On the first snap of a Class 7A Region 1 game on Sept. 18, 2015, Theodore running back La’Mical Perine broke an 80-yard touchdown run against Murphy at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, even though Murphy had Neil Farrell Jr. on its defense.

While Perine ran for 213 yards against the Panthers, Murphy emerged with a thrilling 32-31 victory.

At the end of the 2015 season, Perine won the Class 7A Back of the Year Award and Farrell earned the first of his two selections to the Class 7A All-State team at defensive tackle.

In the same seasons that Farrell earned back-to-back recognition, Blount High School’s Kadarius Toney was the quarterback on the Class 6A All-State second team in 2015 and the filled the athlete slot on the first team in 2016.

Theodore is south of Mobile, Blount is north of Mobile and Murphy is in Mobile. It’s not more than a half-hour drive between any of the schools, and that prep triangle has put three players in this season’s Super Bowl.

Farrell, Perine and Toney are on the active roster of the Kansas City Chiefs, who will play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to determine the champion of the NFL’s 2023 season.

In Farrell’s final high school game, Murphy lost in the AHSAA Class 7A playoffs to Central-Phenix City 56-7 on Nov. 4, 2016. Wide receiver Justyn Ross caught three touchdowns in the Red Devils’ victory.

Ross also is on Kansas City’s active roster.

RELATED: ALABAMA ROOTS: SUPER BOWL LVIII CONNECTIONS

Toney was with the Chiefs last season, when he caught a touchdown pass and set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return.

The other three have reached the big game as active players for the first time, boosting the number of former Alabama high school players in Super Bowl history to 105.

The players have come from 79 high schools, as no new schools joined the list this year.

Ross is the third Central-Phenix City alumnus to reach a Super Bowl as an active-roster player, following Jeremiah Castille and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

Farrell and Perine are the second representatives of their high schools. For Murphy, it’s been more than 50 years since Jerrel Wilson punted in the first and fourth Super Bowls. For Theodore, Etric Pruitt was there 18 years ago with the Seattle Seahawks.

Toney and Sherman Williams have represented Blount on Super Bowl rosters.

This season’s NFL championship game will be the 17th consecutive Super Bowl with at least one former Alabama high school player eligible to play.

During that streak, seven former Alabama prep stars reached the Super Bowls for the 2015 and 2019 seasons to set the high mark. Four Super Bowls have been played without at least one former Alabama high school standout on the active roster of either team – the NFL title games for the 1977, 1996, 1997 and 2006 seasons.

Sidney Lanier in Montgomery is the Alabama high school that has had the most former players on the active rosters of Super Bowl teams with six. Those players went to eight Super Bowls.

Central-Phenix City is now tied with Lanett and Woodlawn in Birmingham for second in producing Super Bowl players at three apiece.

Tuscaloosa with six and Fairfield and Ensley with five apiece rank closest to Sidney Lanier for the number of Super Bowls for their players.

Here are the former players from Alabama high schools who have appeared on the active rosters of Super Bowl teams, including for Sunday’s game (with the list arranged by players from each school, and the cumulative number of Super Bowls for the players in parentheses):

SIX

Sidney Lanier (eight appearances): Reggie Barlow, Johnny Davis, Richmond Flowers, Tarvaris Jackson, Jeno James, Bart Starr.

THREE

Central-Phenix City (three appearances): Jeremiah Castille, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Justyn Ross.

Lanett (four appearances): Josh Evans, Dave Hill, Bobby Hunt.

Woodlawn (four appearances): Karlos Dansby, Tim Harris, Tony Nathan.

TWO

Anniston (two appearances): Eric Davis, Andra Franklin.

Auburn (three appearances): Osi Umenyiora, DeMarcus Ware.

Blount (three appearances): Kadarius Toney, Sherman Williams.

Carroll-Ozark (four appearances): Wilbur Jackson, Steve McLendon.

Central-Coosa (three appearances): Adalius Thomas, Justin Tuck.

Davidson (two appearances): Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward.

Escambia County (three appearances): Don McNeal, Ron Middleton.

Eufaula (three appearances): Jerrel Jernigan, Courtney Upshaw.

Fairfield (five appearances): Tim Johnson, Keith McKeller.

Foley (two appearances): Julio Jones, Ken Stabler.

Homewood (two appearances): Chris Gray, Evan Mathis.

J.O. Johnson (two appearances): Joey Kent, Rashad Moore.

Murphy (three appearances): Neil Farrell Jr., Jerrel Wilson.

Theodore (two appearances): La’Mical Perine, Etric Pruitt.

Tuscaloosa (six appearances): Bob Baumhower, John Stallworth.

Wenonah (two appearances): Alonzo Ephraim, Joe Webb.

ONE

Abbeville (three appearances): Dave Edwards.

Albertville (one appearance): John Hannah.

Aliceville (one appearance): Walter Jones.

Athens (one appearance): Quez Watkins.

Banks (three appearances): Jeff Rutledge.

B.B. Comer (one appearance): Marcus Knight.

Benjamin Russell (one appearance): Terrell Owens.

Berry (three appearances): Mike Kolen.

Bob Jones (one appearance): Reggie Ragland.

Booker T. Washington (one appearance): Manny Sistrunk.

Briarwood Christian (one appearance): Tim Castille.

Carver-Birmingham (one appearance): Issiac Holt.

Carver-Montgomery (one appearance): Ceasar Belser.

Center Point (one appearance): Rod Rutledge.

Central-Mobile (one appearance): Clifton McNeil.

Clay County (four appearances): Howard Ballard.

Columbia (three appearances): Trey Flowers.

Daphne (one appearance): Eric Lee.

Decatur (one appearance): Jerraud Powers.

Demopolis (one appearance): Robbie Jones.

Edgewood (one appearance): Prince Tega Wanogho.

Elkmont (one appearance): Michael Boley.

Ensley (five appearances): Cornelius Bennett.

Excel (three appearances): Lee Roy Jordan.

Fairhope (three appearances): Leon Lett.

Fort Payne (one appearance): Evan McPherson.

Glenn (one appearance): Bobby Humphrey.

Hillcrest-Evergreen (one appearance): Wayne Frazier.

Holt (one appearance): Kerry Jenkins.

LaFayette (one appearance): Mike Williams.

Lee-Huntsville (one appearance): Darian Stewart.

Leroy (one appearance): Emanuel King.

Madison Academy (one appearance): Jordan Matthews.

Maplesville (one appearance): Tommie Agee.

Mount Olive (one appearance): Oliver Davis.

Muscle Shoals (one appearance): Dennis Homan.

New Hope (two appearances): Howard Cross.

Northview (two appearances): Larry Roberts.

Opelika (one appearance): Daryl Smith.

O.W. Mitchell (one appearance): Billy Shields.

Oxford (on appearance): Kwon Alexander.

Parker (two appearances): Buck Buchanan.

Phillips (one appearance): Jerricho Cotchery.

Pike County (one appearance): Cornelius Griffin.

Pleasant Grove (one appearance): James Bradberry.

Prattville (two appearances): Roman Harper.

Shaw (one appearance): Mike Fuller.

Spain Park (one appearance): Nick Mullens.

S.R. Butler (one appearance): Adam Schreiber.

Stanhope Elmore (two appearances): Antowain Smith.

St. Clair County (one appearance): Dee Ford.

St. Paul’s Episcopal (one appearance): Mark Barron.

Tarrant (one appearance): Mario Addison.

Thomasville (two appearances): Anthony Madison.

Thompson (three appearances): Brandon King.

Ullman (one appearance): Woody Peoples.

Vigor (one appearance): Paul Crane.

West Limestone (one appearance): Reed Blankenship.

Williamson (one appearance): Rich Caster.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.