Speake looking to make school history Friday: Bobcats bidding for 3rd-round playoff game

With the field down to 16 teams in each classification, only the best teams remain in high school football. After Friday night, only eight will remain, and several area teams are looking to make history this week with a chance at reaching the quarterfinals.

The Class 1A Speake Bobcats have never won a second-round game, and a win Friday would propel them the third round for the first time.

Speake also has never won 11 games in a season, and a victory Friday night would check that goal off the list as well.

"The last couple of years, we've done a lot of good things, and our guys would like to continue that with their own first," Speake head football coach Heath Grimes said. "They want to do something they can be remembered by."

The Bobcats drilled first-round opponent, Donoho, 56-6, prompting Bobcats assistant coach Brett Voss to mention that "teams that go to Birmingham and play for a state championship don't just win in the first round, they win big."

Grimes said the chance at history is not something the Bobcats have swept under the rug. Instead Speake coaches have chosen to actively motivate their players with the facts.

"It's our total philosophy to say 'It's out there. Let's go get it,' " Grimes said.

Class 5A Decatur hasn't made the third round since 2002 in 6A, while 1A Hazlewood, a program with 11 state titles to its credit, also has not made it past the second round since 2002.

Class 4A East Limestone lost in the quarterfinals last year to eventual state champion Guntersville.

Class 2A Tanner is seeking a return to the quarterfinals after a year's absence, and 2A Addison has not made it that far since winning the 1A state title in 2005. The Bulldogs were beaten in the second round of the 2A playoffs by state runner up Woodland last season.

East prepares for a shootout: While Class 4A East Limestone (8-3) has posted some of the highest point totals in the state, averaging 33.2 points a game this season, Deshler (9-2) comes to Capshaw on Friday bringing some of the same fire power.

The Region 8 champion Tigers are scoring 37 points a game this year and have been able to score in tight situations, barely edging out Boaz 27-21 in the opening round when Dominique King intercepted a pass in the end zone in overtime, and teammate J. Gardiner provided the game-winning touchdown run.

Gardiner and King did all the scoring for Deshler in the first round, with two touchdowns each.

East Limestone will be looking to a variety of weapons to carry the offensive load against Deshler.

Five Indians scored in East Limestone's 38-22 first-round win at Tarrant. Senior quarterback Chad Dewitt, Jonathan Pinque, Blake Long and Raece Flynt each put up a rushing touchdown, and Sam Chaney scored on a 65-yard pass from Dewitt.

Top-ranked Fyffe coming to Tanner: The top team in Class 2A travels to play the Tanner Rattlers (7-4) on Friday.

Fyffe (11-0) will bring its high-powered passing offense, trying to roll up points like it has been doing all season. Look for the Rattlers to control the clock in an attempt to shorten the game against a Fyffe team that is averaging scoring 56 points a game through the first 11 games. Tanner is giving up 19.7 points per game.

Hazlewood, Speake still rolling for 1A, Region 8: Hazlewood and Speake, the top two teams in 1A, Region 8, also might be the top two teams in the northern bracket.

Hazlewood beat Speake 19-0 on Sept. 7 for the Bobcats' lone loss of the regular season, and Golden Bears running back/cornerback D.J. Jones said he thinks both teams have the ability to advance this week, when Hazlewood (11-0) travels to Gaston (8-3) and Speake (10-1) travels to Sulligent (10-1).

If the two teams were to meet again, it would be in the semifinals for a chance to play at Legion Field in Birmingham for the state title.

Hazlewood's confidence this season has been warranted, as the Golden Bears have outscored opponents 420-71 in 11 games.

Hazlewood beat Tarrant, an established 4A program, 7-0 to open the season.

It was the beginning of a string of three straight shutouts for the Hazlewood defense and the Golden Bears have not slowed down
since.

"That motivated us a lot for the season and gave us confidence," Jones said.

"We've had a great work ethic this season. I think it's very important to keep on winning so that we can look back and say we won something and show our kids."

Decatur-Hartselle tipoff changes: Saturday's Decatur-Hartselle basketball games at Decatur will tip off earlier than announced.

The freshman boys will be at 2, followed by the junior varsity girls at 3:30. The varsity girls will begin at 5 p.m., and the varsity boys will be at 6:30 p.m.

Tanner Quarterback Club meeting: The Tanner Quarterback Club will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Special Education Building on Rattler Drive.

Anyone interested in community or school athletics is urged to attend.

Alabama-Mississippi rosters announced: Thirty-seven of the state's best senior football players have been named to the Alabama roster for the 21st annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic on Dec. 17 in Mobile.

Jackie O'Neal, a 28-year coaching veteran that guided Reeltown High School to the Class 1A state football championship in 2001 and into the finals three other times, is the head coach of the Alabama team for the first Alabama-Mississippi Classic ever played in December.

The annual contest has traditionally been on the first Saturday in June since its inception in 1988, but was changed because of the earlier summer reporting date required of many senior players by their respective
colleges and universities.

The Alabama roster includes quarterbacks Barrett Trotter of Briarwood Christian and Casey Weston of Prattville.

Predicting the preps

Daily Sports Writer Brooke Milam predicts how area teams will fare this week in the second round of the state playoffs: Friday’s games

Decatur 28, Benjamin Russell 14

East Limestone 31, Deshler 28

Addison 28, J.B. Pennington 10

Fyffe 35, Tanner 21

Speake 21, Sulligent 14

Hazlewood 32, Gaston 12

Last week: 9-2 (.820)

Season record: 139-53 (.720)