This is an opinion piece.

It won’t be long now, folks.

All-Star sports week in Montgomery is history and, in my mind at least, it is full go toward the fall sports season.

Most high school football teams will begin practice Aug. 7, though teams that did not conduct a regular spring training can begin July 31.

The first football games of 2023 will take place the weekend of Aug. 24-26.

Here are a few very early questions ahead of another high school season:

1. Can Saraland’s Ryan Williams repeat as Mr. Football? Williams won the award with a sensational sophomore season. He is one of two underclassmen to ever claim the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s top award with the other being running back La’Damian Webb of Beauregard in 2016. In the 41-year history of the award, no player has won it twice in their career.

2. Will Thompson five-peat in Class 7A? Five-peat? It seems ridiculous to even write that, but that is where we are with the Warriors. Mark Freeman’s team has won the last four titles and played for the last five. Thompson must replace Mr. Football runner-up Peter Woods (now at Clemson). While the team may not be quite as star-studded as it has been in the past, the Warriors still have freshman phenom Trent Seaborn at quarterback and USC commit Anquon Fegans in the defensive backfield. They obviously have to be the 7A favorite once again with Hoover, Central-Phenix City and Auburn among the teams chasing.

3. Who will be the state’s biggest surprise team? I’m not sure they qualify as a surprise team this year after the 2022 turnaround, but what about the Mary G. Montgomery Vikings. The South Alabama program had struggled for years until Zach Golson took the job as head coach. His first team went 6-5 last year and made the playoffs and he was named statewide 7A coach of the year. That alone tells you something about where MGM has been in the last two decades. Golson returns South Alabama QB commit Jarred Hollins at QB and 1,000-yard receiver James Bolton and his team has been impressive in 7-on-7 events this summer.

4. Will the Rush Propst experiment work out in Pell City? The highly successful, colorful and controversial coach was hired in the offseason to turn the Panthers into a winner. Pell City hasn’t won a playoff game since 2012 and plays in a competitive 6A region with Clay-Chalkville, Oxford, Pinson Valley, Center Point, Shades Valley and Huffman. Whatever happens in Pell City in 2023, it will be intriguing to watch.

5. There are several big recruiting questions as we close in on the season.

First, can two-time national champion Georgia keep Chilton County linebacker Demarcus Riddick’s commitment? Auburn and Alabama have both been pushing hard for the in-state star, who is scheduled to make a “final” decision on Wednesday.

Second, will Foley wide receiver Perry Thompson flip to Auburn? Thompson has been committed to Alabama since June 2022 but told AL.com last week that his decision was now up in the air between the two Iron Bowl rivals. He is scheduled to attend Big Cat Weekend at the end of the month.

Third, will Central-Phenix City wide receiver Cameron Coleman stick with his surprise commitment to Texas A&M? Coleman is considered by many recruiting services as the top senior prospect in the state and many experts thought Auburn was the leader for his commitment before he announced he was committed to the Aggies on July 4th. Can Auburn or anyone else get back into his recruitment?

It’s going to be another fun year. Can’t wait.

Boykin is back

The Choctaw County Board of Education approved a recommendation this week for Larry Boykin to return as Southern Choctaw’s head coach.

Boykin was the team’s head coach from 1994-2006, accumulating a 113-46 record and winning 2A state championships in 1998, 1999 and 2002. He went 24-8 in the playoffs overall. He followed his first tenure with the Indians with head coaching stints at McIntosh (2007-2009) and Hillcrest-Evergreen (2010-2014).

He has a 161-83 overall record in 22 years as a head coach. Boykin replaces Jeremy Noland, who went 68-78 in 14 years at the school.

The Choctaw Board also approved a motion to hire Leon Walker as the head coach at Choctaw County High. Walker replaces Kendrick Office, who went 6-13 in two seasons as coach of the Tigers.

Good sportsmanship

Ten schools received sportsmanship grants as the AHSAA All-Star Week concluded Friday in Montgomery.

The AHSAA recognized 82 high schools that were ejection and fine free for the 2022-2023 school hear.

A $1,000 grant was awarded by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association to one school from each district and two from districts 4 and 8 in a show of support of the AHSAA’s sportsmanship initiatives.

Those recipients were: Escambia County (1), Ariton (2), Keith (3), Dadeville (4), Valley (4), Huffman (5), Gadsden City (6), Waterloo (7), Plainview (8) and Arab (8).

The 82 high schools that were ejection and fine free was an increase of 15 from the previous year. Eighteen of those schools won at least one state championship during the academic year.

Thought for the Week

“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” – William Carey

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]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.