West Alabama High School Football

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.

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 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.

In the second to last week in West Alabama High School football, the Tuscaloosa Academy Knights fell to the Monroe Academy Volunteers by a score of 40-33.

With their 26-7 Homecoming victory tonight, the Northridge Jaguars (7-2, 4-2) secured the third-seed out of Region 4 for the playoffs in two weeks. Though McAdory (4-5, 3-3) dropped a third-straight loss, the Yellow Jackets have still secured their own playoff spot and will be the fourth-seed.

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.

In a special Thursday edition of "Friday Night Lights," the Paul W.Bryant High School Stampede defeated the Brookwood Panthers by a score of 33-23.

Friday night, the Hillcrest Patriots (5-1, 2-1) took down the cross-town rival Northridge Jaguars (6-1, 3-1) 49-21.

After several teams took the week off last week to prepare for the second half of the schedule, most of Tuscaloosa county is back and ready for more area play. Three different 6A Region 4 matchups might be the difference makers for teams to make a playoff run. In addition, several surprise teams have matchups that could affect their comeback seasons.