It is fun to be home again for the Aliceville High School football team.
Playing a home postseason game for the first time in five seasons, Aliceville will play host to Washington County at 7 p.m. Friday in an opening-round game of the Alabama High School Activities Association Class 3A playoffs.
Aliceville last played a home playoff game in 2006 when it lost to Pike County in the second round. The Yellow Jackets carry a five-game postseason losing streak into the contest.
Elsewhere in the coverage area, Lamar County will travel to Lineville in Class 2A, while Pickens County will play host to A.L. Johnson in Class 1A. Both games are at 7 p.m. Friday.
Washington County (8-2, Class 3A, Region 1) at Aliceville (5-5, Class 3A, Region 4)
Aliceville may have its hands full against Washington County at Memorial Stadium.
“They are extremely talented,” Aliceville coach Charles Moody said. “It will be a very short game. They run the ball very well and like to keep it on the ground. They are an option team with a lot of athletes that can do a lot of things.
“Defensively, they tackle well and pursue to the ball. They are well coached. They also have one of the best kickers in all of high school football. One of the games we watched, he kicked the ball over 60 yards. He is a real weapon and change field position easily.”
Aliceville clinched a playoff berth Oct. 14 with a 19-6 win against Greensboro. One day later, linebacker Tremaine Johnson was killed in automobile accident. Aliceville followed with an emotional 49-27 win against Northside before falling 28-0 to Sumter County in the regular-season finale.
The Yellow Jackets lost all four games they played outside the region. In the region, Aliceville placed second thanks to a 5-1 mark. The four non-region opponents were 30-10 this season.
“The tough schedule has helped us a lot,” Moody said. “Playing these types of teams has helped us to see what we were good at and what we needed to work on. Had we not played those teams, we would not have gotten better. We have been tested. Tanner is a traditional Class 2A power. Sumter County is one of the biggest teams in football. We have learned a lot by playing those types of teams.”
Washington County, which is in Chatom, played in one of the premier Class 3A regions in the state. Its only losses were to Bayside Academy (10-0) and T.R. Miller (8-2). The Bulldogs are on a three-game winning streak, including a 34-0 triumph against Class 1A McIntosh in the regular-season finale.
“The return game will be huge for us,” Moody said. “We have several good returners in (Christopher) Crowell, (Terry) Mayhew, and (Demario) Lanier. We need to block for them. When you kick the ball as well as they do, it’s a catch-22. He may kick the ball 60 yards, but they also have to cover the kick.
“We need to make sure we can catch the ball and have some pretty decent returns. We have five kick returns for scores this year, so we are very capable.”
Washington County is only allowing 11.2 points per game. The Bulldogs have won four playoff games in the past three seasons. Still, Aliceville has a huge advantage: It’s playing at home.
“It’s a big boost for us and our program,” Moody said. “We are trying to start something different here, a new tradition. We want to get back to the way Aliceville played football in the 1990s. This is another step in that direction. When you play a home game, you have a better chance to win. The first game is the hardest one to win.”
In the last postseason meeting, Aliceville won 49-40 en route to an appearance in the Super Six in 1999.
Lamar County (6-4, Class 2A, Region 8) at Lineville (7-3, Class 2A, Region 5)
Lineville will look to close the history books with a sweet postseason run. The Aggies have made 23 straight postseason appearances, including 18 straight region championships. Next year, Lineville will merge with Clay County High to form Central High of Clay County.
“They are a very good team,” Lamar County coach Ken Adams said. “Since Lineville is playing its last season of football, they have a lot to play for this week and the rest of the season. They have a lot of tradition. They do a really good job in everything they do on offense, defense and special teams. They are an all-around solid football team.”
Lineville went 6-1 in Region 5. It overcame a 28-21 loss to Randolph County to win the region title. Outside the region, Lineville lost to Class 3A powers Clay County (7-6) and Handley (35-14) in its last regular-season game. The Lineville-Clay County battle marked the 101st and final “Clay Bowl.”
“We will have to control the football,” Adams said. “That is our key. We have to keep the football on offense and not give up the big play on defense.”
Lamar County secured the fourth and final spot in Region 8 two weeks ago with a 21-20 win against Hatton. Last week, Lamar County made it two straight to end the regular season with an 18-14 win at Winfield.
“We missed the playoffs last year because of a tiebreaker,” Adams said. “It was great we played our way in this season. This is great for our team and our community. This is an opportunity to get in the playoffs, have a tough road game, and teach the guys what the playoffs are all about.”
Lamar County also can boast a three-game sweep of chief rivals — South Lamar, Sulligent, and Winfield.
“Those three games are the games our community really cares about,” Adams said. “We look back on our season and we know we can do this. That is important as we go to Lineville Friday night.”
This is the third all-time meeting between the schools. The previous two have taken place in the playoffs. Lamar County won 42-22 in a third-round game in 1989, while Lineville returned the favor with a 34-12 first-round victory in 2004.
A.L. Johnson (4-5, Class 1A, Region 1) at Pickens County (9-1, Class 1A, Region 4)
Though the seeds appear close, Pickens County will roll onto the G.S. Spruill Stadium playing surface as a heavy favorite Friday night.
Pickens County, ranked sixth in the state in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s latest rankings, set a school record with 484 total points this season. A.L. Johnson has scored 120 points.
“I don’t think (we are taking them lightly),” Pickens County coach Patrick Plott said. “We have stressed to our kids it does not matter what their record is. It does not matter what you have done before. It’s all about the next game. Once you reach the playoffs, any team can win on any given night. We approach this game like it could be our last game. We will treat this game and any other like it’s the state championship game.”
Pickens County finished 5-1 in region play. The lone loss was 47-26 at Maplesville on Oct. 7. Pickens County responded with three straight wins to close the regular season. It outscore the opposition 164-21 in those games.
Last Friday night, Pickens County defeated longtime rival Gordo 27-21 on the road.
A.L. Johnson finished 3-3 in region play. The Eagles have won two of their last three. Last Friday night, A.J. Johnson lost to Southern Choctaw 35-0.
“They like to run up and run the football,” Plott said. “They have some really quality running backs. We have been working hard all week to stop the run and win this game. Their defense has good speed and blitzes a lot. Our offensive linemen have to do a good job of picking up the blitz and communicating with each other.”
The schools have never met in football. A.L. Johnson is looking for its first postseason victory since 2006.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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