Luverne moved up one spot in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football poll after coming off a convincing 33-20 over Marbury in the Tigers' Region 3, Class 2A opener on Friday.

The Tigers are now ranked No. 7 in Class 2A, while a host of Region 1 teams are bunched in the rankings with defending 2A champ, Leroy, holding onto the top spot.

Georgiana will play host to No. 3 South Choctaw on Friday, and No. 5 Red Level will be at Leroy.

The Wadley Bulldogs (2-0) became the third team in the young 2005 football season to take over the top spot in Class 1A.

Hoover (2-0) held onto the top spot in Class 6A by holding off Thompson in the closest Bucs game since the 2003 playoff semifinals.

— Kevin Taylor

(versus Vestvia Hills). Coach Rush Propst’s team won 21-18 with Thompson trying to line up for a game-tying 22-yard field goal when the final horn sounded.

The Bucs extended the state’s longest current win streak to 25 games with the narrow win.

Homewood (2-0) remained first in Class 5A, UMS-Wright (1-0) stayed first in 4A, T.R. Miller (3-0), and Bessemer Academy (2-0) retained the number one spots in 3A, and the AISA.

This week, the first in-class No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle is scheduled for Friday night at Bessemer in the AISA. Top-ranked Bessemer Academy hosts second-ranked Edgewood Academy (2-0). The two teams met last season twice with coach Mark Freeman’s Rebels beating Edgewood 27-10 in the regular season, then 34-21 in the AISA AAA state finals.