PREP CAPSULES (Round 3/AISA FINALS): Championship Friday arrives for AISA
STAFF REPORT
It’s championship time… at least for the AISA.
Three champions will be crowned on Friday at Cramton Bowl as the Alabama Independent School Association completes its season for 2021.
Two of the games feature teams from the River Region with Autauga Academy looking to add to its trophy case for the fourth time in six years against Escambia Academy in the Class AA championship. Lowndes Academy is after the Class A title against Jackson Academy in the day’s first game. Pike Liberal Arts and Tuscaloosa Academy meet in the Class AAA championship in the nightcap.
Escambia and Autauga have faced off in the finals four times but this is the first time at Cramton Bowl. Escambia is making its third straight trip to the finals while Autauga Academy missed the championship last season.
Lowndes has won a couple of state titles but not since 1997. Jackson Academy is looking for its first championship since 2011.
The AHSAA has reached the quarterfinals with three teams from the River Region still alive.
Montgomery Academy and Montgomery Catholic seem to be on another collision course in Class 3A, which would be the second-straight year that happens. But there is work to do in each case with the Eagles facing perennial power T.R. Miller while the Knights face Hillcrest-Evergreen. Both teams have the benefit of being at home on Friday.
Pike Road got past a roadblock that has been a problem the last two years and has made it to the next round where another Mobile-area team awaits in Faith Academy. The Patriots are looking for their first-ever trip to the Class 5A finals. They are two steps away from that goal.
AHSAA Round 3 & AISA Finals
All games begin at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
AISA Class AA Championship
AUTAUGA ACADEMY vs. ESCAMBIA ACADEMY
Friday at Cramton Bowl (3:30 p.m.)
Records: Autauga Aca (12-0) Escambia Aca (10-1)
Last week: Autauga Aca def. Patrician,53-20; Escambia Aca def. Chambers Aca, 37-13
Last meeting: Oct. 8 – Autauga Aca, 31-17
Series: Autauga Aca, 11-5
Championship Appearances (titles): Autauga Aca – 10 (6) Last app. -2019; Escambia Aca – 6 (2) Last app. - 2017
Key Numbers: In the first meeting of the year, QB Robert Rose passed for 3 TDs and Karl Ligon rushed for 219 yards and a TD, handing the Cougars their lone loss of the season.
The skinny: Is it fair to make assumptions based on the first meeting of these two? Considering how potent the Autauga offense is – yes. The Generals have clicked on all cylinders all season. Only one team has held them under 30 points – Munroe Academy, the one in Florida (hence the spelling). Escambia has been good offensively as well, averaging 40 points per contest. But the weapons for Autauga are numerous. Ligon, a transfer from G.W. Carver, is averaging 123 yards per game and has scored 20 touchdowns. Receiver Josh Palmer leads a receiving corps with 38 receptions, 11 of those for scores. Rose, a transfer from Wetumpka, has fit nicely in the Bobby Carr system, passing for almost 2,200 yards and 33 TDs. This is the fifth time these two have met in the finals. Escambia lost to Chambers in last year’s championship but got revenge last week in the semis. Can the Cougars do the same with Autauga? In a word – no. Generals win their seventh title in school history.
PREDICTION: AUTAUGA ACADEMY, 42-28
AISA Class A Championship
JACKSON ACADEMY vs. LOWNDES ACADEMY
Friday at Cramton Bowl (12 p.m.)
Records: Jackson Aca (10-1), Lowndes Aca (10-3)
Last week: Jackson Aca def. Crenshaw Christian, 42-0; Lowndes Aca def. Sparta Aca, 35-20
Last meeting: 2015 – Lowndes, 48-42
Series: Lowndes Aca., 4-2
Championship Appearances (titles): Jackson Aca – 6 (3) Last app.-2011; Lowndes Aca – 7 (2) Last app. - 2008
Key Numbers: The Rebels last lost on Sept. 17 to Sparta Academy, the team they defeated last week to get to the championship game. Jackson and Lowndes have never met in the playoffs.
The skinny: It’s been a while since Lowndes Academy has been in a position to win the state title. Go back to 2008 when the Rebels faced rival Edgewood Academy, losing to the Wildcats, 19-12, in what was Bobby Carr’s first for the program. Art Sullivan was the head coach at Lowndes and the team featured the likes of Anderson Casey, Tyler Bozeman and Brandon Pate. This year’s version will throw it a little more with quarterback Tyler Tyus leading the charge. He had 105 yards in the air last week. Jackson Academy last played for a championship in 2011, beating O.J. Howard and Autauga Academy, 21-0. The Eagles would be considered more defensive oriented, holding opponents to 7.6 points per game. Jackson has been hot, winning five straight but not as hot as Lowndes, which under Shane Moye, has shown a little defense as well, holding three of the last five opponents scoreless. The Rebels are on an eight-game winning streak and that’s too hard to bet against. Rebels get the nod.
PREDICTION: LOWNDES, 20-16
PIKE ROAD at FAITH ACADEMY (5A)
Friday at Rams Field, Mobile
Records: Faith Aca (7-4), Pike Road (11-0)
Last week: Faith def. Central-Clay County, 40-33; Pike Road def. St. Paul’s, 29-17
Last meeting: N/A
Series: First meeting
Next week: Winner faces either UMS-Wright or Andalusia
Key Numbers: Iverson Hooks made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball last week with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown in the win over St. Paul’s.
The skinny: What now? This is a new feeling for the Patriots, who had been stopped in the second round the last two seasons. Is the pressure off? Or is there more? If Patrick Browning is asked, he certainly would say this is what his team prepared for during those summer months. At this stage, it would have been a disappointment not to be playing this weekend considering how dominant this team has been all season. But one issue may pop up in their quest to win the school’s first state title…. Faith has played a very tough schedule including non-region games against playoff contenders Andalusia and Vigor, which is one of the favorites in Class 4A. But the same could be said of St. Paul’s and Pike Road took care of the Saints last week in come-from-behind fashion. The guess here is the pressure is off and Pike Road can relax and play the type of football it is capable, which features an offense that can score at will and a defense with a permanent chip on its shoulder. This will be another close one but Pike Road moves on.
PREDICTION: PIKE ROAD, 31-28
T.R. MILLER at MONTGOMERY ACADEMY (3A)
Friday at McLemore Field
Records: TRM (10-2), MA (9-3)
Last week: Montgomery Aca def. Trinity, 21-17; T.R. Miller def. Opp, 35-14
Last meeting: 2019 – T.R. Miller, 21-14 (2nd Rnd)
Series: TRM leads, 4-1
Next week: Winner faces either Hillcrest-Evergreen or Catholic
Key stat: Jashawn Cooper rushed for 131 yards on 29 carries in MA’s win over Trinity.
The skinny: The T.R. Miller playoff resume is as good as it gets. To prove the point, the Tigers are looking to win their 100th playoff game in school history on Friday. They have a .732 winning percentage in the post season. They have lost just six times in 23 games in the quarterfinals, dating back to 1984. It sounds daunting, but MA has a few items in their favor. Start with the fact that they are at home where the Eagles have been solid this year. They average 30 points offensively (TRM allows just 13 a game). The win over Trinity should give them added confidence. That’s good enough to pick the Eagles to advance.
PREDICTION: MONTGOMERY ACADEMY, 24-16
HILLCREST-EVERGREEN at CATHOLIC (3A)
Friday at Knights Field
Records: Catholic (12-0), Hillcrest (7-5)
Last week: Catholic def Bayside Aca., 31-0; Hillcrest def. Slocomb, 39-37
Last meeting: N/A
Series: First meeting
Next week: Winner faces either T.R. Miller or Montgomery Academy
Key stat: Jeremiah Cobb had 192 yards and two TDs last week. The Knights are in the quarterfinals for the third straight season and fourth time in school history.
The skinny: Pick whatever historic raid to use metaphorically… Sherman’s March; the Roman conquests in the Punic Wars (look it up); the German Blitzkrieg… it all fits what the Knights are doing in the 2021 season. No one has threatened Catholic. Barely anyone has scored on Catholic. They make what the Georgia Bulldogs are doing in college ball look puny. It might have to do with some of the competition, that is until the playoffs are included in the discussion and Catholic has continued to dominate in the first two games – giving up a touchdown. The Knights are scoring at will. They’ve been as close to perfect as a team can get. It might all end at some point – most conquests do – but it won’t be this week. The Knights keep it rolling into the semis.
PREDICTION: CATHOLIC, 50-7
THE REST (outside River Region)
AISA AAA Final: Tuscaloosa Aca over Pike Liberal, 23-21; 7A: Auburn over Central-Phenix City, 28-27; Thompson over Hoover, 24-21; 6A: Hueytown over Opelika, 27-24; Saraland over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 35-31; 5A: UMS-Wright over Andalusia, 31-25; 4A: Handley over Jackson, 24-20; Vigor over American Christian, 40-34; 2A: Lanett over Highland Home, 20-14; 1A: Brantley over Keith, 30-23; Sweet Water over Maplesville, 32-27.
RECORD: Last week 18-8; Season 176-47 (.789)