MOBILE, Ala. — The 2026 high school football season opened across Mobile and Baldwin counties with an upset of the reigning two-time Class 4A state champion, a shutout that ended an eight-year streak, and a rivalry decided on the ground along Highway 43.
Here is how the first week unfolded.
Citronelle stuns Jackson
The biggest result of the night belonged to Citronelle, which traveled to Jackson — the Class 4A state champion in each of the past two seasons — and came home with a 22-13 win. Jackson has been the measuring stick for small-school football in southwest Alabama; beating the Aggies on their own field in Week 1 is the kind of result that reshapes expectations for a program’s entire fall.
Williamson 33, Baker 0
Two players who transferred in from Mary G. Montgomery made an immediate impression in their Williamson debuts. Quarterback Thaddeus Wilder completed 11 of 18 passes for 239 yards and threw two touchdowns to Jakenyon Allen as the Lions rolled past Baker.
Wilder closed the scoring with a 30-yard strike to Jacob Massey a minute into the fourth quarter. Williamson also got touchdown runs from Jamarcus Lett (12 yards) and Nathaniel Mitchell (14 yards).
“We had some new faces tonight, including our quarterback, who did a great job in managing the game for us,” Lions coach Antonio Coleman said.
Baker managed only seven first downs and was shut out for the first time since 2018.
Satsuma 44, Chickasaw 20
Jason Phillips picked up his first win as Satsuma’s head coach, and the Gators did it the hard way — 341 yards on the ground in the Battle of Highway 43 at Dotson Field.
Evan Bell needed only seven carries to gain 152 yards and score twice, including a 73-yard run. He also caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Sullivan.
Phillips was less pleased with eight penalties for 68 yards against a Chickasaw team that lost eight players to transfer in the offseason.
“We have some things to clean up,” Phillips said. “These guys are right down the road from each other and they don’t like each other, and that’s part of the game. But at the same time it’s got to end between the whistle, and we have to go back and work on some things.”
Chickasaw quarterback Corrie Gulley was 8 of 15 for 127 yards — and every one of those completions went to Jacob Rembert, who had a 51-yard touchdown catch. Malachi Lett added a 4-yard scoring run and Jonathan Nichols returned a kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown.
Clarke County 29, Washington County 0
In Chatom, Clarke County’s Isaiah Davis scored on runs of 6 and 12 yards, and quarterback Draelyn Pugh added a 37-yard scoring run and a 40-yard touchdown pass for the Bulldogs.
“The first half was a bit sluggish,” Clarke County coach Jason Massey said, pointing to a couple of blown assignments. “We came out in the second half and did a lot better and played a lot harder. Hats off to the defense for a shutout.”
Mobile Christian 36, McIntosh 0
Quarterback Israel Benard threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns as the Leopards handled visiting McIntosh, building a 33-0 halftime lead that prompted both coaches to agree to a 10-minute running clock in the second half.
Benard was 13 of 19 with scoring throws of 44 and 28 yards to Dwight King, 17 yards to Hakeem Winston and 12 yards to Xavier Harris. The Eagles picked up two first downs all night.
“We had a good game,” Mobile Christian coach Charles Lawson said. “My likes were just the guys going in and competing. Our goal was not to take a rep or play off no matter what.”
Programs on the rise
Several results belonged to teams that have been building toward exactly this kind of night.
LeFlore 22, Robertsdale 16. First-year head coach Jonathan Mitchell — a LeFlore graduate — got a come-from-behind win in his debut.
Bayshore Christian 14, Fruitdale 6. In just its third season of existence, Bayshore Christian collected the fourth win in program history.
Snook Christian 23, Collegiate Christian 6. Snook, which played eight-man football last season as a member of the Alabama Independent School Association, opened its transition with a win over the Mississippi visitors.
Baldwin County 40, B.C. Rain 22 and Orange Beach 24, T.R. Miller 14 rounded out the wins for area programs looking to build momentum.
Full area scores
Thursday
Spanish Fort 18, Daphne 15
Friday
Citronelle 22, Jackson 13
Williamson 33, Baker 0
Satsuma 44, Chickasaw 20
Clarke County 29, Washington County 0
Mobile Christian 36, McIntosh 0
LeFlore 22, Robertsdale 16
Bayshore Christian 14, Fruitdale 6
St. Paul’s 58, Alma Bryant 28
Snook Christian 23, Collegiate Christian 6
Cottage Hill Christian 53, Millry 0
Baldwin County 40, B.C. Rain 22
McGill-Toolen 42, Foley 35
Jackson (Miss.) Prep 42, UMS-Wright 35
Gulf Shores 30, Parklane Academy 21
Orange Beach 24, T.R. Miller 14
Escambia County 60, Elberta 0
Saturday
Battle Ground Academy 41, St. Michael 18
Vigor vs. Blount, Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Looking ahead
The Saturday slate carried the weekend’s two marquee events. St. Michael hosted Battle Ground Academy of Franklin, Tennessee, at 12:30 p.m. in a nationally televised ESPN2 game, and the “Battle of Prichard” between Vigor and Blount kicked off at 7 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.