PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Week 0 matchups kick off 2020 season
Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 19, 2020
- A pair of Good Hope players compete during practice.
Are you ready for some high school football?
While there’s been no shortage of uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are scheduled to kick things off with an exciting Week 0 slate.
Vinemont hosts Hanceville on Thursday, while Cullman and Good Hope each play on the road.
Addison and Cold Springs, meanwhile, hit the field on Friday for their respective season openers.
Fairview and West Point, on the other hand, will participate in jamborees.
The Aggies and Holly Pond had their Week 0 games canceled due to COVID-19 quarantines.
The Broncos open the season next week with a home game against Cold Springs.
With me so far? Fantastic.
I haven’t covered a live sporting event since March, so I’ve been looking forward to this week for a while.
Hopefully, everything will work out.
Before we get to these picks — let’s not make a wrong selection — a quick reminder for everyone involved.
These weekly preview columns will once again include “The People’s Pick,” which is determined by a series of Twitter polls posted on my timeline (@winfreyjake) each and every Monday afternoon. Vote. It’s fun.
Let’s rock and roll.
% Addison at Haleyville: The Bulldogs will climb up two classifications to take on the Class 4A Lions.
Addison is just 2-6 all-time versus Haleyville but did win the two most recent meetings in 1988 and 1989.
What does that mean for 2020? Nothing — I can hear coach David Smothers now — at all.
The Bulldogs, though, have won four straight season openers.
Haleyville, meanwhile, has dropped three consecutive season openers.
I’ll bet on that trend continuing for another year.
% My Pick: Addison
% People’s Pick: Addison (69 percent — 121 votes)
% Meek at Cold Springs: Justin Cornelius is looking for his first-ever win as a varsity head coach.
Barring something completely unforeseen happening, he should be able to manage that on Friday.
The Tigers went 0-10 last season and were outscored by an average of 38.1 to 12.9 points per game.
It’s a new year, sure, but the Eagles have a ton of returning playmakers coming back on offense, and I think that’s going to be a huge advantage in this game.
% My Pick: Cold Springs
% People’s Pick: Cold Springs (84 percent — 87 votes)
% Cullman at Grissom: The Bearcats will take on the Tigers at Alabama A&M’s Louis Crews Stadium.
The Tigers have a couple of standout players in quarterback Jakob Foss and defensive end Kahlil Saunders, both of whom are listed as 3-star recruits on Rivals.
Saunders is committed to Kentucky, while Foss (Kentucky) and wide receiver Cameron Hunt (Mississippi State) also boast SEC offers.
Grissom, though, has only won 11 games since moving to 7A in 2014.
And Cullman enters the clash having never lost to the Tigers, winning back-to-back matchups in 1988 and 1989.
It’ll be tough, but I think Jaylen Hughey begins his senior season with a big performance, and the Bearcats take the close win.
% My Pick: Cullman
% People’s Pick: Cullman (75 percent — 116 votes)
% Good Hope at West Morgan: The Raiders are hoping that good things really do come in threes.
Good Hope has produced consecutive strong seasons and is looking to kick this one off with a bang as well.
These teams have played just three times, the last of those meetings coming back in 2001.
The Rebels won that one, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this week.
As we know, the empire strikes back.
Tanner Malin and Colton Bagwell should be able to propel Good Hope to a victory this time around.
% My Pick: Good Hope
% People’s Pick: Good Hope (87 percent — 92 votes)
% Hanceville at Vinemont: It’s a county vs. county showdown, and I’ll be in attendance.
Vinemont has won three straight in the series, and the past five meetings between the squads have all been decided by 14 points or less.
That has me thinking we get another close one in 2020.
In fact, this matchup at Mark Smothers Field reminds me a lot of Wrestlemania X-Seven’s main event.
It’s Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock — and just like with that clash, this one could go either way.
Having said all that just now, I believe Zach Campbell will arguably be the best player on the field.
Give me the Bulldogs.
% My Pick: Hanceville
% People’s Pick: Vinemont (66 percent — 98 votes)
Jamborees
% Fairview at Falkville: The Aggies open the season next week with a home game against Vinemont.
% People’s Pick: Fairview (84 percent — 89 votes)
% West Point at Priceville: The Warriors open the season next week with a road game against Good Hope.
% People’s Pick: West Point (80 percent — 96 votes)