Who is going to the Class 7A state title game on Dec. 3?
We will all find out together tonight as reigning champ Thompson travels to No. 1 Central-Phenix City in one semifinal and Lee County rivals Opelika and Auburn battle for the second time this season — and 101st time overall — in the other semifinal.
Elsewhere, teams in Classes 1A-6A are down to the quarterfinals.
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Key games tonight include Saraland at Pike Road, Muscle Shoals at Mountain Brook, Homewood at Clay-Chalkvile, Central-Clay County at Vigor, Williamson at Montgomery Catholic and many more. Also, can Bullock County keep its surprising playoff run going at Class 4A No. 1 St. Michael?
Check back frequently tonight for highlights from each of those games and all the action around the state. A complete list of scores will be available when all games are completed.
Here we go…
7:20 p.m., Tied up: Eli Thompson’s 8-yard touchdown run for Briarwood ties up a Class 5A third-round matchup with Moody 7-7.
Also, a touchdown run from Reid McBride of 6 yards puts Montgomery Academy up 7-0 on Bayside Academy in Daphne.
7:19 p.m., Panthers rolling: Mars Hill Bible goes up 14-0 on Geraldine early behind a big play from UAB commit Hudson Higgins.
Also, Saraland leads Pike Road 14-0 in the first quarter of a Class 6A quarterfinal matchup.
7:16 p.m., Here we go: Central-Phenix City wins the coin toss and the Red Devils’ matchup against Thompson is underway.
7:12 p.m., Moody on the board: The Class 5A No. 2 Blue Devils go up 7-0 on Briarwood with a touchdown run from Le’Kamren Meadows with 6:55 left in the first quarter.
7:10 p.m., Golden Gophers strike first: Hueytown goes up early in Alexander City on Benjamin Russell, which has won 11 straight games.
7:06 p.m., That was quick: St. Michael goes up 7-0 early on Bullock County early after a pick-six early in the game.
Opelika also goes up early on rival Auburn 7-0 with an interception returned for a touchdown on the second play of the game.
7 p.m., Kickoff: Keep up with all the updates here as the next round of the AHSAA high school football playoffs is officially underway.
6:55 p.m., Defending champs vs. No. 1: Montgomery Catholic is getting set to host Class 5A No. 1 Williamson in the third round of the playoffs.
The visiting Lions enter this one 11-0, while the Knights have an 8-4 record and have won seven of their last eight games.
6:44 p.m., Legend in the building: Randy Kennedy is on location in Daphne as Class 3A No. 5 Bayside Academy hosts No. 6 Montgomery Academy in a matchup of high-powered playoff teams.
The host Admirals are averaging 40.3 points per game so far this season, while the Eagles have averaged 42.6 points per game; both rank among the top 10 of Class 3A.
6:35 p.m., QB1 in the house: Denver Broncos quarterback and former ASWA Mr. Football Bo Nix is in Phenix City as his father, Patrick Nix, leads the No. 1 Red Devils against defending Class 7A champion Thompson.
6:21 p.m., A historic season continues: Bullock County and head coach Jeremy Vines have touched down in Fairhope to face No. 1 St. Michael and coach Phillip Rivers.
The Hornets’ two playoff wins this season are the first in the football history of the school, which dates back to 1910.
6:11 p.m., Delayed start: Class 5A No. 3 Vigor’s third-round matchup at home against No. 5 Central-Clay County has been delayed to a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, AL.com’s Ben Thomas reports, after issues from one of Central’s buses.
6 p.m., Clash of powerhouses: AL.com’s Jerry Humphrey III is on location in Phenix City as the No. 1 Central Red Devils host defending champion Thompson in a rematch of last year’s Class 7A title game.
5:37 p.m., Backyard brawl: Archrivals Opelika and Auburn are set to square off in the Class 7A semifinals, marking the 101st matchup between the two powers.
Auburn’s last state title game appearance came in 2022, while Opelika’s came in 2016; neither program has a state football championship.
5:30 p.m., On the move: There were multiple coaching moves and decisions again this week across the state. One of the biggest was the decision by Hall of Fame Theodore coach Steve Mask to step away from high school coaching for good at age 69. Read Ben Thomas’ story on Mask’s decision on AL.com. Other coaching moves this week that were detailed on AL.com:
Minor, Huffman looking for coaches
Bob Jones’ Kelvis White announces retirement
5 p.m., Back in Court: A Montgomery County judge held a brief hearing Friday morning in the lawsuit over athletic eligibility for students who transfer to private schools with funds from the CHOOSE Act, Alabama’s new program that allows families to use $7,000 in taxpayer dollars for private school tuition. Judge J.R. Gaines did not hear arguments in open court. For complete details, read Mike Cason’s story on AL.com. The eventual verdict could have long-range affects on private schools and public schools competing in the AHSAA.
THURSDAY’S SCORES
AHSAA
Class 1A
Addison (12-1) 28, Marion County (9-4) 22
Class 4A
Plainview (13-0) 28, Good Hope (10-3) 7
Class 5A
Scottsboro (9-4) 16, Fairview (12-1) 14
AISA
CHAMPIONSHIPS
AA: Chambers Academy 32, Lowndes Academy 14
A: Abbeville Christian 50, South Choctaw Academy 28
A: Macon East 34, Escambia Academy 14
TONIGHT’S MATCHUPS
AHSAA
Class 1A
Hubbertville (12-0) at Wadley (11-0)
Southern Choctaw (9-3) at Maplesville (12-0)
Leroy (12-0) at McKenzie (12-0)
Class 2A
Pisgah (10-2) at Southeastern (10-2)
Tuscaloosa Academy (9-3) at Coosa Christian (10-2)
Lanett (10-2) at Luverne (12-0)
Reeltown (9-3) at Providence Christian (9-3)
Class 3A
Geraldine (11-1) at Mars Hill Bible (12-0)
Gordo (10-1) at Piedmont (12-0)
Glenwood (11-2) at Southside-Selma (12-0)
Montgomery Academy (11-1) at Bayside Academy (11-1)
Class 4A
Anniston (12-0) at Deshler (11-1)
W.S. Neal (9-3) at Jackson (10-2)
Bullock County (9-3) at St. Michael Catholic (13-0)
Class 5A
Briarwood Christian (7-5) at Moody (10-2)
Central-Clay County (12-1) at Vigor (10-2)
Williamson (12-0) at Montgomery Catholic (8-4)
Class 6A
Muscle Shoals (11-0) at Mountain Brook (9-3)
Homewood (11-1) at Clay-Chalkville (13-0)
Hueytown (6-5) at Benjamin Russell (11-1)
Saraland (11-0) at Pike Road (10-2)
Class 7A (semifinals)
Opelika (9-3) at Auburn (10-2)
Thompson (9-3) at Central-Phenix City (11-1)
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