Forecasts of stormy weather have moved most of the Alabama high school football games up to tonight. Check out some of the top games this week.

*A big game between small schools just might be the highlight of the week. Brantley, the top-ranked Class 1A team in the state, travels to play No. 3 ranked Elba. The teams first met on the football field in 1928 but have only played each other 46 times. They last met in 2019, and Elba leads the series, 32-12-2.

Brantley allowed just 20 points in the first three games this season while scoring 106 points. The Bulldogs advanced to the Class 1A semifinals each of the past two seasons. Brantley's leaders are sophomore quarterback Jayden Parks and running back/linebacker Kedrick Brown, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior, who had 110 tackles last season.

Elba advanced to the state championship game in 2014 and 2015, winning in 2015, but had not advanced past the second round since 2016. Running back Alvin Henderson is one of the top sophomores in the state. He already has offers from the entire SEC, including Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and throughout the country.

Get to this one early if you want a seat.

*Handley High running back Jamarius Haynes gained 476 yards on the ground last week in a win over Jacksonville. That's a good three or four-game stretch for some really good backs.  The 6-foot, 175-pound senior did it in one night.

Next up for Handley, the Class 4A champs in 2020, is a visit from White Plains. The Wildcats are coming off a bye week, which means the White Plains coaching staff probably was on hand to watch Haynes run up and down the field. White Plains lost to Handley 52-0 in 2020 and 43-14 last season.

*UMS-Wright coaching legend Terry Curtis is creeping closer to becoming the state's all-time leader in victories. Curtis, who has coached high school football in Alabama since 1989 and has been at UMS-Wright since 1999, is seven wins short of matching Buddy Anderson's 346 wins.

This week's game matches Curtis' unbeaten team against former college head coach Mark Hudspeth and the unbeaten Gulf Shores team. The game will be played at UMS-Wright.

*It could be a good time to check in with former head coach Mike DuBose, who is in his second season at Opp. DuBose led his 2021 team to a 9-3 record and a trip to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. This season, Opp opened with a loss, averaged 40 points in back-to-back wins, and is the No. 5 ranked team in Class 3A.

Opp senior quarterback Gray Jennings has a touchdown pass on every three passes. Junior linebacker Colby Ballard had 27 tackles the past two weeks.

The Bobcats play host to Providence Christian this week. Providence Christian also dropped its opener and has two consecutive wins.

*You have to dig deep to find a reason – any reason – that Whitesburg Christian has a shot at beating powerhouse Fyffe.

The Warriors are in their fourth season of football. They won three games a year ago, a school record for wins in a season, and have never made the playoffs. This year, though, the Warriors are off to a 3-0 start under veteran coach Jimmy Nave.

Fyffe, on the other hand, has been playing football since 1933 and has 97 playoff wins and five state titles. A year ago, Fyffe had its 51-game winning streak snapped by Geraldine. This season, the Red Devils have outscored two opponents, 83-6, and are ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 2A.

All of that is written on paper. Games are played on the field. In theory, you never know what will happen when the unbeaten teams meet tonight at Madison County Elementary School, which is Whitesburg Christian's home field. Does anyone know if there are any biblical stories that describe Whitesburg Christian's chances against the giants of 2A football?

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.

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