FAIRFI ELD – Briarwood Christian beat Fairfield 23-6 Friday night in a key Class 5A, Region 5 win that improved the Lions to 3-0 on the season. That’s how head football coach Fred Yancey looked at the important victory.
    But to the rest of the state, it was a monumental tribute to a legendary coach. The victory was No. 300 in Yancey’s head-coaching career and the 259^th at Briarwood – a school and Shelby County coaching record.
    Yancey, now 300-111-1 overall in a career that has spanned 34 years, made no mention to his players and coaches about the milestone win prior to the game. He was humble in a post-game interview as well.
    “It is always great to get any (win),” Yancey told reporter Chris Megginson of Starnes Publications, “but this one is pretty special.”
    Quarterback Michael Hiers completed touchdown passes of 30 and 6 yards to Carson Eddy in the first half and ran for a another TD following a blocked Fairfield punt late in the second quarter to give Briarwood a 20-6 lead at intermission. Noah Nall closed the scoring with a 28-yard field goal in the second half. The Lions defense did the rest – coming up with nine sacks in the win.
    Fairfield quarterback Malachi Holt-Bennett tossed a 19-yard TD pass to Michael Monroe to tie the game at 6-6 in the first half.
        “I have been fortunate to have great coaches to work with and to also have great kids to coach,” said Yancey.
 Yancey, who has compiled a 259-91 record at Briarwood since 1990, is just the sixth football coach in AHSAA history to record his 300^th win in the AHSAA. Vestavia Hills’ Buddy Anderson recorded his 327^th win last Thursday in a 32-12 win over Huffman and stands as the AHSAA’s all-time leader at 327-142. He is in his 40^th season as the Rebels’ head coach. Anderson and Yancey, great friends, have met annually for the last two decades in a pre-season jamboree contest to kick off the prep season.
    Jimmie Moore, who had 317 wins in his prep career, posted 226 wins in Mississippi, and ended his career at Colbert County going 91-30 over 11 seasons.  Waldon Tucker of Fayette County finished his career at Fayette County with a 309-126-3 slate. He had 25 wins at non-member schools in Alabama at the beginning of his coaching career.  Jamie Riggs retired after 2015 at T.R. Miller with a 305-81 slate, all but two seasons at the Brewton school, and National High School Sports Hall of Fame Coach Glenn Daniel of Luverne was 302-169-16 from 1947-92 –coaching 46 years with the last 38 seasons at Luverne.
    Yancey, who ranks third in AHSAA history with most wins at one school, has guided the Lions to 24 straight playoff appearances and a 54-22 playoff record. Briarwood won the Class 3A state crown in 1998 and 1999 and the 5A title in 2003. Yancey’s team was 5A runner-up in 2007 and 2010. Anderson’s 327 wins at Vestavia Hills are the most at one school, and Riggs finished with 293 wins at T.R. Miller to rank second. Daniel had 251 wins at Luverne to rank fourth all-time.
    B.B. Comer head coach Mike Battles, Sr. (285-186-2); Benjamin Russell’s Danny Horn (283-79-0); Albertville’s Dale Pruitt (291-129-0); and UMS-Wright’s Terry Curtis (279-84-0) are active AHSAA coaches nearing the 300-win milestone.