fifth season with the Bulldogs, Smothers' unit has won 66 percent of their assignments.
Addison has posted 16 victories against seven defeats under Smothers at A.G. Hicks Stadium. They are currently on a four-game winning streak at home.
Lynn Bears (2-0, 0-0) @ Meek Tigers (1-1, 0-0)
1A, Region 7 opener
Meek Stadium – Arley, Friday 7 p.m.
SERIES: Lynn leads 43-26-2
LAST TIME: Meek defeated Lynn 70-7 in 2015
LAST WEEK: Meek lost to Hubbertville 28-0, Lynn defeated Waterloo 23-21
County rivals clash in the opener in the same region in Arley. Meek got blanked by a good Hubbertville team last week while Lynn was a winner in the northwest area of the state in a close encounter with Waterloo.
