Williamson, now 3-0, is the top-ranked team in Class 4A, while Bayside Academy, also 3-0, is ranked No. 1 in the Private Class A rankings.
In all, 14 teams from the Mobile County-Baldwin County area are either ranked or received votes this week.
How the Polls Are Structured
In the public school polls covering Class 1A through 6A, the top 10 teams are ranked and others receiving votes are listed.
In the private school rankings — both Alabama High School Athletic Association Class A and Class AA and the Alabama Independent School Association — the top five teams are ranked, and those receiving votes are also mentioned.
The difference in depth is not arbitrary. The private school classifications contain far fewer teams than the public school classifications, so a top-five list in Private Class A represents a comparable slice of its field to a top-10 list in Class 6A.
That structural point is also why the AHSAA’s recent separation of public and private schools into distinct championship brackets changed the competitive picture across the state. Teams that previously competed for the same titles now appear in different polls entirely.
The Private School Picture
In the Private Class AA poll, McGill-Toolen is No. 2 and UMS-Wright is No. 5, with St. Michael — currently 0-3 — receiving votes.
St. Michael’s presence in the receiving-votes category despite an 0-3 record reflects what voters know about the program rather than what the record shows. The Cardinals won their first 13 games last season and were ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 4A when they lost in the state semifinals. Their starting quarterback, an N.C. State commit, was injured in the first game of this season.
In the Private Class A rankings, Bayside is No. 1 and Mobile Christian is No. 5, while Cottage Hill Christian received votes.
Williamson’s Case
Williamson’s No. 1 ranking in Class 4A rests on a defense that has surrendered 18 points across three games — all of them in a single game. The Lions shut out Baker 33-0 and B.C. Rain 56-0 before a 19-18 win over Pine Forest of Pensacola.
A team that shuts out two opponents and wins a third by one point presents an unusual profile to poll voters, and it is the kind of résumé that gets tested quickly once region play deepens.
The Rest of the State’s No. 1 Teams
Other than the local teams already mentioned, this week’s No. 1 teams include:
- Thompson (Class 6A)
- Clay-Chalkville (Class 5A)
- Plainview (Class 3A)
- Fyffe (Class 2A)
- Maplesville (Class 1A)
- Briarwood Christian (Private Class AA)
- Patrician Academy (AISA)
Patrician Academy’s AISA No. 1 ranking is one the local coverage area has a direct view of — the Saints are 5-0 and beat No. 3 South Choctaw Academy 51-28 in Butler, piling up 383 rushing yards on 39 carries.
Fourteen Teams in the Conversation
Fourteen ranked-or-receiving-votes teams from a two-county area is a substantial share of the state’s poll presence, and it reflects the concentration of competitive programs along coastal Alabama across both public and private classifications.
Rankings are updated weekly by the state sportswriters’ poll and are subject to change following each week’s results.