E.A. Sports Today

ASWA football poll

Donoho pulls down highest ranking ever (No. 4); Cleburne Co. now No. 6 in 4A

By East Alabama Sports Today

Fresh off its region-clinching victory at Ragland, Donoho pulled down its highest state ranking ever when he came in at No. 4 in the Class 1A rankings of the Alabama Sports Writers Association weekly football poll.

The Falcons (8-0) had been sitting at a previously high No. 5 for the past four weeks.

Cleburne County also enjoys its highest ranking of the season — No. 6 in Class 4A — after knocking off previously ranked No. 2 Saks last week to clinch its region title. Saks and Jacksonville pull in right behind the Tigers at 7 and 8, respectively, and play each other Friday at Saks.

“It’s good for the community and I’m sure the players like the recognition it gets them statewide,” Tigers coach Michael Shortt said of the ranking. “The people in your region know how you’re playing and at the end of the day it’s how you end up in your region (that’s important) and if you’re playing well you’ll probably be ranked.”

But it’s taken the Tigers a little while to get that recognition this season.

“I think what got most people bothered is we were ranked last year and we had all those injuries and still end up going to the third round of the playoffs,” Shortt said. “We had a lot of those players coming back and weren’t even in the top 20, including the best of the rest. They’ve grown up in the tradition of Cleburne County being recognized statewide. We kind of used that as motivation … but you’ve got to prove it.”

Piedmont is No. 8 in Class 3A.

Statewide, Clay-Chalkville replaced Spanish Fort at the top of the Class 6A poll, marking the Cougars’ first trip to No. 1 since 2011 and the Toros’ 14-poll streak at No. 1. The longest current streak now belongs to Edgewood Academy, which has been No. 1 in the AISA poll 37 straight polls. Madison Academy has been No. 1 in 21 straight polls.

The other No. 1s are St. Paul’s, Brantley, Fyffe, Hoover and UMS-Wright.

Here is the complete poll:

Class 7A
1. Hoover (24) (6-2) 360
2. Fairhope (7) (8-0) 307
3t. Central-Phenix City (1) (8-1) 236
3t. Gadsden City (8-1) 236
5. Oak Mountain (7-1) 192
6. Baker (7-1) 149
7. Bob Jones (6-2) 109
8. Foley (7-2) 92
9. Prattville (6-2) 83
10. Murphy (6-2) 34
Others receiving votes: James Clemens (6-2) 22, Hewitt-Trussville (5-3) 4.

Class 6A
1. Clay-Chalkville (31) (8-0) 381
2. Opelika (7-1) 281
3. Saraland (7-1) 222
4. Spanish Fort (1) (7-1) 220
5. Shades Valley (7-1) 206
6. Florence (6-2) 158
7. Blount (6-2) 116
8. McAdory (8-0) 114
9. Benjamin Russell (8-1) 62
10. Daphne (5-3) 26
Others receiving votes: Carver-Montgomery (6-2) 22, Homewood (6-2) 5, Muscle Shoals (5-2) 5, Southside-Gadsden (7-2) 4, Decatur (6-2) 2.

Class 5A
1. St. Paul’s (32) (8-0) 384
2. Guntersville (8-0) 282
3. Parker (8-0) 243
4. East Limestone (8-0) 232
5. Demopolis (7-1) 170
6. Jackson (6-2) 168
7. Russellville (7-1) 124
8. Mortimer Jordan (7-1) 86
9. Ramsay (7-1) 74
10. Calera (7-1)47
Others receiving votes: Lincoln (6-2) 6, Greenville (6-2) 4, Vigor (4-3) 3, Charles Henderson (6-2) 1.

Class 4A
1. UMS-Wright (32) (8-0) 384
2. Straughn (7-1) 273
3. Leeds (8-1) 259
4. Deshler (7-1) 171
5. Fayette Co. (6-2) 168
6. Cleburne Co. (7-1) 163
7. Saks (7-1) 136
8. Jacksonville (8-1) 110

9. West Blocton (8-0) 63
10. St. James (7-1) 30
Others receiving votes: Oneonta (6-2) 23, Wilson (7-1) 11, Locust Fork (7-1) 10, North Jackson (6-2) 10, Clarke Co. (6-2) 9, Dadeville (4-4) 3, Munford (6-3) 1.

Class 3A
1. Madison Acad. (31) (7-1) 380
2. Dale Co. (9-0) 286
3. Glencoe (1) (8-0) 259
4. Gordo (8-0) 223
5. T.R. Miller (7-1) 177
6. Montgomery Acad. (8-0) 157
7. Pike Co. (6-1) 114
8. Piedmont (6-2) 100
9. Lauderdale Co. (7-2) 69
10. Opp (6-2) 29
Others receiving votes: Geraldine (7-1) 9, Plainview (7-1) 9, Aliceville (8-1) 7, Oakman (7-1) 5.

Class 2A
1. Fyffe (26) (8-0) 366
2. Washington Co. (6) (8-0) 306
3. G.W. Long (8-0) 252
4. Tanner (7-2) 213
5. Ranburne (7-0) 193
6. Elba (8-0) 146
7. Sweet Water (6-2) 117
8. Reeltown (7-1) 109
9. Pickens Co. (6-2) 72
10. Red Bay (7-1) 38
Others receiving votes: Cleveland (7-1) 7, Addison (5-3) 4, Tarrant (4-4) 1.

Class 1A
1. Brantley (19) (8-0) 344
2. Maplesville (13) (7-0) 326
3. Hubbertville (7-0) 252
4. Donoho (8-0) 227
5. Linden (4-3) 183
6. Berry (6-2) 127
7. Ragland (7-1) 125
8. Hackleburg (7-1) 100
9. McKenzie (7-1) 73
10. Phillips (8-1) 31
Others receiving votes: Billingsley (5-2) 13, Fruitdale (6-2) 8, Isabella (5-1) 6, Millry (6-2) 6, A.L. Johnson (5-3) 2, Spring Garden (5-3) 1.

AISA
1. Edgewood Acad. (32) (8-0) 384
2. Bessemer Acad. (8-0) 288
3. Escambia Acad. (7-0) 250
4. Marengo Acad. (6-1) 212
5. Monroe Acad. (8-1) 197
6. Restoration (6-2) 159
7. S. Choctaw Acad. (7-1) 122
8. Autauga Acad. (6-2) 83
9. Wilcox Acad. (5-2) 63
10. Tuscaloosa Acad. (6-2) 55
Others receiving votes: Lakeside (6-2) 5, Clarke Prep (4-3) 3, Crenshaw Chr. (6-2) 2, Abbeville Chr. (6-3) 1.

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