Muscle Shoals Marches to Second Round

All Trojans.....in the fourth quarter.  After falling behind 14-0 the Trojans fought their way into a tie game only to see one play put them down again.  Muscle Shoals was in unfamiliar territory down 21-14 at the half.  The third quarter found the Trojans take a 10 point lead but had it cut to 31-27 by mid 4th Q.  On the kickoff Devan Sullivan ran about 160 yards all over the field in order to get inside the Chelsea 10.  Then the Trojans punched it in.  A Levi Fell interception and another TD  put the game away.  Junior RB Tyler Jackson led the Trojans rushing attack that gained 378 yards by getting 190 himself with 2 TD's.  Dee Liner and Zach Mize led the defense with 14 tackles each while Ethon Felton had 13.  In addition to Fells' interception he batted 5 balls down and contributed 5 tackles as well.  The Trojans finish the game 55-20 winners and will host Cullman next week in Round 2!

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Sheffield Moves To Round Two

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Colbert Heights Season Ends

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Shoals Christian Advances

Chandler Russ leads Flame into Round Two with over 200 yards rushing.  The Flame advance by winning 55-20 after being down 12-6 early.

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5A Preview

Muscle Shoals Trojans vs Chelsea Hornets

The Trojans have talked a lot this year about firsts.  Starting new traditions.  In their 50 year football history they have only advanced past the first round 3 times. They had a great season - now they want to advance in the playoffs.  They don't want to just be good locally but be recognized statewide.  This team has all the tools to do just that.  They are 9-1 with an unblemished region record.  They are averaging over 41 points per game while the defense is allowing under 10. Only one 5A school scored more than 7 points against the Trojans all year long.  Few teams across the state have dominated the competition as they have.  The Hornets are 7-3 with all three losses being region games.  They too score alot (36 per game)  but have allowed over 20 ppg.  That could easily be the difference on Friday.  The Trojan running game has three players at 75+ yards per game.  Too much offense - and WAY to much defense.  Advantage - Muscle Shoals Trojans by 20+

Russellville Golden Tigers at Center Point Eagles
The Golden Tigers enter the playoffs in an unfamiliar position.  They are decided underdogs.  After finishing the year 5-5 they will have their hands full with the 9-1 Eagles.  Russellville scored 25 ppg - unfortunately they allowed around 24 ppg.  The Eagles lone loss was to powerhouse Briarwood Christian.  Center Point has outscored their opponents 35 - 12 on average.  The Tigers will have to play their best football of the year in order to pull off the upset.  Its high school football....anything can happen but... Advantage - Center Point Eagles by 10

3A Playoff Preview

3A

Lauderdale County Tigers vs Holly Pond Broncos
Its hard to imagine a team playing any better than the Tigers are right now.  They have only allowed 3 points since September 23rd.  ITS NOVEMBER!!!  Amazing.  In their last 5 games they have outscored opponents 183 - 3.  Wow.  The season started with a powerful running attack and adequate defense.  Now they are a great defense with a strong running game.  They are 9-1 on the season.  Holly Pond finishes the year 5-5.  They have actually given up more points this season than they have scored.  They are on a 4 game winning streak.  Too bad it will end Friday night and it could be ugly.  Advantage - LCHS by 20+

 Sheffield Bulldogs vs Cordova Blue Devils
What a great season for the Bulldogs and first year Coach Hufstedler.  8-2 and a 2nd place finish in the region.  The Bulldogs defense has allowed only 12 points per game while scoring over 22.  The combination of a rushing and passing attack make them tough for teams to defend.  The defense only allowed region champions LCHS to score more than 7 points.  Cordova is a tough draw for a first round game as they have won 4 region titles in the past 6 years with a state championship in 2007.  These guys expect to win.  This year though they were only 6-4 with opponents scoring as many points as they did on the season.  2 of the losses are to non-region 4A and 5A opponents Dora and Curry.  The other 2 were to the top 2 teams in their region.  They haven't been beaten by a weak team.  The Bulldogs will have to show up in a big way to come away with a win.  Advantage - Sheffield Bulldogs by 5.

Rogers Pirates at Hamilton Aggies
When a team finishes 6-1 in region play they don't typically travel in the first round to play a team that was ranked #2 in the state for much of the season and was the 2010 state runner up.  Such is the case for Rogers.  The good news is that Hamilton has lost their last two games after starting 8-0.  They average 35 points per game and will be a test for the Pirate defense.  The Pirates come in averaging over 30 ppg and only allowing 13.  QB Tyler Grigsby and his receivers make for a great balanced attack when coupled with the running of Austin Kerr and Alex Woodard.  This team has the ability to pull what most would consider an upset.  If they play like they did when they beat LCHS they will.  If they start like they did against Brooks the season will end Friday.  It could be one of the most exciting games in round 1.  Advantage - Playing at home..Hamilton Aggies by 3

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More Playoff Previews

4A
Deshler Tigers vs Corner Yellow Jackets
Deshler brings all the tradition of a successful program to the game.  19 region championships since 1990. Although the team is considered to be relatively young, inexperienced is not really accurate at this point.  They have a full season under their belt.  Many of the players DO have experience and know all to well how to win in the playoffs.  They have won almost every game this year outscoring opponents on average 42 - 20.  Their lone loss was to 5A power Muscle Shoals last week.  Corner is 6-4 on the season and finished 4-3 in region play.  The Yellow Jackets have only 1 first round playoff victory in school history.  The Tigers have only lost in the first round of the playoffs five times in the schools history.  Dont' expect the sixth loss this week.  Advantage - Deshler Tigers by 20 +

Brooks Lions vs Dora Bulldogs
The Lions finish the season 8-2 with only 1 loss in region play.  They will host Dora who finishes the season 8-2 as well, however, they lost both games in region play to the #1 and #2 seeded teams Midfield and Fayette County.  Could be an interesting match-up as the Bulldogs are only allowing 10 points per game while the Brooks offense is averaging over 40 ppg.  Only once all season were the Lions held below 26 points and that was 19 against Deshler.  In 8 of the Bulldog games the opponents have been held to 10 or less points while giving up 20 and 33 in the two losses.  This is a good team, but so is Brooks.  The Lions are unpredictable on offense and difficult to stop.  They have plenty of speed and versatility.  Expect them to score 20+.  If the defense can slow Dora down and make a big play or two then the Lions could advance.  Look for this to be a very tough game.  Advantage - Brooks Lions by 2

Central Wildcats at Fayette County Tigers
Fayette County brings a 7-3 record into the game as they average 26 pts per game on offense and allow 23.  They lost to Midfield, 3A Gordo, and in OT to Oak Grove.  Coach Lance Tucker is in his first year at Fayette County after Coach Walden Tucker left with the most wins in Alabama Football coaching history last year.  Coach Woods is also in his first year at Central.  The Wildcats also finish at 7-3 losing to a 3A school (Sheffield) and 2 region opponents.  Central averages a bigger margin of victory as they score just over 35 ppg and allow just over 23.  The Wildcat rushing game is tough to stop.  They were held under 20 points only once all year (Deshler).  Being on the road is a bit tougher - two very evenly matched teams.  Look for the details to play a big part in this game.  Penalties and special teams.  Advantage - Central by 1.

Playoff Preview

1A

Region Champs will host Hubbertville in Round 1

Shoals Christian Flame vs Hubbertville Lions
The Flame enter the game as a #1 seed for the first time in the schools ten year football history.  The Lions are a #4 seed that finished the season 7-3 as did the Flame.  Difference is - Shoals Christian only lost 1 region game while the Lions were 4-3 in region play.  The teams are similiar in how they win.  They both boast a high scoring offense.  Hubbertville scoring 35.1 per game while the Flame score 38.5 per game.  Difference is, even though the Flame aren't known for stingy defense (25.3 ppg) the Lions give up 30 points per game.  The two teams have 3 common opponents.  Both schools lost to Lynn.  The Flame lost in the season opener 20-7 while the Lions lost at mid-season 42-13.  Both schools beat Vina and Phillips handily as the Flame win by a combined 65 points and the Lions win by a combined 56 points.  The two teams have never played each other. 
     The game could be closer than a typical #1 vs #4 matchup as the Lions are a good team.  Shoals Christians only region loss is the a #4 seed in RA Hubbard.  The balanced attack of run vs pass by the Flame will cause problems for the Lions struggling defense, coupled with  he home field advantage, it might be just the edge needed.  Look for Shoals Christian to win by getting more stops than the Lions.  Advantage - Shoals Christian by 11

2A 
Red Bay Tigers vs LaFayette Bulldogs
The Tigers were 2 quarters from a perfet 10-0 season.  They ended their year by being outscored in the last two quarters they played.  Not the way most want to end - however, sometimes that might be just the ending to spark a little extra hunger as the playoffs begin.  The Tigers have dominated on both offense and defense this season.  Outscoring opponents by a margin of over 16 ppg.  Although the Bulldogs are good they will probably get the same treatment as most everyone that has visited Red Bay...A good ole-fashion whoopin!  Advantage - Red Bay Tigers by 15

Wildcat offense is tough to stop

Colbert Heights Wildcats vs Woodland Bobcats
The #2 seeded Wildcats of Colbert Heights are less than 2 TD's from an undefeated season.  Both losses came to strong teams, Red Bay and 3A Sheffield.  They are an explosive offense averaging 31.3 ppg while limiting opponents to 18.3 ppg.  Woodland brings a 6-4 record to the game.  They score at the same pace as the Wildcats (32.6 ppg) but give up much more on defense (31.1 ppg).  They have never met and have no common opponents this year, however, the tradition of Woodland is strong.  They were in the State Championship game for 1A as recently as 2004 and 2006, and were Region Champs in 2007.  Problem for them is that this is 2011.  Colbert Heights has too many weapons.  It will not be easy - but in the end look for the Wildcats to advance to the 2nd round.  Advantage - Colbert Heights by 13

A good Lexington team might pull off the upset

Lexington Golden Bears at Reeltown Rebels
Reeltown holds all the tradition.  8 state championship game appearances with titles in 87, 01, and 09.  They are 22-6 in first round playoff games.  This is their first year NOT to win the region since 2007.  They are currently 7-3 while outscoring opponents on average 30.6 to 14.4.  One of their losses was to 4A undefeated Dadeville 21-13.  All that sounds like a monumental task for Lexington who sits at 5-5 and averages 23 ppg on both offense and defense.  A closer look reveals some cinks in the Rebel armour as well as some easilty overlooked details of the Golden Bears.  The Rebels lost two region games including one to #4 seed LaFayette 30-29.  They lost to region champ Lineville 34-14 just two weeks ago.  Lexington lost only 2 region games as well.  Both were to the teams seeded ahead of them and neither was a 20 point loss as was Reeltowns.  The other three were to 4A Central, 3A Rogers, and 3A Region Champs LCHS.  Last week they gave LCHS their toughest test of the year since the Rogers game.  Lexington may be the best 5-5 team you will find.  If they play defense like they did last week they might pull the upset.  These teams aren't as far apart as they might seem at first.  Possibly even a toss-up game.  Advantage - Since they are at home - Reeltown by 4.

2011 Rushing Leaders

 Closing out the season with back to back 200+ yard games
 Brown ends the season with the highest average and the
most total yards of any local runner
  .

100 yards rushing in a game is typically the milestone that indicates an especially successful night running the ball.  The following players averaged 100 yards per game for the entire season.  That is impressive.  That speaks well of the entire offense.  These players are the first to speak in praise of their lineman and others that block so the running is possible.  Congratulations on a wonderfully successful individual year statistically for each of these players and their blockers!










Player                       School                 Yards per Game

Grisham AND Jackson of LCHS  averaged over 100 ypg!

1.  Beniquez Brown    Florence                    136
2.  Chandler Russ       Shoals Christian        133
3.  Will Minor             Deshler                     124
4.  CJ Jackson             LCHS                       123
5.  Charles Jackson     Sheffield                   119
6.  Austin Kerr            Rogers                      118
7.  Samuel Grisham    LCHS                       101
8.  Daniel Hayes         Central                      100

Charles Jackson averaged an amazing 16 yards per carry!

Player of the Week: Week 10

he season ends with some outstanding individual performances.  Some players see their season come to a close while others hope to extend it a few more weeks in the playoffs.  Here were the best performances of the week:

GOLD - Beniquez Brown (Florence) - 211 yards rushing on only 15 carries for a 14.6 yards per carry average with 4 TD's as the Falcons win 35 - 18 over Russellville.
SILVER - Charles Jackson (Sheffield) - 189 yards rushing on 12 carries including 3 TD's in a come from behind victory over Central.  He had TD runs of 75, 20, and 35 yards.
BRONZE - Matt Belue (Red Bay) - rushed for 260 yards and 2 TD's on 28 carries as the Tigers lose for the first time all season

HONORABLE MENTION
Cody Stephens (Rogers) - 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a Pirate win
Austin Gooch (Cherokee) - 137 yards on 11 carries in a 29-14 win
Austin Long (Hatton) - 170 yards on 17 carries as Hornets win 27-6
Austin Kerr (Rogers) - 109 rushing yards with 2 TD's on 11 carries in a 35-0 shutout
Zachary Harris (Cherokee) - 107 receiving with 3 TD's in an Indian victory
Lauderdale County defense - Another shutout 21-0 over Lexington and scored the 1st halfs only TD
Kendrick Doss (Florence) - rushed for 139 yards and a TD in a win
Ethon Felton (Muscle Shoals) - led the defense with 13 tackles in a win over Deshler
Sydney Robinson (Colbert County) - 139 rushing yds and a TD in a loss to Colbert Heights