PREP CAPSULES (AHSAA Semis): Teams are one step away from a Super 7 berth

STAFF REPORT

Two teams from the River Region remain in the AHSAA playoffs.

Pike Road and Catholic were here last season. The Knights were the only ones to advance where they won a state title in Class 4A.

Now, they are looking to do the same in Class 5A and face one of the perennial favorites in Vigor.

PIke Road has a familiar foe in Saraland, which eliminated the Patriots last season. But this one is at home and that could make the difference.

All seven championship matchups will be decided this week with the winners headed to Birmingham beginning Wednesday, Dec. 4.

AHSAA PLAYOFFS - SEMIFINAL ROUND

Games begin FRIDAY at 7 p.m. unless stated otherwise.

CLASS 6A

(1st-R1) SARALAND (12-0) at (1st-R2) PIKE ROAD (10-3) – This is the story of the “new” football in the state of Alabama. There was a time when any championships won would go through the likes of Murphy, Vigor and Daphne among the big schools in the Mobile area. Now it’s Spanish Fort, St. Paul’s and Saraland (yeah, Vigor is still winning and faces Catholic, which we will get to). The River Region was about Prattville, R.E. Lee, Jeff Davis and, on occasion, Lanier. You might see Stanhope Elmore make some noise. Now, it’s PIke Road while MPS schools, for the most part, struggle to matter. It’s not unusual to see the outer banks improve since the population tends to populate the outskirts of cities. It’s happening everywhere. So, why is it a surprise to see these two battling again in the 6A semifinals? In Saraland’s case, it’s not. The Spartans have played for a championship the last two years, winning their first in 2022. They reached the semifinals four other times and that included a berth in the title game back in ‘14, their first in their young history. All of their success has basically been under one coach - Jeff Kelly. Pike Road is making its third trip to the semis in its short history. Last year, the two finally met with the Spartans winning convincingly. The setup this time is similar with Saraland having a perfect season to this point while Pike Road has had to scratch and claw to get here. Few expected the Patriots to make the semis last year. Maybe there was similar sentiment this year but in reality it’s no secret they are playing their best ball right now and it started late in the regular season. They needed a field goal on the final play to beat Hueytown and advance. Deja Vu… They won a quarterfinal game last year against Benjamin Russell in the same fashion. That might seem weird but it sets up a eerily familiar game this week. Saraland has one of the top quarterbacks in the state in KJ Lacey, a dual threat as they found out last year in the loss. How Pike Road counters that will be a mystery but they’ve found ways to beat those type of quarterbacks before. Turnovers may be the answer and if the Patriots record two or three they have a chance. But this is a similar animal as last year which means a probable repeat result. SARALAND, 28-20.

CLASS 5A

(1st-R1) VIGOR (12-1) at (1st-R2) CATHOLIC (12-0) – Speaking of old vs. new, this one has that feel of the young gun taking on the old sharpshooter. For those who haven’t been around for the last 30 years, Vigor is Mobile-area royalty among high school programs. It produced great players such as Scott Hunter (QB-Alabama); Willie Anderson (OL-Auburn); Lectron Williams (RB-Auburn); Roosevelt Patterson (OL-Alabama) and maybe the best of the bunch, Robert Brazile (NFL Hall of Famer). True, none of those players will return and dress out Friday, but the sentiment is there. Vigor last won a championship in 2021 but before that it had not won since 2008 under Kerry Stephenson, who later became part of Nick Saban’s coaching staff at Alabama. The program has been through five coaches since he left. John McKenzie is back after spending two years as the program’s head coach in 2020-21. Apparently he has found the right mixture to put the Wolves in position to return to the Super 7 for the first time since he led them to that title in ‘21. But Catholic doesn’t seem fazed by tradition. They had to work to beat Danny Horn and Central-Clay County last week but got the big plays when it needed it. Although they moved up a class this year, that hasn’t bothered them, either. Talent-wise, Catholic will match anybody, Vigor included. Good news for the Knights is they don’t have to travel south to Pritchard, which has been a difficult place to play for River Region teams in the last few years. It’s been a while but local teams are 2-4 in the playoffs since 2004. That said, Catholic seems prime to make it back to the Super 7 and with the idea that few expect them to get past the Wolves, the appetite to prove the naysayers wrong is strong. Young gun wins. CATHOLIC, 28-25.

OTHERS

6A: Oxford over Parker, 25-20; 5A: Leeds over Moody, 27-21; 4A: Jackson over St. Michael, 31-15; Cherokee Co over West Morgan, 28-27; 3A: Piedmont over Mars Hill, 35-32; Houston Aca over Southside-Selma, 26-20; 2A: Reeltown over Highland Home, 23-21; Tuscaloosa Aca over Sulligent, 30-21; 1A: Elba over Maplesville, 33-13; Wadley over Hackleburg, 27-23.

SEASON COMPLETED: G.W. Carver; JAG; Park Crossing; Prattville; Stanhope Elmore; Marbury; Prattville Christian; Billingsley; Autaugaville; Edgewood Academy; Hooper Academy; Percy Julian; Wetumpka, Holtville; Elmore County; St. James; Autauga Academy; Valiant Cross; ; Alabama Christian; Trinity; Montgomery Academy; Montgomery Academy; Evangel Christian; Macon East; Lowndes Academy; Tallassee.

RECORD: Last week 12-4; Season 232-72 (.763)