Photo by David Leong.
John Carroll kicker Max Sullivan (18) kicks the field goal during a game vs. Briarwood.
Homewood and John Carroll Catholic’s high school football teams opened the season against each other in the annual Battle of Lakeshore rivalry game on Aug. 21, then Homewood traveled to Briarwood and John Carroll traveled to Talladega in their second games. Both teams now turn to brand new regions, the product of the AHSAA’s decision to split public and private schools into separate classifications this year.
SEPT. 4
Homewood hosts Mountain Brook in a rematch of last year’s classic, when the Spartans escaped with a 25-24 overtime win on Bennett Jordan’s two-point conversion. Mountain Brook enters its 21st season under head coach Chris Yeager, who has gone 170-73 at the school. John Carroll opens region play at home against American Christian, which went 7-5 a year ago under second-year coach Austin Grammer, the program’s 11th head coach hire.
SEPT. 11
Photo by Alex Millender.
Homewood’s Chappy Chapleau (0) and Gray Keown (55) celebrate a touchdown in a game against Minor last fall.
Homewood travels to Pelham, which enters its second season under head coach Ross Newton, a former UCF and Auburn assistant who also coached at Thompson High School. John Carroll heads to St. John Paul II in Huntsville for the first meeting between the two programs.
SEPT. 18
Homewood closes out its three-game stretch at Helena, which went 5-6 a year ago under ninth-year coach Richie Busby, who owns a 55-32 record with six playoff appearances at the school, including second-round runs in 2020 and 2023.
John Carroll returns home to host Lee-Scott, which will be led by interim coach Jacob Ozment after longtime coach Buster Daniel left the program in June to take a position with the AHSAA overseeing the state’s move to separate public and private school classifications. Ozment, Lee-Scott’s defensive coordinator for the past six seasons, takes over a program that went 9-3 a year ago.
SEPT. 25: OPEN
Both teams get a break before the second half of their respective region schedules begins in October.
LOOKING AHEAD
Homewood finished 11-2 last season and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals, extending the program’s playoff streak to 14 straight years. John Carroll finished 3-7 and missed the playoffs. Homewood hosts Calera on Oct. 2, hosts Chelsea on Oct. 8, travels to Chilton County on Oct. 16, hosts Ramsay on Oct. 23 and closes the regular season at home against Oak Mountain on Oct. 30. John Carroll travels to Westminster Christian on Oct. 2, travels to Briarwood on Oct. 9, hosts Madison Academy on Oct. 16, travels to Randolph on Oct. 23 and closes the regular season at home against Leeds on Oct. 30.
