Alabama High School Football Games of the Week: Sept. 4-6

The Alabama high school football schedule has wasted no time pitting many of the state’s top teams against each other. After four in-state ranked games — per the Massey Ratings — last week, another four are on the schedule for week three.

No. 2 Vestavia Hills and No. 3 Hewitt-Trussville will engage in a massive showdown, headlining Friday night’s action. One of the best high school rivalries in the nation is set for Thursday, too. Here’s what to keep an eye on in the Yellowhammer State this week:

No. 8 Auburn vs. No. 11 Opelika

When: Thursday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bulldog Stadium, Opelika, Ala.

For the 100th time, Auburn (1-1) and Opelika (2-0) are set to do battle. The No. 8 Tigers lead the all-time series 49-47-3 and have won seven of the last eight consecutive matchups.

Junior four-star quarterback Cason Myers is the new man under center for Auburn and he’s getting his first taste of this rivalry after transferring in this offseason. The Tigers are picking themselves up off the mat following a 42-14 smushing on the road at the hands of No. 2 Vestavia Hills, a game where they never got going on either side of the ball.

Opelika, often considered the underdog in this matchup, is coming off an early-season scare at home. The Bulldogs survived Callaway (Ga.) 36-35 in overtime last week on the road and have now won both of their games by just one score. If points are plentiful on Thursday, that likely doesn’t spell success for the home team. Anything can happen when these two programs square off, however.

Massey Prediction: Auburn 35, Opelika 22

No. 2 Vestavia Hills vs. No. 3 Hewitt-Trussville

When: Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Hewit-Trussville Stadium, Trussville, Ala.

The biggest in-state matchup of the season so far, Hewitt-Trussville (2-0) gears up for its first real test of the season as Vestavia Hills (2-0) comes to town.

Vestavia Hills has looked dominant thus far, blitzing notable South Carolina program Westside 49-7 before rolling over Auburn 42-12 last week. Behind junior QB Charlie Taaffe, the Rebels are humming on offense and look to be a handful early on. They’ll serve as a measuring stick for Hewitt-Trussville this week.

The Huskies should have zero shame in outscoring their first two opponents — JAG, Gadsden City — by a combined 103 points, but this Friday will be a bigger challenge for the No. 3 team in the state. They ran for nearly 600 yards last week, so keeping the ground game humming will surely be key. A win for either team will likely vault them into the top-100 nationally.

Massey Prediction: Hewitt-Trussville 32, Vestavia Hills 28

No. 14 Hillcrest vs. No. 7 Hoover

When: Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Hoover Met Stadium, Hoover, Ala.

Hoover (1-1) gets another crack at notching its first win at home this season when Hillcrest (2-0) makes the trip this Friday.

The No. 7 Buccaneers took a pounding from one of the top programs in the nation in IMG Academy (Fla.) to open the season. They rebounded well last week by going on the road and taking down a capable top-25 Spain Park team, 21-10. Two-way standout and new Florida State commit Jonah Winston has made headlines for the Bucs thus far — he came up with the game-sealing interception last week.

Hillcrest is another team who sits at 2-0 but is yet to face a real challenge. The Patriots defeated Florence 35-7 to open the Alabama high school football season and then rolled Sparkman 50-24. Junior quarterback Jordan Shambley threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 completions last week. Will the Hillcrest offense click on the road against a game Hoover squad?

Massey Prediction: Hoover 35, Hillcrest 14

No. 13 Mary G. Montgomery vs. No. 16 Daphne

When: Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Jubilee Stadium, Daphne, Ala.

Two undefeated teams square off in an attempt to crack the top 10 of the Alabama high school football rankings as Mary G Montgomery (2-0) heads to Daphne (2-0).

MGM stays on the road after surviving Gulf Shores 22-19 last week. Junior Kamron Smith rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Vikings put up 34 points in their season-opening victory over Pace (Fla.). This week’s game against Daphne is one of just two ranked matchups currently on the schedule for MGM.

As for the Trojans, they just squeezed past McGill-Toolen 29-28 on the road to open the year, then picked up a 20-point win over Pine Forest (Fla.) last week. Junior QB Christian Segar threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Sunshine State program. Both teams will fight for a résumé-building win this week.

Massey Prediction: Mary G Montgomery 28, Daphne 21

Dothan vs. No. 10 Enterprise

When: Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Wildcat Stadium

Enterprise (2-0) made a move into the top 10 this week and the Wildcats return home to welcome Dothan (2-0) this Friday.

In a 24-17 road win at Pike Road last week, Enterprise senior QB Mason Burkhardt rushed for two touchdowns and had 210 total yards of offense. The Wildcats won their home-opener 31-10 over Andalusia and will look to keep a fiery Dothan offense in check to improve to 3-0.

Dothan has tallied 79 total points amidst its 2-0 start, dropping 42 on Lawton Chiles (Fla.) before putting up 37 at Monroe last week. The Wolves escaped Monroe with a 3-point win and now rank as the No. 26 team in the state. Their offense ranks No. 13 in the state, per the Massey Ratings, and they’ll need a big-time performance on Friday in order to upset the Wildcats.

Massey Prediction: Enterprise 38, Dothan 21