West Alabama High School Football

The Good Hope Raiders defeated the Northside Rams to move onto round three of the AHSAA 4A Playoffs.

The Hillcrest Patriots put on a dominating performance, defeating area and cross-town rival, Paul W. Bryant.

The Holt Ironmen (1-2, 1-0) won a sloppy game at Woody Clements Field on Thursday night in Class 4A Region 3 action. The Ironmen defeated the Wilcox Central Jaguars (0-3, 0-1) 32-20 for the school's first win since October of 2018.

Week 2 still doesn’t feature any region matchups, but several hyper-local showdowns will determine bragging rights for the rest of the season.

After taking down the American Christian Patriots (13-1, 7-0) 34-13, the Handley Tigers (11-1, 6-0) have punched a ticket to the 4A State Championship game in Bryant-Denny Stadium next week.

With their 31-21 victory over the McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets (7-3, 5-2) Friday night, the Hillcrest Patriots (9-2, 5-1) have secured a second-round matchup at No. 1 Opelika in the second round.

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.

Friday night, the American Christian Patriots (8-0, 6-0) dismantled the Dallas County Hornets (3-5, 3-3) 47-16. From start to finish, ACA dominated with over 330 total yards and seven total touchdowns. This eighth straight win secured ACA a third straight region title.