Madison Academy win refreshes postseason goals
MADISON – Hazlewood and Courtland won a combined 16 state championships before the two high schools combined in 2008.
That school, R.A. Hubbard, closed and students are now at Hatton, the opponent for Madison Academy in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night at Bill Washington Stadium.
Despite finishing as the No. 3 seed in Region 7, the Hornets have Mustangs’ head coach Bob Godsey’s full attention.
“Very athletic,’’ said Godsey, whose team finished second in Region 8. “It’s what you’d expect, what I would expect, with combining three schools. They play hard, they’re well-coached and it should be a great game.’’
The Hornets (7-3), coached by former Decatur and Alabama star Nikita Stover, and the Mustangs (8-2) kick off at 7 p.m. The winner plays either Anniston or Fultondale in the second round.
Madison Academy lost starting offensive lineman Ajay Seaton, a veteran and team leader, in Week 5 to an injury. His loss made a young unit even greener, but the team enters the postseason relatively healthy.
“We’re about as healthy as we’ve been over the last three or four weeks,’’ Godsey said.
The Mustangs are coming off a 42-13 win over Westminster in the regular season finale. THe victory came a week after a 49-27 road loss to Plainview in a game that decided the region championship.
Last week’s win over Westminster possibly set Madison Academy back on track after the Bears broke a seven-game winning streak.
“I do think we got our Mojo back a little bit,’’ Godsey said. “We’ve been on a grind with people being hurt – the kind of normal things that you go through in a season. Hopefully, we built a little momentum going into the postseason.’’
Daylon Scott had a big night against the Wildcats. He rushed 28 times for 184 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Charleston Owen completed 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards, and rushed 12 times for 82 yards with two touchdowns.
The Hornets are riding a three-game winning streak and are coming off a 46-26 win over Wilson.
