Friday night will mark the official opening of the 2021 high school football season.

This is officially referred to as Week Zero by officials at the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Teams that play a Week Zero game can have an off–week during the season.

Four local teams will kick off the season this week: Phil Campbell, Red Bay, Russellville and Tharptown. The Vina Red Devils will start their season next week.

Phil Campbell hosts Phillips

Phil Campbell versus Phillips is on the schedule as a road game for the Bobcats; instead, the game will be held at Phil Campbell Thursday, at the request of Phillips High School.

The two towns are located five minutes away from each other, making this a natural rivalry game. The Bobcats lead this series 25-18-5.

In 2020 this game was a COVID-19 forfeit win for the Bobcats. The last time the two teams met on the field was two years ago, and Phil Campbell won 29-0.

Tharptown at Shoals Christian

The Wildcats need to get their season off to a good start Friday. Tharptown has struggled to get wins in region play, making non-region contests more critical. The Wildcats open their season in Florence at Shoals Christian.  Tharptown is 4-8 historically against the Flame, but the Wildcats have won the past four meetings.

Tharptown beat Shoals Christian last year 48-14.

Red Bay hosts Hamilton

The Heath Childers era begins with a challenging matchup Friday. Childers’ Red Bay Tigers open up against the Hamilton Aggies – a team the Tigers have never beat.

Well, technically, this past year was a win for Red Bay, but it was a COVID-19 forfeit game.

The last time these two teams actually met on the gridiron was in 1983. Hamilton is 17-0 against the Tigers.

Russellville hosts Decatur

The Russellville Golden Tigers will host the Decatur Red Raiders Thursday night. Russellville leads this series with a 7-4 record.

The Golden Tigers won this game this past year 28-0. Prior to 2020, the last time the two teams met on the gridiron was 2007, when Russellville lost 24-23 in overtime.