Predicting the Alabama high school football state champions

Alabama high school football is more than just a collection of teams and rivalries; it’s a showcase of talent, determination and community spirit. From the Cumberland Plateau to the Coastal Plains and everything in-between, these state championship contenders are poised to claim glory in their respective classifications.

Class 7A: Thompson

The Thompson Warriors won the Class 7A championship in 2024 and brings back several key pieces on both sides of the ball, which makes them the favorites to take the title home once again. Four-star quarterback Trent Seaborn returns for his junior season after completing 210 of 328 passes for 2,675 yards and 26 touchdowns a year ago. With so much talent coming back, especially on the line of scrimmage, it’s hard to pick against Thompson.  

Class 6A: Parker

The Thundering Herd have tough games against Carrollton (Ga.) and in-state Hoover on the schedule, but should dominate the rest of their competition and make it back to Birmingham. The talent returning to Parker’s roster makes for a team that has all of the components in place to repeat as state champions.

Class 5A: Moody

The Montgomery Catholic Knights are the defending Class 5A state champions but we think their shots of repeating aren’t very high because they’re in a little bit of transition. Moody, meanwhile, was just four points away from winning an Alabama high school football state championship last year and return players like Western Kentucky running back commit Le’Kamren Meadows. We like the Blue Devils’ chances at winning it all this season.

Class 4A: Jackson

This is almost unequivocally the easiest selection of any when it comes to picking a state champion out of the Yellowhammer State. The Aggies’ 69-6 blowout of Cherokee County last year marked the most points ever scored in an Alabama high school football state championship game. Now with practically the same cast of players coming back, including South Carolina quarterback commit Landon Duckworth and Alabama pledge Ezavier Crowell, it would be outlandish to think any other team will win Class 4A.

Class 3A: Mars Hill Bible School

Last season’s Class 3A title game was probably one of the more thrilling championship contests in the country, as Mars Hill Bible School defeated Houston Academy in a 50-43 shootout. The question now is can the Panthers repeat in the classification and we feel that they bring back enough to do so again. UAB commit Hudson Higgins returns to head up the offense after rushing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in the title game.

Class 2A: Reeltown

The Rebels relied on several key sophomores last season and now those standouts are back as juniors. Reeltown returns 6-foot-3, 170-pound junior quarterback JaMarkius Smith, who threw for 2,191 yards and 34 touchdowns as a sophomore. Also coming back is running back Traylen Roberts, who carried the rock 220 times for 1,547 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Having offensive firepower like that definitely raises your chances for a repeat, and in Reeltown’s case, a fifth Alabama high school football state crown.

Class 1A: Wadley

Wadley was dominant last season on its way to winning the program’s first-ever Alabama high school football state championship and much of that can be attributed to the play of four-star Auburn commit Jaquez Wilkes. As a junior for the Bulldogs last season, Wilkes bulldoze his way to 312 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-7 rout of Maplesville in the 1A final. Well, Wilkes is back in the fold and we have Wadley repeating as state champs.