Prattville, Pike Road set to open season in annual Kickoff Classic
Pike Road and Prattville will open the 2025 season as part of the annual AHSAA Kickoff Classic at Cramton Bowl on Thursday, Aug. 21. (File Photo)
By TIM GAYLE
Pike Road was scheduled to open the 2025 football season at home on a Thursday night against Prattville but now the Patriots’ home opener will have to wait a week.
The Aug. 21 opener set for Pike Road will now be played at Cramton Bowl as part of the 20th annual Kickoff Classic hosted by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
“Any time the AHSAA asks you to do something, you try to help them, if at all possible,” Pike Road coach Granger Shook said. “They do so much behind the scene, and in front of the scene, for us. I think it’s our duty to help our association when you can,
“It’s not at our home place, which is unfortunate, but I think it creates a great opportunity to play in front of a really big crowd. I think it can be a really good playoff environment for our kids and our fans, band, cheer and everybody associated with it.”
The following night, Maplesville will play Fyffe, also at Cramton Bowl at 7 p.m.
“We will be kicking off our 2025-26 school year with these two exciting games,” said AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon. “We are also kicking off our school year by placing major emphasis on displaying outstanding sportsmanship. The AHSAA’s mission is to serve our member schools through interscholastic competition by enhancing student learning, sportsmanship, safety, and lifelong values with integrity always as its foundation. The Kickoff Classic on statewide TV is an excellent way for us to get that message out to our school communities.”
Both games will be televised by Alabama Public Television.
The Kickoff Classic is managed each year by the AHSAA’s Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association led by AHSADC executive director J.T. Lawrence.
“We’re excited to showcase four outstanding programs—Pike Road, Prattville, Maplesville and Fyffe—in this year’s AHSAA Kickoff Classic,” Lawrence said, “This event marks the official start of high school football each year in Alabama, and there’s nothing quite like the energy and excitement that comes with it. This year’s statewide coverage on the AHSAA TV Network and Alabama Public Television will continue to highlight the talent, tradition, and deep community pride that make Friday nights so special across our state. We’re also extremely grateful to the City of Montgomery and the staff at Cramton Bowl for their continued support and hospitality in hosting this event.”
The matchup between Class 3A Fyffe and Class 1A Maplesville will be a first between the two small-school powerhouses and likely will count as a jamboree because Maplesville already has a 10-game schedule.
The Red Devils have reached the playoffs in each of the last 21 years, including last year’s loss in the 1A state finals to Wadley.
Fyffe has reached the playoffs in each of the last 24 years, losing at Piedmont in the 3A quarterfinals last year.
Prattville and Pike Road met for the first time last year in Wetumpka, with the Lions pulling out a 41-37 win over the Patriots.
Prattville would end up a disappointing 5-5 and missed the 7A playoffs for the third straight year. The Kickoff Classic will mark the debut of new Prattville coach Bobby Carr.
It is the second consecutive debut for Carr, who coached his first game at G.W. Carver a year ago in a 41-19 win over Vestavia Hills in the 2024 Kickoff Classic.
“Coach Carr and I have talked at length about it and I think both teams will benefit from this decision,” Shook said. “I’m excited to see both fan bases show up.”
Pike Road has reached the playoffs in each of its seven years of existence, reaching the 6A semifinals each of the last two seasons before losing to Saraland. The Patriots lost to a trio of 7A teams -- Prattville, Enterprise and Opelika -- but remained unbeaten against 6A competition last year before finally falling in the semifinals.
Pike Road, Fyffe and Maplesville are making their second appearance in the Kickoff Classic, which was first played in 2006. Prattville is making its seventh appearance, the most of any school.
“Both games feature four programs that represent great communities that bring a wealth of tradition and success on the football field,” said AHSAA director of football Caleb Ross. “We look forward to it being a great event to kick off the 2025 high school football season.”
Ross would know better than most. His playing career at Prattville ended before the Kickoff Classic made its debut, but he was the Lions’ offensive coordinator in the second Kickoff Classic, a 36-3 win over North Gwinnett (Ga.). He and the Lions returned in 2008 but the game with Oxford was canceled because of inclement weather. He was the offensive coordinator at Prattville in 2009 when the Lions defeated Carver 37-0 in the Kickoff Classic and had the same title three years later at Spanish Fort when the Toros defeated Muscle Shoals 33-22 in the sixth Kickoff Classic.
In 2020, he was the head coach of the Lions when Prattville made its last Kickoff Classic appearance, defeating Wetumpka 40-10.