14 Unbeaten Teams Enter Football Playoffs
Fourteen high school football teams take unbeaten records into the 2009 AHSAA state football playoffs, which begin this week with 96 first-round games on tap.
In addition, all six defending state champions return – with Prattville (8-2), Leroy (8-2) and Sweet Water (9-1) seeking their fourth consecutive state crowns in Class 6A, 2A and 1A, respectively. Class 4A 2008 champ UMS-Wright (8-2) and Class 5A defending champ Vigor (7-3), which emerged as Region 1 champion from a rare five-team tie for first place, also are in the 2009 field.
Among the unbeaten teams is Elba, 10-0 in the regular season for the first time since 1955 – 54 years ago. Head coach Scott Rials said the 10-0 season has been made even more special because of that magic No. 54. “We had a player on our team, Keith Rogers, who was killed last spring. He wore the No. 54 for us which makes this very special,” he said.
Elba went 9-0 in the regular season in 1984 and won one playoff game to go 10-0 before finally exiting the playoffs. The Region 3 champion Tigers open the Class 2A state playoffs Friday night at home against Excel (6-4) at 7 p.m.
Also unbeaten are Class 4A playoff teams Handley and Bibb County. Both finished the regular season 10-0. Handley is coached by Mike Battles, Sr., while Bibb County is coached by his son, Mike Battles, Jr.
Undefeated teams through the regular season in the 2009 field include: Class 1A: Linden (10-0) and Hackleburg (10-0); Class 2A: Elba (10-0) and Lamar County (10-0); Class 3A: Pike County (9-0), Trinity (9-0) and Madison Academy (10-0); Class 4A: Bibb County (10-0), Cherokee County (10-0) and Handley (10-0) ; Class 5A: Greenville (10-0) and Cullman (10-0); Class 6A: Auburn (10-0) and Fairhope (10-0).
This year’ playoffs mark the 26th year since the six-classification format was introduced in 1984. A four-class format was used during the first 20 years of the playoff that began in 1966.
The top four finishers from each of the eight regions are paired in a 32-team, rotating bracket by classification for the five rounds of the competition. All games this week kick off at 7 p.m., with all first-round games but one scheduled for Friday night. The Foley (5-5) vs Davidson (8-2) Class 6A first-round contest will be played Thursday night at the Lipscomb Complex in Mobile. All other first-round games are scheduled for Friday night.
First-round games this week will feature region winners and runners-up hosting the fourth- and third-place finishers.
Second-round games are scheduled for Nov. 13, the quarterfinals are Nov. 20, the semifinals are set for Nov. 27 and the Super 6 state finals will be Dec. 3-4 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.