Week 6 of the Alabama high school football season delivered a little bit of everything: a defensive tug-of-war in Class 3A, a rivalry win for Thompson, and yet another shutdown performance from Williamson.
Plainview walked out of its matchup with Geraldine in control of Class 3A, Region 6 after winning a game that looked nothing like the shootout many expected. The two teams entered Thursday averaging a combined 105 points per game, but at Coolidge-Isbell Field they managed only 23 between them in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
Geraldine got the first punch in when Jordan Lankford burst through for a 38-yard touchdown on the opening possession. Plainview answered with 17 straight points, with quarterback Mac Long scoring twice on the ground and Josue Altamirano adding a 31-yard field goal.
Geraldine had chances to change the night. The Bulldogs moved the ball, but twice stalled in the red zone without putting points on the board. They also came close to a big first-half play on a halfback pass, but Lankford’s throw sailed over Slade Justice after Justice had slipped behind the Plainview defense.
The win made Plainview the only unbeaten team left in Class 3A, Region 6 as the regular season enters its final month.
Scottsboro kept its perfect record intact by leaning on a defense that has been suffocating teams all season. The Wildcats led Cherokee County 19-3 at halftime and finished off a 27-9 win in a key Class 4A, Region 8 game.
Zay Simpson made his presence felt on both sides, scoring on a 1-yard run and later taking an interception back 23 yards for another touchdown. Scottsboro also kept Cherokee County quarterback Tatum Perry to 152 passing yards.
Through six games, the Wildcats have held five opponents under 10 points.
Piedmont also kept rolling after its lone loss. Jaxson Howard powered the Bulldogs with 27 carries for 148 yards in a 42-14 win over Pleasant Valley.
The victory pushed Piedmont to 5-1 and left it tied with Wellborn at the top of Class 2A, Region 6. Pleasant Valley, meanwhile, has gone from a 4-0 start to consecutive losses.
Piedmont has now beaten Pleasant Valley five straight times and owns a 22-1 edge in the all-time series.
Wellborn had to sweat to stay unbeaten. The Panthers outlasted Ohatchee 52-44 in a wild finish, with Mareese Traylor scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 29.3 seconds left.
The two teams combined for four touchdowns in the final 2:28, turning the closing moments into a frenzy. The win kept Wellborn level with Piedmont atop Class 2A, Region 6.
Alexandria’s offense didn’t need to be at its sharpest to keep the Valley Cubs unbeaten. Even in its lowest-scoring outing of the season, Alexandria still handled Central-Clay County 32-14 to move to 6-0.
It was the program’s fourth straight double-digit win since a 35-28 victory over Moody in Week 2. Alexandria remains tied with Leeds as the only unbeaten teams in Class 4A, Region 6.
Thompson also added another familiar result to its season. The Warriors posted a 31-14 road win over Hoover, a 17-point margin and their lowest offensive output of the year, yet still enough to keep the perfect start rolling.
The victory avenged last year’s regular-season loss to the Buccaneers and marked Thompson’s most decisive win in the rivalry since the 40-10 Class 7A semifinal in 2022. The Warriors have now opened with six straight double-digit wins, and there’s been little sign of a drop-off in 2026.
Then there’s Williamson, whose defense keeps making the loudest statement of all. The Lions shut out previously unbeaten Orange Beach 42-0, and no Alabama opponent has scored on them yet.
Nathaniel Michel led the way with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Williamson has played four Alabama teams - Baker, B.C.
Rain, Satsuma and Orange Beach - and held each one scoreless.
Six weeks in, the picture around the state is getting clearer. Plainview owns the edge in Class 3A, Region 6.
Thompson still looks like the standard in Class 7A. Williamson’s defense has been one of the state’s most impressive stories.
Scottsboro and Alexandria remain unbeaten, and the Piedmont-Wellborn battle in Class 2A, Region 6 is shaping up to be one to watch down the stretch.
In Other News...
Alabama May Have A New Wrinkle Georgia Can't Ignore
Alabamas blowout win over Mississippi State offered more than just points on the scoreboard. In a wrinkle that stood out to anyone watching closely, the Tide leaned on the I formation at times, giving the offense a different look under center and adding another layer to an attack that has already found ways to stress defenses. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb addressed the approach in his Monday press conference, pointing to the way the group handled itself when asked to run the ball from that alignment.
There was a hiccup on the first I formation snap, a fumble that briefly interrupted the momentum, but Grubb still came away encouraged by the physical work up front. He singled out the offensive line and tight ends for the way they executed the look, and the possibility of building around it more in 2026 gives Alabama another intriguing piece to keep in mind as bigger tests loom. For a Georgia defense preparing to dissect every tendency, even a small shift like this can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Grubb Sees One Alabama Concern Georgia Could Punish
Ryan Grubb came away from Alabamas 56-23 win over Mississippi State pleased enough with the overall direction of the offense, but not quite ready to let the Tide off the hook. The offensive coordinator pointed to some early miscues, including decision making and sacks that need to be cleaned up, even while praising a running game that produced no negative runs for the first time since his arrival. He also noted Daniel Hills rare, uncharacteristic fumble as the kind of mistake Alabama can get away with against some opponents, but not as many as it would like.
No. 2 Georgia is next, and that is where those little lapses start to matter more. Alabama is set to host a defense that will be far less forgiving than Mississippi State, which makes Grubbs concerns more than just postgame housekeeping. The Tide have shown they can move the ball and control stretches of a game, but the margin for error shrinks fast when the opponent on the other sideline is built to punish shaky protection, loose ball security and the kind of early-game indecision Alabama has already identified. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A Sideline Concern Heading Into Georgia This Weekend
President Donald Trumps upcoming trip to the Georgia-Alabama game adds an unusual layer to what is already one of the SECs biggest matchups. For Alabama, the issue is not the crowd or the stage so much as the sideline logistics, since Secret Service protocols can create communication hiccups for coaching staffs trying to operate normally in real time.
Alabama coaches said they have dealt with similar situations before, including Trumps previous visit and other games when headsets failed, so the Tide are not entering the weekend unprepared. Still, both teams may have to adjust on the fly if the usual flow of communication gets interrupted, making the game plan only part of the challenge in Athens. [Read more 🡒]