Friday Night Lights Radio Ready For Final 4 Games
It’s time for high school playoff semifinal football in the state of Alabama!
Please tune in to Tide 100.9FM and the app Friday 6-9 pm. CT as myself, Jacob Harrison and producer James Ludeman keep you posted on the six “Final Four” playoff games going on. We will be concentrating on West Alabama but also the rest of the state.
Speaking of West Alabama, a tough road loss at Etowah ended a Cinderella season, meaning the Northside Rams and retiring coach Chris Hillier are done in 2020. Hats off for a great year.
However, area teams Gordo, American Christian and Pickens County all survived and advanced to the semifinals of the AHSAA playoffs. It’s down to the nitty gritty for the three teams if they want to catch the elusive “Blue Map.” That means playing next week at Bryant-Denny Stadium Talk about incentive!
We’ll be covering in person these West Alabama contests with live call-ins:
Handley Tigers [10-1] at American Christian Patriots [13-0]
After a big test against a tough Mobile Christian team, ACA bounced back and won handily at
“the other ACA,” Alabama Christian of Montgomery.
An Alabama Christian, a team that was averaging 35 points a game only scored seven. This was the lowest amount of points allowed by the Patriots’ defense all season.
The visitors from Roanoke, Ala may in some trouble. The Tigers are only averaging 27 points a game. On defense, Handley has played well. They’ve allowed an average of 10.9 points a game, and held opponents scoreless twice.
The winner of this matchup will travel to Tuscaloosa for the 4A State Championship against the winner of Etowah/Gordo. The game will be played Friday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. Speaking of which,
No. 1 Gordo Green Wave [12-1] at Etowah Blue Devils [9-3]
This is quite the intriguing matchup. Etowah, a team that looks to be able to challenge Gordo, is averaging about 32 points a game.
Yet and still the main attraction in this semifinal matchup will surely be quarterback Tanner Bailey who since returning from an injury has been EN FUEGO. Last week in a home win over West Limestone, Bailey accounted for six total touchdowns five via the air.
If Gordo’s defense plays as well as it has in recent weeks and Bailey gets opportunities to make plays, the Green Wave could be returning to the state title game for the first time since 2001.
The winner of this game will take on the winner of the Handley/ACA game in the 4A State Championship. It could very well be an all West Alabama title tilt.
Pickens County Tornadoes [10-3] at Berry Wildcats [11-1]
I cannot let the fact I served as play-by-play man for Berry in 1987 cloud my thinking here, mainly because I’m a fan of Michael Williams, a former Bama and NFL player now coaching his alma mater in PCHS.
These teams are region foes and know each other quite well. Pickens County will be up for a big challenge. In Week 8, the Tornadoes lost their only region game to the Wildcats 29-28. That was just the second time Berry has taken down Pickens County.
Because it’s hard to beat a team twice in one season, the odds might favor the Tornadoes.
The Tornadoes have managed 121 points in three playoff games- about 40 per game. While they haven’t been lights out, the PC defense has been steady, only allowing about 20 points a game.
Thing is, Berry has been on an offensive upswing as well. Scoring around 40 points a game themselves has led to five wins in a row by over 10 points.
The winner of this game will advance to the 1A State Championship in Bryant-Denny against the winner of Linden/Brantley. This game will kick off at 2:45 Thursday, Dec. 3.
Here’s a full list of this week’s semifinal games including the 7A final next week:
CLASS 1A
Brantley (13-0) at Linden (13-0)
Pickens County (10-3) at Berry (11-1)
CLASS 2A
Abbeville (11-1) at Leroy (11-1)
Spring Garden (12-1) at Mars Hill Bible (11-2)
CLASS 3A
Montgomery Catholic (11-2) at Montgomery Academy (13-0)
Piedmont (12-1) at Fyffe (13-0)
CLASS 4A
Handley (11-1) at American Christian (13-0)
Gordo (12-1) at Etowah (10-2)
CLASS 5A
Faith Academy (12-1) at St. Paul’s Episcopal (13-0)
Pleasant Grove (10-2) at Ramsay (12-0), Legion Field
CLASS 6A
Saraland (11-2) at Spanish Fort (10-3)
Mountain Brook (12-1) at Pinson Valley (10-2)
CLASS 7A Finals
Thompson (13-0) vs. Auburn (11-1), Wed., Dec. 2, Bryant-Denny Stadium, 7 p.m.
Join myself, co-host Harrison and produce Ludeman Friday night from 6-9 p.m. CT for Friday Night Lights radio. We’ll talk Iron Bowl, SEC and the NFL, too. It’s a Pigskin Paradise!
Bryant Horne of Tide 100.9 FM contributed to this story.
