by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America
For the seventh straight season, the Alabama high school football season will kick-off with the Champions Challenge.
This year's three-game event will be played August 24th and 25th at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery and will feature six top teams, including one team that will be playing its first-ever game, but is no stranger to the upper echelon of Alabama high school football.
Central of Clay County, which was created by a merger of
Lineville and
Clay County, will be playing its first varsity game against
Beauregard on August 25th. Last year Lineville finished 10-4 and advanced to the Class 2A semifinals. Clay County was 12-2 in 2011 with both losses coming to 3A state champ
Handley, once in the regular season and then in the state semis.
The Champions Challenge will kickoff on August 24th with 2010 Class 5A champ
Spanish Fort squaring-off with
Muscle Shoals, which advanced to the third round of the 5A playoffs. Spanish Fort was 9-4 last year, while Muscle Shoals was 11-2.
The third game of the weekend will pit
McGill-Toolen against
Northridge. McGill-Toolen was 11-2 last year, while Northridge had its best season ever with a 11-2 mark.
The Champions Challenge games do not count against a school's win-loss record.