Favorites appear but no unanimous teams emerge in season's first ASWA high school football poll

By Paul Beaudry
For the ASWA

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A half-slate of games in the Alabama High School Athletic Association's new 11-week, 10-game format found two top-ranked teams opening the season with losses.

The damage suffered by Hoover and Madison Academy was minimal to their standing in the opening week of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s high school football poll. And while there were no unanimous selections for the first time since the final poll of 2011, clear favorites staked their claim in almost every class.

In three of the eight classes - seven in the AHSAA and the one Alabama Independent Schools Association class - the No. 1 team picked up 31 of the 32 first-place votes. No team made more of its win than Class 4A Leeds, which went from 19 to 31 firsts after beating Class 3A No. 1 Madison Academy on a last-second field goal 27-24. Class 2A Tanner and the AISA's Edgewood Academy are the other two.

Two more teams earned 30 of 32 top picks, including Class 7A No. 1 Hoover. The then-No. 7 nationally ranked Bucs lost on a last-minute field goal to No. 8 Miami (Fla.) Central, 24-21 but still held a comfortable margin in the poll. Class 5A St. Paul’s picked up six firsts from the preseason poll.

Class 5A Spanish Fort remained at 29 first-place votes, while Class 1A Brantley added seven at 26. The lone first-place team to lose ground was Madison Academy, whose 25-game winning streak ended against Leeds. The result found the Mustangs losing 11 first-place votes for a 19-9 margin over T.R. Miller, which leapfrogged idle Piedmont into the No. 2 spot in Class 3A.

In games between ranked teams, Class 7A No. 2 Bob Jones hosts Class 6A No. 10 Decatur, Class 7A No. 3 McGill-Toolen hosts Class 5A No 3 Vigor, Class 7A No. 8 Foley hosts No 6 Fairhope, Class 7A No. 10 Auburn hosts Class 6A No. 5 Opelika, Class 4A No. 6 Saks hosts Class 3A No. 5 Walter Wellborn, Class 3A No. 6 Colbert County at Class 2A No. 1 Tanner, Class 1A No. 3 Linden is at Class 2A No. 3 Washington County, AISA No. 3 Bessemer Academy hosts No. 5 Marengo Academy, and No. 7 Escambia Academy is at No. 9 Autauga Academy.

ASWA High School Football Poll

Week 1 - 8/27/2014

Class 7A
1. Hoover (30) (0-1)    376
2. Bob Jones (2) (0-0)    271
3. McGill-Toolen (0-0)    251
4. Spain Park (1-0)    217
5. Central-Phenix City (1-0)    187
6. Foley (1-0)    165
7. Vestavia Hills (0-0)    117
8. Fairhope (1-0)    84
9. Gadsden City (1-0)    57
10. Auburn (0-1)    56
Others receiving votes: Prattville (0-0) 36, Baker (1-0) 3, Smiths Station (1-0) 3, Murphy (0-0) 1.

Class 6A
1. Spanish Fort (29) (1-0)    371
2. Clay-Chalkville (2) (1-0)    290
3. Shades Valley (1) (1-0)    237
4. Carver-Montgomery (0-0)    214
5. Opelika (0-0)    207
6. Daphne (0-0)    147
7. Blount (0-0)    100
8. Florence (0-1)    93
9. Muscle Shoals (0-0)    83
10. Decatur (1-0)    19
Others receiving votes: Hueytown (1-0) 16, Oxford (1-0) 12, Hartselle (1-0) 11, Southside-Gadsden (0-1) 9, Saraland (0-0) 7, Athens (1-0) 3, Gulf Shores (0-1) 2, Benjamin Russell (1-0) 1, Bessemer City (0-1) 1, Wetumpka (1-0) 1.

Class 5A
1. St. Paul's (30) (1-0)    378
2. Pleasant Grove (0-0)    266
3. Vigor (2) (0-0)    248
4. Central-Clay Co. (1-0)    219
5. Jackson (0-0)    209
6. Charles Henderson (0-0)    162
7. J.O. Johnson (0-0)    140
8. Guntersville (0-0)    73
9. Etowah (0-1)    27
10. Dora (1-0)    26
Others receiving votes:  Alexandria (0-1) 16, Madison Co. (0-0) 16, Demopolis (0-0) 9, Sylacauga (1-0) 7, Mortimer Jordan (0-0) 5, Calera (0-0) 4, Marbury (1-0) 3, Moody (0-1) 3, Russellville (0-0) 3, Tallassee (1-0) 3, Greenville (0-0) 2, Parker (1-0) 2, Jemison (1-0) 1, Lincoln (0-0) 1, West Point (0-0) 1.

Class 4A
1. Leeds (31) (1-0)    381
2. UMS-Wright (1) (0-0)    289
3. Dadeville (0-0)    240
4. Straughn (0-0)    204
5. Oneonta (0-0)    171
6. Saks (0-0)    161
7. Thomasville (1-0)    145
8. Deshler (0-0)    102
9. Fayette Co. (1-0)    40
10. Hamilton (1-0)    18
Others receiving votes: Munford (0-1) 15, Bibb Co. (0-1) 14, Haleyville (1-0) 11, Andalusia (0-1) 10, Jacksonville (1-0) 6, North Jackson (0-0) 5, St. James (0-0) 4, Locust Fork (1-0) 3, Trinity (0-1) 2, W.S. Neal (1-0) 2, Northside (1-0) 1.

Class 3A
1. Madison Academy (19) (0-1)    336
2. T.R. Miller (9) (1-0)    291
3. Piedmont (4) (0-0)    276
4. Dale Co. (1-0)    232
5. Walter Wellborn (0-0)    157
6. Colbert Co. (0-0)    139
7. Pike Co. (0-0)    131
8. Glencoe (0-0)    111
9. Midfield (0-0)    61
10. Lauderdale Co. (1-0)    42
Others receiving votes: Plainview (0-0) 12, Opp (1-0) 10, Sylvania (0-0) 8, Geraldine (0-0) 6, Vinemont (0-0) 5, Bayside Acad. (0-0) 2, Excel (0-0) 2, Fultondale (1-0) 1, Hillcrest-Evergreen (0-0) 1, Montgomery Acad. (1-0) 1.

Class 2A
1. Tanner (31) (1-0)    375
2. Fyffe (0-0)    279
3. Washington Co. (0-0)    257
4. G.W. Long (0-0)    193
5. Lanett (1) (0-1)    172
6. Pickens Co. (1-0)    159
7. Cottonwood (0-0)    121
8. Sweet Water (0-1)    111
9. Falkville (1-0)    79
10. Addison (0-1)    39
Others receiving votes: Reeltown (1-0) 15, Geneva Co. (0-0) 10, Luverne (0-1) 7, Red Bay (1-0) 6, Flomaton (1-0) 1.

Class 1A
1. Brantley (26) (0-0)    362
2. Maplesville (6) (0-0)    304
3. Linden (0-0)    255
4. Hubbertville (0-0)    209
5. R.A. Hubbard (1-0)    181
6. Loachapoka (0-0)    151
7. Cedar Bluff (0-0)    124
8. Valley Head (0-0)    890
9. Ragland (0-0)    75
10. A.L. Johnson (1-0)    45
Others receiving votes: Berry (1-0) 11, Marion Co. (0-1) 9, Autaugaville (0-0) 4, Donoho (0-0) 3, J.U. Blacksher (0-0) 1, McKenzie (0-0) 1.

AISA
1. Edgewood Acad. (31) (0-0)    381
2. Restoration (0-0)    269
3. Bessemer Acad. (0-0)    255
4. Monroe Acad. (1) (1-0)    211
5. Marengo Acad. (0-0)    194
6. Wilcox Acad. (0-0)    175
7. Escambia Acad. (0-0)    126
8. Clarke Prep (0-0)    90
9. Autauga Acad. (0-0)    65
10. S. Choctaw Acad. (0-0)    26
Others receiving votes: Morgan Acad. (0-0) 13, Tuscaloosa Acad. (0-0) 12, Abbeville Chr. (1-0) 5, Pike Liberal (1-0) 1, Sparta Acad. (0-0) 1.


The Alabama Sports Writers Association prep committee members are: Paul Beaudry (Chairman), Alabama Media Group; Ed Bailey, Alexander City Outlook; Andrew Garner, Andalusia Star-News; Jonathan Deal, Athens News Courier; Brandon Miller, Anniston Star; Jeff Sentell, Birmingham News; Adam Robinson, Brewton Standard; Rob Rice, Blount Countian; Shannon Fagan, Cherokee Herald; Ross Wood, Clarke Co. Democrat; Rob Ketcham, Cullman Times; Johnathan Bentley, Daily Mountain Eagle; Justin Graves, Decatur Daily; David Mundee, Dothan Eagle; Lee Peacock, Evergreen Courant; Newton Peters, Florala News; Gregg Dewalt, Florence TimesDaily; Jeremy Smith, Freelance (Demopolis); Chris McCarthy, Gadsden Messenger; J.J. Hicks, Gadsden Times; Brent Maze, Hartselle Enquirer; Daniel Boyette, Huntsville Times; Ben Thomas, Mobile Press-Register; Stacy Long, Montgomery Advertiser; Robert Carter, North Jefferson News; Tom Green, Opelika-Auburn News; Shannon Allen, Sand Mountain Reporter; Jason Bowen, Scottsboro Daily Sentinel; Daniel Evans, Selma Times-Journal; Lavonte Young, Talladega Daily Home; Griffin Pritchard, Tallassee Tribune; Joey Chandler, Tuscaloosa News; Cory Diaz, Wetumpka Herald.