PREP CAPSULES (Week 1): Losing streak comes to an end for Park Crossing but now time to move forward
STAFF REPORT
A couple of losing streaks were broken last weekend. Columbia High School broke a 101-game losing streak on Saturday.
But the one most in the River Region care about happened in Birmingham where Park Crossing ended 22 games of futility with a win over Woodlawn.
It was the highlight of an interesting weekend of high school football, the first of the 2026 season.
A few of teams registered shut outs with Wetumpka going to Andalusia and handing the Bulldogs a 19-0 loss in their back yard.
Catholic did the same at Eufaula with a 16-0 win. G.W. Carver and Prattville Christian also recorded shut outs.
What does the second week hold. There are a couple of interesting matchups with the biggest being Montgomery Academy’s visit to Catholic and Prattville visiting Stanhope Elmore. ‘
Park Crossing will look to win its second straight game on Friday against Murphy at Cramton Bowl. And Trinity faces Reeltown in what could be one of the more interesting small-school games in the state.
Week 1
All games begin at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise
PRATTVILLE (6A) at STANHOPE ELMORE (5A)
Friday at 17 Springs Stadium (Millbrook)
2026 Records: Prattville (1-0), Stanhope Elmore (0-0)
Series: Prattville leads, 35-11-1
Last year: Prattville won, 43-13
Last week: Prattville def. Niceville, Fla., 49-7; Stanhope Elmore did not play
Key Notes: Prattville has not lost a game to Stanhope Elmore since 2012 but forfeited its win in 2016. It hasn’t lost a game (on the field) to a team from Elmore County since 2018 (Wetumpka)… The Mustangs have won their last three season openers.
The skinny: Talk about the dominance of Prattville in this series all you want but it’s not just about the school size. There have been a few instances where Stanhope Elmore may have had the better talent. Take 2018 when the Mustangs were in position to win but a last-second field goal by the Lions gave them a three-point victory. Or two years later when the Mustangs fell behind by 16 points but fought back with the last 10 points but couldn’t get the final touchdown , losing 16-10. But lately, the Lions have dominated with an average margin of victory being thee touchdowns (22 points). The Lions, based on the one game last week, look solid while the jury is still out on Stanhope Elmore, which opens the season on Friday. Coach Hunter Adams admitted he would have preferred to have played last week but a possible opponent backed out at the last minute. Either way, the Lions should roar again and improve the win streak against the Mustangs to 10 straight or 14 straight not including the forfeit.
PREDICTION: Prattville, 31-16
CATHOLIC (PRIVATE AA) at MONTGOMERY ACADEMY (PRIVATE A)
Friday at McLemore Field
2026 Records: Catholic (1-0), MA (1-0)
Last meeting: 2023 - Catholic won, 43-0
Series: MA leads, 37-17-1
Last week: Catholic def. Eufaula, 16-0; MA def. Tallassee, 34-7
Key Notes: MA has not lost a game to a Capital City Conference team since the loss to Catholic in 2023 (7-0)… Ironically, Catholic has won six consecutive games in CCC play, dating back to 2021 with the last loss coming at the hands of MA in the semifinals of the Class 3A playoffs.
The skinny: Let’s turn back the clock for the private schools and say this game is played under previous “rules” where MA would be, say, a 4A team and Catholic a 5A team (or so it would seem). It would be hard to gather that it would have any effect on the outcome of this game but at the same time, both teams would probably not be a favorite to win its respective classification. But under the new auspices of private school classes, it’s interesting that the two programs could challenge in their new class for a state title. It’s much too early to speculate but these two are built well and got off to an impressive start last week. They aren’t in the same class (Catholic Private -AA and MA Private - A) and the Knights probably have the tougher road but either one is talented enough to make a run, and that’s being said in the month of August. As for this game, the Eagles are loaded at the skills position and will pose problems for the Catholic defense. They get it done in one of the better matchups of the weekend.
PREDICTION: MA, 25-21
REELTOWN (2A) at TRINITY (PRIVATE A)
Friday at Ragsdale-Boykin Field
2026 Records: Reeltown (1-0), Trinity (1-0)
Last year: Reeltown, 34-6
Series: Reeltown, 6-3
Last week: Trinity def. Bibb Co, 26-16; Reeltown def. Beauregard, 27-0
Key Notes: Last week’s season-opening win for Reeltown was its first since 2023… Trinity continued its streak of season-opening wins last week, which dates back to 2019.
The skinny: The Reeltown Rebels will be in the hunt for the Class 2A state championship, at least that’s what their history states. Trinity is still trying to figure a few things out. The Wildcats also found their depth to be a little on the thin side and had to hold on in the final minutes to earn the win over Bibb County. Reeltown will offer another perspective usually saved for the bigger schools. They have depth and size and that will be too much for Trinity to overcome.
PREDICTION: Reeltown, 24-20
WETUMPKA (5A) at TALLASSEE (4A)
Friday at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium
2026 Records: Wetumpka (1-0), Tallassee (0-1)
Series: Tallassee leads , 35-33-2
Last meeting: 2021, Wetumpka won, 18-13
Last week: Wetumpka def. Andalusia, 19-0; Montgomery Aca def. Tallassee, 34-7
Key Notes: Wetumpka last started the regular season with a 2-0 record in 2022… Tallassee owns the lead in the series but hasn’t beaten the Indians in the last 10 tries, dating back to 1991…. This is the oldest series in Elmore County dating back to 1921.
The skinny: Did the Indians make a statement last week in Andalusia? That remains to be seen but suddenly, if not prematurely, they look like a region contender this season. Any time a team goes to Andy and pulls off a shutout it should be observed as impressive. The schedule, at least as of now, looks favorable but it’s way too early to be making playoff plans. Tallassee needs a better showing than what it provided last week at Montgomery Academy. While the Tigers didn’t suffer the same fate as they did a year ago (giving up 59 points), there was never any doubt who the better team was. But most would agree Tallassee is a work in progress and will have a difficult test against Wetumpka. The Tigers need to build momentum heading into next week’s regional opener against Holtville. A win would be nice but a competitive game wouldn’t be a horrendous setback. Wetumpka keeps it going.
PREDICTION: WHS, 27-17
KEY GAMES
G.W. Carver (6A) at Daphne (6A) – Despite a boatload of penalties, Carver made quick work of Julian last week. The Wolverines make their first road trip to the Mobile area to face Daphne. It’s that the Trojans won a state title (2010). But will the Wolverines find a little more composure on the road? If they do, they win…. They do. Carver, 35-20
Murphy (6A) at Park Crossing (5A) – Park Crossing broke into the winning column for the first time in three years. Now they must remove all the lingering excitement and be ready for an old traditional program from Mobile. it would be understandable if there was a letdown but L.A. O’Neal won’t let that happen. PCHS, 22-16.
Central Clay-Co (4A) at Elmore Co (4A) - Coach Kyle Caldwell is back on the sideline after a temporary suspension last week (no reason given by the Elmore County Board of Education). The Panthers won without him in fine fashion over Chilton Co. This week is a different animal with the winningest coach in the state, Danny Horn, coming to Eclectic with an angry team that blew a lead late against Fyffe last week. We will know more about the Panthers after Friday… or will we? Central-Clay, 30-24.
Hueytown (5A) at Pike Road (5A) – The Patriots were a field goal away from beating Enterprise last week. Hueytown gave up 60 last week. Pike Road gets on the win column. Pike Road, 45-13.
Marbury (4A) at Chilton Co (5A) - The Bulldogs got off to a nice start last week against Shelby County. They continue the good start with another win. Marbury, 38-13.
Lowndes Aca (AA) at Valiant Cross (AA)– The season opener for both. Lowndes has been a team to beat the last five years. No reason to believe they won’t be again in ‘26. Lowndes Academy, 40-14.
THE REST
Billingsley over Thorsby, 23-12 (Thurs); Holtville over Shelby County, 29-23; Percy Julian over Smiths Station (Thur), 14-13; Alabama Christian over Georgiana, 35-32; Prattville Christian over Montevallo, 31-21; St. James over Jemison, 45-23; Autauga Aca over Southern Prep, 26-14; Edgewood Aca over Crenshaw Christian, 28-12; Macon East over Heritage Christian, 41-16; Evangel Christian over Trinity Christian, 29-16; Hooper Aca over Sparta Aca, 42-12.
OPEN: JAG
RECORD: Last week 10-9; Season 10-9 (.526)