Six prep storylines: Anniston-Piedmont highlights this week's schedule

Sep. 22—Piedmont and Anniston will bridge local high school football fans to a day when "the buck stops here."

Piedmont quarterback Jack Hayes eyes another state record.

A Horn and some Ginns will haunt the sidelines in the same stadium.

Oxford looks to take down a ranked, undefeated team for homecoming.

Fresh off of a 76-point performance, Jacksonville hopes to keep stride against Ohatchee.

Randolph County returns to normal, and Weaver looks to turn a corner against Asbury.

It's all part of this week's prep football storylines. Let's get right to them:

1. Truman to now

Anniston and Piedmont will play Thursday, marking the fifth game between the two schools and first since Harry S. Truman was president.

For those counting, Truman was our 33rd president. We're on No. 46.

Anniston won the two Truman-era games, 41-0 in 1948 and 20-0 in 1947. The Bulldogs won the other two during Calvin Coolidge's presidency, 51-0 in 1925 and 46-0 in 1924.

Both programs are in very different places now, most of all Piedmont. Senior quarterback Jack Hayes climbed atop the Alabama High School Athletic Association lists for touchdown responsibility last week and needs two more touchdown passes to break that record.

Chances are, Piedmont will score for the first time ever against Anniston, if not win.

2. Weaver's week?

Nobody associated with Weaver's program needs reminding that the Bearcats have won one game since 2018. They ended a 21-game losing streak in 2021 then lost eight in a row to finish 1-9.

The hope was for better this season, but Weaver's current losing streak stands at 13.

Something has to give this week, as Weaver (0-5) plays at Asbury (0-5) in a non-region game. If the Bearcats win, it'll mark their first win on the road since they won at Alabama Christian on Nov. 2, 2018.

3. Rushmore game

They call games between traditionally successful programs great helmet games, and Alexandria's non-region game at Clay Central on Friday will be all of that. They have five state championships between them.

How about Rushmore games that involve coaching greats, or great coaching families?

Danny Horn is 47-12 with two state titles in five years at Clay Central. He's 334-95 with eight state titles overall.

Todd Ginn is 38-13 in his fifth season as Alexandria's head coach and could very well be headed to his own Rushmore-worthy career, but he's one of late legendary Valley Cubs head coach Larry Ginn's three sons. All three are part of Alexandria's coaching staff.

Horn on one sideline and Ginns on the other has a nice ring to it.

4. Tough homecoming

Oxford hardly picked a patsy for homecoming. Hartselle comes in undefeated and ranked No. 6 in Class 6A.

The Yellow Jackets are 3-2 and coming off of a 44-20 loss to Pinson Valley in 6A, Region 6 play. They still have a shot to finish top two in the region but would likely have to beat top-ranked Clay-Chalkville and/or benefit from someone upsetting Pinson.

Tiebreakers happen, which is why the Hartselle game could be helpful down the road, should Oxford win.

5. Golden Eagles

Jacksonville (3-2) showed no ill effects from 4A, Region 4 losses to second-ranked Handley and No. 5 Anniston, beating Talladega 76-21 last week.

That game marked the start of a stretch of games where Jacksonville will likely be favored. After opening with Boaz, Alexandria, Handley and Anniston, the Golden Eagles beat Talladega and will face Ohatchee in homecoming this week. After that, it's Cleburne County, Munford then White Plains in region play, with an open date mixed in.

Jacksonville closes the regular season with a highly anticipated showdown at Oxford.

6. Watch those Tigers

Randolph County is quietly off to a 4-0 start headed into this week's non-region game at county rival Wadley.

Why quietly? Preseason expectations weren't there.

The Tigers went 1-9 a year ago, in Class 2A. Their roster dipped down to the 20s, and injuries exacerbated an already thin roster.

Reclassification sent Randolph County back up to 3A this year, and the roster nearly doubled. The Tigers are having a more historically typical year and look to challenge Dadeville, Wellborn and Saks for Region 4 supremacy. Veteran head coach Pat Prestridge is mounting quite a turnaround.

Sports Writer Joe Medley: 256-235-3576. On Twitter: @jmedley_star.