Linden and Sweet Water have combined for 309 points in three games each this season – most of them belonging to Linden. They’ve also combined to give up 39 points – all belonging to Sweet Water.

And when Class 1A’s top-ranked Patriots host No. 3 Sweet Water face off at 7 p.m. Friday, there’s more than just a battle to see which team is the best 1A team in Marengo County.
For Sweet Water, it’s a chance to regain the top spot in the Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football, held by Linden since the Bulldogs’ opening loss to Class 4A Coffeeville. For Linden, it’s a chance to snap a seven-game losing streak to Sweet Water that dates back to 2002.
It’s the first regular-season meeting between the two schools 25 miles apart since 2007. The two last met in the 2008 semifinals when Sweet Water would go on to beat the Patriots, 34-7 en route to the Class 1A title.

Class 6A Hoover remained the lone unanimous No. 1 pick among the panel of 36 voters in this week’s poll. The Bucs, who are at Thompson, also join Linden as two of four teams in the state who have yet to give up a point through three weeks of play.  Class 2A No. 6 Tanner and Class 1A No. 4 Maplesville are the other two. Class 3A No. 6 Clay County has given up just three points, coming in a 3-0 overtime battle with No. 1 Leeds last week.

The poll’s lone change at the top came in the AISA where Fort Dale Academy takes over the top spot from Pike Liberal Arts after Pike’s 35-0 loss to Monroe Academy. In addition to Hoover, Class 5A Russellville, 4A Jackson, 3A Leeds, 2A Leroy and 1A Linden remained on top.

Jackson hosts No. 4 UMS-Wright in 4A in another battle of highly ranked teams. In Class 3A, No. 5 Handley is at No. 6 Clay County, No. 7 Pike County is at No. 9 Abbeville, Class 1A No. 8 Hackleburg is at No. 5 R.A. Hubbard, and AISA No. 4 Monroe Academy is at No. 7 Clarke Prep.
 
CLASS 6A 
1. Hoover (36)   (3-0)      432 
2. Davidson         (3-0)      308 
3. Vestavia Hills      (3-0)      275 
4. Gadsden City       (3-0)      255 
5. Auburn            (3-0)      227 
6. Prattville         (2-1)       172 
7. Bob Jones       (2-1)      111 
8. Carver-Montgomery  (3-0)      87 
9. Daphne           (3-0)      69
10. Enterprise    (2-1)      42 
Others receiving votes: Decatur (3-0) 39, Central-Phenix City (3-0) 8, Fairhope (2-1) 6, Theodore (3-0) 5, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (3-0) 4, Minor (2-1) 4, McGill-Toolen (2-1) 3, Mountain Brook (2-1) 2, Tuscaloosa Co. (2-1) 2, Stanhope Elmore (2-1) 1.