Hillcrest Patriots

On the first Friday night of the 2021 season the Homewood Patriots (1-0) and Hillcrest Patriots (0-1) gave fans plenty to take in at Roy Johnson Jr. Stadium. Homewood senior JC Daniel kicked a 27-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation to secure the 37-34 win on the road.

Former Tuscaloosa County High and Hillcrest High School football player and current Ole Miss Rebel, Jacquez Jones has announced his intention to leave via the transfer portal on his social media. Jones, a 3-star linebacker, led the Rebels in tackles last season with 75.

The Class 6A Hillcrest Patriots had a successful 2020 season, the Patriots went 9-3 and finished second in Region 4 last year. The Patriots are led by rising junior quarterback Ethan Crawford. Crawford has started for Hillcrest for the past two seasons and will look to lead the Patriots deeper into the playoffs in 2021. The standout quarterback shared on his social media he received a scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee.

The Hillcrest High School Patriots' head football coach Sam Adams has officially announced he will be leaving his position to take up as Oxford High School's next head coach.

Now that the regular season has concluded, excitement is buzzing in the Druid City in preparation for the Super 7 State Championships that will take place at the beginning of December in Bryant-Denny Stadium. In a season that has seen unlikely upsets, high-scoring shootouts, and many forfeits due to COVID-19, six teams remain in contention for the state title.

Now that region play is over, many teams across west Alabama are preparing for the first round of the playoffs. With that being said, the final week of the regular season stands in the way. From games that can determine a 10-0 perfect season to an intense cross-county rivalry, these games might not be regional, but they are still just as important.

As the end of the high school football season in Alabama approaches, schools are starting to get a better picture of what the playoffs will look like. With only two weeks of the regular season left, it’s anyone’s game in west Alabama.

With Hillcrest’s huge win over Northridge last week, the doors of Region 4 of 6A were opened wide for an arms race involving almost all of the teams in the region. Now that we’re in October with only four weeks of the regular season left, its “put up or shut up” time for teams on the edge of a playoff berth.

Friday night, the Hillcrest Patriots (5-1, 2-1) took down the cross-town rival Northridge Jaguars (6-1, 3-1) 49-21.

After several teams took the week off last week to prepare for the second half of the schedule, most of Tuscaloosa county is back and ready for more area play. Three different 6A Region 4 matchups might be the difference makers for teams to make a playoff run. In addition, several surprise teams have matchups that could affect their comeback seasons.