This is an opinion article.
Last week, we’ve rounded up the 10 most memorable stories of 2024.
Now it’s time to turn the page a little.
What will be the big high school sports titles in 2025?
It’s, of course, impossible to know which team will come out of nowhere in which sport and where a state title or major coaching job might open up down the road.
However, here are some questions we will see answered over the next 12 months.
1. Where will Super 7 2025 take place?
Obviously, this question will have to be answered very soon. Sure, the state high school football championships aren’t until December, but now is the time for a city to start planning, recruiting volunteers and taking care of every detail leading up to the event. I think we can safely assume that Birmingham will still be at least in the rotation, but who else – if anyone – will host the title games?
We know that AHSAA conducted site visits to Montgomery and Mobile late last year. The big question to answer is: do these venues have everything needed to host the AHSAA’s largest event? The number of suites in each stadium and the number of locker rooms available are crucial in these conversations. Since three matches take place each day of the Super 7, a total of four changing rooms are required.
A decision could be taken at the next Central Council meeting on January 22.
2. Will Alabama continue to oppose high school NIL?
This was a question that arose this time last year and will likely continue to arise. Heath Harmon, new executive director of the AHSAA, said last summer that he had to “determine the current reality of the entire organization… Where do we want to go and how do we get there?” » More than 30 states now allow high school athletes to profit from their name, image or likeness in some form. Alabama is not one of them, even though several high-profile athletes — including several prominent basketball players — have left the state to finish their high school careers.
In an AL.com survey of high school football coaches last summerthe majority voted a resounding “no” when asked whether Alabama should join the states allowing NIL.
“NIL is coming, and I’ll retire when it does,” one coach said. “Educational coaches don’t make enough money to take care of kids trying to get money for them. Plus, parents already make our jobs extremely difficult without bringing money into the equation. It’s a lose-lose.
The question will continue to dominate in 2025 and beyond.
3. Which teams will be good at the national championship in 2025?
Alabama had two teams in two different sports declared national champions in 2024.
Orange Beach softball was declared a national champion by MaxPreps after winning its fourth consecutive state title. The Makos finished 46-1 and should be ready for another series after losing just three players to graduation.
Central-Phenix City Flag Football was named consensus national champion by NFL Flag and USA Today after winning the Class 6A/7A state title in December. The Red Devils finished 19-0 and outscored their opponents 844-49.
These two teams could be in the running for more national recognition this year. Other contenders for national recognition include Hoover men’s basketball and Thompson football.
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Who is the player of the year?
This week at AL.com we launched a three-week process to crown fans’ choice for Alabama’s best high school football player in 2024.
Our team selected 16 players representing different positions, classifications and regions within the state of Alabama and ranked them 1-16 for an NCAA Tournament-style bracket.
The first round of voting began this week and will end on Monday. These winners will advance to the quarter-finals next week. The eventual winner will be announced on January 22.
We hope you will vote with us over the next three weeks.
The Alabama Sports Writers Association will announce its Mr. Football winner Jan. 28 in Montgomery.
Newsletters are back
After taking a slight break during the holidays, our high school newsletters are back today.
We produce two newsletters per week in Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham. They arrive straight to your inbox on Tuesdays and Fridays and are free. The newsletters recap what’s happening in each market and across the state.
The Friday newsletter includes a column from yours truly that you can only see if you subscribe.
To sign up for one – or all – of the newsletters, simply go to al.com/newsletters.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
“To reveal the kingdom to come
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem all creation
You did not despise the cross
Because even in your suffering
You saw the other side
Knowing it was our salvation
Jesus, you died for us.
– “King of kings”
Ben Thomas is the managing producer of high school sports at AL.com. He was named one of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s 50 Legends. Follow him on Twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com.