Hartselle eager for another shot at rival Cullman

At this point in the high school football season, only the best are left standing.

The state's six classifications begin the annual playoffs Friday night, and Hartselle High head coach Bob Godsey said his Tigers are as eager as anybody to hit the field.

Hartselle (4-6) travels to No. 6-ranked Cullman (10-0) on Friday in a Class 5A first-round game, trying to erase the memory of a 45-20 loss to the Bearcats in the regular season.

"No doubt, we're excited about the chance," Godsey said. "Most of the time when you lose to your rival, you have to wait a year to play them again. We get the chance a lot sooner."

Godsey said his team needs to start better this time.

In the regular season, Cullman scored on its first two drives and added two more touchdowns before halftime for a 28-7 lead at the break.

But Godsey said his Tigers are not the same as they were Sept. 28, the date of the previous matchup.

"We're a much better team than the last time we went down there," Godsey said.

Undefeated Cullman has been something of a surprise this year. The Bearcats were projected to have a standout season in 2006 and were 4-0 before Hartselle beat them and halted their momentum in the middle of the regular season. The Bearcats finished 7-3 and lost in the second round of the playoffs.

They've come back strong this season.

"We've improved a lot, and I'm sure they have, too," Godsey said. "You don't get to be 10-0 without being pretty good."

The Hartselle-Cullman rivalry has remained a strong one, dating back to 1920. Hartselle has played Cullman more times than any opponent and leads the series 38-36. The teams have tied three times.

East Limestone offense is a must: When East Limestone (7-3) travels to Tarrant (6-4) on Friday in the first round of the 4A playoffs, the Indians' best chance for a win is to recall the offensive spark it had at the beginning of the season.

Tarrant has allowed 24.1 points a game, while scoring 30.2.

Injuries have hurt the Indians recently, but a shootout favors East Limestone, which has scored 21 points or more seven times this season and averaged 39.4 in the first half of the year.

West Morgan on upward swing: West Morgan turned heads last week with a 24-6 win over East Limestone.

The Rebels (6-4) capped the regular season by winning five of their last six games and travel to Woodland (7-3) on Friday for a first-round 2A playoff game on a roll.

West Morgan's offensive totals jumped during that time to 31.2 points a game, while its defense allowed just 13.3 during the second-half surge.

Clements makes progress in 3A: The move up in classification from 2A to 3A in 2006 has treated the Clements Colts well. Clements (5-5) is in the playoffs for the second straight year and will travel to Plainview (8-2) on Friday in the first round of the state playoffs.

The Colts' back-to-back successful seasons came after a 15-year drought from the postseason.

Addison's first-round streak: History is on the side of the Addison Bulldogs (8-2) as they prepare to host Ranburne (7-3) in the first round of the 2A playoffs Friday. Addison has advanced past the first round 13 of 14 straight years it has made the postseason.

Ranked 10th in the state, Addison enters the playoffs with only one loss to a 2A school, which came to Red Bay.

Around the state

Twenty-four left unbeaten: Twenty-four high school football teams in the state remain undefeated heading into the first round of the state playoffs this week.

That list actually includes 25 that were unbeaten on the field. Oxford (3-7), which failed to make the 6A playoffs, didn't lose to anybody on the scoreboard. Instead, the school had to forfeit seven games because it played a student who had not met the transfer eligibility standards set forth by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Prattville still ranked nationally: The Prattville Lions (10-0) are still on a roll, riding a 25-game winning streak and remaining No. 1 in Class 6A from the preseason poll through the final ranking released this week.

That winning streak is the longest active win streak in the state. The Lions just completed their fifth straight undefeated regular season and remain ranked nationally in four polls.

USA Today has Prattville at No. 2 behind Northwestern of Miami. PrepNation.com has Prattville at No. 7, while the Lions are No. 13 in the ESPN rankings.

Sports Illustrated has placed Prattville at No. 11.

Predicting the preps

Daily Sports Writer Brooke Milam predicts how area teams will fare this week in the first round of the state playoffs:

Friday's games

Decatur 21, Gardendale 17

Hartselle 28, Cullman 23

St. Clair County 24, Priceville 21

East Limestone 14, Tarrant 12

Sardis 20, Elkmont 17

Plainview 21, Clements 20

West Morgan 24, Woodland 20

Addison 20, Ranburne 14

Tanner 17, Lineville 16

Speake 21, Donoho 20

Hazlewood 35, Appalachian 17

Last week: 10-5 (.670)

Season record: 130-51 (.720)