The best 5A – 7A matchups for each week of the 2024 season
WEEK 0: AUSTIN AT HARTSELLE
AUG. 23
Hartselle will open the 2024 season with a visit from Austin. Austin comes into the game with possibly the best offensive team in North Alabama, while the Tigers will rely on a strong defense. The Black Bears won last season 2817. Hartselle leads the all-time series 32-24-1.
WEEK 1: PRICEVILLE AT BREWER
SEPT. 1
Priceville makes the 15-minute trip down Highway 67 to renew their rivalry with Brewer. This will mark the first matchup where the teams are in the same classification. The Bulldogs are coming off a trip to the second round of the 4A state playoffs, while Brewer missed out on the playoffs. The Patriots lead the all-time series 7-5
WEEK 2: SPARKMAN AT AUSTIN
SEPT. 6
The Senators and Black Bears get region play started when Sparkman comes to Decatur for a visit. The last two matchups have been decided by six total points with Austin winning 24-21 in 2022, while Sparkman won 21-18 last season.
The Black Bears lead the all-time series 12-10.
WEEK 3: ARAB AT BREWER
SEPT. 13
Brewer and Arab meet for the 15th consecutive season when the Knights come to Tucker Stadium for a region matchup. Arab advanced to the playoffs after finishing in a three-way tie for first in region play last season. Arab has won the last four meetings in the series and lead 29-13 overall.
WEEK 4: HARTSELLE AT DECATUR
SEPT. 20
Hartselle returns to Decatur for the second consecutive season and will face another new face on the Red Raiders sideline as John Ritter takes the reins. The Tigers won a hard fought 20-19 game last season and have won six in a row in the series but trails Decatur 5931 in the overall series.
WEEK 5: CULLMAN AT BREWER
SEPT. 27
Cullman visits Tucker Stadium for a non-region matchup and continues a series dating back to 1976. The Bearcats are coming off a playoff appearance where they lost to the eventual state champions. Cullman leads the series 25-1, with the lone Patriots’ win coming 30 years ago.
WEEK 6: HARTSELLE AT CULLMAN
OCT. 4
Hartselle travels to Cullman looking to build off last year’s 42-0 win over the Bearcats, the largest win in the series since 1937. Hartselle has won 12 of the last 15 games in the series and leads the all-time series 51-47-4.
WEEK 7: PRICEVILLE AT FAIRVIEW
OCT. 11
Priceville and Fairview meet as regional opponents for the first time since 2019, this time in Class 5A Region 8. The Aggies defeated Priceville 35-0 last season, ending a two-game winning streak in the series for the Bulldogs. Fairview leads the all-time series 6-2.
WEEK 8: AUSTIN AT JAMES CLEMENS
OCT. 18
This week eight matchup should have playoff implications for both teams. Last season, Austin won 28-7 but it was the Jets who won the region after two early season losses for Austin. The Black Bears lead the all-time series 6-4.
WEEK 9: HARTSELLE AT MUSCLE SHOALS
OCT. 25:
The two teams have combined for arguably two of the best games in North Alabama the last two seasons. It took double overtime for the Trojans to get a 55-49 win over Hartselle last season. This matchup has had significant playoff implications for both teams for the last few seasons. The Tigers lead the all-time series 17-12-1.
WEEK 10: MUSCLE SHOALS AT AUSTIN
OCT. 31
Austin closes out the 2024 season with a visit from perennial playoff contender Muscle Shoals. This matchup will provide both teams a difficult opponent as they look to the 2024 state playoffs. This will be the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams with the Black Bears leading the series 6-4.
