Aug. 31 is most common start date for past football seasons
Charles from Monroeville e-mailed me a very interesting sports question this week: Hey Lee, I heard last week that the high school football season in Alabama this year will begin on Aug. 31. Is it just me or does the season seem to start earlier and earlier each year? If I remember right, years ago the football season didn’t get going until after Labor Day. Do you have any information about this?
Good question, Charles, and thanks for taking the time to write. You’re dead on target about the start of the 2006 football season. According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association, high school football practice will begin statewide on Monday, Aug. 7 (just 60 days from now), and the first regular season games statewide will be held on Thursday, Aug. 31 (84 days from today).
Based on a review of the regular season schedules for the six high schools in Monroe County over the past 40 seasons, an Aug. 31 opening date is not that uncommon. In fact, it’s the most common opening date during that time. The other three most common opening dates have also been in August – Aug. 26, 28 and 27.
During the past 40 years, going back to the 1966 season, no school has ever played a game prior to Aug. 24 and that’s only happened three times. Frisco City’s played on Aug. 24 twice (1989 and 1978), and Monroe Academy did it once (2001). Excel, J.F. Shields, J.U. Blacksher and Monroe County High School have never played a regular season game prior to Aug. 25.
The latest that a regular season has ever kicked off locally was in 1971, when MA began its season on Sept. 10, a week after the county’s public schools began play.
A review of each school’s schedule also revealed some interesting information about season-ending games during the past 40 years.
No regular season in Monroe County has ever ended before Oct. 24, and no local school has ever played a regular season game after Nov. 18. Only one game has ever been played as late as Nov. 18, and that happened in 1970 when Blacksher beat Flomaton, 33-14, in Flomaton.
Excel and MCHS have never played a regular season game after Nov. 15. Frisco City has never had a regular season game after Nov. 17. Shields has never played a regular season finale beyond Nov. 11. MA has never had a regular season game after Nov. 12. Oct. 30 and Nov. 5 are tied as the most common dates for regular season finales.
When you take the playoff performances of our local teams into consideration, we learn even more about how long some of our local seasons have lasted over the years.
No team in the history of our county has ever played a football game after Dec. 4 and only three times in the county’s history have local teams played in games during December. MA won its first state title by beating Lowndes Academy, 6-0, on Dec. 4, 1970. MA claimed its second state title in a 16-6 win over Southern Academy on Dec. 3, 1971. Excel became the only other school to make it into the month of December, when they traveled to Courtland for the Class 1A state championship on Dec. 1, 1989.
Frisco City has never played a football game beyond Nov. 27. Shields has never played a game beyond Nov. 17. Blacksher has never played a game past Nov. 26. MCHS has never played a game past Nov. 21.
Good question, Charles, and thanks for taking the time to write. You’re dead on target about the start of the 2006 football season. According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association, high school football practice will begin statewide on Monday, Aug. 7 (just 60 days from now), and the first regular season games statewide will be held on Thursday, Aug. 31 (84 days from today).
Based on a review of the regular season schedules for the six high schools in Monroe County over the past 40 seasons, an Aug. 31 opening date is not that uncommon. In fact, it’s the most common opening date during that time. The other three most common opening dates have also been in August – Aug. 26, 28 and 27.
During the past 40 years, going back to the 1966 season, no school has ever played a game prior to Aug. 24 and that’s only happened three times. Frisco City’s played on Aug. 24 twice (1989 and 1978), and Monroe Academy did it once (2001). Excel, J.F. Shields, J.U. Blacksher and Monroe County High School have never played a regular season game prior to Aug. 25.
The latest that a regular season has ever kicked off locally was in 1971, when MA began its season on Sept. 10, a week after the county’s public schools began play.
A review of each school’s schedule also revealed some interesting information about season-ending games during the past 40 years.
No regular season in Monroe County has ever ended before Oct. 24, and no local school has ever played a regular season game after Nov. 18. Only one game has ever been played as late as Nov. 18, and that happened in 1970 when Blacksher beat Flomaton, 33-14, in Flomaton.
Excel and MCHS have never played a regular season game after Nov. 15. Frisco City has never had a regular season game after Nov. 17. Shields has never played a regular season finale beyond Nov. 11. MA has never had a regular season game after Nov. 12. Oct. 30 and Nov. 5 are tied as the most common dates for regular season finales.
When you take the playoff performances of our local teams into consideration, we learn even more about how long some of our local seasons have lasted over the years.
No team in the history of our county has ever played a football game after Dec. 4 and only three times in the county’s history have local teams played in games during December. MA won its first state title by beating Lowndes Academy, 6-0, on Dec. 4, 1970. MA claimed its second state title in a 16-6 win over Southern Academy on Dec. 3, 1971. Excel became the only other school to make it into the month of December, when they traveled to Courtland for the Class 1A state championship on Dec. 1, 1989.
Frisco City has never played a football game beyond Nov. 27. Shields has never played a game beyond Nov. 17. Blacksher has never played a game past Nov. 26. MCHS has never played a game past Nov. 21.
posted by Lee Peacock at 4:38 PM
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