By Barry Allen
Special to The Dispatch
ALICEVILLE – The Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoffs doesn’t officially begin until Nov. 8, but as far as several West Alabama coaches are concerned they playoffs start this week.
Lamar County and Aliceville are in a three-way tie with Oakman for first place in Class 2A, Region 4 heading into the final week of region play. Lamar County defeated Oakman 28-19 in the region opener on Sept. 6, Aliceville defeated Lamar County 56-33 on Oct. 4 and Oakman defeated Aliceville 28-27 last week.
“Hale County and Winfield are both playoff caliber teams,” Lamar County head coach Ken Adams said. “The next two weeks gives us a chance not to be overwhelmed by the playoffs. We play one home game (Hale County) and one road game (Winfield) just like the playoffs. We have to learn how to win and learn how to be successful. That is our mindset.”
Aliceville head coach Charles Moody said his team is already in playoff mode.
“Our mindset has been that way since last week,” Moody said. “We treated the Oakman game like a playoff game. It was playoff type atmosphere. We have a few guys who have never been to the playoffs. They got a feel for that last week.”
The Bulldogs are the only team facing a playoff contender in the final week of region play. Hale County (5-3, 4-2 Region 4) could finish anywhere from second to fourth. Aliceville hosts Francis Marion (3-5, 2-4 Region 4) while Oakman hosts Cold Springs (3-4, 3-3 Region 4).
Both coaches agreed that figuring out all of the playoff scenarios the last two weeks might be harder than the actual playoff games.
Lamar County (7-1, 5-1 Class 2A, Region 4) controls its own destiny and needs a win this week over Hale County and a win next week at Class 3A Winfield to clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. If that happens, Oakman would be the No. 2 seed, followed by Aliceville (No. 3 seed) and Hale County (No. 4 seed).
Should Lamar County lose this week to Hale County, then the Bulldogs would finish fourth in the region play. If the Bulldogs beat Hale County this week and lost to Winfield next week, then Lamar County would be the No. 3 seed.
“From now on, everything is must win for us,” Adams said. “This is already playoff football and we have to play that way. We have the opportunity to still win the region. It’s in our hands now and not up to anyone else. That’s all you can ask for.”
Aliceville (5-3, 5-1 Region 4) can still win the region championship but needs some help. First, the Yellow Jackets must beat Francis Marion on Friday and then needs Cold Springs to knock off Oakman. If that happens, Aliceville and Lamar County would finish with identical 6-1 records in region play and because of its 23-point win over Lamar County on Oct. 4; Aliceville would earn the No. 1 seed.
Aliceville also wins the region with losses to both Oakman and Lamar County. If that scenario, Aliceville would be the No. 1 seed, followed by Hale County, Lamar County and Oakman.
“This is the first time I have ever been in a situation like this,” Moody said. “We have to focus on our team and the fundamentals. We want to continue to get better the next two games and enter the playoffs with a two-game winning streak. We want to carry momentum into the playoffs.”
Pickens County (8-0, 5-0 Class 1A, Region 5) clinched its 10th region championship with a 35-13 win over Marion County last week. Pickens County won its first region championship since 2009 as it avenged a pair of losses to Marion County last season. The Tornadoes will host Berry in the final region game of the season this week before closing the season at arch-rival Gordo next week.
Pickens County received 27 of the 30 first-place votes this week in the Alabama Sportswriters Association Class A poll. Maplesville (8-0) is ranked second and received the other three first place votes.
Pickens Academy (7-1) is ranked seventh in this week’s AISA poll. The Pirates defeated Meadowview Christian 42-14 last week and travel to Patrician Academy on Friday.
South Lamar (2-6, 1-5 Class A, Region 5) dropped a 34-7 decision at Berry last weekend in Fayette. The Stallions close out region play by hosting Parrish on Friday.
Sulligent (0-8, 0-6 Class 2A, Region 4) battles the only other winless team in region play this week when the Blue Devils travel to Uniontown to take on R.C. Hatch (0-8, 0-6 Class 2A, Region 4) at Bobcat Stadium. Sulligent lost 42-0 to Hale County last week, while R.C. Hatch dropped a 54-30 decision to Cold Springs.
AHSAA RECLASSIFICATION:
The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Central Board of Control approved the Jan. 22, 2014 board meeting as the date to announce new member school classifications for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years. The action came at the Central Board’s regular quarterly meeting on Wednesday in Montgomery.
Executive Director Steve Savarese said it was important for the AHSAA to have enough time to evaluate the information regarding school attendance numbers which are expected from the Alabama State Department of Education within the next month.
The Central Board also approved a request by the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) that would allow them to petition to become an affiliate member of the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS). The request was made by AISA Executive Director Randy Skipper and AISA Athletics Director Roddie Beck. The AISA schools would be required to register and be recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education.
The Central Board also discussed a proposal concerning the playing of future AHSAA football playoff semifinal games at neutral sites.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Sulligent at R.C. Hatch
Berry at Pickens County
Francis Marion at Aliceville
Hale County at Lamar County
Parrish at South Lamar
Pickens Academy at Patrician Academy
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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