Hoover is lone unanimous selection at No. 1

By PAUL BEAUDRY

For The ASWA

Prattville’s loss was Hoover’s gain in this week’s Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football poll.

The defending Class 6A champions are the only team to be a unanimous first-place pick among the state-wide panel of voters. The Bucs earned their portion of first-place votes with a 44-0 win over then-No. 8 Spain Park.

Stanhope Elmore helped give Hoover any remaining votes by knocking off Prattville, 35-34. The loss dropped the 1-1 Lions to No. 6 in Class A – the first time since November, 2002, that Prattville has been ranked lower than third. A debut at No. 9 this week is the Mustangs’ first ASWA poll appearance since October, 2007.

A 27-20 loss to Bayside also dropped Class 3A mainstay T.R. Miller out of the poll. Miller, which started the season No. 3 and fell to seventh last week after a loss to Class 4A Escambia County, had appeared in the top 10 in every poll since Sept. 25, 2002.

Every other top-ranked team – Class 5A Russellville, 4A Jackson, 3A Leeds, 2A Leroy, 1A Linden and the AISA’s Pike Liberal Arts – stayed on top with at least a 49-point advantage over the team with 77 percent of the first-place votes.

Key matchups involving ranked teams this week include: No. 7 Enterprise at No. 5 Auburn in Class 6A; No. 1 Leeds hosting No. 5 Clay County in Class 3A; No. 3 Ider at No. 6 Westbrook Christian in Class 2A; No. 1 Pike Liberal at No. 10 Monroe Academy, and No. 9 Patrician at Clarke Prep.

CLASS 6A

1. Hoover (31) (2-0) 372

2. Davidson (2-0) 264

3. Vestavia Hills (2-0) 232

4. Gadsden City (2-0) 212

5. Auburn (2-0) 194

6. Prattville (1-1) 124

7. Enterprise (2-0) 92

8. Bob Jones (1-1) 80

9. Stanhope Elmore (2-0) 56

10. Minor (2-0) 35

Others receiving votes: Daphne (2-0) 24, Carver-Montgomery (2-0) 17, Decatur (2-0) 16, McGill-Toolen (1-1) 16, Fairhope (1-1) 15, Homewood (2-0) 13, Spain Park (0-2) 5.

CLASS 5A

1. Russellville (27) (2-0) 354

2. McAdory (3) (2-0) 277

3. Spanish Fort (1) (2-0) 245

4. Hueytown (2-0) 200

5. Briarwood Chr. (2-0) 199

6. Hartselle (2-0) 162

7. Cullman (2-0) 113

8. Demopolis (1-1) 91

9. Tallassee (2-0) 54

10. Vigor (1-1) 25

Others receiving votes: Walker (2-0) 15, St. Paul’s (2-0) 13, Muscle Shoals (2-0) 8, Fort Payne (2-0) 6, Pleasant Grove (2-0) 5.

CLASS 4A

1. Jackson (24) (2-0) 347

2. Thomasville (4) (2-0) 291

3. N. Jackson (2-0) 235

4. UMS-Wright (1) (1-1) 208

5. Straughn (1) (2-0) 179

6. Bibb Co. (1) (2-0) 167

7. Deshler (1-1) 122

8. Fayette Co. (2-0) 86

9. Cherokee Co. (1-1) 33

9. Dadeville (2-0) 33

Others receiving votes: Fairview (2-0) 16, Beauregard (1-1) 11, Andalusia (2-0) 10, Central-Florence (2-0) 8, Anniston (1-1) 7, Escambia Co. (2-0) 7, Hillcrest-Evergreen (2-0) 3, St. Clair Co. (2-0) 3, Calera (1-1) 1.

CLASS 3A

1. Leeds (29) (2-0) 366

2. Cordova (2) (2-0) 265

3. Piedmont (2-0) 225

4. Hamilton (2-0) 205

5. Clay Co. (2-0) 191

6. Handley (2-0) 178

7. Trinity (2-0) 118

8. Pike Co. (2-0) 101

9. Saks (2-0) 28

10. Bayside Acad. (2-0) 23

Others receiving votes: Abbeville (2-0) 20, Glencoe (2-0) 12, T.R. Miller (0-2) 12, Madison Acad. (1-1) 9, Luverne (1-1) 4, Winfield (2-0) 3, Plainview (1-1) 2, Sylvania (2-0) 2, Geraldine (2-0) 1, Walter Wellborn (2-0) 1, Washington Co. (1-1) 1.

CLASS 2A

1. Leroy (28) (2-0) 362

2. Elba (1) (2-0) 272

3. Ider (2-0) 223

4. Reeltown (1) (1-1) 214

5. Cottonwood (2-0) 195

6. Westbrook Chr. (1) (2-0) 171

7. Tanner (2-0) 136

8. Fyffe (1-1) 66

9. Lineville (1-1) 60

10. Colbert Hts. (2-0) 13

Others receiving votes: Flomaton (2-0) 11, Houston Acad. (2-0) 11, Woodland (2-0) 8, Lamar Co. (1-1) 6, Goshen (1-1) 3, Lexington (1-1) 3, Mobile Chr. (2-0) 3, Red Bay (1-1) 3, Thorsby (2-0 ) 2, Wicksburg (1-1) 2, Samson (2-0) 1, Sand Rock (1-1) 1, Sumiton Chr. (2-0) 1.

CLASS 1A

1. Linden (27) (2-0) 359

2. Brantley (4) (2-0) 278

3. Sweet Water (1-1) 254

4. R.A. Hubbard (2-0) 194

5. Maplesville (2-0) 180

6. Addison (2-0) 156

7. Pickens Co. (2-0) 125

8. Hackleburg (2-0) 80

8. Loachapoka (2-0) 80

10. Winterboro (2-0) 26

Others receiving votes: Parrish (2-0) 16, McKenzie (2-0) 8, Lynn (2-0) 5, Appalachian (2-0) 4, Cedar Bluff (1-1) 2, Collinsville (2-0) 1, Hubbertville (2-0) 1, McIntosh (2-0) 1.

AISA

1. Pike Liberal (24) (2-0) 349

2. Fort Dale (3) (2-0) 282

3. Edgewood (1) (3-0) 241

4. Bessemer Acad. (3) (2-0) 237

5. Crenshaw Chr. (2-0) 159

6. Springwood (2-0) 124

7. Clarke Prep (2-0) 99

8. Prattville Chr. (3-0) 87

9. Patrician (1-1) 66

10. Monroe Acad. (2-0) 56

Others receiving votes: South Choctaw Acad. (2-1) 36, Restoration Acad. (2-0) 16, Southern Acad. (1-1) 5, Glenwood Acad. (1-1) 5, Kingwood Chr. (2-1) 3, Lowndes Acad. (2-1) 1, Chambers Acad. (2-0) 1.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association prep committee members are:; Paul Beaudry, Chairman, Freelance (Birmingham); Andrew Garner, Andalusia Star-News; Nick Birdsong, Anniston Star; Jeff Sentell, Birmingham News; Adam Robinson, Brewton Standard; Rob Rice, Blount Countian; Shannon Fagan, Cherokee Herald; Ross Wood, Clarke Co. Democrat; Justin Graves, Cullman Times; Jonathon Bentley, Daily Mountain Eagle; Jason Bowen, Daily Sentinel; Cody Whitlock, Decatur Daily; Jeremy Smith, Demopolis Times; David Mundee, Dothan Eagle; Lee Peacock, Evergreen Courant; Newton Peters, Florala News; Gregg Dewalt, Florence TimesDaily; Lew Gilliland, Fort Payne Times-Journal; Scot Beard, Franklin County Times; Dennis Victory, Freelance (Birmingham); Brooke Johnson, Freelance (Decatur); Chris McCarthy, Gadsden Messenger; Kim Craft, Gadsden Times; Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer; Mike Easterling, Huntsville Times; Josh Bean, Mobile Press-Register; Stacy Long, Montgomery Advertiser; Wesley Lyle, Montgomery Advertiser; David Morrison, Opelika-Auburn News; Shannon Allen, Sand Mountain Reporter; Griffin Pritchard, Wetumpka Herald. Not voting: Chandler Myers, Atmore Advance; Jonathan Deal, Moulton Advertiser; Robert Carter, North Jefferson News;Heather Baggett, Talladega Daily Home; Aaron Suttles, Tuscaloosa News.