Jaelin Ferdinand helps his teammates make a stop against Piedmont in a Class 3A quarterfinal game. CONTRIBUTED/PAULETTE BERRYMAN

By MIKE EASTERLING / For the Record

HUNTSVILLE – Madison Academy’s quest for a fourth straight Class 3A high school football championship came to a halt in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs Friday night.The top-ranked but injury-plagued Mustangs, who will not be in the state final for the first time in four years, fell 35-21 to a third-ranked Piedmont team looking to avenge post-season losses to Madison Academy the past two seasons.

Malik Miller, who has committed to play for Auburn, and Austin Troxell, a highly coveted junior lineman, were among the players out with injuries for Madison Academy.

“Overall, our guys did really well,’’ Madison Academy coach Eric Cohu said. “We had four or five guys playing through pain with shoulder injuries and ankle injuries and they kept plugging away. Of course, playing without Troxell and Malik was difficult, and we had other guys wounded as well.’’

Madison Academy (11-2), state runner-up in 2011 before taking the championship the past three seasons, defeated Piedmont 42-20 and 34-33 in overtime the last two post-seasons.

The Bulldogs (12-1) wouldn’t be denied from advancing again behind Hayes, a physical runner who Cohu said “dominated the game.’’ He rushed for 157 yards with two touchdowns and a TD pass.

The Mustangs led 7-6 after one quarter. They trailed 20-14 at halftime and entering the fourth quarter.

Madison Academy got scores on a 38-yard pass from Grayson Edgemon to Cole Tomlison, a 35-yard punt return by Jaelin Ferdinand and a 5-yard run by Justin Garrett.