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Football season is finally here, and week zero will kick off the season for local teams.

There are five games this weekend, with Chambers Academy facing Lee-Scott on Thursday. Springwood won’t play until next weekend.

 

Chambers Academy vs. Lee-Scott (Game of the week)

Chambers Academy will open its season with a rivalry game against the Lee-Scott Warriors. The Rebels beat Lee-Scott 41-3 last year at home. Chambers is 12-14 all-time against the Warriors, but the Rebels have won four straight games in the series. In those four games, Chambers Academy outscored Lee-Scott 166-17. 

Chambers finished last season at 10-2, and the Rebels were eliminated in the semifinals of the AISA 2A playoffs. They’re also looking to return to the state championship after missing it for the first time in seven years last year. Lee-Scott finished 8-3 and was eliminated in the semifinals of the AISA 3A playoffs last year. 

Chambers Academy head coach Jason Allen will be entering his 17th year as head coach. Allen will also be looking for his 150th win at Chambers this year. 

Lee-Scott head coach Buster Daniel will enter his third season as head coach of the Warriors.

The two teams will play on Thursday at Chambers Academy at 8 p.m. EST.

 

Valley at Handley

The Valley Rams will open their season on the road Friday against the Handley Tigers. The Rams are 29-8 all-time against Handley, but they’re 3-3 against them since 2000. This will be the first time these two teams face each other since 2005.

Valley finished last season 5-5, and they missed the playoffs. The Rams only scored 84 total points last year, which was their lowest total since 1976. However, they’ve moved down to 5A from 6A. Handley finished 9-3 last season, and they reached the quarterfinals of the AHSAA 4A playoffs. They also won their second straight region title.

Valley head coach Adam Hunter will be entering his third season as head coach of the Rams. Handley head coach Larry Strain will be entering his eighth season as head coach of the Tigers.

The Rams and Tigers will play at Handley on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. 

 

Beulah vs. Abbeville

The Beulah Bobcats will start their season Friday with a home matchup against the Abbeville Yellow Jackets. These two teams will be facing each other for the first time ever.

Beulah finished last season with a 2-8 record and failed to make the playoffs. This will also be the Bobcats’ 50th season as a football program. Abbeville is coming off of a 2-7 season where it also failed to make the playoffs.

Beulah head coach Matt Johnson will be entering his fourth season as head coach and will be searching for his first winning season. Abbeville head coach LaBrian Stewart will be entering his third season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

The Bobcats and Yellow Jackets will play at Beulah on Friday at 8 p.m. EST.

 

Lafayette vs. Loachapoka

The LaFayette Bulldogs will open their season Saturday against the Loachapoka Indians at Morgan-Washburn Stadium in Lanett. LaFayette is 12-8 all-time against Loachapoka and has won six out of the last seven. This will be the first time in five years these two teams will play, and LaFayette won 26-6 in 2017.

LaFayette finished 7-4 last year and was eliminated in the first round of the AHSAA 2A playoffs. Loachapoka finished last season 6-4 and was eliminated in the first round of the AHSAA 1A playoffs.

LaFayette head coach Juan Williams will be entering his third season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, and he’ll look for his second straight winning season. Loachapoka head coach Frederick Newton will be entering his third season as the head coach of the Indians and will also be looking for his second straight winning season.

The Bulldogs and Indians will play in Lanett at 5 p.m. EST on Saturday. This will be the first game in the first annual kickoff classic.

 

Lanett vs. Notasulga

The Lanett Panthers will open their season Saturday at home against the Notasulga Blue Devils as part of the first annual kickoff classic. The Panthers are 11-0 all-time against the Blue Devils. The two teams last played in 2019 when Lanett won 28-13.

Lanett ended last season with a 10-3 record, which was their sixth straight season with 10 or more wins. The Panthers were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the AHSAA 2A playoffs last season. They also have a 33 game region win streak, which is the longest in the state of Alabama. Notasulga is coming off of a 10-2 season where it lost in the second round of the AHSAA 1A playoffs.

Lanett head coach Clifford Story Jr. is entering his 14th season as head coach of the Panthers and is one win away from being the winningest head coach in school history. Notasulga head coach Anthony Jones will be entering his eighth season as head coach of the Blue Devils, and he’s looking for his 50th win on Saturday.

Lanett will play Notasulga at Morgan-Washburn Stadium at 7:15 p.m. EST on Saturday.