PREP FOOTBALL

Published 10:54 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2009

No. It’s not baseball season.

But a quick glance at the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 5A football poll could throw a few people off.

Following a lopsided win over Region 6 foe Mortimer Jordan, Cullman (5-0, 5-0) takes over the top spot in Class 5A.

Vigor — the defending state champion — fell two spots to No. 3 after getting beat by Class 6A Opelika.

One spot below Cullman is Hartselle (5-0, 5-0), which knocked off perennial power Russellville two weeks ago.

Why bring up baseball in the middle of football season? Because Cullman and Hartselle are perennially two of top prep baseball programs in the state, typically taking up the top two spots on the ASWA poll.

But this isn’t baseball. It’s football. And these two programs — separated by just a few miles of highway — are having strong seasons.

This isn’t the first time a Cullman football team has been ranked No. 1 in Class 5A. The Bearcats had a brief stay at the top spot last fall.

Cullman was voted No. 1 after the fourth week of last season, but was upset at Erwin two weeks later.

Ironically, Cullman hosts Region 6 foe Erwin (4-1, 4-1) Friday night.