Hartselle opens at No. 6

Hartselle will open the 2010 football season ranked sixth in Class 5A after receiving 166 points in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s preseason poll released this week.
The Tigers, who finished 10-3 last season after reaching the third round of the state playoffs for the fourth straight season, are ranked highest among Class 5A, Region 7 teams.
Cullman is eighth in the preseason poll, while Walker received votes and was just shy of a top 10 spot.
Russellville tops the Class 5A poll with 350 points after garnering 15 first-place votes.
Demopolis is ranked second after receiving 15 first-place votes and 333 points.
The rest of the Class 5A poll includes McAdory, Spanish Fort, Hueytown, Hartselle, Vigor, Cullman, Briarwood Christian and Tallassee.
Hartselle was the only area team to earn a spot in the preseason poll. Over the last four seasons, the Tigers have won 10 or more games three times and only five teams in Class 5A had more victories than Hartselle last season.
Only two of the six Alabama High School Athletic Association’s reigning champions – Class 6A Hoover and Class 2A Reeltown – were picked by the panel of 36 prep writers to repeat in the poll released today.
Pike Liberal Arts, the reigning champion in the Alabama Independent Schools Association’s Class AAA, was also picked No. 1 by the writers.
Being picked to repeat had its advantages for Hoover and Reeltown. The Bucs had 35 of 36 first place votes in Class 6A, with No. 2 Prattville grabbing the other vote in a role reversal of the 2009 preseason poll where Prattville picked up 35 of the 36 votes.
Reeltown had 33 of the 36 votes while Leroy had the other three Class 2A votes. This year’s preseason poll marked the first time since 2006 that there were no unanimous No. 1 selections.