What's at stake for next Friday in local prep football:

Regional play ends with very important games to be played:

GDW Analysis:
  Regional play for Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) football concludes this Friday.
Going into the October 25 schedule, four schools have clinched a playoff berth.
Two remain alive in needing to win this Friday and see how it plays out.
This is where teams stand going into the 10th week of the regular season schedule.
  Good Hope:
  Raiders are playing Dora at home Friday for the 4A, Region 5 championship. Both are 6 & 0 in the region. Good Hope is 8 & 0, Dora 6 & 3.
Both will be at home in the first round of the playoffs November 8. Region 5 will cross over with Region 7. The champion plays the 4th seed, the runner up gets the 3rd seed.

  Cold Springs:
  Eagles remain in the chase for a berth from 2A, Region 6 despite their 20 to 14 loss to Southeastern in Week 9.
The Eagles welcome Falkville to Cranford Stricklin Stadium. Falkville is 3rd at 3 & 2 while Cold Springs and Susan Moore are a game behind in the standings at 2 & 3.
Cold Springs has to win and Susan Moore needs to beat Cleveland which would create a 3 way tie for the last 2 spots in the region behind Coosa Christian and Southeastern. Tiebreaking procedures would apply if the Eagles can win at home for the first time this season.

West Point:
It comes down to this for the Warriors. West Point has to defeat Ardmore on the road Friday and that would send them, plus Ardmore and Lawrence County with 3 & 3 records in 5A, Region 7.
Lawrence County is done with regional play. The tiebreaking rules would be looked upon.
Lawrence County has the tiebreaker over West Point, Ardmore has the tiebreaker against Lawrence County.
Fairview is 1st in the region with Russellville 2nd.

Fairview:
What the Aggies are looking for Friday at Dafford Smith Stadium vs. East Limestone is perfection.
Fairview has never gone through a regional schedule undefeated.
The Aggies are 5 & 0 and will be the top seed representing 5A, Region 7.
Fairview won a regional championship in 2019, but was 6 & 1.
The Aggies have won 8 straight regular season games at home and are 16 & 1 on the gridiron the last two years.

Vinemont:
Thanks to their 20 to 7 victory at Oakman, the Eagles are in the playoffs for the 5th consecutive year under Stephen Robinson.

 A 7 & 2 record is their best since 2020. Vinemont hosts Winfield Friday.
The Eagles can get a victory, but Winfield has gone 6 & 0 against 3A, Region 5 foes this year with Gordo 5 & 1. Vinemont has the tiebreaker with wins against Oakman and Midfield.
Phil Campbell, who defeated the Eagles on September 6 in 4 OTs, is 2 & 4 and eliminated from playoff contention.

Holly Pond:
With a game left in 3A, Region 8, the Broncos can make some noise if they are able to knock off Collinsville at Holly Pond.
Collinsville is 3 & 3, currently 4th with the Broncos and Whitesburg Christian 2 & 4.
While Holly Pond faces Collinsville, Whitesburg is going to winless Asbury to finish its regional schedule.
Three teams would be 3 & 4 with the tiebreaking process to determine who would be representing this region behind Fyffe, Geraldine and Sylvania.
Geraldine, 5 & 1 in the region, goes to 6 & 0 Fyffe. Sylvania, 5 & 1, takes on Brindlee Mountain.
Holly Pond is 3 & 5 under first year coach Will McDaniel.

The setup for Round 1 of the AHSAA playoffs is Region 5 vs. Region 7 and Region 6 vs. Region 8.
Top seed and 2nd seed host with 1 seed vs. 4 seed and 2 seed vs. 3 seed.
In recent time, the county has had four schools to go to the AHSAA playoffs. Last season, the qualifiers were Cullman, Fairview, Vinemont and West Point.

 Good Hope is back in after missing out in 2023, with Cold Springs seeking a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2019.
The last time Holly Pond played in the playoffs was in 2018.


Photo of Good Hope's Landon Bagwell tackling a Cordova runner in a game won by the Raiders 21 to 0 September 20 in Cordova.
Photo courtesy of the Daily Mountain Eagle.
Vinemont has not won 8 games in a season since 2012. The Eagles finished 4 & 1 in road games in 2024.