Only the best of the best of the best are left as round three of the Alabama High School football playoffs were concluded on Friday evening. 

Piedmont continues to proudly wear the 3A crown and the Bulldog faithful are marching in unison toward Auburn.  Although the crown wasn’t in danger of being tarnished against Plainview, the reigning 3A kings had to use their mighty scepter to fend off a challenge from the resilient Bears.  While Plainview was fair game for the Bulldogs, the final gun shot signaling the end of the game also spelled the end of Bear season.  Piedmont finished off Plainview, 28-7. But keep an eye out for the Bears next year as they return 25 juniors as well as sophomore quarterback Cole Porter.  

Piedmont now turns their attention to one of the most potent offenses in their classification, as they will match up with undefeated Hamilton. The Aggies bring an arsenal of offensive weapons and average 42.2 points per game.  On the other side of the line the Hamilton defense yields only 14 points per game.

Of course, the Aggies will have to deal with Bulldog playmakers, including quarterback Chris Strott, Jamaal Johnson, Derrick “Mookie” Jackson, Jamie Majors and others.  Defensively, Piedmont is well balanced behind leading tacklers Johnson and Majors.  Also creating havoc for opposing offenses are Mickey Jackson, Collin Bradley, and Dalton Riffey.   

Hamilton advanced to the north championship by defeating Weaver 45-7, Glencoe 3-0 and Madison Academy 34-14.  The winner will face the southern champion, which will be either Leeds (13-0) or Gordo (12-1).  The Leeds Green Wave has held the number one ranking from start to finish of the season.  The Wave won the 2008 state football championship but was eliminated by Piedmont a year ago. Realignment pushed Leeds into the south. They will travel to Gordo to try and earn a rematch with the Bulldogs.   

The Class 5A Fort Payne train was finally derailed by the No. 2-ranked Briarwood Christian, 30-7.  The Wildcats were making their historic debut in the quarterfinals of the AHSAA playoffs.  The Wildcats’ final record will stand at 12-1.  Briarwood Christian (12-1) will now travel to meet the top ranked Hartselle Tigers (12-1) for the 5A north championship. 

Ironically, both teams suffered their only loss on Sept. 24.  The Tigers were tamed by Class 6A Decatur, while the Lions were beaten by Vestavia Hills. The winner of the northern championship will face either the McAdory Yellow Jackets (9-2) or the Spanish Fort Toros (9-2) from the south.  Both McAdory and Spanish Fort were semifinalists in 2009.  The Yellow Jackets were ousted by Russellville; Spanish Fort’s run was short-circuited by eventual champion Demopolis.  

The Mountain Brook Spartans closed the curtain on the Gadsden City Titans in the Class 6A quarterfinals.  The Titans gave the Spartans all they could handle, but came up a touchdown short, 20-13.  Gadsden City finishes 2010 with a 9-4 record. 

Mountain Brook (11-2) now prepares for the top-ranked Hoover Bucs (13-0).  Mountain Brook has never defeated the Bucs in twelve previous meetings.  The southern part of the state will enjoy a marquee match of the No. 2-ranked Daphne Trojans (13-0) against No. 3 Davidson (12-1).  Both teams exited the 2009 playoffs in round three.  

The Deshler Tigers will be making a remarkable seventh semifinal appearance in the last eight years.  Four of those years, the Tigers have played for the Class 4A state championship. However, for the last two years the Cherokee County Warriors blocked the Tigers’ path to the title game. This year, Deshler will tangle the North Jackson Chiefs. 

Deshler fans will throw out their three state titles and twenty three region titles.  The Chiefs fans will trumpet the 1993 championship and sixteen region crowns in the last 23 years.  Regardless, Tuscumbia will be alive when these two teams go helmet-to-helmet. North Jackson comes into the game without a stain on their record. Deshler’s only two black marks were to Class 5A Russellville in the season opener and an 8-7 loss to Muscle Shoals, also 5A, in the season finale.

The south meeting between top-ranked Thomasville and fifth-ranked Bibb County Choctaws will be another standing-room-only event. Bibb’s only loss was to Pleasant Grove in the season’s final game.  The Choctaws departed the 2009 playoffs after a 27-24 third-round loss to eventual runner-up Jackson. 

In the north, the Lineville Aggies get a rematch against the Reeltown Rebels. The Rebels beat the Aggies 6-5 earlier in the year to win the Class 2A Region 5 title, and that one point gives the 2009 state champion Rebels home field advantage Friday night. The Leroy Bears have garnered four blue trophies in the last six years, and carry the No. 1 ranking into Tuscaloosa against the American Christian Patriots.  The Bears were ambushed once this year, by Jackson, 28-24.  

If R.A. Hubbard can clear the path of Parrish Tornados, it will mean another trip to a state championship game for the Raging Chiefs. Last year, Hubbard was turned back by a semifinal loss to Hackleburg.

In the south, all Class 1A championship roads go through Sweet Water.  The Bulldogs have a large collection of  blue trophies (eight total) and are upset that they didn’t get their fourth in row in 2009.  After winning “big blue” in 2006, 2007 and 2008 the Bulldogs were looking toward a meeting with eventual state champion Brantley when they were blindsided in the third round by Loachapoka. 

Brantley slipped by Linden, 13-7, in 2009.  Sweet Water will carry the No. 4 ranking into the fight; the Linden Patriots are No. 3. Sweet Water’s three losses were all at the hands of top-ranked teams in higher classifications.  The Bulldogs fell in the season opener to Class 4A Thomasville, suffered a mid-season loss to Class 3A Handley, and a final regular-season game setback to Class 2A Leroy.   Linden’s only loss was to Sweet Water in week four, 21-12, which sets the table for a classic rematch of region rivals. 

CLASS 1A

South: Linden (12-1) at Sweet Water (10-3)

North: R.A. Hubbard (12-1) at Parrish (10-3)

CLASS 2A
South: Leroy (12-1) at American Christian (12-1), Tuscaloosa

North: Lineville (10-3) at Reeltown (12-1) 

CLASS 3A

South: Leeds (13-0) at Gordo (12-1)

North: Hamilton (13-0) at Piedmont (12-1) 

CLASS 4A

South: Thomasville (13-0) at Bibb County (12-1), Centreville

North: North Jackson (13-0) at Deshler (11-2), Tuscumbia 

CLASS 5A

South: Spanish Fort (11-2) at McAdory (11-2), McCalla

North: Briarwood Christian (12-1) at Hartselle (12-1) 

CLASS 6A

South: Davidson (12-1) at Daphne (13-0)

North: Mountain Brook (11-2) at Hoover (13-0)

STATE FINALS – JORDAN-HARE STADIUM, AUBURN

Thursday, 11 a.m. – 3A State Final

Thursday, 3 p.m. – 1A State Final

Thursday, 7 p.m. – 5A State Final

Friday, 11 a.m. – 4A State Final

Friday, 3 p.m. – 2A State Final

Friday, 7 p.m. – 6A State Final