By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
PRATTVILLE, Ala. --- The MaxPreps Tour of Champions Presented by The Army National Guard made its first stop Thursday, appearing at Prattville High to honor Alabama's 2006 6A football champions.
The ceremony put an exclamation mark on a dream season for the Lions, who ran the table going 15-0 and finished No. 9 in the MaxPreps National Rankings.
Prattville's journey began Sept. 1, opening the season with a 35-14 win over Theodore, and ended with a convincing, 35-21 triumph over state power Hoover in front of over 25,000 fans at Birmingham's venerable Legion Field.
"A lot of work by a lot of players that came before has gone into this," Prattville head coach Bill Clark told the Montgomery Advertiser following the win over Hoover in December. "That was a complete family win. It was a community effort."
The Lions' 2006 state title was the second in school history, with the other coming in 1984.
Prattville's team success resulted in a prestigious individual honor for the team leader, quarterback Larry Smith. The Alabama Sports Writers Association named Smith "Mr. Football" after the 6-2 signal caller threw for 2,465 yards and 21 touchdowns, while adding another 670 yards and five scores on the ground.
Smith and defensive lineman Nick Gentry both earned Class 6A All-State honors by the Birmingham News. Smith is headed to Vanderbilt next season, while Gentry is expected to suit it up for newly-named head coach Nick Saban at Alabama.