Classic Battle expected in tonight’s AHSAA/APT TV Game of the Week

     MONTGOMERY – High school history buffs have to love this week’s AHSAA TV Network Football Game of the Week.
     Central of Clay County (1-0) travels 37 miles for tonight’s battle at Charles Bailey Sports Complex Savarese-Martin Field in Alexander City tonight for what is expected to be a classic battle between two strong teams.
   The game will be televised statewide over the AHSAA TV Network and its partner Alabama Public Television. The game will also be available over the NFHS Network – with veteran announcers Mickey Shadrix and former college and high school head coach Rick Rhoades. On the sidelines will be Chris Blackshear, who also spends his Saturdays on the sidelines for Troy University broadcasts.
   For history’s sake, digest these facts. The visiting Volunteers (1-0) are coached by Hall-of-Fame coach Danny Horn, who happens to be the AHSAA’s winningest coach of all time. His record is 364-98 with his team’s latest victory coming last week in a 26-3 win over Handley. He holds several coaching wins records including the AHSAA’s longest winning streak of 55 games at Clay County High School from 1994-1997 – before it merged with rival Lineville to form Central of Clay County.
    Benjamin Russell is coached by Kirk Johnson, who happens to have the best winning percentage among current head coaches in the AHSAA that have been a head coach for more than one game. He led Montgomery Catholic to a 55-2 record from 2021-2024 – winning his final 29 games in a row to claim state titles in Class 4A (2023) and Class 5A (2024).
   Johnson moved to Benjamin Russell after last season – the only school Horn has served as head coach outside Clay County. Horn spent nine years as the Wildcats’ head coach from 2009-2018 leading Benjamin Russell to the Class 6A semifinals once – during the period Clay County and Lineville were adjusting into one big, powerful school. Horn won six state championships at Clay County from 1994-2005 and has led the Vols to two state crowns since returning to his roots as the Central head coach. Horn’s defenses yielded only 22 points in 1994, 42 points in 1995, and 42 points in 1996. That’s 106 points in 45 games – an average of just 2.4 ppg.
   Johnson’s rapid success at Catholic is the best start of any head coach in AHSAA history. Even though Benjamin Russell dropped a heart-breaking 25-20 decision to Class 7A Opelika last week , Johnson’s winning percentage is still an eye-popping 94.8%.  His team averaged giving up just 6.5 ppg in his four years at Catholic.
   Tonight’s game has the makings of a classic. Leading the Vols will be senior linebacker/tight end J.T. Wilkerson. The 2024 All-State selection fits the mold as a linebacker reminiscent of the players who help build Horn’s legend – rugged, tenacious, and committed.
    Johnson, meanwhile, counters with two of the top offensive players in the state this season – wide receiver Cedarion Morgan and quarterback Kingston Preyear. Morgan caught seven passes for 177 yards and one TD – a spectacular 87-yard connection – last week. A speedster who ran the 200-meter dash in 21.74 seconds in last spring’s Class 3A state meet and cleared 6-feet, 8-inches in the high jump, is an athlete who causes many matchup problems for defensive coaches.
    Preyear was 12-of-20 passing for 246 yards last week for Benjamin Russell.
    Tonight’s kickoff is set for 7:09 p.m., on the AHSAA TV Network. A new addition to this season’s Thursday Games of the Week will be a pre-game show anchored by sports writing legend Kevin Scarbinsky. The show will be from 5 to 6 p.m., over Alabama Public TV’s channel and its livestreaming links, and will be replayed from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., over WOTM TV and the NFHS Network.
   A total of 27 games are scheduled for tonight in the AHSAA – with Thomasville and Sweet Water being moved up from Friday’s date on Wednesday becoming the latest game added to tonight’s slate.

THURSDAY AHSAA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(Schools listed in class by home team)
AHSAA TV GAME OF THE WEEK
Central-Clay County at Benjamin Russell, Alexander City
OTHER GAMES
Class 7A
Auburn at Vestavia Hills
Monroe Area (GA) at Dothan
Muscle Shoals at Florence
Opelika at Callaway (GA), 6 p.m.
Class 6A
Hokes Bluff at Southside
Paul Bryant at Minor
Class 5A
Abbeville at Headland
Chilton County at Jemison
Pleasant Grove at Carver-Birmingham
Robertsdale at Elberta
Southside-Selma at Selma
Class 4A
Childersburg at Talladega
Dadeville at Handley, Roanoke
Madison County at St. John Paul II Catholic, Huntsville
Class 3A
Cedar Bluff at Collinsville
Loachapoka at Lee-Scott, Auburn
Class 2A
Ashford at Cottonwood
Graceville (FL) at Houston County, Columbia
Millry at Washington County, Chatom
Trinity Presbyterian at Reeltown
Class 1A
Asbury at Gaylesville
Billingsley at Fayetteville
Hackleburg at Lynn
J.F. Shields at Red Level
Thomasville at Sweet Water
Wilcox Central at R.C. Hatch, Uniontown