This is an opinion piece.

One of the most remarkable high school athletic streaks in Alabama history will again take center stage in the next two weeks.

Bayside Academy has won a national record 20 straight state volleyball championships.

The last time Ann Schilling’s team was not a state champion was 2001.

Obviously, the biggest headline that year were the tragic Sept. 11 attacks on our country and the subsequent start of the War on Terror.

Here are a few other headlines from 2001:

Dale Earnhardt dies in a Daytona 500 crash

Apple releases the iTunes program

Janet Jackson’s “All for You” tops the song charts

Rudolph Giuliana is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

Barry Bonds hits 73 home runs

Friends is the No. 1 TV show

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Ravens, L.A. Lakers and Colorado Avalanche are world champions

The point is two decades is a long time, and that’s how long Bayside’s reign has been. Quite frankly, it’s incredible and a deeper look into the numbers makes it even more staggering.

The Admirals are the winningest volleyball program in state history with 30 championships, also a national record. Bayside has won a state championship in every class it has competed: Class 1A (7 titles), Class 2A (9), Class 3A (10), Class 4A (2) and Class 5A (2).

The team has been moved up twice by competitive balance and keeps winning titles. This year, Bayside competes for the first time in Class 6A.

Statewide volleyball teams competed in area tournaments this week with the top two teams from each area advancing to Super Regionals next week. Four teams from each of seven classes at both regional sites (Montgomery and Huntsville) advance to the Elite Eight championship tournament beginning on Oct. 25 at the Birmingham Crossplex.

State championships will be at the Bill Harris Arena on Oct. 26-27.

There has been talk in some circles that this could be the year the Bayside streak ends. Last month, the Admirals fell from the No. 1 spot in the rankings in their classification for the first time in 14 years.

Mountain Brook, Spanish Fort, Pelham, Northridge, Hazel Green and Briarwood Christian all have talented teams in 6A.

Could this be the year the Bayside streak ends? Yes.

Will it be? I wouldn’t want to make a living betting against Ann Schilling and company. After all, Bayside Academy has a 146-3 state tournament record since losing to Geraldine in the 2001 Class 3A semifinal round.

Pointing to next week

There are some big football games around the state this week with Auburn traveling to Central-Phenix City, Decatur taking on Hartselle, Fyffe battling Pisgah, Leeds taking on Moody and Mary G. Montgomery trying to make the postseason for the first time in two decades with a win over Daphne.

But next week’s slate is the one many of us have been looking at for a long time.

Consider these Week 10 games:

Class 7A: No. 3 Hoover (7-1) at No. 2 Thompson (6-2)

Class 6A: No. 1 Saraland (8-0) at No. 3 Theodore (7-0); No. 10 Gardendale (5-2) at No. 5 Mountain Brook (6-1)

Class 5A: No. 9 Faith Academy (6-1) at No. 1 UMS-Wright (7-0)

Class 4A: No. 1 Montgomery Catholic (8-0) at No. 3 Andalusia (8-0)

Class 2A: No. 6 Reeltown (5-1) at No. 2 Highland Home (8-0)

AISA: No. 1 Patrician Academy (7-0) at No. 5 Clarke Prep (5-2)

Top to bottom, it may be the best statewide schedule of the 2022 regular season.

Hoops time

As volleyball, football and cross country seasons draw to a close, winter sports start to crank up.

Statewide basketball teams can officially open practice on Monday with the first games scheduled for Nov. 3. Area tournaments begin Feb. 4 and are followed by sub-regionals (Feb. 13-14), regional tournaments (Feb. 15-23) and the state finals Feb. 27-March 4.

This year’s regional tournaments are slated to be at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery (South), Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham (Central), Jacksonville State (Northeast) and Wallace State (Northwest). Bill Harris Arena is a new addition to the regional rotation. Last year, Montgomery hosted two regionals between Garrett Coliseum and the Cramton Bowl Multiplex.

Defending AHSAA boys champions are: Enterprise (7A), Cullman (6A), Lee-Huntsville (5A), Jacksonville (4A), Plainview (3A), Section (2A), Covenant Christian (1A).

Defending girls champions are: Hoover (7A), Hazel Green (6A), Guntersville (5A), Deshler (4A), Prattville Christian (3A), Pisgah (2A) and Marion County (1A).

Thought for the Day

“It’s never wrong to do the right thing.”

80s quote of the week

“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” – Doc, Back to the Future.

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. His weekly column is posted each Wednesday and Friday on AL.com. He can be heard weekly on the Cooper Restaurants “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.