Openers offer interesting match-ups

Ask any high school football coach to name the most important games on his team’s schedule, and the first words out of his mouth are usually “the opener.”

No matter the opponent, the first game is important.

The opening game sets the tone for the entire season and also means a lot for the morale of a team.

What’s unique about the first week is there are rarely any true favorites. Everybody is 0-0. No team has been tested, and most are running on pure adrenaline.

It’s an exciting time for those of us who get to cover the games, too.

This year’s slate of opening-week games has plenty to offer.

From county rivalries to out-of-classification matchups, the first week is always exciting.

Here are a few scenarios I look forward to seeing play out during opening week:

Austin/Hartselle: It’s a storied tradition going against a budding tradition. The two knocked heads last year at Ogle Stadium, kicking off the season with a three-overtime battle that Hartselle won.

Austin coach David Norwood faces his alma mater. Norwood played for the Tigers under Don Woods in the early 1980s and knows about tradition. He’s looking to build a tradition of his own at Austin.

The two teams have played in the season opener each year since 2002, with Hartselle holding a 3-2 edge in that span. In those five games, none has been decided by more than seven points.

Decatur/Huntsville: Decatur didn’t have a great year last year, but it did beat Huntsville in the opener by one point. Huntsville is touted as having its best team since the 1970s. If the Red Raiders could pull out a win over the Panthers to begin this season, it would make a loud statement.

As a side note: The game will again be at Ogle Stadium, like last season, but Huntsville will be the home team on the scoreboard. The change in venue was made because Huntsville’s Milton Frank Stadium is undergoing field turf upgrades.

Red Raiders season tickets and Decatur City Schools event passes will not be honored because the game is scheduled as an away contest. The annual first home game’s “Red Raider Tailgate Party” will be Sept. 7, before Decatur hosts Hartselle.

East Limestone/Athens: It’s time to see if the Indians can live up to expectations. They could prove it in a big way by meeting the ultimate challenge of upending the defending Class 5A state champions. The Golden Eagles won last year’s contest 44-15. This year, it’s East Limestone that has home-field advantage and the experience to be the favorite.

Speake/Hatton: You don’t have to explain the rivalry to Speake head coach Heath Grimes or first-year Hatton head coach Tyler Berryman. Both know about the importance of Lawrence County bragging rights — they experienced county rivalries as players. Grimes played for Lawrence County and Berryman is a Hatton graduate. This rivalry gets lost in the heated contests of larger schools, but you can bet it means a lot to the communities involved. Speake won 40-20 last year.

Tarrant/Hazlewood: I’m curious to see how what is supposed to be a pretty strong Hazlewood team will match up with traditionally powerful 4A Tarrant. Even a loss wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Golden Bears because a good showing against Tarrant could say a lot for Hazlewood. The Golden Bears will put up a good fight. Don’t expect another lopsided score like Tarrant’s 42-6 win in last year’s opener.

Addison/R.A. Hubbard: This one is always interesting. You have an R.A. Hubbard team that has been a 1A power for decades, and 2A Addison, which claimed the ultimate 1A prize with a state championship in 2005 before moving up in classification. R.A. Hubbard prides itself on athleticism, while Addison is all about finesse and smart football. Last year, Addison won 7-6.

Priceville/Brewer: These two programs put a lot of stock in this game. It is a ready-made rivalry. Priceville players would have attended Brewer a decade ago, before Priceville High reopened. Now teams make T-shirts advertising last year’s winner, and Priceville has bragging rights from last season’s 27-20 victory.

That’s just a taste of what the opening week holds. As always, The Daily promises to do its best to give you complete coverage of your favorite teams and provide you with the happenings of the games you can’t make it to. It’s football time in Alabama. Enjoy the games.

Predicting the preps

Daily Sports Writer Brooke Milam predicts how area teams will fare in this week’s games:

Thursday’s games

Brindlee Mountain 34,
Mount Hope 21

Speake 21, Hatton 14

Falkville 21, Danville 7

Tanner 28, Clements 21

Hartselle 24, Austin 21

Friday’s games

Tarrant 34, Hazlewood 28

Addison 21, R.A. Hubbard 18

West Morgan 14, Munford 10

Ardmore 24, Elkmont 14

West Limestone 21,
Holly Pond 14

Lawrence County 28,
East Lawrence 14

Priceville 21, Brewer 14

Decatur 17, Huntsville 14

Saturday’s game

East Limestone 28, Athens 21