Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
DALEVILLE, Ala —The Daleville Warhawks opened the 2026 football season Friday night against the Straughn Tigers, but a strong performance on both sides of the ball by Straughn kept Daleville off the scoreboard as the Tigers secured a 29-0 victory.
Daleville battled throughout the game, but the Warhawks were unable to find the end zone against a Straughn defense that refused to give up a score.
Following the game, Daleville Head Coach Maurice Freeman said the team had opportunities to make plays but failed to capitalize defensively.
“Jamboree [is] a game where you are trying to fine-tune things before the season starts,” Freeman said. “We were in position to make plays last night defensively; we just didn’t make them, and it hurt us. We will watch the film and see our mistakes.”
The Tigers also found success offensively, putting together enough scoring drives to build a 29-point advantage while keeping Daleville’s offense from breaking through.
The loss gives Daleville an 0-1 start to the 2026 season.
The matchup was the second consecutive year the Warhawks and Tigers opened their seasons against each other. The teams’ previous meeting came Sept. 5, 2025, when Straughn traveled to Daleville and defeated the Warhawks 36-7. Straughn took a 15-0 lead after the first quarter and extended the advantage to 22-0 by halftime before adding another touchdown in the third quarter.
Daleville finally broke through in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown, but the Tigers added another score to finish with the 36-7 victory.
The 2025 meeting was part of the Class 4A Region 2 schedule. Both teams competed in the same region last season, with Straughn finishing 5-5 overall and 3-4 in region play, while Daleville finished 1-9 overall and 0-7 in the region.
For Daleville, Friday night’s game provided the first test of a new season under Freeman, who entered his third season leading the Warhawks. Straughn entered 2026 with a new head coach, Clint Humphrey, who took over the Tigers’ program after Garrett Windham’s tenure.
Daleville will now turn its attention to Samson, where the Warhawks will face another physical challenge on Friday, Aug. 28.
Freeman said the Warhawks expect Samson to present a similar challenge at the line of scrimmage.
“It’s going to be another game where a team wants to run at you,” Freeman said. “We’re going to have to be good tacklers and get off blocks and get penetration up front with our D-line and linebackers.”
The Warhawks will look to use the week ahead to correct mistakes from the season opener and prepare for their second game of the 2026 campaign.
Derrick Howard plays during Friday’s game against Straughn. (J. Jones, Daleville High School.)
