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The best of the best in Alabama High
School Football over the past 100 seasons.
Rivalries
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Since 1923 Deshler and Russellville have met each year except the 1933, 1943, 1986 and 1987 seasons. They have played a total of 99 times with Deshler holding a 49-46-4 advantage in the series. That total makes this series one of the closest in the state with over ninety games played. Russellville has closed the gap by winning twenty of the past thirty games in the rivalry. It must be noted that Russellville has played in Class 5A since 1984 while Deshler has remained mostly in Class 4A. The two programs are a couple of the winningest in the history of high school football in the state of Alabama. Deshler has won 709 games while Russellville is close behind with 679 victories. No other teams in our rivalry series have won more combined football games. The schools are about 24 miles apart and over the years have met in many epic battles. In 1941 Deshler (8-1) handed the Golden Tigers their only defeat of the season 20-0. In 1954 they did it again with a 26-7 victory. In 1961, the Golden Tigers (8-0-2) tied Deshler (8-1-1) in one of the best games in the series. Beginning in 1999 the two teams became powerhouses in northwest Alabama. Regular appearances in championship games were common for both programs. Several times the loser of this game would not lose another contest that season. This occurred in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2014. The two teams have played in a total of seventeen state championship games since 1987. In 2003 Deshler (14-1) defeated Russellville (13-2) 34-32 during the season as both teams were on their way to championship games. Deshler won the Class 4A title while Russellville fell in the title game. In 2004, The Tigers again defeated Russellville 23-13 in the regular season and again both teams reached the Super Six championship game. As recently as 2025 the teams played to hard fought contest to the very last play to determine the outcome. Russellville led 14-7 with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Deshler then scored on a 21-yard pass and the coaching staff decided to go for the winning points with a two-point conversion. Quarterback Price Thornton tossed a pass to Garrett Reid, who then ran the ball into the end zone for the go ahead points. Deshler took the 99th meeting by a score of 15-14. Since 1997 the teams have squared off in the season opener. So the tone is set for each team early in the season. Total Meetings: 99 Series Record: Deshler leads 49-46-4 Home Record: Deshler: 26-18-2 Russellville: 27-21-2 First Meeting: 10/5/1923, Deshler 38, Russellville 0 Last Meeting: 8/22/2025, Deshler 15, Russellville 14 Longest Winning Streak: Deshler 8 (1947-1954), Russellville 6 (2005-2010) Biggest Wins: Deshler 59-0 (1935), Russellville 43-6 (1983) Biggest Upsets: 1926 - Russellville (2-4) upset Deshler (6-3-1) 19-0 1999 - Russellville (7-3) upset Deshler (14-1) 35-32
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David Parker
AHSFHS.org
dparker@ahsfhs.org
Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History
From 1947 until his retirement in 1992 Glenn Daniel's teams won 302 games at Pine Hill and Luverne. He was the winningest coach in state history until 2010.
From 1947 until his retirement in 1992 Glenn Daniel's teams won 302 games at Pine Hill and Luverne. He was the winningest coach in state history until 2010.
