Sports
One region game remains; playoff picture begins to clear
By Griffin Pritchard
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With two weeks left in the regular season — the postseason for both AHSAA and AISA is scheduled to start Nov. 7 — the playoff puzzle is beginning to come together.
In 6A Region 4 Prattville (7-1, 6-0) and Wetumpka (6-2, 4-1) have secured first-round home dates to start the postseason. Wetumpka still has a region game left against Jeff Davis (0-8, 0-5) and will end its season against Central-Phenix City (4-4, 3-3) which lost to Stanhope Elmore in Week 5.
The Mustangs (6-2, 3-2), whose losses are to Wetumpka and Prattville, could clinch the third spot in the region with a win over Benjamin Russell (3-5, 2-3) in Alex City Friday night.
The fourth spot in the region, however, could go to the Sidney Lanier Poets (3-5, 2-3) who defeated Benjamin Russell earlier in the year.
“We aren’t good enough to look ahead,” said Chad Anderson, coach of the Wetumpka Indians.
“Right now, our focus is on Jeff Davis. I wish I would have known the region pairings, I wouldn’t have scheduled two teams from Region 3 in the regular season.”
Since becoming a 6A school, Wetumpka’s postseason opponents have been from the Mobile area.
But with the Alabama High School Athletic Association announcing earlier in the year that it was changing playoff pairing, Region 4’s top four will match up with Region 3’s top four.
“I know that we are going to see a different style of football,” said Anderson. “Teams from the Mobile area tend to spread it out and throw it around.”
I know that Auburn does that and Opelika has starting doing that. But you are going teams from this region tend to have one dominant running back.”
As it stands right now, the Lions and the Indians will host either Enterprise (5-3, 3-3), Smiths Station (5-3, 3-3) or Central-Phenix City depending on how the final week or region play shakes out. Enterprise, currently at No. 3 in Region 3, defeated Smiths Station during Week 7. The Panthers will host the Red Devils Friday night.
The Enterprise Wildcats will host Russell County (2-6, 0-6) in the final region game of the year.
“There are still some things that need to shake out before we know who’s going where,” said Anderson. “I’m just glad that we are at home in the first round.”
In 5A, Tallassee (7-1, 5-1) has locked a first-round home game and will play Valley (7-1, 6-0) Friday night for the 5A Region 2 crown. Eufaula (5-3, 4-2) has the No. 3 spot clinched and will more than likely travel to Spanish Fort (7-1, 5-1) in the first round of the AHSAA playoffs.
Tallassee will more than likely host Citronelle (5-3, 4-2) in the postseason’s opening round.
Elmore County, with a blow-out win over Opp last week has secured the 4A Region 2 crown. The Panthers (7-1, 6-0) will either host Clarke County or B.C. Rain (both 3-5, 3-3) in the first round of the playoffs.
“They have revised the playoff brackets this year and I know we are home first round and if we win, we’ll be home second round,” said Norman Dean, coach of the Panthers. “It looks like either B.C. Rain or Clarke County. But, Thomasville plays Jackson Friday. The winner of that will more than likely be region champion. If Thomasville loses, they are more than likely going to be No. 2. But if Jackson loses, they could fall down to three or four.”
That drastic of a fall could change the dynamic of the playoff picture for the Panthers. “I know Thomasville, I’ve seen them before,” said Dean. “UMS-Wright has put us out of the playoffs before, but I don’t know anything about Jackson or Clarke County.”
On the other side of the county, Holtville is making history. Under the guidance of first-year coach Barry Gibson, the Bulldogs have earned a playoff berth for the first time since moving into Class 4A.
“It’s a new experience for our kids, for our community. A lot of schools will end their season in two weeks and we are still going to be playing. That’s great,” said Gibson. “I’m really anxious to see how we handle this and to see how the players respond in doing something like this for the first time. The opportunity to go is very important for us and for this community and school. It’s a great feeling knowing that we have accomplished one of our goals that we set back in March when I got here.”
Holtville, Region 2’s No. 4 finisher, will travel in the first round and will face the Region 1 champion.
“I know that win or lose Friday night (against Elmore County) we are going somewhere in the Mobile area for the first round,” said Gibson. “But with the schedule that we have leading up to the playoffs, I know that if we can stay healthy we are going to be ready for whoever we draw.”
Holtville will travel to one-loss Elmore County Friday and then end their season against one-loss Tallassee Oct. 31.
“This is our playoffs, we are using these two weeks to help get us ready for the playoffs. It’s going to be up to our players to decide how much noise they want to make once they get there,” said Gibson. “I think our guys are going to come out and play hard and compete. I don’t expect anything less from them.”
In the Alabama Independent School Association, the No. 2 Edgewood Academy Wildcats seem to be on a collision course with No. 1 Monroe Academy
“It may look that way, but we’ve got to get through a very tough Clarke Prep team in the first round,” said Bobby Carr, coach of the Wildcats.
Edgewood, who ended 2007 with a 3-7 mark, are Class AA Region 1 champions and will host the first round of the playoffs Nov. 7. Their opponent, will more than likely be Clarke Prep School from Grove Hill, Region 2’s No. 4 finisher.
“They barely lost to Southern and I don’t know how they lost to Pickens Academy,” said Carr. “Other than getting beat by Monroe, they have been in every game they’ve played.”
Lowndes Academy will host Pickens Academy in the first round. Monroe and Southern, the No. 1 and No. 2 finisher in Region 2 will host either Autauga or Shelby, depending on how they finish the season.
“Our guys are used to only having to play a half of football,” said Carr. “I don’t know how they are going to react if they get in a situation when they have to dig in and play four quarters. That’s something that we haven’t had to do this season but we will have to do in the playoffs. I’m trying to warn our players about getting over-confident. That’s when the letdown happens and my biggest fear is that happening in the first round of the playoffs. We’ve got to work on Edgewood getting better each week.”
Both the AISA and the AHSAA have two weeks left on their schedule and this week, the ninth of the season, marks the final region game of the year. The playoff picture, while coming into view, should move more into focus, if not completely clear, after Friday night.
