High School Football Playoffs: The Second Season
MADISON- The “second season” for high school football in Alabama begins this week as the playoffs of the 2018 season kicks off with three of the four local teams seeing action in the post-season. Bob Jones, James Clemens and Madison Academy each made their way to the extra play with both James Clemens and Madison Academy earning region titles, thus hosting first-round matchups.
Meanwhile, Sparkman just missed the extra action with a 4-6 record including 2-5 in Region 4.
JAMES CLEMENS vs. HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE:
For the first time in school history James Clemens earned the Class 7A Region 4 championship (7-3, 7-0) and will host the Huskies of Hewitt-Trussville (7-3, 5-2), who are ranked No. 6 in the season-ending rankings. The Jets are ranked No. 7 heading into the battle with the Huskies who are the fourth-seed out of Region 3.
“No matter which team comes from Region 3 it is a tough draw and any matchup from that region is tough,” said Wade Waldrop head coach of James Clemens. “Hosting this game will be great for our school and the Madison community. The key to our success will be the play of our quarterback, Jamil Muhammad (6-1, 210, Sr.), who has grown as a player this season and gives up a chance to win each game we play.
The Jets are 1-2 against the Huskies in previous meetings. This season, Hewitt-Trussville loss to both No. 2 Thompson and No. 9 Mt. Brook, but defeated No. 3 Hoover by nearly 30 points. The Huskies are averaging 41 points per outing and allowing 25 points per game.
“We expected to be in this position as we have developed into a good team,” added Waldrop, in his sixth season as heading up the program that beat its crosstown rival Bob Jones this season for the first time in school history. “This is a culmination of hard work on behalf of our players, coaches and everyone surrounding our program. If we play fast, take care of the football and play good defense, I feel we have a great shot at winning.”
BOB JONES vs. HOOVER:
For the 14th consecutive year and 10th under head coach Kevin Rose, the Bob Jones Patriots are in the post-season running as they are the No. 4 seed from Region 4 and will face two-time defending Class 7A state champion Hoover (7-3, 6-1) at the Hoover Met.
“We’re excited we got into the playoffs considering the type of season we’ve had having to piece together squads after suffering injuries to several key players throughout the season,” said Rose.
Bob Jones (6-4, 3-4) battled through a frustrating season with injuries to key players such as Florida commit cornerback Jaydon Hill and Alabama baseball commit and junior wide receiver Dylan Ray went down for the count each suffering ACL injuries and subsequent surgeries. To add insult to injury, starting quarterback Caden Rose, a junior and an Alabama baseball commit, suffered a throwing hand injury and has only played in the defensive backfield while wearing a cast.
Two weeks ago in the Patriots final regular season game against Huntsville, Rose called on sophomore signal caller Slate Alford (6-2, 205) to start his first-ever varsity game. Alford led the Pats to a victory and a spot in the playoffs. Alford played extremely well and poised and is being asked to play the role as starter against the Buccaneers who scored at 30 points per outing while allowing just 19 per game.
“I expect Slate to do a good job for us and if for some reason he’s not able to finish the game due an injury we’ll look to senior wide receiver Jon Michael Riley to call the plays,” said Rose. “We’re glad to be in the playoffs as that’s our goal every year. Playing at the Hoover Met is exciting for our players and our fans.”
MADISON ACDEMY vs. ALEXANDRIA VALLEY:
The thundering herd of Mustangs from Madison Academy, ranked No. 4 in Class 5A and winners of the Region 8 title, will host the Cubs of Alexandria Valley (6-4, 3-3) in round one of the Class 5A playoffs. Alexandria is a team Madison Academy (9-1, 7-0) has never met on the football field and the fact the Mustangs’ coaching staff knows very little about the school’s football team is one facet of the game that M.A.’s head coach Grant Reynolds is well aware of.
“I feel good about our chances because we are hosting this game and it’s a good feeling anytime you get to the second season in high school football,” said Reynolds in his third season as Madison Academy head coach.
Moving up to Class 5A in 2018, the squad faced many schools that the Mustangs had never before met head-to-head. Alexandria is just one of them. The Mustangs are facing the Cubs who are a No.4 seed from Region 6. “Yes, that’s true, but I do know that is a very tough region and always has pretty good teams,” added Reynolds.
The Mustangs have posted an average of 42 points per game mostly behind the steady play of quarterback Luke Nail (6-4, 178, Jr.) who has posted an all-state type season hitting 74 passes for 1,473 yards and 19 touchdowns before suffering an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for a couple weeks. Nail is expected to be back under center this Friday before the home crowd.
“It’s a good feeling to have Luke back at quarterback as he brings a lot to the team, but especially the talents of being able to throw the deep ball for us and he sees the field well, which really makes him a threat each time he touches the ball,” said Reynolds. “Our senior leadership has been great and we’ve been very competitive at every position.”
