08/28/2026
SHADES VALLEY 2026 FOOTBALL SEASON (0-0, 1-0)
GAME TWO - THE MORTIMER JORDAN GAME
==LAST GAME==
- Shades Valley defeated JAG, 20-7, in the opening game of the 2026 season, on August 21, 2026.
==NEXT GAME/ SERIES NOTES==
- HOME vs. Mortimer Jordan (0-0, 1-0) on August 28.
- Shades Valley leads the series between the teams 20-1-3.
- Shades Valley most points in a series game was 60 in 1945, and biggest win was 52 that same game.
- Mortimer Jordan most points in a series game was 33 in 1929, and biggest win was 33 that same game.
- Shades Valley is averaging 20 points scored per game this season, while giving up 7.
- Mortimer Jordan is averaging 41 points scored per game this season, while giving up 0.
- Shades Valley has had a 10 game winning streak in the series.
- Mortimer Jordan has only won one game in the series.
- Shades Valley won 38-12 in the last game between the teams in 1949.
- Shades Valley finished the 2025 season 2-8, 1-5 in Class 6A Region 6, finishing in sixth place.
- Shades Valley‘s head coach is George Bates, in his second year.
- Shades Valley’s overall record in their 106th season is 558-448-34.
==SHADES VALLEY'S HEAD COACH==
Shades Valley's head coach is George Bates, in his second season. Bates is the 23rd head coach in Mounties history. Bates' record in his first season at Valley was 2-8. Bates came to Shades Valley from Center Point, after seven seasons as the Eagles' head coach and athletic director. The Midfield product compiled a 52-30 record there, leading the Eagles to seven consecutive playoff appearances (every season there) and making two trips to the quarterfinals. Bates went to Midfield High School and played college ball at West Alabama. At West Alabama, Bates played defense under defensive backs coach and former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt, and was a 1999 USA Football All-American Second Team selection and three-time All-Gulf South safety. Bates took his first head coaching job in 2012, when he was hired at Parker. Bates led Parker to the playoffs in 2013, the first time the Herd had reached the postseason in four years. Parker's first-round win over Scottsboro was the program's first postseason victory since 2005, and its first road playoff win since 1998. The Herd had a 12-10 record in two seasons with Bates as its coach. He left Parker for Minor in 2014. In three seasons at Minor, Bates went 26-11 and made the playoffs each year. During the last two seasons, the Tigers advanced to the third round of the state playoffs. He was let go at Minor after the 2016 season, and became head coach at Woodlawn for the 2017 season, going 1-9. Bates holds a 94-68 overall record over fourteen seasons at Parker, Minor, Woodlawn, Center Point & Shades Valley.
==PREVIOUS WEEK RECAP==
The Mounties would open the season facing a team two classes above them, in the J.A.G. Jaguars. The Jaguars previously were known as the Jeff Davis Volunteers, but were renamed for three civil rights leaders. The teams have met three previous times, with the Jaguars holding a 2-0-1 series lead. Valley would receive the opening kickoff, and would quickly punt it to the Jaguars. The Jags would sprint off a 29-yard run, but would end up turning the ball over on downs. Valley would take over at their 34, and would methodically march down the field, culminating with an eight-yard touchdown run by Kourtney Moore. The extra point would fail, and the Mounties would lead 6-0, which would be how the first quarter ended. The Jags would gain a first down, but end up punting. The Mounties would fumble right back. The Jags would gain another first down, but would again punt it back to Valley. Another Valley punt would give the ball to the Jags at their 39. A holding penalty would move the ball backwards, and on the next play the Jags would fumble, and the Mounties' Mekhi Thomas would scoop the ball up and run it in from 20-yards out. The extra point was good, and Valley extended their lead to 13-0. The Jags would take the kickoff at their 32. A flea-flicker pass would put the ball at the Valley 16. The Jaguar quarterback would keep the ball and run it to the six. Valley would then intercept the ball in the end zone. The Mounties would go into halftime, up 13-0. The Jaguars would start the second half returning the kickoff to midfield. A penalty on Valley would move the ball to their 30. A few plays later, the Jags would run it in from 16-yards out, and with the extra point, would trim the Mountie lead to 13-7. Valley would then start at their 40, but the Mounties couldn't escape the penalties, and punted. The Jaguars would fumble and the Mounties would recover on the Jaguar 25. A 36-yard field goal attempt would be no good. The Jaguars would be stopped by a turnover on downs, giving the Mounties the ball at the Jaguar 41. The quarter would end with Valley ahead, 13-7. Kelser would connect with Kam Harris for 23-yards down to the 18. The drive culminated with a missed 35-yard field goal attempt. The Jaguars would punt right back, giving Valley possession at their 48. A few plays later, Kelser would throw a 53-yard bomb to the Jaguar 6. Two plays later, Moore would run six yards for his second touchdown, and with the successful extra point, Valley would extend its lead to 20-7. The teams would trade the ball back and forth for the rest of the game, running the time off the clock. Shades Valley opened its season with a victory for the second straight season. After the game, Shades Valley head coach George Bates commented 'First game jitters got the best of us early on. Glad we kept playing hard to overcome penalties, turnovers and missed kicks. We have a week to improve so we are going to learn and right those wrongs.'
==OPPONENT PREVIEW==
This week Shades Valley remains at home, hosting an old county rival, in the Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils. Mortimer Jordan comes into the game 1-0, after a 41-0 season opening win over Fultondale. In 2025, Mortimer Jordan was 4-7 overall and 3-3 in Class 6A Region 5, finishing third in the region. Jordan's wins were over Cullman, Gardendale, Jackson-Olin, and Minor. Jordan fell in the first round of the 6A playoffs to Mountain Brook. Mortimer Jordan's head coach is Heath Lauderdale, in his third season with the Blue Devils and eighth season as a head coach overall. Lauderdale was the head coach at Susan Moore from 2017 to 2021, leading the Bulldogs to a 31-22 record and two playoff appearances in five seasons. Overall, Lauderdale is 39-37 as a head coach, counting his 8-15 record at Jordan. Lauderdale has never met Shades Valley as a head coach, while SV's Bates has never met Mortimer Jordan. Bates and Lauderdale have never met head-to-head.
==OPPONENT BACKGROUND / SERIES HIGHLIGHTS==
Mortimer Jordan opened in 1920, fielding its first football team in the fall of that year. The school was named after Captain Mortimer Harvie Jordan, a war hero who lost his life in World War I. He was a soldier, officer, and physician. As commanding officer of Company K, 167th Infantry, 42nd "Rainbow Division," Alabama Army National Guard, he was mortally wounded while leading his sector in battle. He died of his wounds in 1918 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Overall, Mortimer Jordan has a record of 437-535-31, with six region titles in 105 seasons of playing football. The series with Mortimer Jordan dates back to 1923, with Shades Valley holding a 20-1-3 series record over the Blue Devils. The teams have not met in 77 years, but from 1928 to 1949, they met for 21 straight seasons. Shades-Cahaba star back Mackey McCoy was the Mortimer Jordan head coach from 1947-49, facing his alma mater all three seasons. Shades-Cahaba's 60-8 win in 1945 against Jordan was the most points scored by the Mounties for 67 years, until the 2012 squad scored 61 against Gardendale. Against the Blue Devils, Shades Valley holds a 13-0-1 record at their Cahaba home, a 2-0-1 record at Mortimer Jordan, and an 0-1 record at Legion Field.
==REGION 5/PLAYOFF PAIRINGS==
Shades Valley will compete in Class 4A, Region 5, which consists of Carver-Birmingham, Center Point, Dora, Fairfield, Oak Grove, Shades Valley, Wenonah & Woodlawn. The region is paired with Region 8 in the first round of the playoffs. Region 8 consists of Brewer, Cherokee County, Crossville, Fairview, Good Hope, Guntersville, Hayden, Sardis & Scottsboro. The 4A state championship game will be played on Thursday, December 3, at 7 PM at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
==SCORES FROM GAMES INVOLVING REGION 5 TEAMS IN WEEK 1==
Shades Valley 20 JAG 7
Selma 62 Carver-Birmingham 0
Central-Tuscaloosa 27 Center Point 0
3A #10 Corner 42 Dora 0
Fairfield 34 Midfield 8
Oak Grove 41 Alabama Christian 30
Calera 24 Wenonah 14
Park Crossing 21 Woodlawn 8
*region game
==UPCOMING GAMES INVOLVING REGION 5 TEAMS IN WEEK 2==
Mortimer Jordan at Shades Valley
Francis Marion at Carver-Birmingham
Fultondale at Center Point
Oakman at Dora
Jackson-Olin 32 Fairfield 23
Winfield at Oak Grove
Wenonah at Pelham
Woodlawn at Paul Bryant
*region game
==2026 REGION 5 STANDINGS==
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TEAM REGION OVERALL PF PA
Oak Grove 0-0 1-0 41 30
Shades Valley 0-0 1-0 20 7
Fairfield 0-0 1-1 57 40
Carver-Bham 0-0 0-1 0 62
Center Point 0-0 0-1 0 27
Dora 0-0 0-1 0 42
Wenonah 0-0 0-1 14 24
Woodlawn 0-0 0-1 8 21
==2026 REGION 8 STANDINGS==
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TEAM REGION OVERALL PF PA
Crossville 0-0 1-0 24 13
Fairview 0-0 1-0 27 19
Scottsboro 0-0 1-0 20 14
Cherokee Co 0-0 0-0 0 0
Brewer 0-0 0-1 0 46
Good Hope 0-0 0-1 24 31
Guntersville 0-0 0-1 0 14
Hayden 0-0 0-1 8 35
Sardis 0-0 0-1 0 40
