Polls have plenty of change
Published 12:16 am Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Stepping out of class or out of state was hazardous to the poll health of four previously No. 1 teams in the Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football poll.
The result was four new teams at the top and six of the seven classes seeing new teams in the second slot.
The biggest change came in the top two classes as a loss to nationally ranked Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey dropped Prattville into the second slot in Class 6A and allowed Hoover — the team the Lions have beaten in title games two of the past three years — to become No. 1.
Vigor, which was a unanimous No. 1 in Class 5A a week ago, slid to third behind Cullman and Hartselle after a loss to Class 6A Opelika on Friday.
Pickens County took over the top spot in Class 2A after Leroy’s loss to Class 4A No. 10 Jackson.
The only same-class loss resulting in a change at the top came in AISA after Fort Dale Academy lost to Class AAA Region 1 rival Macon-East.
If that weren’t enough, second-ranked Leeds in Class 3A ended a 19-game winning streak at the hands of Class 4A St. Clair County and Class 1A No. 2 Gaston fell to Class 2A Sand Rock just days after losing all-state running back Demont Buice to injury.
Games involving ranked teams this week include: Class 5A No. 3 Vigor at No. 9 St Paul’s, Class 4A No. 7 Jackson at No. 8 UMS-Wright, Class 1A No. 2 Maplesville at No. 3 Linden, AISA No. 1 Edgewood at No. 6 Fort Dale, and No. 2 Bessemer Academy at No. 6 Monroe Academy.
Bessemer and Monroe are also the first two teams in either association to clinch playoff spots.
Games in the Black Belt involving ranked teams Friday include Morgan Academy at AISA No. 3 Southern, AISA No. 8 Lowndes at Glenwood, Wilcox Central at Class 5A No. 4 Greenville, Class 5A No. 6 Demopolis at Selma, Class 4A No. 6 Bibb County at Southside and Class 1A No. 2 Maplesville at Linden.
The complete poll, including all schools receiving votes and the panel of voters is listed below, with first-place votes and current record in parentheses.
Class 6A
1. Hoover (29) (5-0) 420 2. Prattville (5) (3-2) 322 3. Auburn (3) (5-0) 313 4. Jess Lanier (5-0) 221 5. Murphy (5-0) 193 6. Bob Jones (5-0) 147 7. Fairhope (5-0) 129 8. Vestavia Hills (4-1) 94
9. Clay-Chalkville (5-0) 83
10. Davidson (4-1) 69
Others receiving votes: Tuscaloosa Co. (4-1) 38, Opelika (4-1) 24, Spain Park (5-0) 21, Gadsden City (4-1) 15, Theodore (5-0) 9, McGill-Toolen (3-2) 4, Central-Phenix City (5-0) 4, Oxford (4-1) 2, Florence (4-1) 1.
Class 5A
1. Cullman (17) (5-0) 377 2. Hartselle (9) (5-0) 340 3. Vigor (10) (4-1) 307 4. Greenville (1) (5-0) 270 5. Carver-Montgomery (4-1) 211 6. Demopolis (4-1) 154 7. Spanish Fort (4-1) 117 8. Briarwood Chr. (3-2) 109 9. St. Paul’s (4-1) 57 10. Russellville (3-2) 36
Others receiving votes: Shelby Co. (4-1) 27, Athens (4-1) 27, Springville (3-2) 24, Fairfield (4-1) 11, Fort Payne (4-1) 10, Valley (4-1) 9, Erwin (4-1) 7, Eufaula (3-2) 4, Boaz (4-1) 4, John Carroll (4-1) 4, Wenonah (3-1) 3, Muscle Shoals (4-1) 1.
Class 4A
1. Thomasville (28) (5-0) 417 2. Cherokee Co. (9) (5-0) 353 3. Deshler (4-1) 259 4. Handley (5-0) 236 5. Midfield (5-0) 196 6. Bibb Co. (5-0) 170 7. Jackson (5-0) 150 8. UMS-Wright (3-2) 122 9. North Jackson (4-1) 85 10. Brooks (4-1) 72
Others receiving votes: Oneonta (4-1) 25, Guntersville (4-1) 8, Anniston (4-1) 7, Fairview (5-0) 5, Fayette Co. (4-1) 3, St. Clair Co. (3-2) 1.
Class 3A
1. T.R. Miller (36) (5-0) 441 2. Trinity (5-0) 295 3. Cordova (1) (4-1) 248 4. Piedmont (4-1) 231 5. Leeds (4-1) 228 6. Luverne (5-0) 208 7. Daleville (4-1) 113 8. Dadeville (4-1) 93 9. Pike Co. (5-0) 71 10. Madison Acad. (5-0) 55
Others receiving votes: Danville (5-0) 48, Hamilton (4-1) 32, Glencoe (5-0) 24, Susan Moore (3-2) 9, Sardis (4-1) 4, Pisgah (4-1) 4, Colbert Co. (2-3) 3, Montgomery Acad. (4-1) 1, Slocomb (2-3) 1.
Class 2A
1. Pickens Co. (20) (5-0) 382 2. Leroy (11) (4-1) 319 3. Clay Co. (4) (5-0) 318 4. Reeltown (4-1) 230 5. Houston Acad. (1) (5-0) 229 6. Fyffe (4-1) 162 7. Winston Co. (5-0) 158 8. Millry (4-1) 122 9. Tanner (4-1) 65 10. Elba (1) (5-0) 45
Others receiving votes: Lamar Co. (5-0) 43, Lexington (4-1) 20, Sulligent (3-2) 7, Sand Rock (4-1) 5, Excel (4-1) 1, Houston Co. (4-1) 1, Westbrook Chr. (4-1) 1, Ider (4-1) 1.
Class 1A
1. Sweet Water (35) (4-1) 437 2. Maplesville (1) (5-0) 321 3. Linden (1) (5-0) 283 4. Brantley (4-1) 228 5. R.A. Hubbard (4-1) 185 6. Loachapoka (4-1) 157 7. Gaston (4-1) 141 8. Cedar Bluff (4-1) 121 9. McIntosh (4-0) 118 10. McKenzie (5-0) 47
Others receiving votes: Berry (5-0) 32, Lynn (5-0) 12, Hackleburg (5-0) 10, Appalachian (4-1) 7, Phillips-Bear Creek (4-0) 4, Talladega Co. Central (3-2) 3, Geneva Co. (4-1) 1, Winterboro (3-2) 1, Billingsley (2-3) 1.
AISA
1. Edgewood Acad. (23) (5-0) 392 2. Bessemer Acad. (10) (6-0) 355 3. Southern Acad. (1) (5-0) 291 4. Patrician Acad. (6-0) 244 5. Monroe Acad. (2) (5-0) 212 6. Fort Dale Acad. (1) (4-1) 207 7. Pike Liberal (3-1) 125 8. Lowndes Acad. (4-1) 118 9. Cornerstone Chr (4-0) 78 10. Macon-East 4-1) 60
Others receiving votes: Crenshaw Chr. (4-1) 13, Escambia Acad. (4-2) 5, Lee-Scott (3-2) 3, Sumter Acad. (3-3) 2, Restoration Acad. (2-2) 2.