From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
PINSON — The Pinson Valley High School football team has finished No. 82 nationally for the 2017 season. The announcement was made by MaxPreps, the online high school sports leader and a CBSSports.com site.
“Each fall, over 16,000 varsity football teams take the field with the dream of winning a state title. Nationwide, the best-of-the-best qualify for recognition on The MaxPreps Tour of Champions.
“Together, with the Army National Guard, MaxPreps honors the most outstanding teams in the nation for their state championship performance and elite national level ranking,” said Andy Beal, president and founder of MaxPreps.
“Congratulations to the Pinson Valley Indians players, coaches and fans for an amazing year and for earning the Army National Guard’s national ranking trophy.”
Having never previously made it past the second round of the state playoffs, Pinson Valley put its stamp on a perfect 15-0 season as the Indians scalped Wetumpka, 31-20, on Dec. 8, 2017 to capture its first Class 6A state championship since the school fielded a varsity football team in 1970.
Pinson Valley is one of 50 schools being honored on the MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard.
Clay-Chalkville was selected to the 2014 Tour of Champions when it was ranked No. 35 in the nation.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized for a national award,” said Pinson Valley head football coach Patrick Nix, who completed his first season at PVHS.
Coming off an 8-4 season in 2016, the Indians faced previously unbeaten Austin of Decatur on Nov. 24. They trailed 36-28 at halftime but escaped with a thrilling 51-50 victory in overtime before beating Wetumpka in the championship contest two weeks later.
Alabama Army National Guard Staff Sergeant James Burroughs presented Coach Nix and the team with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy Friday morning during a school assembly. The team also received a banner for their accomplishment.
“The Army National Guard represents teamwork and a commitment to community and country. Just as your team joins together to defeat adversity and win, the Army National Guard stands vigilant as a team to protect the community and country in which we live,” said Master Sergeant Mark Wojciechowski.
“On behalf of the Army National Guard, I am privileged to recognize this nationally ranked championship team for their dedication, leadership and teamwork.”
MaxPreps Computer Rankings are used to determine team rank for the Tour of Champions. The system utilizes the huge number of game results stored in the MaxPreps database.
Generally, the more a team wins, the higher the ranking, but the system takes into account quality wins (against other highly-ranked opponents), margin of victory, and strength of schedule. Playoff games are weighted 2.1 times a regular season game.