Spain Park moves up, Thompson, Vincent hold in Week 5 rankings, Chelsea, Shelby County earn votes
Published 5:01 am Wednesday, September 25, 2024
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
After multiple weeks without any action from Shelby County teams, the Week 5 football media rankings brought a shakeup for the Spain Park Jaguars.
Spain Park moved up one spot to No. 3 in Class 6A when the Alabama Sports Writers Association released its latest rankings on Wednesday, Sept. 25, while the Thompson Warriors and Vincent Yellow Jackets maintained their spots.
In addition, the Chelsea Hornets and Shelby County Wildcats both found themselves on the verge of the top 10 as they received the most votes of any unranked teams in their respective classifications.
Spain Park rose from No. 4 to No. 3 in Class 6A after staying in the fourth spot for multiple weeks. The Jags improved to 4-0 on the season with a 42-15 win over Benjamin Russell in region play.
Aiding Spain Park’s cause was previous No. 2 Parker’s loss to Georgia’s Carrollton on national television last week. The Thundering Herd dropped to No. 4 in this week’s rankings, one behind the Jags.
Now, Spain Park will look to stay undefeated in a road showdown on Sept. 27 with the also 4-0 James Clemens Jets, which moved into the No. 10 spot in the Class 7A rankings.
Thompson held on to its spot in the Class 7A rankings as it remained at No. 3. The Warriors have now won four straight games after a season-opening loss to Georgia’s Grayson, with their latest a come-from-behind 38-17 win at Vestavia Hills.
Thompson will hope to leapfrog Central-Phenix City and Auburn as it hosts Class 6A No. 2 Clay-Chalkville on Sept. 27.
Vincent also held steady once again as it maintained its No.6 spot in Class 2A. The Jackets continued their hot start with a 29-6 win over Sulligent, taking them to 4-0 on the season.
Vincent will have a non-region showdown this week on the road at Childersburg on Sept. 27 as it seeks revenge for a 16-14 loss to its rival last season.
Two of the four teams who received votes but missed out on the top 10 are now one step closer to entering the rankings–Chelsea and Shelby County.
The Hornets earned 12 votes for the second-straight week, once again putting them as the first team out of the rankings. They are 11 votes behind No. 10 Mountain Brook, which just dropped a 29-28 thriller to No. 5 Oxford.
Chelsea improved to 4-0 with a 55-28 win over Calera in region play, and it will take that undefeated record on the road to 0-4 Paul W. Bryant on Sept. 27.
The Wildcats’ votes increased for the second-straight week, this time to seven votes, leaving them 13 behind also-undefeated Russellville for 10th place.
Shelby County is now 5-0 after a 35-28 win over Northside after Anthony Palmieri rushed for 426 yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats will host 1-3 St. Clair County for homecoming on Sept. 27 in hopes of improving to 6-0.
Helena and Briarwood both failed to receive votes after each team earned at least one vote in each poll going into Week 5. The Huskies dropped to 2-2 with a 26-21 loss to 5A No. 8 Moody and the Lions are now 0-5 thanks to their 20-14 loss to Wenonah.
Looking across the state, one classification has a brand-new No. 1 as Montgomery Catholic leapfrogged Guntersville by a single vote in Class 5A despite the Wildcats beating Arab in Week. 5.
To see the full rankings, read more below:
The Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football rankings with first-place votes, win-loss record and total poll points:
CLASS 7A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Central-Phenix City (18); 5-0; 216
- Auburn; 5-0; 157
- Thompson; 4-1; 145
- Carver-Montgomery; 5-0; 121
- Hoover; 4-1; 106
- Hewitt-Trussville; 4-1; 81
- Mary Montgomery; 4-1; 62
- Austin; 4-0; 51
- Enterprise; 3-2; 40
- James Clemens; 4-0; 25
Others receiving votes: Dothan (2-3) 12, Baker (4-1) 5, Vestavia Hills (1-4) 3, Prattville (4-1) 2.
CLASS 6A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Saraland (16); 5-0; 210
- Clay-Chalkville; 4-0; 152
- Spain Park; 4-0; 135
- Parker (2); 4-1; 131
- Oxford; 5-0; 120
- Muscle Shoals; 4-1; 72
- Homewood; 5-0; 64
- Gadsden City; 3-1; 61
- Hartselle; 3-1; 26
- Mountain Brook; 3-2; 23
Others receiving votes: Chelsea (4-0) 12, Athens (4-0) 7, Gulf Shores (2-3) 4, St. Paul’s (4-0) 4, Pike Road (3-2) 3, McAdory (3-1) 1, Russell Co. (4-1) 1.
CLASS 5A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Catholic-Montgomery (8); 5-0; 184
- Guntersville (9); 5-0; 183
- Central-Clay Co. (1); 5-0; 151
- Leeds; 5-0; 113
- Vigor; 5-0; 92
- Fairview; 4-0; 91
- Scottsboro; 5-0; 72
- Moody; 3-2; 68
- Corner; 4-0; 39
- Williamson; 5-0; 20
Others receiving votes: Shelby Co. (5-0) 7, Russellville (4-1) 4, Carver-Birmingham (3-0) 2.
CLASS 4A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Jackson (18); 4-1; 216
- Pleasant Grove; 3-1; 146
- Cherokee Co.; 4-1; 137
- Bibb Co.; 4-1; 118
- West Morgan; 5-0; 110
- St. Michael; 5-0; 79
- BTW-Tuskegee; 4-0; 71
- Opp; 4-0; 43
- Hokes Bluff; 4-0; 27
- Mobile Chr.; 2-2; 25
Others receiving votes: Central-Florence (5-0) 15, Good Hope (4-0) 8, North Jackson (4-1) 8, Randolph (4-1) 8, Anniston (2-2) 5, Handley (3-2) 5, Oak Grove (4-1) 5.
CLASS 3A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- T.R. Miller (10); 5-0; 186
- Mars Hill Bible (4); 5-0; 165
- Fyffe (3); 3-1; 153
- Piedmont (1); 4-0; 117
- Thomasville; 5-0; 104
- Gordo; 4-1; 80
- Trinity; 4-1; 64
- Glenwood; 5-0; 54
- Geraldine; 3-1; 28
- Winfield; 4-1; 24
Others receiving votes: Randolph Co. (4-0) 15, Locust Fork (5-0) 10, Sylvania (3-1) 8, Hale Co. (5-0) 6, Houston Aca. (4-1) 4, Montgomery Aca. (4-1) 4, Hillcrest-Evergreen (4-1) 2, Walter Wellborn (4-0) 2.
CLASS 2A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Pisgah (16); 4-0; 206
- Highland Home (2); 5-0; 162
- Tuscaloosa Aca.; 5-0; 145
- Cottonwood; 5-0; 121
- Coosa Chr.; 4-1; 110
- Vincent; 4-0; 89
- Reeltown; 4-1; 71
- Winston Co.; 5-0; 43
- Decatur Heritage; 3-1; 39
- Goshen; 3-1; 15
Others receiving votes: Clarke Co. (3-2) 9, Providence Chr. (4-1) 5, Ariton (3-1) 3, Greene Co. (3-2) 3, Lanett (3-1) 2, Washington Co. (4-1) 2, Pike Liberal Arts (4-1) 1.
CLASS 1A
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Wadley (17); 5-0; 213
- Leroy (1); 4-1; 156
- Hackleburg; 4-0; 132
- Maplesville; 4-0; 113
- Elba; 3-2; 94
- Spring Garden; 5-0; 93
- Brantley; 3-1; 77
- Georgiana; 4-1; 66
- Sweet Water; 2-2; 45
- Lynn; 4-1; 9
Others receiving votes: Southern Choctaw (4-0) 8, Verbena (4-0) 5, McKenzie (4-1) 4, Berry (4-0) 3, Valley Head (4-1) 3, Addison (3-2) 2, Autauga Aca. (3-1) 2, Millry (3-2) 1.
AISA (top five)
Team (first-place); W-L; Pts
- Chambers Aca. (16); 4-1; 201
- Lowndes Aca. (1); 3-0; 164
- Fort Dale Aca.; 4-1; 138
- South Choctaw Aca. (1); 5-0; 133
- Patrician; 4-0; 111
Others receiving votes: Monroe Aca. (4-0) 9.