(Coaches Adrian Abrams – Minor HS, Jim Bob Striplin – Geneva County, and Coach Richie Busby – Helena HS

2021 North/South Football Staffs also Announced

All-Star Football Staff Completed for 35^th Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama All-Star football coaching staff for next December’s 35^th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic football game and the staffs for the North-South All-Star Classic set for Mobile next December have been completed, announced Brandon Dean, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association (AHSADCA).
     The Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will be played at Hattiesburg (MS) on Saturday, Dec. 11 with kickoff at noon. The North-South All-Star game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 17 at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium at 7 p.m. Both games will be televised live by the AHSAA TV Network and livestreamed over the NFHS Network with WOTM TV with Vince Earley serving as executive producer for both events.
    Minor High School head football coach Adrian Abrams will be the Alabama head coach for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Geneva County High School’s Jim Bob Striplin and Helena High School’s Richie Busby will serve as head coaches for the South and North squads, respectively, at the 63rd annual North-South All-Star Classic.
     “We are pleased to have Coach Abrams, Coach Busby, and Coach Striplin leading these respective teams,” said Dean. “All three have the demonstrated the ability to lead and to motivate with enthusiasm. We believe they will exhibit those same attributes as they lead our All-Stars.”
    Dean said these annual all-star events demonstrate just how outstanding Alabama’s high school football programs are across the state.
      Abrams is beginning his fourth season as head football coach at Minor High School. His overall record is 16-16, but more importantly, 11-7 in region play. A former UAB standout linebacker, he served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Hoover High School prior to becoming the Tigers’ head coach.
     He coached in the Alabama-Mississippi Classic in 2019 serving as defensive coordinator for head coach Shawn Raney of Spain Park. Alabama lost 17-16 in overtime in that game at Hattiesburg. Alabama won last year’s game played at Cramton Bowl 19-7 and now owns a 23-11 edge in the series first played in 1988.
     Named to his Alabama All-Star staff are Oxford head coach Sam Adams (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks); Pinson Valley head coach Sam Shade (defensive coordinator / defensive backs); McAdory head coach Aryvia Holmes (wide receivers); Gardendale head coach Chad Eads (offensive line); Linden head coach Travis Lockett (running backs); Mars Hill Bible head coach Darrell Higgins (outside linebackers); Handley head coach Larry Strain (inside linebackers); and Minor assistant coach Chris Metcalf, the Alabama scout coach.
    Lockett guided Linden to the Class 1A state title in 2020, Higgins led Mars Hill to the 2A state crown, Strain coached Handley to the 4A state title, and Shade, who played in the 1991 Alabama-Mississippi Classic, coached Pinson Valley to the 6A state championship in his first year as head coach. Holmes worked on Abrams’ staff at Minor and Eads served with Abrams on the Hoover staff. Adams is in his first year at Oxford. He spent the previous seven seasons as head coach at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa where he compiled a 54-29 record.
      The South All-Star coaching staff for is headlined by Geneva County’s Striplin, who has compiled a 59-59 career head-coaching record over 11 seasons with his first six years at New Brockton and the last five as his alma mater. The former Auburn University quarterback is 28-26 at Hartford with last year’s team finishing 8-4. Seven of his 11 teams have reached the state playoffs. This will be his first opportunity to serve as all-star head coach.
     Named to his South staff: Jason Massey, Leroy High School; Brent Hubbert, T.R. Miller High School; Marcus Gardner, Carver-Montgomery High School; Brad Abbott, Maplesville High School; Jason Franklin, Holtville High School; and Juan Williams, LaFayette High School.
    Busby is serving as head coach for the North for the first time. He is beginning his fourth season as the Huskies’ head coach. He is 20-13 at Helena since taking over that program in 2018. He compiled a 40-17 record in five seasons as head coach at Fultondale High School and is 60-30 overall with seven playoff appearances in eight seasons.
    His North stuff includes: Phil Phillips, Oneonta High School; Kelvis White, Bob Jones High School; Wade Waldrop, Florence High School; John Ritter, Russellville High School; Scott Martin, Ohatchee High School; and Bruce Breland, Victory Christian High School.
      The South won last December 28-20 at Mobile and now holds a 32-29-2 edge in the series.
      The North-South All-Star Game is the AHSAA’s longest running all-star contest. The first game was played in 1948 at Tuscaloosa. The game was played annually at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium through 1984. Also in 1984, a small-school North-South Game was also played at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game was discontinued from 1985 until 1997. It was revived as the showcase event for the revamped AHSAA Summer Conference and All-Star Sports Week and played at Cramton Bowl from 1997-2004. The North-South Game was moved to December and played at Cramton Bowl in 2004 and 2005.
    The AHSAA then moved the Summer Conference and All-Star Sports Week to Huntsville while the Montgomery Civic Center Complex was being renovated into its current Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. The North-South game returned to the summer and was played on the campus of Alabama A&M University from 2007-2010.
      When the Summer Conference moved back to Montgomery, the game returned to Cramton Bowl where it was played from 2011-2020. Last year, the game was moved back to December and played at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile – the same site for 2021 game set for December.
   

ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY

Year-by-Year
2020	Alabama	19	Mississippi	7
2019	Mississippi	17	Alabama	16	Hattiesburg
2018	Mississippi	24	Alabama	20
2017	Mississippi	42	Alabama	7	Hattiesburg
2016	Alabama	25	Mississippi	14
2015	Mississippi	28	Alabama	21	Hattiesburg
2014	Alabama	36	Mississippi	30
2013	Alabama	21	Mississippi	17
2012	Alabama	21	Mississippi	16
2011	Alabama	31	Mississippi	12
2010	Alabama	24	Mississippi	17	(2 OT)
2009	Alabama	21	Mississippi	13
2008	Alabama	28	Mississippi	3
2007	Mississippi	26	Alabama	7	December
2007	Alabama	51	Mississippi	14	June
2006	Alabama	24	Mississippi	3
2005	Mississippi	21	Alabama	18
2004	Alabama	24	Mississippi	22
2003	Alabama	24	Mississippi	16
2002	Alabama	29	Mississippi	17
2001	Alabama	33	Mississippi	14
2000	Alabama	16	Mississippi	9
1999	Alabama	28	Mississippi	24
1998	Mississippi	9	Alabama	0
1997	Alabama	10	Mississippi	6
1996	Alabama	17	Mississippi	14
1995	Mississippi	37	Alabama	9
1994	Mississippi	24	Alabama	10
1993	Mississippi	17	Alabama	6
1992	Mississippi	17	Alabama	14
1991	Alabama	15	Mississippi	13
1990	Alabama	21	Mississippi	14	(OT)
1989	Alabama	24	Mississippi	21	(4 OT)
1988	Alabama	24	Mississippi	21	(3 OT)

SERIES HISTORY: Alabama holds a 23-11 lead.

NORTH-SOUTH FOOTBALL ALL-STAR
CLASSIC YEAR-BY-YEAR (1948-2020)
(Overall Series: South leads 32-29-2)

At Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile
2020—December game South 28, North 20

At Cramton Bowl, Montgomery
2020—Summer game canceled due to COVID 19
2019—South 22, North 19
2018—North 27, South 14
2017—North 14, South 13
2016—North 14, South 0 (shortened by weather)

2015—North 14, South 13
2014—South 20, North 12

2013—South 22, North 21

2012—North 34, South 12
2011—South 37, North 33

Alabama A&M, Huntsville

2010—North 14, South 7

2009—North 14, South 7

2008—South 12, North 0

2007—South 10, North 0

At Troy University

2005—(December) – South 16, North 7

2004— (December) – North 7, South 3

At All-Star Sports Week

Cramton Bowl, Montgomery

2004—North 17, South 7

2003—South 17, North 10

2002—South 34, North 0

2001—North 6, South 3

2000—North 17, South 0

1999—South 10, North 7

1998—South 21, North 0

1997—South 14, North 0

At Auburn

Jordan-Hare Stadium

1984—North 21, South 20 (1A-2A)

At Tuscaloosa

Bryant-Denny Stadium

1984—South 7, North 6 (3A-4A)

1983—South 34, North 7

1982—North 3, South 0

1981—North 14, South 6

1980—South 20, North 7

1979—South 3, North 0

1978—South 21, North 14

1977—South 17, North 7

1976—South 14, North 6

1975—North 7, South 6

1973—North 22, South 15

1972—South 14, North 13

1971—North 9, South 7

1970—South 13, North 9

1969—South 16, North 0

1968—South 27, North 7

1967—South 14, North 10

1966—North 13, South 7

1965—North 13, South 6

1964—South 34, North 7

1963—North 20, South 6

1962—South 20, North 14

1961—South 13, North 0

1960—North 7, South 0

1959—North 10, South 7

1958—South 20, North 6

1957—North 12, South 7

1956—South 0, North 0 (tie)

1955—North 26, South 7

1954—North 7, South 6

1953—South 26, North 0

1952—North 7, South 7 (tie)

1951—South 31, North 0

1950—South 12, North 7

1949—North 7, South 6

1948—North 33, South 0