MONTGOMERY – Four storied high schools, Class 7A Prattville, Class 6A, Pike Road, Class 3A Fyffe and Class 1A Maplesville will kick off the AHSAA 2025 football season competing in the 20th annual Kickoff Classic at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl – which will be aired over the AHSAA TV Network with Alabama Public Television set to carry the games for the first time.
The Kickoff Classic kicks off the AHSAA’s weekly Games of the Week, which are being produced by WOTM TV’s outstanding crew led by executive producer Vince Earley. This year’s Games of the Week schedule will include 12 regular season games and four playoff games leading up to the Super 7 State Championships. It begins with Prattville vs. Pike Road on Thursday, August 21 at Cramton Bowl at 7 p.m. Fyffe and Maplesville will meet on Friday, August 22 in the final game of the Kickoff Class, also kicking off at 7 p.m., at Cramton Bowl. The season will conclude with Alabama Public Television broadcasting all seven Super 7 State Football Championship games and both girls’ Flag Football Championship games at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium, December 3-4-5.
“We will be kicking off our 2025-26 school year with these two exciting games,” said AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon. “We are also kicking off our school year by placing major emphasis on displaying outstanding sportsmanship. The AHSAA’s mission is to serve our member schools through interscholastic competition by enhancing student learning, sportsmanship, safety, and lifelong values with integrity always as its foundation. The Kickoff Classic on statewide TV is an excellent way for us to get that message out to our school communities.”
The four schools playing in the Kickoff Classic have combined to win 17 state championships with Fyffe leading the way with seven since 2014. The DeKalb County Class 3A power led the state in wins (128-9) in the 2010-2019 decade and Maplesville, located in Chilton County, was the winningest school in Class 1A during that period going 121-12 – ranking second overall behind Fyffe. Class 7A Prattville (124-12) had the best winning percentage in the AHSAA from 2000-2009 with a 91.2% winning rate. Pike Road, which became a new high school in 2018, currently ranks10th overall with a 53-13 record in this decade (2020-2024).
Pike Road, Fyffe and Maplesville are making their second appearance in the Kickoff Classic, which was first played in 2006. Prattville is making its seventh appearance – the most of any school. The Lions are 3-3 in the Classic with one game rained out (2008).
The Kickoff Classic is managed each year by the AHSAA’s Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADC) led by Director James T. Lawrence.
Prattville (5-5) and Pike Road (10-4) will kick off this year’s Classic on Thursday night, August 21, at Cramton Bowl at 7 p.m. Fyffe (9-3) and Maplesville (12-3) will meet at Cramton Bowl on Friday night, August 22, also at 7 p.m.
The Kickoff Classic also kicks off the AHSAA’s weekly Games of the Week, which are being produced by WOTM TV’s production team led by executive producer Vince Earley. This year’s Game-of-the-Week schedule will include 12 regular season games and four weekly playoff games beginning with Prattville vs. Pike Road on August 21 and Fyffe vs. Maplesville on August 22 and culminating with the Super 7 State Championships Dec. 2-3-4 at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium 14 weeks later.
Alabama Public Television, the AHSAA’s broadcast partner for the Super 7 State Football Championships, will be broadcasting the Kickoff Classic, all the regular-season and playoff games of the week for the first time, and for the third year in a row, the Super 7 State Championships. This will provide live TV coverage for every home in the state for these
games. The games will also be aired over the NFHS Network.
“We’re excited to showcase four outstanding programs—Pike Road, Prattville, Maplesville, and Fyffe—in this year’s AHSAA Kickoff Classic,” Lawrence said, “This event marks the official start of high school football each year in Alabama, and there’s nothing quite like the energy and excitement that comes with it. This year’s statewide coverage on the AHSAA TV Network and Alabama Public Television will continue to highlight the talent, tradition, and deep community pride that make Friday nights so special across our state. We’re also extremely grateful to the City of Montgomery and the staff at Cramton Bowl for their continued support and hospitality in hosting this event.”
The four schools playing in the Kickoff Classic have combined to win 17 state championships with Fyffe leading the way with seven since 2014. The DeKalb County Class 3A power led the state in wins (128-9) in the 2010-2019 decade and Maplesville, located in Chilton County, was the winningest school in Class 1A during that same time span going 121-12 – ranking second overall behind Fyffe. Class 7A Prattville (124-12) had the best winning percentage in the AHSAA from 2000-2009 with a 91.2% winning rate. Pike Road, which became a new high school in 2018, currently ranks 10th overall with a 53-13 record in this decade (2020-2024).
“Both games feature four programs that represent great communities that bring a wealth of tradition and success on the football field,” said AHSAA Director of Football Caleb Ross. “We look forward to it being a great event to kick off the 2025 high school football season.”
The Kickoff Classic, which was first played in 2006, is now in its 20th season.
All four teams come in with highly successful coaches. Fyffe’s Paul Benefield owns a 360-59-0 career record with seven state championships. He ranks second in most wins among active coaches in the AHSAA behind Central of Clay County’s Danny Horn (363-98-0) and third overall behind Horn and Terry Curtis (361-105-0), who retired as head coach at UMS-Wright after last season. Benefield’s teams had a stretch of 64 straight regular-season wins from 2015-2021 and 51 straight wins overall. His winning percentage (85.9%) is the best of any coach in the AHSAA with more than 200 wins. Maplesville head coach Brad Abbott owns a 57-25 record over five seasons as head coach. Last year’s team finished 12-3 – falling in the Class 1A state finals to Wadley.
Pike Road’s Granger Shook, who owns a 49-16 record overall, is in his third year as Pike Road head coach. The Patriots (10-4) reached the 6A semifinals last season for the second straight year under Shook’s direction. He is beginning his third season at Pike Road this year. The Patriots are beginning their ninth year of football – after giving up the sport in 1933. Pike Road is just two wins away from the school’s 100th overall win.
Bobby Carr, who coached Carver-Montgomery to a 41-19 win over Vestavia Hills in the 2024 Kickoff Classic, is in his first season at Prattville High School. The Lions (5-5) are just two wins away from claiming the school’s 600th all-time football win.
The four schools in this year’s Kickoff Classic have combined for 1,932 wins with Maplesville (634-349-19) leading the way, followed by Fyffe (603-212-13), Prattville (598-421-17) and Pike Road (98-49-12).
All four teams are returning some outstanding players. Among them are returning All-State players: Maplesville tight end/linebacker Aidan Abbott, defensive lineman Von Woods, and athlete Pearce Yeargan; Fyffe running back Ryder Gipson; Pike Road linebacker Brayden Outlaw, running back Jamichael Jones and athlete Jordan Holmes; and Prattville defensive standouts Elijah Brown, Ricardo Parker, and Trey Rawlinson.
AHSAA Kickoff Classic History (2006-2025)
2025
Prattville vs. Pike Road, Thursday, Aug. 21, 7 p.m., Cramton Bowl
Fyffe vs. Maplesville, Friday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m., Cramton Bowl
2024
T.R. Miller 28, Reeltown 7
Carver-Montgomery 41, Vestavia Hills 19
2023
Thompson 44, Opelika 13
Beauregard 29, Selma 6
2022
Helena 28, Chelsea 6
Auburn 17, Hoover 14
2021
Handley 55, Guntersville 21
Dothan 42, Bob Jones 32
2020
Pike Road 63, Montgomery Catholic 34
Prattville 40, Wetumpka 10
2019
Hoover 17, Central-Phenix City 14
Carver-Montgomery 18, Jeff Davis 13
2018
Clarke County 20, Sweet Water 14
Thompson 38, James Clemens 7
2017
Hewitt-Trussville 49, Pell City 10
Maplesville 20, Fyffe 7
2016
Andalusia 34, Brooks 13
Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 42, Demopolis 7
Hoover 23, Central-Phenix City 7
2015
Bob Jones 37, Carver-Montgomery 30
Gordo 28, Glencoe 21
Madison Academy 19, Leeds 14
2014
Spanish Fort 42, Stanhope Elmore 14
Opelika 20, Carver-Montgomery 16
Dadeville 14, Piedmont 8
2013
Benjamin Russell 28, Walker 14
Straughn 35, Walter Wellborn 26
Bob Jones 23, Enterprise 20
2012
Spanish Fort 33, Muscle Shoals 22
Central of Clay County 25, Beauregard 13
McGill-Toolen 27, Northridge 0
2011
Hueytown 36, Thomasville 27
Hamilton 38, Sweet Water 35
Daphne 24, Clay-Chalkville 21
2010
Opelika 34, Greenville 6
Auburn 30, Spain Park 3
Jackson 30, Trinity Presbyterian 8
2009
Prattville 37, Carver-Montgomery 0
T.R. Miller 27, Leeds 7
Hoover 32, Oxford 27
2008
Prattville vs. Oxford, canceled due to inclement weather
2007
Prattville 36, North Gwinnett, Ga. 3
2006
Hoover 38, UMS-Wright 0
Clay-County 41, Addison 6
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