RON INGRAM, AHSAA - MONTGOMERY, AL – Seven schools qualifying as fourth seeds knocked off region champions in the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association state football playoffs and moved into the second round Friday (Nov. 16). All games are scheduled for 7 p.m. except one, Central of Clay County versus Charles Henderson of Troy. That game will be played Thursday at Troy University’s Memorial Stadium due to a scheduling conflict on Friday.
Class 1A, Region 5 fourth seed Hubbertville (8-3) knocked off unbeaten Region 6 champion Ragland and will host Spring Garden (9-2). In Class 3A, Region 1 fourth seed Straughn (7-3) ousted Region 2 champ Daleville, 10-0 in the regular season. The Tigers will host Trinity Presbyterian (9-2).
Region 8 fourth seed Colbert County (7-4) downed unbeaten Hamilton, the Region 7 champs, and will host Sylvania (9-2) in round two. In Class 4A, Region six fourth seed St. Clair County (6-5) hosts J.O. Johnson (10-1) Friday after knocking off Region 5 champion Alexandria. In Class 5A, three fourth seeds beat region champions as Region 4’s Briarwood Christian (5-6) stopped Region 3 winner and last year’s 4A state champion Jackson; Region 3's Greenville (6-5) topped Region 4 champ Homewood; and Region 8's Hartselle (7-4), the defending 5A state champs, beat Region 7 winner Fort Payne, unbeaten at 10-0 entering the playoffs.
Briarwood hosts Vigor (9-2), Greenville will be at home against St. Paul’s (9-2) and Hartselle will be at home against Wenonah (10-1).
In addition to the seven fourth seeds advancing, 23 third seeds knocked off second seeds among the 96 teams advancing to round two. In addition to last year’s 4A champion Jackson falling in round one, defending Class 2A champ Elba lost to Aliceville.
Along with defending 5A champ Hartselle, 2011 3A state champion Handley (7-4) advanced to round two in Class 4A with a win over Calera and defending 1A state champion Marion County (10-1) beat Meek to move forward in Class 1A.
A total of 10 unbeaten teams advanced to the second round: Class 1A: Brantley (11-0) and Cedar Bluff (10-0); Class 2A: Fyffe (11-0) and Tanner (10-0); Class 3A: Piedmont (11-0); Class 4A: Oneonta (11-0); Class 5A: McAdory (11-0), and Muscle Shoals (11-0); Class 6A: McGill-Toolen (11-0) and Hoover (11-0).
The quarterfinal round playoff games are scheduled Friday, Nov. 23, followed by the semifinals Nov. 30 and the Super 6 state finals Dec. 6-7 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the campus of Auburn University.
AHSAA Football State Playoff Pairings
Second Round (Nov. 16)
Class 1A
Linden (10-1) at St. Jude (7-4), Montgomery
Brantley (11-0) at Billingsley (8-3)
St. Luke’s Episcopal (9-2) at Maplesville (10-1)
Notasulga (8-3) at McIntosh (6-5)
Marion County (10-1) at R.A. Hubbard (7-4), Courtland
Spring Garden (9-2) at Hubbertville (8-3)
Pickens County (9-2) at Cedar Bluff (10-0)
Hackleburg (10-1) at Berry (7-4)
Class 2A
Sweet Water (9-2) at Aliceville (7-4)
Lamar County (9-2) at G.W. Long (10-1), Skipperville
Washington County (910-1) at Luverne (8-2)
Oakman (10-1) at Mobile Christian (8-3)
Reeltown (10-1) at Sheffield (6-5)
Red Bay (8-3) at Woodland (9-2)
Fyffe (11-0) at Fultondale (9-2)
Walter Wellborn (9-2) at Tanner (10-0)
Class 3A
T.R. Miller (10-1) at Midfield (7-4)
Trinity Presbyterian (9-2) at Straughn (7-3)
W.S. Neal (9-2) at Fayette County (9-2), Fayette
Leeds (10-1) at Bayside Academy (7-4), Daphne
Piedmont (11-0) at Deshler (8-3), Tuscumbia
Lauderdale County (10-1) at Geraldine (9-2)
Sylvania (9-2) at Colbert County (7-4), Leighton
Plainview (9-2) at Madison Academy (8-2)
Class 4A
Dadeville (10-1) at UMS-Wright (9-2), Mobile
Beauregard (10-1) at Handley (7-4), Roanoke
Central of Clay County (10-1) at Charles Henderson (8-3), Thursday, Troy U. Memorial Stadium, Troy
Tallassee (9-2) at Dora (10-1)
J.O. Johnson (10-1) at St. Clair County (6-5), Odenville
Oneonta (11-0) at North Jackson (7-4), Stevenson
Lincoln (6-5) at Madison County (10-1), Gurley
Brooks (10-1) at Munford (8-3)
Class 5A
Demopolis (8-2) at Spanish Fort (10-1)
Chilton County (10-1) at Benjamin Russell (10-1), Alexander City
Vigor (9-2) at Briarwood Christian (5-6)
St. Paul’s (9-2) at Greenville (6-5)
McAdory (11-0) at Russellville (9-2)
Cullman (9-2) at Walker (8-3), Jasper
Wenonah (10-1) at Hartselle (7-4)
Pinson Valley (8-3) at Muscle Shoals (11-0)
Class 6A
Auburn (10-1) at McGill-Toolen (11-0), Mobile
Daphne (9-2) at Opelika (7-4)
Carver-Montgomery (10-1) at Fairhope (8-3)
Foley (8-3) at Spain Park (9-2), Hoover
Pell City (7-4) at Hoover (11-0)
Vestavia Hills (9-2) at Huntsville (7-4), Milton Frank Stadium
Tuscaloosa County (9-2) at Clay-Chalkville (10-1)
Mountain Brook (10-1) at Bob Jones (8-3), Madison
