West Alabama High School Football

Patriots quarterback Ethan Crawford made the commitment official just three days after receiving his offer.

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.

Dennis Victory of AL.com reported Thursday that Tuscaloosa Academy will be hiring Josh Wright, the former Bessemer Academy coach, to lead the Knights’ football team going forward.

In a battle of defense, Pinson Valley (12-2) walked away victorious. The Indians defeated Spanish Fort (11-4) 23-13 to win the 6A State Title. This third state championship continues an impressive run for Pinson Valley during the 2010s. The Indians also won the legendary “blue map” in 2017 and 2018, which means this is the team’s third title in four years.

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.

After a devastating loss to end a Cinderella season, the Northside Rams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Still, Gordo, ACA, and Pickens County all won and advanced to the semifinals of the AHSAA playoffs. With the turf fields of Bryant-Denny Stadium looking green as ever, it is crunch time for the three teams if they want to catch the elusive “blue map.”

As Round 2 of the playoffs looms, only one of the teams, ACA, will be playing from home. Every other team will be traveling to every corner of the state. From Madison County and Decatur in north Alabama to Opelika in east Alabama, teams around the Druid City are fighting hard to keep their hopes alive for a state title game appearance in Bryant-Denny Stadium.