Nov. 4—The regular season of high school football has come to an end, and that means it’s time for the playoffs.
The postseason begins Friday, and this year eight local teams (Austin, Hartselle, Athens, Priceville, West Morgan, Hatton, Falkville and Tanner) will be competing. That total is down from last year, when nine teams reached the postseason.
Priceville and Tanner are both back in the playoffs after each missing the cut last year. Hartselle has the longest playoff streak of any local team; the Tigers are making their eighth consecutive postseason appearance.
Last year three teams (Hartselle, West Morgan and Falkville) advanced past the second round, and this year those same three are the top teams in the area once again. West Morgan is undefeated and ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, while Hartselle is 9-1 and ranked No. 6 in Class 6A. Falkville is right behind the two at 8-2, having won its last six games of the regular season.
While several local teams advanced past the first round each year, the last time more than one team in The Daily’s coverage area advanced past the second round came in 2016, when Austin and Decatur Heritage advanced.
One local team has reached the quarterfinals each of the last four years: West Morgan in 2024 and 2023, Hartselle in 2022 and Decatur Heritage in 2021, but only West Morgan in 2024 reached the semifinals in that span. The Rebels were the first local team to reach the fourth round since Austin in 2016.
The last time a local team reached the state finals came in 2013, when Tanner won the Class 2A state championship.
This year only West Morgan and Hartselle finished in the top two of their respective regions and earned the right to host a first-round playoff game. All other teams will be traveling.
Here is how the schedule sets up for each local team this postseason:
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Class 7A
—Austin (6-4) will travel to play No. 6 Mary Montgomery (9-1). The winner will play the winner of No. 3 Thompson and Carver Montgomery.
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Class 6A
—Hartselle (9-1) will host Buckhorn (7-3). The winner will play the winner of No. Homewood and Pell City
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—Athens (6-4) will travel to play No. 10 Fort Payne (9-1). The winner will play the winner of Mountain Brook and Mortimer Jordan.
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Class 5A
—Priceville (7-3) will travel to play No. 8 Guntersville (9-1). The winner will play the winner of No. 3 Moody and Corner.
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Class 4A
—West Morgan (10-0) will host Randolph (5-5). The winner will play the winner of No. 9 Good Hope and Cherokee County.
—Hatton (7-3) will travel to play No. 10 Madison Academy (8-2). The winner will play the winner of No. 4 Anniston and Fultondale.
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Class 2A
—Falkville (8-2) will travel to play No. 9 Vincent (8-2). The winner will play the winner of No. 3 Pisgah and Tanner.
—Tanner (3-7) will travel to play No. 3 Pisgah (8-2). The winner will play the winner of No. 9 Vincent and Falkville.
— caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
