3 County teams in poll, 2 close

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: September 2, 2014

Piedmont, Saks, Wellborn all make the grade; Jacksonville, Donoho knocking on the door

By East Alabama Sports Today

The same three Calhoun County teams who made their respective Top 10s in the first regular-season statewide high school football poll last week remained there this week.

Piedmont stayed No. 3 in Class 3A after opening its season with a 48-20 victory over Cherokee County. Saks moved up to No. 4 in Class 4A after its 41-20 win over Wellborn, and Wellborn remained in the 3A poll at No. 8 after the loss.

Wellborn looks to rebound Friday at No. 7 Glencoe in its region opener.

Jacksonville is 2-0 for the third year in a row under coach Clint Smith, and is knocking on the door of a spot in the 4A Top 10. The Golden Eagles play Crossville for their homecoming Friday and a third straight 3-0 start could be enough to get them in, particularly if any of the distant eighth and T-9s (Haleyville, Munford, Oneonta) in the poll were to fall.

The Golden Eagles, who haven’t been ranked since pulling down No. 7 in the final 1999 5A poll and been ranked only 13 times in school history, are the top team among others receiving votes in 4A, just five points from breaking into the Top 10. The Eagles had six points last week.

“There are a lot of good football teams that aren’t in that poll,” Smith said. “It’s good from a respect factor and it would be big for our kids to see people are recognizing their hard work and dedication, but we don’t get caught up in that poll stuff.

“It is good we’re starting out 2-0. It’s great to start the year out with two wins over those guys (Alexandria and Weaver) and it kind of gives us the confidence and momentum going into the region schedule. With such a young team it’s good to get that momentum.”

Donoho is on the same track. The Falcons are the top team also receiving votes in 1A, seven points shy of breaking into their poll this week after drawing only three points the previous week. Other County teams continuing to receive votes in the poll include 6A Oxford and 5A Alexandria.

Statewide, Hoover is not the top-ranked team in its class for the first time since 2011 and for the first time ever Bob Jones is.

A 35-14 loss to Colquitt County (Ga.) brought Hoover’s first 0-2 start since 1994. Coupled with the Patriots opening the season with a 28-7 win over Decatur, the Bucs dropped to No. 2 for the first time since the final poll of 2011 and Bob Jones rose to the top spot for the first time in the school’s 41-year football history.

Hoover wasn’t the only No. 1 to fall. A 56-50 loss to Class 3A Colbert County dropped Tanner from the top spot in Class 2A and into No. 3. Fyffe moved into the top spot.

The other leaders stayed the same — 6A Spanish Fort, 5A St. Paul’s, 4A Leeds, 3A Madison Academy, 1A Brantley and AISA Edgewood Academy.

Area teams in the poll include 7A Gadsden City (No. 8); 5A Clay Central (No. 7) and Sylacauga (No. 10); 4A Munford (T-9); 1A Ragland (No. 5) and Cedar Bluff (No. 7).

Class 7A
1. Bob Jones (21) (1-0) 324
2. Hoover (8) (0-2) 265
3. McGill-Toolen (1) (1-0) 246
4. Spain Park (2-0) 203
5. Central-Phenix City (2-0) 167
6. Vestavia Hills (1-0) 148
7. Fairhope (2-0) 142
8. Gadsden City (2-0) 101
9. Foley (1-1) 44
10. Prattville (1-0) 38
Others receiving votes: Auburn (0-2) 10, Baker (2-0) 10, Smiths Station (2-0) 9, Huntsville (1-0) 2, Tuscaloosa Co. (1-0) 1.

Class 6A
1. Spanish Fort (28) (2-0) 353
2. Clay-Chalkville (2) (2-0) 275
3. Shades Valley (2-0) 229
4. Opelika (1-0) 199
5. Carver-Montgomery (1-0) 190
6. Blount (1-0) 135
7. Muscle Shoals (1-0) 103
8. Florence (0-1) 96
9. Daphne (0-1) 43
10. Saraland (1-0) 34
Others receiving votes: Hartselle (2-0) 21, Benjamin Russell (2-0) 9, Decatur (1-1) 6, Hueytown (1-1) 6, Bessemer City (0-2) 3, Wetumpka (2-0) 3, Arab (2-0) 1, Baldwin Co. (2-0) 1, Fort Payne (1-0) 1, Oxford (1-1) 1, Southside-Gadsden (1-1) 1

Class 5A
1. St. Paul’s (30) (2-0) 360
2. Pleasant Grove (1-0) 262
3. Jackson (1-0) 225
4 Charles Henderson (1-0) 183
5. Vigor (0-1) 172
6. J.O. Johnson (1-0) 163
7. Central-Clay Co. (1-1) 130
8. Guntersville (1-0) 101
9. Mortimer Jordan (1-0) 23
10. Sylacauga (2-0) 22
Others receiving votes: Calera (1-0) 13, Russellville (1-0) 9, Dora (1-1) 8, Etowah (0-2) 7, Parker (1-0) 6, Demopolis (0-1) 5, Marbury (2-0) 4, West Point (1-0) 4, Eufaula (1-0) 3, Madison Co. (0-1) 3, Alexandria (0-1) 2, East Limestone (1-0) 2, Tallassee (1-1) 2, Lincoln (0-1) 1.

Class 4A
1. Leeds (30) (2-0) 360
2. UMS-Wright (1-0) 270
3. Straughn (1-0) 223
4. Saks (1-0) 200
5. Thomasville (2-0) 185
6. Hamilton (2-0) 119
7. Dadeville (0-1) 116
8. Haleyville (2-0) 33
9t. Munford (1-1) 32
9t. Oneonta (0-1) 32
Others receiving votes: Jacksonville (2-0) 27, Deshler (0-1) 26, Fayette Co. (1-1) 18, St. James (1-0) 12, Handley (1-0) 10, Andalusia (0-2) 8, Ashford (2-0) 8, W.S. Neal (2-0) 7, Northside (2-0) 5, North Jackson (0-1) 4, Bibb Co. (0-2) 3, Locust Fork (2-0) 3, Wilson (2-0) 3, Brooks (1-0) 2, Priceville (1-0) 2, Clarke Co. (0-1) 1, Sardis (1-0) 1.

Class 3A
1. Madison Acad. (22) (1-1) 336
2. T.R. Miller (8) (2-0) 284
3. Piedmont (1-0) 244
4. Dale Co. (2-0) 206
5. Colbert Co. (1-0) 180
6. Pike Co. (1-0) 135
7. Glencoe (1-0) 120
8. Walter Wellborn (0-1) 77
9. Bayside Acad. (1-0) 32
10. Midfield (0-1) 26
Others receiving votes: Gordo (1-0) 16, Lauderdale Co. (1-1) 10, Hillcrest-Evergreen (1-0) 9, Montgomery Acad. (2-0) 9, Lexington (2-0) 5, Oakman (1-0) 4, Sylvania (0-1) 4, Daleville (0-1) 3, Aliceville (2-0) 2, Fultondale (1-1) 2, Plainview (0-1) 2, Geraldine (0-1) 1, Lamar Co. (2-0) 1, Opp (1-1) 1, Sand Rock (1-0) 1.

Class 2A
1. Fyffe (18) (1-0) 320
2. Washington Co. (4) (1-0) 264
3. Tanner (8) (1-1) 263
4. G.W. Long (1-0) 197
5. Lanett (1-1) 187
6. Sweet Water (0-1) 136
7. Falkville (2-0) 111
8. Reeltown (2-0) 79
9. Addison (1-1) 67
10. Pickens Co. (1-1) 37
Others receiving votes: Geneva Co. (1-0) 15, Cottonwood (0-1) 12, Ranburne (1-0) 6, Flomaton (2-0) 5, Mobile Chr. (1-0) 4, Elba (1-0) 2, Cleveland (1-0) 1, Cold Springs (2-0) 1, Hatton (1-0) 1, Leroy (1-0) 1, St. Luke’s (1-0) 1.

Class 1A
1. Brantley (21) (1-0) 333
2. Maplesville (9) (1-0) 286
3. Hubbertville (2-0) 229
4. Linden (0-1) 189
5. Ragland (1-0) 175
6. R.A. Hubbard (1-1) 134
7. Cedar Bluff (0-1) 52
8. Loachapoka (0-1) 51
9. Autaugaville (1-0) 43
10. A.L. Johnson (1-1) 35
Others receiving votes: Donoho (1-0) 28, Valley Head (0-1) 25, McKenzie (1-0) 23, Georgiana (2-0) 22, Marion Co. (1-1) 20, Phillips (2-0) 17, Millry (1-0) 12, Isabella (1-0) 8, Marengo (1-0) 6, Berry (1-1) 5, Verbena (1-0) 4, Spring Garden (1-0) 3, Winterboro (1-0) 3, J.U. Blacksher (1-0) 2, Wadley (1-0) 2, Ellwood Chr. (1-0) 1, Kinston (1-0) 1, Meek (1-1) 1.

AISA
1. Edgewood Acad. (29) (1-0) 357
2. Restoration (1-0) 259
3. Bessemer Acad. (1-0) 242
4. Monroe Acad. (1) (2-0) 212
5. Wilcox Acad. (1-0) 180
6. Escambia Acad. (1-0) 146
7. Marengo Acad. (0-1) 107
8. Clarke Prep (0-0) 100
9. S. Choctaw Acad. (1-0) 48
10. Autauga Acad. (0-1) 34
Others receiving votes: Abbeville Chr. (2-0) 7, Tuscaloosa Acad. (0-1) 7, Pike Liberal (2-0) 4, Sparta Acad. (1-0) 3, Southern Acad. (0-1) 2, Lee-Scott (1-0) 1, Macon-East (1-1) 1.

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